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stacy837's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Panic attacks/disorders
hue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Honestly, the back of the book didn't say much at all. But after having read the book, I now see why.
To say the least, the characters were flat, superficial, and two-dimensional. They didn't feel real, and I didn't much care about their feelings, thoughts, and so forth. The story was divided into four POVs, one for each boy, and written in first person. This muddled the story significantly because they all sounded the exact same. They had the same thoughts, the same reactions, the same existence, essentially. Half the time I wasn't sure who I was following. They all seemed to have one of two reactions every given time; either they were blushing from the smallest of things, or they were crying. That or they were smiling.
Following four different summer vacations was messy and uninspiring. They were way too co-dependent on each other for no reason, sending 'I miss you' texts every given minute and then being sad when their friends, who all were busy with their own stuff, didn't reply immediately. It was irritating, and I don't know any sixteen-year-olds who'd act like this.
I also can't for the love of me understand why Matt would get "back" together with Gabe after he literally ditched him and slept with his ex the moment his ex (Sal) was back in the picture. He never apologized for this, at least not in a way that made his mistake clear (saying it's complicated is an ass excuse for cheating), and yeah maybe Matt and Gabe weren't together together yet, but it still would make me feel very unsure in the relationship if I knew he'd been fooling with his ex immediately after his arrival. It doesn't sit right with me.
Same as Reese getting angry and jealous that Heath, his friend not his boyfriend, kissed another guy. Heath definitely didn't need to apologize for that, and nothing gave Reese the "allowance" to say he's forgiving Heath. There was nothing to forgive.
So, all in all; superficial characters, uninteresting plot, hollow relationships, and a lot of unnecessary cringe. Can't say I'd recommend it.
To say the least, the characters were flat, superficial, and two-dimensional. They didn't feel real, and I didn't much care about their feelings, thoughts, and so forth. The story was divided into four POVs, one for each boy, and written in first person. This muddled the story significantly because they all sounded the exact same. They had the same thoughts, the same reactions, the same existence, essentially. Half the time I wasn't sure who I was following. They all seemed to have one of two reactions every given time; either they were blushing from the smallest of things, or they were crying. That or they were smiling.
Following four different summer vacations was messy and uninspiring. They were way too co-dependent on each other for no reason, sending 'I miss you' texts every given minute and then being sad when their friends, who all were busy with their own stuff, didn't reply immediately. It was irritating, and I don't know any sixteen-year-olds who'd act like this.
Same as Reese getting angry and jealous that Heath, his friend not his boyfriend, kissed another guy. Heath definitely didn't need to apologize for that, and nothing gave Reese the "allowance" to say he's forgiving Heath. There was nothing to forgive.
So, all in all; superficial characters, uninteresting plot, hollow relationships, and a lot of unnecessary cringe. Can't say I'd recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Bullying, and Mental illness
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying
Minor: Grief and Sexual content
diana_raquel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“I feel the past clinging to me like condensation on a glass of water. He’s everywhere around me. He’s my relief, and my protection.”
Look at me!! Reading a book I know nothing about! This was impulse buying. I liked the title and decided to buy it. However, it was a nice surprise. This is a coming-of-age story about 4 friends that decide to follow different paths during the summer before their senior year of high school. It's a story about identity, growing up, and romance. The characters are well-written and well-developed. And the story itself is also well-structured. I also liked that the reader has access to other mediums, such as images of Reese's schedule.
However, I think that the pacing is slow in the beginning. And that affected my reading experience to the point that I thought about DNF'ing the book. After the friends went their separate ways, the story becomes more dynamic but, in the beginning, it was very slow for my liking.
Still, it is a solid reading.
Look at me!! Reading a book I know nothing about! This was impulse buying. I liked the title and decided to buy it. However, it was a nice surprise. This is a coming-of-age story about 4 friends that decide to follow different paths during the summer before their senior year of high school. It's a story about identity, growing up, and romance. The characters are well-written and well-developed. And the story itself is also well-structured. I also liked that the reader has access to other mediums, such as images of Reese's schedule.
However, I think that the pacing is slow in the beginning. And that affected my reading experience to the point that I thought about DNF'ing the book. After the friends went their separate ways, the story becomes more dynamic but, in the beginning, it was very slow for my liking.
Still, it is a solid reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content
books_and_rainydays's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Bullying
queer_bookwyrm's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3 ⭐ CW: bullying/homophobia mention, anxiety/panic attacks, Covid/pandemic mentions
Golden Boys by Phil Stamper is a contemporary novel about four gay best friends from a small Ohio town that are each about to go on separate summer adventures. This was a nice and light summery read, but I felt it didn't really have much substance.
We get POV chapters from Sal, the uptight buttoned up one with ambitions to get to work in politics; Gabriel, his best friend/hook up who suffers from panic attacks and wants to save the trees; Reese, the guy from a big family who gets to study design in Paris; and Heath, the poorest of the group dealing with his parent's divorce and being shipped off to Florida with his aunt and cousin. Heath is my favorite.
I loved seeing how their friendships work and balance each other out. It was also nice to see platonic intimacy depicted from teen boys. Each character is trying to find out who they are away from Ohio and away from their friends. Sal and Gabe strive to figure out how to be just friends in order to let each other grow, and Heath and Reese both have huge crushes on each other, but don't know it.
This was a sweet story, but I think it was a bit young for me or it could be the fact that I have a hard time being gripped by contemporary YA stories. It was fine, but it just didn't have that...*something*, you know?
If you're looking for a sweet, easy summer read about teen romance and then finding themselves, this is perfect for that.
Golden Boys by Phil Stamper is a contemporary novel about four gay best friends from a small Ohio town that are each about to go on separate summer adventures. This was a nice and light summery read, but I felt it didn't really have much substance.
We get POV chapters from Sal, the uptight buttoned up one with ambitions to get to work in politics; Gabriel, his best friend/hook up who suffers from panic attacks and wants to save the trees; Reese, the guy from a big family who gets to study design in Paris; and Heath, the poorest of the group dealing with his parent's divorce and being shipped off to Florida with his aunt and cousin. Heath is my favorite.
I loved seeing how their friendships work and balance each other out. It was also nice to see platonic intimacy depicted from teen boys. Each character is trying to find out who they are away from Ohio and away from their friends. Sal and Gabe strive to figure out how to be just friends in order to let each other grow, and Heath and Reese both have huge crushes on each other, but don't know it.
This was a sweet story, but I think it was a bit young for me or it could be the fact that I have a hard time being gripped by contemporary YA stories. It was fine, but it just didn't have that...*something*, you know?
If you're looking for a sweet, easy summer read about teen romance and then finding themselves, this is perfect for that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Bullying
piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is phenomenal. Im so glad I decided to listen to it. The friendship these boys have is more than envy-worthy and I adored seeing their easy affectionate and pet names. It ended on the best note possible and I have no ill words to say. Definitely best as an audiobook bc then you hear the different voices of each person and their voices in the group chats
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Bullying
alibraryofpages_'s review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, and Homophobia
imstephtacular's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Classism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Grief
betweentheshelves's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am torn about this one! I thought it had a bit of a rocky start, but it definitely picked up once all of the boys were in their respective places for the summer. Stay tuned for a full review to come next week!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying and Homophobia
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