thopp84 's review for:

The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch

4.0

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This book could at times feel derivative of other queer YA novels. It's probably not the smartest idea to reference other queer YA characters and novels in your own novel lest it cause your readers to compare it unfavorably to those books. And yet, how great is it that there are other queer YA novels for this book to be compared to? Just a few years ago, we didn't have such a plethora of those books in the market. So something like this would have felt more fresh and original. It is a testament to how much the genre of queer YA fiction has grown that a book like this can feel somewhat derivative. It's a wonderful thing actually.
As for the book itself, it is so enjoyable. The character of Sky is surrounded by a really great cast of characters that felt diverse and inclusive. And the eventual identity of who he ends up going to prom with kept me guessing until the end. I also liked how this book did its best to portray what life in a small town in the Midwest during the Trump era might really be like for a queer teen. It's not all sunshine and happiness. Sky has had a rough experience and this book doesn't shy away from that. And I appreciated that because it felt more realistic than other books in this genre. Overall, this was a very impressive debut and I'm already anticipating his next book!