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bethany6788's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was SO MUCH FUN! It was my first read by @stampepk but it will not be my last. I loved listening to this one. It was a group of best friends separated the summer before their senior year for different reasons and ambitions.
Things I loved about this book:
First of all - this cover is amazing.
The audio!!! Genius to have multiple narrators. It gave me an emotional connection with each character and it was super easy to follow along with. The narrators truly outdid themselves - this is one of the best narrated books I’ve ever listened to.
I absolutely adored the friendships between Reese, Heath, Sal, and Gabe. They grew so much during the summer, and I loved seeing them branch out! I loved the complexities and intricacies bright to these friendships. Each boy had a different dynamic with each other and Reese’s bracelets were perfect.
I loved loved loved Reese’s journey with fashion and designing. It was so intriguing!
Poor Sal, I wanted to hug him. The stress! Really brave to speak out when he was feeling so anxious and overwhelmed.
Heath! I loved that even though he was dealing with a lot, he was able to count on his aunt and cousin.
Gabe - loved his love story!!! Matt was so sweet and just a really good guy.
I loved how Heath and Reese realized their feelings.
That grand gesture at the end!!! Swoon!!!! What magical ending (pun intended).
Loved the epilogue!
I literally listened to this book at any free moment I had over the last two days because I loved it so much. What a treasure! 🥹🩵 I’m so sad it’s over but I saw there is a sequel!!
Things I loved about this book:
First of all - this cover is amazing.
The audio!!! Genius to have multiple narrators. It gave me an emotional connection with each character and it was super easy to follow along with. The narrators truly outdid themselves - this is one of the best narrated books I’ve ever listened to.
I absolutely adored the friendships between Reese, Heath, Sal, and Gabe. They grew so much during the summer, and I loved seeing them branch out! I loved the complexities and intricacies bright to these friendships. Each boy had a different dynamic with each other and Reese’s bracelets were perfect.
I loved loved loved Reese’s journey with fashion and designing. It was so intriguing!
Poor Sal, I wanted to hug him. The stress! Really brave to speak out when he was feeling so anxious and overwhelmed.
Heath! I loved that even though he was dealing with a lot, he was able to count on his aunt and cousin.
Gabe - loved his love story!!! Matt was so sweet and just a really good guy.
I loved how Heath and Reese realized their feelings.
That grand gesture at the end!!! Swoon!!!! What magical ending (pun intended).
Loved the epilogue!
I literally listened to this book at any free moment I had over the last two days because I loved it so much. What a treasure! 🥹🩵 I’m so sad it’s over but I saw there is a sequel!!
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
Love these characters so much! I don’t believe I would have ever read this book if it wasn’t for Jesse from Jesse the reader on YouTube.
Love these characters so much! I don’t believe I would have ever read this book if it wasn’t for Jesse from Jesse the reader on YouTube.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, this gave me Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants vibes, but obviously, following queer boys and clearly it is so much better than that.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
faithtrustandpixiedust2008's review against another edition
5.0
One of those special books that reach you at just the right time in life, where the author seems to be reaching out their arms, whispering 'I wrote this book just for you. Everything is going to be okay'. That is why I read.
drakoulis's review against another edition
5.0
Another heartwarming, stellar book by Phil Stamper!
Golden Boys follows the friendship quartet of Gabe, Sal, Reese and Heath, who are bonded together for years in their small town in Ohio, being the only gay kids in their school, and for the first time they have to spend a lot of time away from each other, during the summer between their junior year and their senior year.
Gabe is volunteering for an environmental non-profit in Boston, Sal is interning with a Senator, Reese is attending a summer design course in Paris and Heath is working at his aunt's arcade in Daytona, Florida.
The 4 boys are quite different, their voices are very distinctive and the dynamic of the group is fascinating :
- Heath is the ultimate comfort character: he is kind and loyal and loves his friends and has to deal with the breakup of his parents and the fact that he comes from a poorer background than the others and has to work during the summer. But he never gets petty or mean, he finds a way to deal with life, and life rewards him.
- Reese is the artistic boy with the huge, supporting family, the meticulate planner with the lists and the bullets and the drawings right next to them. He is also a bit insecure about critisicm and not being the best at something (all 4 boys are top students), he's dreamy and looks for his inspiration in life.
- Gabe is anxious about everything. He doesn't know what to do, he isn't sure who he is and who he wants to be-except for when he is with Sal. He isn't confident with meeting new people and volunteering for the tree-planting program is a new step for him. And the people he meets there open a brand new path fin life, especially cute Matt.
