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A review by abbiesdigitallibrary
Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper
5.0
Set in a small midwest village, Jack is the first openly gay kid at his school. Upon receiving a grand gesture of support from his family, he decides to fight the homophobia of his village and throw their first Pride.
This book means so much to me because I grew up not far from places like Jake's village. I've had friends who are from cities just like his. But it also means so much because the support Jake receives from his family and friends is what I wish every queer kid had.
Jake is a wonderful kid and we get to see the very real emotions that go through a young kid's head when facing homophobia. Stamper wrote in such an honest way but at the same time keeps the details to a minimum so as to not make it such a heavy story, because overall, it's much more about hope and community. I really appreciated all of this because it makes for a very immersive and engaging story. And we get to see that Jake isn't perfect, which I love in fiction. We see him realize mistakes and correct them and approach his friendships with care and compassion and a willingness to apologize. Much of the same can be said for Jake's friends as well.
We also see what it's like for one of the side characters to watch everything in the village go down from inside the closet. It's such an honest portrayal as well, and one that will resonate with many queer kids because most of us have been there too.
There is just so much packed into this story that is so comforting despite it being a story of fighting homophobia within a community. I was drawn in from the start, loving the writing, the setting, the characters, and the plot. I honestly don't have a bad word to say about it. Reading this book filled me with a lot of hope, inspiration, and most of all, pride.
Rep: gay MC, bi SC with anxiety
CW: homophobia
Rating system:
5 - absolutely love, little-to-no dislikes that did not impact my reading experience
4 - great book, minor dislikes that did have an impact on my reading experience
3 - good/decent book but for some reason did not hook me or there were some problematic things that just were not addressed or greatly impacted my reading experience
2 - is either a book I did not click with and did not enjoy, problematic aspects are not addressed and severely impacted my reading experience, or I DNF'd but think it has potential for others
1 - is very problematic, I would not recommend the book to anyone
Thank you to Netgalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected pub date: May 31, 2022.
This book means so much to me because I grew up not far from places like Jake's village. I've had friends who are from cities just like his. But it also means so much because the support Jake receives from his family and friends is what I wish every queer kid had.
Jake is a wonderful kid and we get to see the very real emotions that go through a young kid's head when facing homophobia. Stamper wrote in such an honest way but at the same time keeps the details to a minimum so as to not make it such a heavy story, because overall, it's much more about hope and community. I really appreciated all of this because it makes for a very immersive and engaging story. And we get to see that Jake isn't perfect, which I love in fiction. We see him realize mistakes and correct them and approach his friendships with care and compassion and a willingness to apologize. Much of the same can be said for Jake's friends as well.
We also see what it's like for one of the side characters to watch everything in the village go down from inside the closet. It's such an honest portrayal as well, and one that will resonate with many queer kids because most of us have been there too.
There is just so much packed into this story that is so comforting despite it being a story of fighting homophobia within a community. I was drawn in from the start, loving the writing, the setting, the characters, and the plot. I honestly don't have a bad word to say about it. Reading this book filled me with a lot of hope, inspiration, and most of all, pride.
Rep: gay MC, bi SC with anxiety
CW: homophobia
Rating system:
5 - absolutely love, little-to-no dislikes that did not impact my reading experience
4 - great book, minor dislikes that did have an impact on my reading experience
3 - good/decent book but for some reason did not hook me or there were some problematic things that just were not addressed or greatly impacted my reading experience
2 - is either a book I did not click with and did not enjoy, problematic aspects are not addressed and severely impacted my reading experience, or I DNF'd but think it has potential for others
1 - is very problematic, I would not recommend the book to anyone
Thank you to Netgalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected pub date: May 31, 2022.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia