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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I love this book so much. There’s not much more I can muster up to say other than that
okay i’m coming back with reviews after a long break!!! hell yeah.
so anna recommended this book to me a while ago and i read it literally in one day because it was that addicting of a read. it took off kind of slowly, but once i was hooked, i was Hooked.
i really really loved the characters - tanner’s point of view was really enjoyable to read! i loved his internal dialogue and his conversations and thoughts were always funny but felt real. he was clever but flawed, and i really appreciate that.
similarly, sebastian was a great foil to tanner, and i felt the complications of their relationship were incredibly interesting to discover. i learned a lot about lds from this, and it’s interesting to see it from different viewpoints. i definitely come from more of tanner’s angle (agnostic) so it was really interesting to examine how both tanner and sebastian’s perceptions of the world and themselves had to change and develop as their relationship did.
i think my only real downfall is that their relationship really jumpstarted a bit unbelievably for me; tanner had an instant-crush that went into love very fast, and i think it’s a little unrealistic that their relationship would have really developed like that. but that’s honestly such a small complaint and it did not affect my enjoyment of the story in the long run.
overall i really liked this!! really interesting and relatable characters who are believably flawed. i got really invested in the story, in the best kind of way. i thought tanner and autumn’s friendship was really nuanced and great, and i also loved how he and his parents communicated. it was great to see such mature discussions coming from all sides in a ya novel like this.
and the writing was really pretty spectacular - straightforward and honest, just like tanner’s pov, but there were some lines where i honestly stopped and was like...damn. i didn’t write them down, unfortunately, because i was reading at 4am, but i think the fact that i read this from 1-4am and literally couldn’t put it down is as good a sign as any to the quality of the story.
so anna recommended this book to me a while ago and i read it literally in one day because it was that addicting of a read. it took off kind of slowly, but once i was hooked, i was Hooked.
i really really loved the characters - tanner’s point of view was really enjoyable to read! i loved his internal dialogue and his conversations and thoughts were always funny but felt real. he was clever but flawed, and i really appreciate that.
similarly, sebastian was a great foil to tanner, and i felt the complications of their relationship were incredibly interesting to discover. i learned a lot about lds from this, and it’s interesting to see it from different viewpoints. i definitely come from more of tanner’s angle (agnostic) so it was really interesting to examine how both tanner and sebastian’s perceptions of the world and themselves had to change and develop as their relationship did.
i think my only real downfall is that their relationship really jumpstarted a bit unbelievably for me; tanner had an instant-crush that went into love very fast, and i think it’s a little unrealistic that their relationship would have really developed like that. but that’s honestly such a small complaint and it did not affect my enjoyment of the story in the long run.
overall i really liked this!! really interesting and relatable characters who are believably flawed. i got really invested in the story, in the best kind of way. i thought tanner and autumn’s friendship was really nuanced and great, and i also loved how he and his parents communicated. it was great to see such mature discussions coming from all sides in a ya novel like this.
and the writing was really pretty spectacular - straightforward and honest, just like tanner’s pov, but there were some lines where i honestly stopped and was like...damn. i didn’t write them down, unfortunately, because i was reading at 4am, but i think the fact that i read this from 1-4am and literally couldn’t put it down is as good a sign as any to the quality of the story.
challenging
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
This was very good but also a hard read due to the Provo-Mormon-BYU trauma of it all. I’m feeling triggered. Love these boys though 💗
What a beautiful emotional ride this story was! I went into this book totally blind — I had no idea what it was about (it was a monthly read for one of my Goodreads groups so I thought I'd be brave and pick it up without so much as even reading the blurb). I was delightfully surprised by this special book and ended up loving it.
Introducing Tanner
As the blurb suggests, the story revolves around Tanner, an 18-year-old half-Jewish bisexual high school student who moved to Provo, Utah with his parents. He is openly out to his parents who are entirely comfortable with Tanner's sexuality.
However, given as they live in a town where the majority of people are Mormons, they’ve asked Tanner to be especially careful of whom he comes out to. It’s also worth mentioning that his mother, due to heartbreaking issues with the church, is a lapsed Mormon herself.
Where It All Begins
Tanner, who, at the urging of his best friend Autumn, signs up for “The Seminar”, a popular and highly coveted course in which the students write an entire novel in four months under the supervision of a teacher and teaching assistant.
The TA for the course is none other than Sebastian Brother, a gifted author who, after taking the class himself the year prior, is now in the process of publishing his own novel. He is also a Mormon, the Bishop’s son and strikingly good-looking.
Enter Sebastian
From the moment Sebastian walks in the course, Tanner feels a connection with Sebastian — a buzz of electricity between them. Tanner can’t deny his attraction for Sebastian and in spite of his better judgment, finds himself falling for a boy whom he sees as the most untouchable person in Provo. But Tanner is more than a bit surprised when he learns that his feelings for Sebastian are reciprocated.
Knowing the LDS stance on homosexuality, Tanner’s parents are fearful that he is going to end up getting hurt, and they try to convince him that pursuing the Bishop’s son cannot lead to a happy ending. Though Tanner is well aware of the probable outcome of his feelings for Sebastian and he knows that he’d be better off not pursuing the man, his heart isn’t so easily convinced. This leads to an emotional, heartfelt and realistic journey of a young man who discovers he is attracted to Mormon boy faithful to his church — but falls for him regardless.
The Church
Being the Bishop’s son, it’s no surprise that Sebastian is heavily involved with his church. As such, he is in the process of preparing to leave on his two-year mission. But Sebastian is also trying to come to terms with his sexuality, specifically his attraction to males (something he’s more or less denied up to this point).
His emerging feelings for Tanner balanced against his obligations to the church, his parents and his community create even more turmoil and conflict for Sebastian. So while this is partly the story of Tanner falling in love with a member of the Mormon church, it is also very much the story of one courageous man’s search to find himself even if it means losing everything else he has ever known.
What really worked for me in this story is the respectful portrayal (at least as I saw it) of the Mormon church. Many stories that portray LGBTQ characters’ struggle with religion tend to demonize the church and all of its members in the process. I found it refreshing this book depicted the LDS church members as friendly, loving, helpful and positive, with a significant focus on service to others and service to the community. In this way, the author does an excellent job of balancing the positives of the church with the divisive ways that religion can, in certain situations, come between family members.
The Verdict
I absolutely loved this character-driven story. The characters of Sebastian and Tanner were realistic and believable, as were the secondary characters and by the end of the book, I felt as though I really knew these people. Each character is richly mapped out so you can understand where each one is coming from and why they react the way they do. Though the actions of both Tanner and Sebastian angered me from time to time, I understood the reasons for those actions. It this way, the characters were easy to relate to.
The story was well-paced and beautifully written with vivid descriptions of settings, making me feel as though I were actually there. But this isn’t just a love story between two boys. Rather, Autoboyography is a tender, emotional LGBTQ-positive coming-of-age novel dealing with issues of identity, church, choice, rejection, acceptance, and family.
This is a relevant book that deals with issues that many LGBTQ teens are facing today and gave a realistic portrayal of what many teens go through while trying to figure themselves out and find their place in the world. In this way, I feel that this is an important book — and a must-read for any teenager who has ever felt different or lonely, no matter what their age now.
Autoboyography is moving story that I connected with on many levels, and although heartbreaking at times, I found it to be a beautiful, emotional read with an encouraging ending that felt complete and satisfying to me. Recommended!
This review was originally posted on my blog at: rogerhyttinen.com
Introducing Tanner
As the blurb suggests, the story revolves around Tanner, an 18-year-old half-Jewish bisexual high school student who moved to Provo, Utah with his parents. He is openly out to his parents who are entirely comfortable with Tanner's sexuality.
However, given as they live in a town where the majority of people are Mormons, they’ve asked Tanner to be especially careful of whom he comes out to. It’s also worth mentioning that his mother, due to heartbreaking issues with the church, is a lapsed Mormon herself.
Where It All Begins
Tanner, who, at the urging of his best friend Autumn, signs up for “The Seminar”, a popular and highly coveted course in which the students write an entire novel in four months under the supervision of a teacher and teaching assistant.
The TA for the course is none other than Sebastian Brother, a gifted author who, after taking the class himself the year prior, is now in the process of publishing his own novel. He is also a Mormon, the Bishop’s son and strikingly good-looking.
Enter Sebastian
From the moment Sebastian walks in the course, Tanner feels a connection with Sebastian — a buzz of electricity between them. Tanner can’t deny his attraction for Sebastian and in spite of his better judgment, finds himself falling for a boy whom he sees as the most untouchable person in Provo. But Tanner is more than a bit surprised when he learns that his feelings for Sebastian are reciprocated.
