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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
"You were right, you know. Years ago. There's something wrong with this place."
If I crossed Friday Night Lights w/ Stephen King and an LGBTQIA+ focus, that is exactly how I would describe this book. A town with an obsessive love of football finds itself re-living a case from 10 years ago. But of course, there's just so much more to it.
If you like horror, and if you like Stephen King, you'll enjoy this. The writing style was so similar to King--I had to remind myself often enough that it WASN'T Stephen King.
And as someone who lives in a small town with an obsession with football (though I know that our MN football obsession is nothing like Texas football obsession), this line defined the town perfectly:
"If you'll excuse me, Officer--they laid off all the teacher's aides to buy the boys new uniforms and I'm already a week behind." So there you have it!
If I crossed Friday Night Lights w/ Stephen King and an LGBTQIA+ focus, that is exactly how I would describe this book. A town with an obsessive love of football finds itself re-living a case from 10 years ago. But of course, there's just so much more to it.
If you like horror, and if you like Stephen King, you'll enjoy this. The writing style was so similar to King--I had to remind myself often enough that it WASN'T Stephen King.
And as someone who lives in a small town with an obsession with football (though I know that our MN football obsession is nothing like Texas football obsession), this line defined the town perfectly:
"If you'll excuse me, Officer--they laid off all the teacher's aides to buy the boys new uniforms and I'm already a week behind." So there you have it!
*Updating (1.19.21)
After reading a few other reviews on this book and thinking back..I really don't remember much about it other than the crazy ending. I saw I wasn't the only one confused with a certain reveal at the end (I thought maybe I missed something earlier on..?). Either way, I'm going to bump it down a star now. I still want to read more from this author though.
After reading a few other reviews on this book and thinking back..I really don't remember much about it other than the crazy ending. I saw I wasn't the only one confused with a certain reveal at the end (I thought maybe I missed something earlier on..?). Either way, I'm going to bump it down a star now. I still want to read more from this author though.
Joel Whitley is living the high life in Manhattan, but 10 years ago he was just a scared, gay kid running from his conservative Texas hometown. When his little brother, now a senior in high school and the captain of the football team, sends him a suicidal text one night by mistake, Joel rushes home to help. By the time he gets there, that week's football game is starting and his brother, Dylan, rushes off immediately afterward, promising Joel he'll be back Sunday night. Dylan, however, disappears. As Joel investigates his disappearance, old prejudices and rivalries return and Joel may not make it out of town alive.
For me, it was pretty slow getting going and it took too long to get to any reveals. There's a paranormal aspect that was never adequately dealt with or explained and I was left feeling frustrated about that at the end of the book. I was never bored enough to want to stop reading it, but I was never in a hurry to pick it up again, either, until the last 20%. Fram did create some interesting characters, but many were stereotypical rednecks, too. I particularly liked the main character, Joel, who was strong and real and messed up but never gave up. I loved the kicka$$ female cop who stood up for what was right, regardless of what the Old Boys Club who run the town told her to do. I liked the strong high school girls who defy the stereotype of cheerleader.
What really brought this one down for me was the end. Too much stereotyping and unexplained paranormal stuff combined with:
a bizarre reveal of what the "bright lands" are that seemed to glorify unrestrained gay sex and drug use as the ultimate pleasures. It was just bizzare and felt like the author (who is gay) was trying to convince readers that that every man/boy wants to have sex with other men, whether they know it or not, whether they consider themselves straight or gay. Why would the strongest homophobic voices driving Joel out of town 10 years ago be the ringleaders of all the homosexual stuff happening in the bright lands? It felt forced in the story and I just don't buy that.
Before the ending, I would have given the book 4 stars, the unrealistic and unresolved ending brought it down to 3.
Disclaimer: received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
For me, it was pretty slow getting going and it took too long to get to any reveals. There's a paranormal aspect that was never adequately dealt with or explained and I was left feeling frustrated about that at the end of the book. I was never bored enough to want to stop reading it, but I was never in a hurry to pick it up again, either, until the last 20%. Fram did create some interesting characters, but many were stereotypical rednecks, too. I particularly liked the main character, Joel, who was strong and real and messed up but never gave up. I loved the kicka$$ female cop who stood up for what was right, regardless of what the Old Boys Club who run the town told her to do. I liked the strong high school girls who defy the stereotype of cheerleader.
