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garbutch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Car accident, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Bullying, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Drug use, Sexual harassment, and Physical abuse
Minor: Racism and Classism
The protagonist's abusive father (who was/is a cop) chased the protagonist and his mother in a car, bumping the fender multiple times and driving the two of them off a cliff. The protagonist was 7 and was disabled by it, both with a leg issue and with PTSD triggered once in the book, by driving at night.serina19's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
roygbiv_books's review against another edition
4.0
He was a punk and he did ballet.
A genuine heartfelt romantic read. Highly highly recommend!!
This story follows Wes, a skater punk with a well deserved bad rep, as he navigates his senior year of high school. After being forced to attend the local production of the Nutcracker, Wes can’t seem to keep his mind of the handsome ballet dancer who player THE nutcracker. As Wes and Tristian, said ballet dancer, begin to get to know each other, Wes struggles with how to tell his two best friends that he is gay. The continued secrecy forms a wedge in all of his relationships and he is forced to consider what kind of person he wants to be and what he wants to do in the future.
From the moment I read the dedication I knew this would be a favorite book of mine! The characters were incredibly authentic, teenage angst and all! I really enjoyed the chapter titles and the references to popular rock songs and appreciated the not so subtle Ticketmaster price gouging mention!
It was incredibly satisfying watching each of the characters grow in their own ways and I am impressed with Anthony Nerada’s ability to get so much story and feelings into one book!
I had the opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook and absolutely loved the narration by Michael Crouch. The accent, inflections, and general tone of his voice embodied the characters so well. I highly recommend the audiobook!
I cannot wait for my physical copy for my bookshelf and to see what Nerada writes in the future!!
A genuine heartfelt romantic read. Highly highly recommend!!
This story follows Wes, a skater punk with a well deserved bad rep, as he navigates his senior year of high school. After being forced to attend the local production of the Nutcracker, Wes can’t seem to keep his mind of the handsome ballet dancer who player THE nutcracker. As Wes and Tristian, said ballet dancer, begin to get to know each other, Wes struggles with how to tell his two best friends that he is gay. The continued secrecy forms a wedge in all of his relationships and he is forced to consider what kind of person he wants to be and what he wants to do in the future.
From the moment I read the dedication I knew this would be a favorite book of mine! The characters were incredibly authentic, teenage angst and all! I really enjoyed the chapter titles and the references to popular rock songs and appreciated the not so subtle Ticketmaster price gouging mention!
It was incredibly satisfying watching each of the characters grow in their own ways and I am impressed with Anthony Nerada’s ability to get so much story and feelings into one book!
I had the opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook and absolutely loved the narration by Michael Crouch. The accent, inflections, and general tone of his voice embodied the characters so well. I highly recommend the audiobook!
I cannot wait for my physical copy for my bookshelf and to see what Nerada writes in the future!!
eden_in_verse's review
4.0
I got a free ARC copy of the audiobook from NetGalley!
The narrator is Michael Crouch, who is pretty much an audiobook legend at this point and definitely hit the mark!
Anthony Nerada pulled me in with that authors note at the beginning! I had an overall really good time reading this. Mac is young and dumb. Bad decisions were made and lessons were learned. The vibes were definitely giving Avril.
Quotes:
“No one ever asked me why I was angry in the first place cause what does a kid know right”
“You gave me the strength to put myself first”
“Maybe finding yourself means meeting somewhere in the middle of who you were and who you want to be”
My cons:
-mentions pandemic
-I got second hand embarrassment so bad I had to pause for an extended period of time a total of 8 times(it is about high schooler finding themselves so I guess it’s supposed to be embarrassing)
-um I don’t know how well the author knows ballet considering he said Mac picked up Tristians ballet shoe by the laces…. What? Do you mean the elastic or are you thinking of pointe shoe ribbons? Cause men typically wear flat shoes they don’t have ribbons And then using the word prance to describe the way he moved… not a fan of that but the book’s not really about ballet, I’m just a ballet dancer and it felt weird.
-Ohio is described as half way across the country from New York… um not really. This is not that big of a problem but I thought about it for a solid 20 minutes.
