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jsegers's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed it. It was nothing groundbreaking but it was definitely enjoyable. Loved the parallels between the book and my own life, when it comes to graduating high school. It was better then the first book and I still really enjoyed the little text message parts.
liramay's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
hecyah8's review
@ tay
v cute! we love a coming of age story with a happy ending <3
v cute! we love a coming of age story with a happy ending <3
thopp84's review
5.0
A great continuation of these characters that deepens and expands their stories in ways that feel true and authentic to who they are. Some unexpected twists but nothing that felt completely out of left field. Glad I got to spend some more time with these characters and felt like this was a fitting conclusion to the series.
violetlovestoread's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
3.75
edith01's review against another edition
2.0
This was a big disappointment to me because I really liked golden boys but this one was just so mediocre and .. fine. If you’re looking for books about a friendship group of queer boys this really is the one though. The first book is all about them changing and growing as individuals and then this one is about that growth affecting their group and their growth together and towards their future after high school. Just unfortunately this one didn’t work for me like the first did.
Firstly the pacing was so weird. This book took place over their whole senior year, which is fine as plenty of ya contemporary books take place over a school year. But it just didn’t really work for this. There were many time jumps of weeks or months and they were very sporadically placed throughout and then disclosed to the reader at the start of the chapter through one of the boys’ narration in a very jarring manner. It also just made it feel like we were rushing through everything and gave the events and the character arcs the sense of underdevelopment. It was just really off putting to jump from summer to november to christmas to march etc within 100 or so pages and between chapters with only minimal events in. Like I said it obviously can be done in a YA contemporary novel of this length, but it wasn’t successful here and definitely not seamless in the way it wanted to be.
Then the plot .. well there wasn’t really one. There were a few little plotlines but we were mainly just meandering through this school year and rehashing the same problems over again. Like oh will Reese and Heath stay together at different colleges next year, Heath ignoring his obvious beginnings of a shoulder injury and continuing to play baseball, Gabe being sad about his long distance boyfriend and Sal not wanting to go to college. It was just kind of really boring, mostly. The most interesting parts were Reese exploring drag and Sal running for mayor (but there wasn’t much that actually happened with that,plus it was really giving Ben from parks and rec being his town mayor at 18 … like that’s all I could think about so sorry). But none of it really seemed to fit together so with the weird time pacing too the book felt really scattered and all over the place instead of a well woven together story like the first book did. Which is strange because in golden boys they’re all in different places doing different things and yet that one felt more consistent even though in afterglow they’re all together in their town preparing for graduation and college etc.
Which leads me on to my next point about the characters. They just kind of .. gave me nothing and I felt nothing about them and just didn't really care. Which is such a shame because what I wanted more of from golden boys was the four boys actually together and interacting as a group (although I did enjoy their individual journeys). So when I found out afterglow was happening, I was really excited because I thought it would be about them being friends and how they would fit together and be as a group after all the changes and developments of golden boys. But honestly, the friendship is just.. fine. It’s fine yeah but they don't feel like the most developed relationships and I just didn't really feel anything about them, like pain or giddiness or laughing at their banter or anything, and I didn't really care about them as individuals either. They all have like a distinct thing about them that makes them different from each boy and they are different people with some differing personality traits. But just reading each of the POVs, they all felt the same and interchangeable. No distinct voice at all. I honestly can’t tell if this was different to how it was in golden boys or if their POVs were just distinct there because they were all doing very different things. And I couldn't really discern their personalities and individualities from the dialogue or the way they acted around each other. So it was just a big let down because I just didn't care about the characters anymore. Perhaps I just left it too long after reading Golden Boys and I lost that connection and just didn't have the ideas of them from golden boys in my head? Like I vaguely remember what happened and there was a good recap of the actual things that happened to them all in golden boys, but maybe I left it too long and just forgot their personalities. I don't know. Whatever the issue was I just didn’t connect with them at all this time around.
So it was mostly a huge let down for me; boring and badly paced and just felt like an unnecessary sequel as it didn’t feel like the characters really moved any further forward from where they were at the end of the last book.
Like I said though, if you’re looking for a book like this, four queer boys exploring their present and future and what they want to do and being unapologetically queer and exploring some important teenage, I think you’ll enjoy this series and it’ll deliver the elements you’re looking for in a queer friendship novel. Hopefully.