- Sal is the most distinctive of the group, because he keeps up a facade. He has grown under immense pressure by his mother and can't even consciously realise what he wants and what she has ingrained into him. He always feels the need to appear composed and unperturbed by circumstances. He is a born politician and diplomat, and one would say he is colder than the rest (in reality, he's just a good actor).
The dynamics are so good : Sal and Gabe are friends with benefits, but they are both aware they're not in love with each other in a romantic way. They're comfortable at what they have, but they know it sort of holds them back. Can they learn how to be just friends? Heath and Reese are ridiculously in love, but none of them has the courage to say it, afraid they could ruin what they already have. Maybe they just need a little nudge...
Friends to lovers and lovers to friends in the same book in such a wholesome way? Another plus for an already amazing story !
There are cross-dynamics as well : Reese and Sal share the more "composed and serious" aspect of their personalities, and truly understand each other. Heath and Gabe grow closer via texts and calls when their friends drop off the grid for a while: they are both each other's hype-man and radiate cuteness. Heath's cousin Diana is a meddlesome maelstorm with the best intentions. Reese's design school friend Philipp is the outside nudge he needs. Gabe's volunteering friend (at first..) Matt will make him see new possibilities.
One small complain: Covid references. I hope they're not gonna be a thing in contemporary YA books.
The book is sweet, deep, sappy, cute and I can't wait for the sequel !
Reread: I wanted to have this book fresh in my memory before reading Afterglow and it was a good call, I really like this group of boys!
Golden Boys follows the friendship quartet of Gabe, Sal, Reese and Heath, who are bonded together for years in their small town in Ohio, being the only gay kids in their school, and for the first time they have to spend a lot of time away from each other, during the summer between their junior year and their senior year.
Gabe is volunteering for an environmental non-profit in Boston, Sal is interning with a Senator, Reese is attending a summer design course in Paris and Heath is working at his aunt's arcade in Daytona, Florida.
The 4 boys are quite different, their voices are very distinctive and the dynamic of the group is fascinating :
- Heath is the ultimate comfort character: he is kind and loyal and loves his friends and has to deal with the breakup of his parents and the fact that he comes from a poorer background than the others and has to work during the summer. But he never gets petty or mean, he finds a way to deal with life, and life rewards him.
- Reese is the artistic boy with the huge, supporting family, the meticulate planner with the lists and the bullets and the drawings right next to them. He is also a bit insecure about critisicm and not being the best at something (all 4 boys are top students), he's dreamy and looks for his inspiration in life.
- Gabe is anxious about everything. He doesn't know what to do, he isn't sure who he is and who he wants to be-except for when he is with Sal. He isn't confident with meeting new people and volunteering for the tree-planting program is a new step for him. And the people he meets there open a brand new path fin life, especially cute Matt.
- Sal is the most distinctive of the group, because he keeps up a facade. He has grown under immense pressure by his mother and can't even consciously realise what he wants and what she has ingrained into him. He always feels the need to appear composed and unperturbed by circumstances. He is a born politician and diplomat, and one would say he is colder than the rest (in reality, he's just a good actor).
The dynamics are so good : Sal and Gabe are friends with benefits, but they are both aware they're not in love with each other in a romantic way. They're comfortable at what they have, but they know it sort of holds them back. Can they learn how to be just friends? Heath and Reese are ridiculously in love, but none of them has the courage to say it, afraid they could ruin what they already have. Maybe they just need a little nudge...
Friends to lovers and lovers to friends in the same book in such a wholesome way? Another plus for an already amazing story !
There are cross-dynamics as well : Reese and Sal share the more "composed and serious" aspect of their personalities, and truly understand each other. Heath and Gabe grow closer via texts and calls when their friends drop off the grid for a while: they are both each other's hype-man and radiate cuteness. Heath's cousin Diana is a meddlesome maelstorm with the best intentions. Reese's design school friend Philipp is the outside nudge he needs. Gabe's volunteering friend (at first..) Matt will make him see new possibilities.
One small complain: Covid references. I hope they're not gonna be a thing in contemporary YA books.
The book is sweet, deep, sappy, cute and I can't wait for the sequel !
Reread: I wanted to have this book fresh in my memory before reading Afterglow and it was a good call, I really like this group of boys!
kubik1's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
5.0
the_gare_bear's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great story about friendships, growing up in a small town, and learning who you are. Looking forward to the 2nd installment. ❤️
nmolinet05's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
2.75
this book is...fine. its not really anything special, but its not bad, either. that being said, i do have quite a bit to say about it.
first things first, the pacing SUCKS. i had quite a hard time figuring out how time was passing (frustrating, considering this book takes place over a 3-month period) and as such it made a lot of the development in relationships feel very rushed :/ at one point, one of the characters mentions him and his friends have only been a part for a week, but the next chapter - without a mention of time passing - a different character says he's been doing his job for weeks, which could only be a typo but for me it made me think a bunch of time has passed without it being mentioned. also, overall it really doesnt feel like 3 months pass during the book; a most, it feels like a month, maybe. like...just not much happens? all the chapters are fairly short and, spread between 4 characters, that doesnt leave a lot room for anything :/ only some of the character development feels deserved, and its more or less only for sal and reese. gabe feels like he only changes because the author says so; a lot of his development seems to happen behind the scenes, which just reads wrong since he changes the most. for the pacing, i wish the book had been structured differently. since there's 4 characters, i think it would have been cool to have each month broken into four chapters, each spanning a week with each character getting their own part. it would have flowed better and made us miss the characters more. really...the pacing makes it all fall flat.
next...i dont like how the relationships worked out, especially with gabe and sal. they ended up feeling like SUCH a hollow friendship because their 'relationship' didnt seem to matter to either of them? idk, they just had such a strange dynamic, with sal especially seeming like nothing matters to him. i also didnt like matt at ALL. hes just SUCH a non-characters; hes literally only there so gabe has someone to like, and it was so annoying they got together in the end. it just didnt make sense to me. and reese and heath...they were fine, but nothing special. overall the characters just fell flat to me. they had so much potential, but it didnt lead to anything, which really is a shame.
further on the characters, theyre all so bland and fairly similar, especially sal and reese. despite the book being told in first person from all the boys, none of them had a distinct voice or personality. their personalities were more or less told to us by the other characters, but it didnt translate very well to their chapters, and it feels like we only know them all on a very surface level. i also dont like the way reese & heath and sal & gabe mirrored each other beat for beat. the chapters where they switch POV's just read as very lazy and i found those 2 chapters annoying and tedious to read; it was essentially the same chapter twice.
i wish this book had just gone a little bit deeper with everything because it was interesting, but it could have been much, much better.
first things first, the pacing SUCKS. i had quite a hard time figuring out how time was passing (frustrating, considering this book takes place over a 3-month period) and as such it made a lot of the development in relationships feel very rushed :/ at one point, one of the characters mentions him and his friends have only been a part for a week, but the next chapter - without a mention of time passing - a different character says he's been doing his job for weeks, which could only be a typo but for me it made me think a bunch of time has passed without it being mentioned. also, overall it really doesnt feel like 3 months pass during the book; a most, it feels like a month, maybe. like...just not much happens? all the chapters are fairly short and, spread between 4 characters, that doesnt leave a lot room for anything :/ only some of the character development feels deserved, and its more or less only for sal and reese. gabe feels like he only changes because the author says so; a lot of his development seems to happen behind the scenes, which just reads wrong since he changes the most. for the pacing, i wish the book had been structured differently. since there's 4 characters, i think it would have been cool to have each month broken into four chapters, each spanning a week with each character getting their own part. it would have flowed better and made us miss the characters more. really...the pacing makes it all fall flat.
next...i dont like how the relationships worked out, especially with gabe and sal. they ended up feeling like SUCH a hollow friendship because their 'relationship' didnt seem to matter to either of them? idk, they just had such a strange dynamic, with sal especially seeming like nothing matters to him. i also didnt like matt at ALL. hes just SUCH a non-characters; hes literally only there so gabe has someone to like, and it was so annoying they got together in the end. it just didnt make sense to me. and reese and heath...they were fine, but nothing special. overall the characters just fell flat to me. they had so much potential, but it didnt lead to anything, which really is a shame.
further on the characters, theyre all so bland and fairly similar, especially sal and reese. despite the book being told in first person from all the boys, none of them had a distinct voice or personality. their personalities were more or less told to us by the other characters, but it didnt translate very well to their chapters, and it feels like we only know them all on a very surface level. i also dont like the way reese & heath and sal & gabe mirrored each other beat for beat. the chapters where they switch POV's just read as very lazy and i found those 2 chapters annoying and tedious to read; it was essentially the same chapter twice.
i wish this book had just gone a little bit deeper with everything because it was interesting, but it could have been much, much better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content