Knowing the LDS stance on homosexuality, Tanner’s parents are fearful that he is going to end up getting hurt, and they try to convince him that pursuing the Bishop’s son cannot lead to a happy ending. Though Tanner is well aware of the probable outcome of his feelings for Sebastian and he knows that he’d be better off not pursuing the man, his heart isn’t so easily convinced. This leads to an emotional, heartfelt and realistic journey of a young man who discovers he is attracted to Mormon boy faithful to his church — but falls for him regardless.
The Church
Being the Bishop’s son, it’s no surprise that Sebastian is heavily involved with his church. As such, he is in the process of preparing to leave on his two-year mission. But Sebastian is also trying to come to terms with his sexuality, specifically his attraction to males (something he’s more or less denied up to this point).
His emerging feelings for Tanner balanced against his obligations to the church, his parents and his community create even more turmoil and conflict for Sebastian. So while this is partly the story of Tanner falling in love with a member of the Mormon church, it is also very much the story of one courageous man’s search to find himself even if it means losing everything else he has ever known.
What really worked for me in this story is the respectful portrayal (at least as I saw it) of the Mormon church. Many stories that portray LGBTQ characters’ struggle with religion tend to demonize the church and all of its members in the process. I found it refreshing this book depicted the LDS church members as friendly, loving, helpful and positive, with a significant focus on service to others and service to the community. In this way, the author does an excellent job of balancing the positives of the church with the divisive ways that religion can, in certain situations, come between family members.
The Verdict
I absolutely loved this character-driven story. The characters of Sebastian and Tanner were realistic and believable, as were the secondary characters and by the end of the book, I felt as though I really knew these people. Each character is richly mapped out so you can understand where each one is coming from and why they react the way they do. Though the actions of both Tanner and Sebastian angered me from time to time, I understood the reasons for those actions. It this way, the characters were easy to relate to.
The story was well-paced and beautifully written with vivid descriptions of settings, making me feel as though I were actually there. But this isn’t just a love story between two boys. Rather, Autoboyography is a tender, emotional LGBTQ-positive coming-of-age novel dealing with issues of identity, church, choice, rejection, acceptance, and family.
This is a relevant book that deals with issues that many LGBTQ teens are facing today and gave a realistic portrayal of what many teens go through while trying to figure themselves out and find their place in the world. In this way, I feel that this is an important book — and a must-read for any teenager who has ever felt different or lonely, no matter what their age now.
Autoboyography is moving story that I connected with on many levels, and although heartbreaking at times, I found it to be a beautiful, emotional read with an encouraging ending that felt complete and satisfying to me. Recommended!
This review was originally posted on my blog at: rogerhyttinen.com
Omg thats enough. DNF where he got jealous because he had a girlfriend.
This book is not cute, he's obsessive, the instalove is too real and it reads as a bad fanfic. As soon as sebastian does anything he thinks sexually of him, he tries to take away his religion or wishing it away whilst trying to understand it. He gets mad when sebastian doesnt label himself bc apperently!!! It isnt enough that he likes him.
Its fucking bullshit and this isnt how a normal relationship would look like and this isnt even close to a reflection on reality
Hes even willing to out him because he doesnt wanna write about anything else. He almost outed, or basically, outed him to autumn and UGH
Its a big fat insult to gay people
This book is not cute, he's obsessive, the instalove is too real and it reads as a bad fanfic. As soon as sebastian does anything he thinks sexually of him, he tries to take away his religion or wishing it away whilst trying to understand it. He gets mad when sebastian doesnt label himself bc apperently!!! It isnt enough that he likes him.
Its fucking bullshit and this isnt how a normal relationship would look like and this isnt even close to a reflection on reality
Hes even willing to out him because he doesnt wanna write about anything else. He almost outed, or basically, outed him to autumn and UGH
Its a big fat insult to gay people
3.5
i love being bi and i love writing so this seemed like a good choice to fill the space in my currently angry head.
it was sweet and lovely but rather forgettable if you know what i mean.
despite the characters making bad, impulsive decisions at times they felt Too Perfect to really connect to.
the story was a little too relatable in places.
a good way to spend the night but i’m not blown away.
i love being bi and i love writing so this seemed like a good choice to fill the space in my currently angry head.
it was sweet and lovely but rather forgettable if you know what i mean.
despite the characters making bad, impulsive decisions at times they felt Too Perfect to really connect to.
the story was a little too relatable in places.
a good way to spend the night but i’m not blown away.
"But this is your life, and it will stretch out before you, and you are the only person who can make it whatever you want it to be.”
