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A review by thopp84
Golden Boys by Phil Stamper
5.0
A book about four best friends, all of whom are gay? Oh, where was this book when I was a teenager?! Seriously, Stamper has crafted a book that is so warm and wonderful that I wanted to hug all the characters after it was over. It's a book about gay teens but it doesn't deal with coming out or bullying or suicide or HIV or any of the many other tropes that so many LGBTQ books fall prey to. No, in this book the gay characters get to do what their straight counterparts do. Go on adventures; have summer flings; fall in love; work too hard; party; find themselves and their voice. And most importantly, maintain their friendships in spite of the distance.
A lovely book precisely because the main characters get to have a normal summer vacation experience. No one dies. No one experiences a traumatic event. No one contemplates suicide or self harm. No one has to come out of the closet to their parents who may or may not approve. And honestly, that was just so refreshing. What a treat to get to witness four gay kids just living their lives and enjoying themselves. They make mistakes. They act irrationally. They say and do the wrong things. Ugh, this book was just the balm I needed. Too many queer stories are about trauma. So it was good to read one that wasn't about that. A simple book but well told.
A lovely book precisely because the main characters get to have a normal summer vacation experience. No one dies. No one experiences a traumatic event. No one contemplates suicide or self harm. No one has to come out of the closet to their parents who may or may not approve. And honestly, that was just so refreshing. What a treat to get to witness four gay kids just living their lives and enjoying themselves. They make mistakes. They act irrationally. They say and do the wrong things. Ugh, this book was just the balm I needed. Too many queer stories are about trauma. So it was good to read one that wasn't about that. A simple book but well told.