tarheeltegan 's review for:

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

3.0

---

I think overall I prefer Christina Lauren's adult books... this foray into YA fell a little flat for me, mostly because of the intense insta-love... This trope is definitely my least favorite in the genre because it feels SO unrealistic. I thought both Sebastian and Tanner were cute kids, with great chemistry and huge issues to face, but the insta-love cliché was super distracting to me. Tanner "fell in love" with Sebastian LITERALLY the first time he saw him! Without knowing anything about him! I enjoyed learning more about LDS and really sympathized with the tough choices especially Sebastian had to make-- I can't imagine being in a situation where my family and a community that I love wouldn't accept me-- it's heartbreaking. The emotion felt really raw and genuine and it just broke my heart. But I also thought Tanner's parents were pretty problematic-- even if they're trying to protect him, pretty much forcing your kid back into the closet because of your preconceived notions/lived experiences and how controlling they were about his friendships or relationships with other LDS kids was well-intentioned but... seemed problematic to me. I wish this book hadn't been so intensely insta-love-y because I would've enjoyed it a lot more. It also could've been a lot shorter-- it really dragged at some parts.