Plot Summary: In this book, the main character Tanner Scott, who is an openly bisexual teen is dared by his best friend Autumn to take the class Seminar where honor roll students draft a book in a semester. Tanner and Autumn are close because they are a handful of students who aren't strict Mormon's in their town but, Tanner can't even tell her about his bisexuality because of a warning his mother gave him. Tanner takes the class by Autumn, slightly annoyed that he has to do this class where they're bragging about how last year a Mormon prodigy senior, Sebastian Brother got his book published. But, when Sebastian walks in the class Tanner develops an instant crush but, there's no way this strict Mormon boy could like him back, right?
My Opinion This book was such a cute romance. I read it in less than a day, I loved the writing a book in a semester aspects and of course, the romance that is forbidden to the Mormon's. I really enjoyed the friendship between Tanner and Autumn but, how Tanner acted towards her at a specific point upset me. I loved how accepting Tanner's family was and getting to see how Sebastian's family was as strict Mormon's.
Do I recommend this book? Yes! It is such a cute LGBTQ+ romance with great friendship and family elements. The Mormon teen parts were unique too.
Plot Summary: In this book, the main character Tanner Scott, who is an openly bisexual teen is dared by his best friend Autumn to take the class Seminar where honor roll students draft a book in a semester. Tanner and Autumn are close because they are a handful of students who aren't strict Mormon's in their town but, Tanner can't even tell her about his bisexuality because of a warning his mother gave him. Tanner takes the class by Autumn, slightly annoyed that he has to do this class where they're bragging about how last year a Mormon prodigy senior, Sebastian Brother got his book published. But, when Sebastian walks in the class Tanner develops an instant crush but, there's no way this strict Mormon boy could like him back, right?
My Opinion This book was such a cute romance. I read it in less than a day, I loved the writing a book in a semester aspects and of course, the romance that is forbidden to the Mormon's. I really enjoyed the friendship between Tanner and Autumn but, how Tanner acted towards her at a specific point upset me. I loved how accepting Tanner's family was and getting to see how Sebastian's family was as strict Mormon's.
Do I recommend this book? Yes! It is such a cute LGBTQ+ romance with great friendship and family elements. The Mormon teen parts were unique too.
DNF at 34%. Nothing about this book is working for me. At all. I am uninvested, bored, annoyed and irritated. Given all the high ratings and rave reviews, I tried to stick it out, but the longer I read, the less I want to persist. After reading Emma’s thorough and enlightening review, I am wholly convinced that persisting would be a HUGE mistake. All of the things that bothered me are things that Emma mentions in her review. Her all caps rant especially resonated. Of course, since Emma finished the book, she adds a lot more insight that confirms that I should go with my gut and quit before I’m even more frustrated, irritated and angry.
*shrugs* Wish I hadn’t spent time or money on this one.
*shrugs* Wish I hadn’t spent time or money on this one.
Oh, my heart. I had so many feelings about this book, and these characters, and the struggles they faced while falling in love. I'm a sucker for books about writers--especially writers struggling with the writing process--and I loved how the source of Tanner's struggle wasn't in finishing a novel in a semester, but in knowing that he wouldn't be able to turn in his written account of his own love story without outing the boy he'd fallen for.
AUTOBOYOGRAPHY is set in Provo, Utah, a city heavily influenced by Mormon history and culture, and although it has plenty to say about the ways in which religion and queerness intersect, and about the LDS attitude toward LGBT teens, it never sets out to attack the church. If anything, the authors do a remarkably fair job of presenting the different sides of Mormonism and how belonging to the church has both positive and negative impacts on gay and straight characters alike.
I hoped for a happy ending the whole time I was reading, but I didn't expect to be so emotional about the resolution of Tanner and Sebastian's story, and I definitely didn't expect to devour the whole book in a weekend. Christina Lauren have really outdone themselves this time.
AUTOBOYOGRAPHY is set in Provo, Utah, a city heavily influenced by Mormon history and culture, and although it has plenty to say about the ways in which religion and queerness intersect, and about the LDS attitude toward LGBT teens, it never sets out to attack the church. If anything, the authors do a remarkably fair job of presenting the different sides of Mormonism and how belonging to the church has both positive and negative impacts on gay and straight characters alike.
I hoped for a happy ending the whole time I was reading, but I didn't expect to be so emotional about the resolution of Tanner and Sebastian's story, and I definitely didn't expect to devour the whole book in a weekend. Christina Lauren have really outdone themselves this time.