The narrator is Michael Crouch, who is pretty much an audiobook legend at this point and definitely hit the mark!
Anthony Nerada pulled me in with that authors note at the beginning! I had an overall really good time reading this. Mac is young and dumb. Bad decisions were made and lessons were learned. The vibes were definitely giving Avril.
Quotes:
“No one ever asked me why I was angry in the first place cause what does a kid know right”
“You gave me the strength to put myself first”
“Maybe finding yourself means meeting somewhere in the middle of who you were and who you want to be”
My cons:
-mentions pandemic
-I got second hand embarrassment so bad I had to pause for an extended period of time a total of 8 times(it is about high schooler finding themselves so I guess it’s supposed to be embarrassing)
-um I don’t know how well the author knows ballet considering he said Mac picked up Tristians ballet shoe by the laces…. What? Do you mean the elastic or are you thinking of pointe shoe ribbons? Cause men typically wear flat shoes they don’t have ribbons And then using the word prance to describe the way he moved… not a fan of that but the book’s not really about ballet, I’m just a ballet dancer and it felt weird.
-Ohio is described as half way across the country from New York… um not really. This is not that big of a problem but I thought about it for a solid 20 minutes.
leelee_reads10's review against another edition
5.0
Such a beautiful story of self discovery and coming to terms with your sexuality and realisation that there is no correct way to be gay everyone is on their own journey
And Wesley’s story was fantastic
And Wesley’s story was fantastic
viivacious's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It was okay. Fine. I was definitely more excited at the start than by the end.
The relationship Wes had with his mom was very cute, I really enjoyed that. What was happening with his friends was interesting but I felt it got resolved too fast and without going too deep into it.
As the book progressed, I grew disillusioned with the love interest and how the relationship was handled. They made several comments that came off as judgemental, but by the end of the book it was as if I was meant to believe it was all in MCs head, and LI never had to examine their bias or actually apologize for anything.
It felt like the Wes had to apologize for everything to everyone, even when things weren't fully his fault, but a shared blame, and that felt off.
I also didn't much appreciate that Wes was pissed at the teacher for suggesting he find a nice girl and change his life, but what he did in the end was find a nice boy and change his life. I thought what he had a problem with was the concept, not the gender of the person.
I also had a problem with everyone knowing Bud had an abusive alcoholic father at home and still sending him over at Christmas because family time is important... it was very off putting coming from Wes' mom who had left an abusive relationship and should be aware of the dangers.
The relationship Wes had with his mom was very cute, I really enjoyed that. What was happening with his friends was interesting but I felt it got resolved too fast and without going too deep into it.
As the book progressed, I grew disillusioned with the love interest and how the relationship was handled. They made several comments that came off as judgemental, but by the end of the book it was as if I was meant to believe it was all in MCs head, and LI never had to examine their bias or actually apologize for anything.
It felt like the Wes had to apologize for everything to everyone, even when things weren't fully his fault, but a shared blame, and that felt off.
I also didn't much appreciate that Wes was pissed at the teacher for suggesting he find a nice girl and change his life, but what he did in the end was find a nice boy and change his life. I thought what he had a problem with was the concept, not the gender of the person.
atvreads's review against another edition
4.0
“Who would have thought? I was a punk. He did ballet. But together, we discovered there’s so much more to us than the labels we give ourselves.”
CALLING ALL POP PUNK EMOS FROM THE 2000’s! This one’s for you! From the cover, to the title, to the chapter headings, to Wes being a queer kid uncomfy in his predetermined role as TROUBLE, I knew Skater Boy was made for readers like me. Readers who grew up scream singing Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, Blink 182, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance… the list goes on.
I especially loved the absolute punk rock aspect of not fitting in. Wes is punk, he gets in trouble, he skateboards, he cuts class, but all of that behavior belies greater issues and trauma, and as an educator, I can’t help but fixate on the role educators had in forming Wes’s negative opinion of himself. From that initial grade school teacher calling out Wes from his hair to the other adults who immediately write him off, I see the cracks and problems in our education system. Wes is also as “gay as it gets” but doesn’t feel like he belongs to any part of the community because he’s not effeminate enough. AH THERE is just SO MUCH to dig into here! There’s issues of class, race, abuse, substance abuse disorders, life after high school, being an outsider, found family…
All that to say, Skater Boy is 100% worth the read!