Firstly the pacing was so weird. This book took place over their whole senior year, which is fine as plenty of ya contemporary books take place over a school year. But it just didn’t really work for this. There were many time jumps of weeks or months and they were very sporadically placed throughout and then disclosed to the reader at the start of the chapter through one of the boys’ narration in a very jarring manner. It also just made it feel like we were rushing through everything and gave the events and the character arcs the sense of underdevelopment. It was just really off putting to jump from summer to november to christmas to march etc within 100 or so pages and between chapters with only minimal events in. Like I said it obviously can be done in a YA contemporary novel of this length, but it wasn’t successful here and definitely not seamless in the way it wanted to be.
Then the plot .. well there wasn’t really one. There were a few little plotlines but we were mainly just meandering through this school year and rehashing the same problems over again. Like oh will Reese and Heath stay together at different colleges next year, Heath ignoring his obvious beginnings of a shoulder injury and continuing to play baseball, Gabe being sad about his long distance boyfriend and Sal not wanting to go to college. It was just kind of really boring, mostly. The most interesting parts were Reese exploring drag and Sal running for mayor (but there wasn’t much that actually happened with that,
Which leads me on to my next point about the characters. They just kind of .. gave me nothing and I felt nothing about them and just didn't really care. Which is such a shame because what I wanted more of from golden boys was the four boys actually together and interacting as a group (although I did enjoy their individual journeys). So when I found out afterglow was happening, I was really excited because I thought it would be about them being friends and how they would fit together and be as a group after all the changes and developments of golden boys. But honestly, the friendship is just.. fine. It’s fine yeah but they don't feel like the most developed relationships and I just didn't really feel anything about them, like pain or giddiness or laughing at their banter or anything, and I didn't really care about them as individuals either. They all have like a distinct thing about them that makes them different from each boy and they are different people with some differing personality traits. But just reading each of the POVs, they all felt the same and interchangeable. No distinct voice at all. I honestly can’t tell if this was different to how it was in golden boys or if their POVs were just distinct there because they were all doing very different things. And I couldn't really discern their personalities and individualities from the dialogue or the way they acted around each other. So it was just a big let down because I just didn't care about the characters anymore. Perhaps I just left it too long after reading Golden Boys and I lost that connection and just didn't have the ideas of them from golden boys in my head? Like I vaguely remember what happened and there was a good recap of the actual things that happened to them all in golden boys, but maybe I left it too long and just forgot their personalities. I don't know. Whatever the issue was I just didn’t connect with them at all this time around.
So it was mostly a huge let down for me; boring and badly paced and just felt like an unnecessary sequel as it didn’t feel like the characters really moved any further forward from where they were at the end of the last book.
Like I said though, if you’re looking for a book like this, four queer boys exploring their present and future and what they want to do and being unapologetically queer and exploring some important teenage, I think you’ll enjoy this series and it’ll deliver the elements you’re looking for in a queer friendship novel. Hopefully.
jmshirtz's review
3.0
Well, that was…disappointing if I’m honest. I lost interest halfway through and had to push myself to continue. It picked up in the second half, which is a testament to caring for the characters. It was the storytelling that was lacking. Each boy had something big happening in his life, but it kept leading up to it, then switching POV, and later recalling what happened in the interim from the perspective of days, weeks, or months past that point. I wanted to see them do the things!
jayqueuetee's review
4.0
I called this Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for queer kids after the first book, and then we get a sequel and that's TOTALLY what this is. I love these characters and the way that Phil Stamper doesn't get too cute about the realities these boys face as they get ready for college (a breakup between two characters who came together at the end of the first book is handled so realistically), and I enjoy how open ended it all is when it ends.
Also, the very timely book banning storyline takes an unexpected turn, and some of the adults surprise you with how they both show up and disappoint at different moments.
Also, the very timely book banning storyline takes an unexpected turn, and some of the adults surprise you with how they both show up and disappoint at different moments.
tealightfully's review against another edition
3.0
I stand by the same sentiments I had in the first book.
These boys should’ve been aged up by a few years to be even more of a fun meaningful read. Them wrapping college would’ve made more sense IMO based on their trajectories and they way they had them acting.
However, as with my previous review, I am happy to see mediocre slightly boring queer characters getting non-traumatic/non-homophobic families and community supports. It was refreshing to just have a group of gay friends hanging out without any of plot points be hate crimes or being disowned.
These boys should’ve been aged up by a few years to be even more of a fun meaningful read. Them wrapping college would’ve made more sense IMO based on their trajectories and they way they had them acting.
However, as with my previous review, I am happy to see mediocre slightly boring queer characters getting non-traumatic/non-homophobic families and community supports. It was refreshing to just have a group of gay friends hanging out without any of plot points be hate crimes or being disowned.