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foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.25
Jay is about to be a senior in high school, but as the only out gay kid in rural Washington, he feels like he's missing out on so many formative experiences that his classmates are getting. Jay spends most of his time dreaming about his firsts and with that comes his own Gay Agenda. This list is filled with romantic and sexual experiences Jay is determined to experience one day. Then his parents announce that their moving to Seattle--AKA Queer Paradise--and suddenly the things on Jay's list don't seem that far away. But as Jay tries to balance his heart, his hormones and old vs new friends, he gets a bit swept away in it all.
This book was incredibly cute. I loved the tone and how just overwhelmingly positive this whole book was. I wish I had more rom-coms like this when I was in high school. Jay was a relatable and sympathetic narrator. Every time he would call someone a VSB I couldn't help but laugh. It was just too adorable.
My favorite character is Max (she/he), genderqueer gay guide extraordinaire. Max was effervescent. I loved his instant friendship with Jay and just how well they complimented each other. Also I need more genderqueer people in books. 🥺🥺🥺 Then there's Albert, our adorable geeky love interest. I head canon him as demisexual because of how he talks about how he doesn't feel attracted to people immediately it has to grow from an emotional connection. Albert also plays a version of Pokemon Go but called something else and I just loved those scenes SO MUCH.
I loved that this book talked about discussed stereotypes and why even if they are true, they're also harmful. I loved that this discussion was about both queer people and the BIPOC community, specifically the model-minority myth when Albert discusses what he's faced. It was such a good discussion and I want more YA books to have ones like this.
Jay also leaves behind his best friend in Washington. While she deals with poverty, Jay does his best to be there for her, but he doesn't really know what to do. I loved their friendship even though they had a lot of conflict. I loved the way it ended and how friendship was given the worth it deserves.
Rep: white gay MC, Chinese-American demisexual gay MC, Achillean genderqueer side character, drag queen side character, Black boy side character, various other queer supporting characters.
CWs: Emotional cheating/infidelity, sexual content, discussion of racism/racial prejudice, discussion of homophobia/gay stereotypes.
This book was incredibly cute. I loved the tone and how just overwhelmingly positive this whole book was. I wish I had more rom-coms like this when I was in high school. Jay was a relatable and sympathetic narrator. Every time he would call someone a VSB I couldn't help but laugh. It was just too adorable.
My favorite character is Max (she/he), genderqueer gay guide extraordinaire. Max was effervescent. I loved his instant friendship with Jay and just how well they complimented each other. Also I need more genderqueer people in books. 🥺🥺🥺 Then there's Albert, our adorable geeky love interest. I head canon him as demisexual because of how he talks about how he doesn't feel attracted to people immediately it has to grow from an emotional connection. Albert also plays a version of Pokemon Go but called something else and I just loved those scenes SO MUCH.
I loved that this book talked about discussed stereotypes and why even if they are true, they're also harmful. I loved that this discussion was about both queer people and the BIPOC community, specifically the model-minority myth when Albert discusses what he's faced. It was such a good discussion and I want more YA books to have ones like this.
Jay also leaves behind his best friend in Washington. While she deals with poverty, Jay does his best to be there for her, but he doesn't really know what to do. I loved their friendship even though they had a lot of conflict. I loved the way it ended and how friendship was given the worth it deserves.
Rep: white gay MC, Chinese-American demisexual gay MC, Achillean genderqueer side character, drag queen side character, Black boy side character, various other queer supporting characters.
CWs: Emotional cheating/infidelity, sexual content, discussion of racism/racial prejudice, discussion of homophobia/gay stereotypes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
emweir's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
yvonne_cl's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! I was looking for something fun to read to ring in June, and this was the perfect thing. A sex-positive gay rom-com perfect to kick off your Pride reading lists!
What I liked about this is the way that you can feel Jay’s emotions throughout this book. June does a great job writing his emotions and the way he reacts to everything. It feels real and authentic and I think it will resonate with a lot of teens. Jay fumbles his way through a lot of romantic firsts in a very teenage way.
The supporting characters also take the show in this book, especially Max. There’s a lot of diverse representation throughout, and there’s just as much emphasis on platonic relationships as there is romantic. There’s so much to love about the ways these characters interact.
The main reason this didn’t get five stars is because the book gets a bit repetitive at times, with the lists. COVID is also mentioned once, so it’s not really clear if that’s going on here? Maybe it will be taken out in the final copy.
All in all, if you’re looking for a funny, light-hearted gay summer romance, definitely check out this book!
----
This is the gay summer rom-com we all needed. Sure it's not perfect, but it was fun! More in a review to come next week.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia
gracew's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And my honest review is that I am disappointed. I'm disappointed in the plot, in the characters, in the writing. I don't like the POV, I don't like the cheating, I don't like the "ohmygawd" every three pages (spelled exactly like that) I don't like the friends or the side characters. Just about the only part of this I enjoyed was the love interest who really could do a lot better. This book moved quickly enough which is good but the overall feeling I come away with is just disappointment. I wanted this to be a fun, pretty light read and for the first have it was. But then it really, really wasn't any more and the backlash I felt when the cheating began was really frustrating. I'm going to have to say this was a miss for me. I'd love some more sweet queer romances but sadly this one wasn't the fluffy feel good ya love story I was hoping for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Sexual content
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