CALLING ALL POP PUNK EMOS FROM THE 2000’s! This one’s for you! From the cover, to the title, to the chapter headings, to Wes being a queer kid uncomfy in his predetermined role as TROUBLE, I knew Skater Boy was made for readers like me. Readers who grew up scream singing Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, Blink 182, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance… the list goes on.
I especially loved the absolute punk rock aspect of not fitting in. Wes is punk, he gets in trouble, he skateboards, he cuts class, but all of that behavior belies greater issues and trauma, and as an educator, I can’t help but fixate on the role educators had in forming Wes’s negative opinion of himself. From that initial grade school teacher calling out Wes from his hair to the other adults who immediately write him off, I see the cracks and problems in our education system. Wes is also as “gay as it gets” but doesn’t feel like he belongs to any part of the community because he’s not effeminate enough. AH THERE is just SO MUCH to dig into here! There’s issues of class, race, abuse, substance abuse disorders, life after high school, being an outsider, found family…
All that to say, Skater Boy is 100% worth the read!
marmaladereads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-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
3.5
Wes is an angry, queer garbage fire that you can't help but root for, I loved his transformation throughout the book. Things certainly didn't come easy for him. Growing up with an abusive father and then becoming a stereotypical delinquent, Wes feels like he has to act out just to meet people's negative expectations of him.
When he meets Tristan at a holiday performance of the Nutcracker, Wes instantly develops a massive crush, but Tristan is a goodie two shoes ballerino, and Wes feels like he has to reform his image to be "good enough" for Tristan.
I really loved Wes and his character arc. He's a great unreliable narrator who makes all the wrong choices but doesn't stop trying to do better.
What I hated, however, was the relationship between Wes and Tristan. Tristan is a sweet character but he and Wes don't really work together. Their relationship is on again, off again and is a constant cycle of fighting and then big gestures and love proclamations, I didn't see a lot of tender moments between them that felt healthy and like a solid relationship foundation. If you love an angsty, drama filled romance with a lot of big emotion, you'll probably love this, but for me it felt a bit too unhealthy to be the start of a lasting relationship.
When he meets Tristan at a holiday performance of the Nutcracker, Wes instantly develops a massive crush, but Tristan is a goodie two shoes ballerino, and Wes feels like he has to reform his image to be "good enough" for Tristan.
I really loved Wes and his character arc. He's a great unreliable narrator who makes all the wrong choices but doesn't stop trying to do better.
What I hated, however, was the relationship between Wes and Tristan. Tristan is a sweet character but he and Wes don't really work together. Their relationship is on again, off again and is a constant cycle of fighting and then big gestures and love proclamations, I didn't see a lot of tender moments between them that felt healthy and like a solid relationship foundation. If you love an angsty, drama filled romance with a lot of big emotion, you'll probably love this, but for me it felt a bit too unhealthy to be the start of a lasting relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism
lemonix_reads's review
challenging
emotional
tense
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
2.0
Thank you Netgalley, Anthony Nerada and the publisher for the audiobook ARC. In exchange I will write my honest review.
I like the writing style of the author, but this book wasn't for me.
I didn't like the main character. I understand that his behaviour is influenced by his past, but some things he did or said were unexcusable for me. The chemistry between the MC and the love interest was a bit too insta-love for me.
The narrator did a great job. It was easy to keep track of the story. The story was also nice to follow.
I would recommend this book to people who like the premise, and don't mind the behaviour of the main character.
I like the writing style of the author, but this book wasn't for me.
I didn't like the main character. I understand that his behaviour is influenced by his past, but some things he did or said were unexcusable for me. The chemistry between the MC and the love interest was a bit too insta-love for me.
The narrator did a great job. It was easy to keep track of the story. The story was also nice to follow.
I would recommend this book to people who like the premise, and don't mind the behaviour of the main character.
omerd84's review
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
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
3.5