A review by mel_muses
As You Walk On By by Julian Winters

hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

"Maybe we have room to share our real selves with more than one person. Maybe not every friendship is The One. When things don't end the way we hoped, maybe shutting ourselves off isn't the answer?

This was my first Julian Winters book, and I think I can confidently say I'm going to have so much fun exploring his backlist. I loved the explorations of friendships, and relationships in general. There's something so special about watching someone recognize their worth and surround themselves with their true found family.

As You Walk On By follows Theo Wright, a gay Black teen who has two best friends: Jay and Darren. They're everything to him — they even have a name: The Nameless Trio. But when their weekly daring tradition leads to Jay daring Theo having to prompose to his long-time crush, things get a little... messy. Theo wants it all: to make his father proud by excelling in school and at track, to remain tight with TNT, and to finally get the prom he deserves — the type of prom his well-off (white heterosexual) friends take for granted.

There were some things about Theo that annoyed me (namely, his disregard for some of his relationships), but I also felt that everything he did wrong was such a normal thing to do wrong. I've definitely been there, reevaluating relationships and making decisions that I later realized were insensitive and sometimes just plain wrong. And because this is such a normal part of being a teenager, being a human, it's something that felt so right to read about. Give me more imperfect relationships! More people owning up to their bullshit! More people deciding for themselves what they deserve in a friend!

I also loved Theo's dynamic with his dad (who is bi, by the way!). Their relationship, even when strained, really shined. The way they talked and joked to each other, as well as the ways they argued, indicated such a developed relationship. Usually in YA, the parents are barely developed and more of an idea than a person, but in AYWOB, I felt like I really knew his dad almost as well as I knew Theo.

I really appreciated the constant recognition of the privilege (in terms of wealth, race, and sexuality) that set Theo apart from his friends, new and old. I can't speak too much to this, as a white reader, but I will say that it felt to me like it grounded the book, making it feel more real and part of the world as we know it.

The romance had such a natural progression and although it was predictable, it was really everything I expected and wanted. And overall, this was such an easy read, too. I had no trouble falling into Theo's mind, especially when he was forming new connections with people he'd just met, or rekindling a relationship with people he'd known for years.

I can't wait to dive into more of Julian Winters' books and meet all his other geeky queer protagonists!

Trigger Warnings: public humiliation, past grandparent death, racism, homophobia, microaggressions associated with both, sexism and misogyny, slut shaming of a side character, sexual harassment of a side character, past death of a teen friend in a car accident
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