A review by dani_1405
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I love this book. It had me gripped from the start and held me there for the entire book. The mystery part of this story is excellent and is revealed and obscured in the most perfect way and then you combine it with the deeply queer storylines and it just becomes outstanding. Sam is a character that I relate to in a way that I don't think I can fully comprehend but they hold such a dear place in my heart. All the side characters are excellent, some highlights (a list of basically all of them): Sam's dad is the coolest, Shep is the sweetest, Sky is the best and Aidan is the coolest. Also Sam's tattoo is just so fucking cool.

The way Sam and Shep's relationship develops while they also deal with solving the mystery of Billy's death is brilliant. I also appreciated how Sam's autism was represented and how Shep is so readily accepting and does her best to be accommodating. Also the reveal of who killed Billy? Both so cool and terrifying, the second Sam's dad was in danger I was so upset, finding out it was Shep's dad was awful and Shep's mother thinking she killed Billy all those years was so sad.

I love this book, I will forever sing its praises, I can't wait to see what this author does next.