What really brought this one down for me was the end. Too much stereotyping and unexplained paranormal stuff combined with:
Spoiler
a bizarre reveal of what the "bright lands" are that seemed to glorify unrestrained gay sex and drug use as the ultimate pleasures. It was just bizzare and felt like the author (who is gay) was trying to convince readers that that every man/boy wants to have sex with other men, whether they know it or not, whether they consider themselves straight or gay. Why would the strongest homophobic voices driving Joel out of town 10 years ago be the ringleaders of all the homosexual stuff happening in the bright lands? It felt forced in the story and I just don't buy that.
Before the ending, I would have given the book 4 stars, the unrealistic and unresolved ending brought it down to 3.
Disclaimer: received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is a hard book to review.
In short, I liked it. A lot. It's a devastating book that just... hurts when it's over. It's definitely a plot driven book rather than a character driven one, but the characters were still so tender. So flawed and trembling. Do you ever read about someone and just feel yourself ache? Queer narratives always seem to get that sense of abject longing just right.
This is a hard book to read. It deals with rough subjects like homophobia, racism, sexism, toxic masculinity, rape, grooming, pedophilia, and shame caused by toxic small towns. Some scenes are fucking brutal, and describe awful situations. Be aware of that before reading.
I was reminded a lot of the book The Walking Dark by Robin Wasserman while reading this. Both books followed a large cast of imperfect characters through an awful situation, and neither has a truly satisfying ending. Yet I liked both of them for those exact reasons.
It's hard to explain. Finding the balance between writing messy, terrible characters and yet hoping the audience still cares enough to follow them is a tricky thing, and in this case it doesn't work for everyone. But it worked for me. I look forward to what this author puts out next.
In short, I liked it. A lot. It's a devastating book that just... hurts when it's over. It's definitely a plot driven book rather than a character driven one, but the characters were still so tender. So flawed and trembling. Do you ever read about someone and just feel yourself ache? Queer narratives always seem to get that sense of abject longing just right.
This is a hard book to read. It deals with rough subjects like homophobia, racism, sexism, toxic masculinity, rape, grooming, pedophilia, and shame caused by toxic small towns. Some scenes are fucking brutal, and describe awful situations. Be aware of that before reading.
I was reminded a lot of the book The Walking Dark by Robin Wasserman while reading this. Both books followed a large cast of imperfect characters through an awful situation, and neither has a truly satisfying ending. Yet I liked both of them for those exact reasons.
It's hard to explain. Finding the balance between writing messy, terrible characters and yet hoping the audience still cares enough to follow them is a tricky thing, and in this case it doesn't work for everyone. But it worked for me. I look forward to what this author puts out next.
Rating 3.5
It was very intriguing. I don't even know what kind of book this is.
Expect suspense, weird, some LGBTQ aspects, thriller, maybe even horror vibes.
You must be open for a mix of genres, and being kept in the dark for most of the books, and then have so much happening.
I think it may not be very likable to a lot of people because of how things progress, but the writing is very good and all the ideas explored are good as well.
It was very intriguing. I don't even know what kind of book this is.
Expect suspense, weird, some LGBTQ aspects, thriller, maybe even horror vibes.
You must be open for a mix of genres, and being kept in the dark for most of the books, and then have so much happening.
I think it may not be very likable to a lot of people because of how things progress, but the writing is very good and all the ideas explored are good as well.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book. I’m a little conflicted about this book. I wanted to keep reading but I felt like there were some problematic parts in the way gay men were represented. The horror element was very strange, but the mystery kept me reading.
Fast fun mystery/horror novel very much in the Stephen King mode of horror where Americana hides the darkness of both humans and the supernatural. The queerness throughout the book is exciting to see and the characters are generally well drawn, although at times I wanted the shifting viewpoints to linger a bit on some of the smaller characters so they could develop a little more (And in the climax I occasionally mixed up some of the supporting cast). The climax is less scary then unsettling and bizarre - I think it's pulled off but I can see how some might find it slightly silly. Still, I sailed through this one and had a fun time.
