This book was very similar in tone to many other high school romance novels, with a likeable yet troublesome protagonist, and a crew of interesting supporting characters. It's clear from the first few chapters that Sky, the main character's, plans to ask his popular crush to prom are destined for disaster. Unfortunately, Sky becomes the victim of a homophobic bully's attack, which leads to him and his faithful friends investigating how it could have happened, and unearthing more details about their town's past along the way. It's always nice to read a book featuring LGBTQ+ characters with more happy moments than sad ones, and while The Sky Blues definitely has its dramatic and tragic moments, it's ultimately a story of friendship, found family, and learning to stand up for yourself. All of these elements make it a pleasant, easy read, for anyone who enjoys high school romance and coming of age novels.

The Sky Blues tells the story of Sky, who's one of the only gay students at his high school in northern Michigan, and his plans to ask his crush to prom. When his plans get leaked, his already fragile world crumbles. What ensues is a funny and heart-warming story about how Sky tries to salvage his senior year, reconcile with his religious mother, and learn more about his deceased father with the help of some great friends and supportive adults.

First of all, I would die for Sky and all of his squad. Though they make mistakes, they love and support each other. The book offers a realistic depiction of high school life, where the relationships between students and social groups feel true to life, as do the students' and faculty's reactions to Sky's catastrophe. The author also does a great job balancing the comedy and drama in the story. I loved reading Sky's emotional journey, as he learns to accept himself and continue fighting for what's right without losing sight of the good in his life. My only complaint is that I feel like I really could've spent more time in this world, getting to know the characters more, especially Teddy and both Sky's father and mother.

It's a really lovely book that touches on a lot of issues while treating them with respect, humor, and a lot of heart.

The Sky Blues is a wonderful story that shows that Queer Children don't have to have a tragic highschool experience. It's a book that beautifully portrays finding that people you never would've imagined have always had your back.

Sky is a very likeable main character though is was quite oblivious and had me suffering from secondhand embarrassment frequently (even when he wasn't embarrassed- cause he was clueless) and the friendships in this book were really enjoyable to read about, both the friendship between Sky and his best friends as well as the friendship with the people who were on Sky's side when his promposal plans were revealed.

The way Sky gradually realised the the school population and most of the people he though were against his "gayness" were on his side. How he realised he was not alone. A lot of Sky's character development is shown when he realises that people accepted him a long time ago. His friends parents were not homophobic or uncomfortable with his sexuality, in fact they were ready to bat for him and go against any one who hurt him. He didn't have to tone down his "gayness" for one of his friends and he realised his friend Marshall was also toning down how much of his behaviour was to try and lessen the racial injustices he would face.

The Sky Blues is all in all a feel good story, that touches on some hard topics without making it seem like only suffering will come for those who fall outside whatever biased world deems "normal" or "right"

3,5/5

Overall this book was cute. I loved the positivity, the diversity. I have to admit, in the first few chapters I was scared that the MC’s only personality trait would be his sexual orientation, but I was wrong. Sky is a lot more than that and each situation brings something new to his character.
Many different characters are introduced, and I especially liked seeing supportive adults, who play an important part in the book’s events and aren’t just there to say yes or no to the kids. Bree’s family, who happens to be Sky’s foster family, is lovely and so sooo supportive. That part just felt really good and it was reassuring to know that Sky was in a safe environment!
The general plot was cute and really enjoyable, I loved the initial idea of the "promposal" as well as Sky’s more personal quest of trying to find out who his father was. In the end, I found the many subplots more interesting than the main prom/email story. A few things made this story stand out, like the fact that there isn’t much romance, as this is more focused on Sky’s character development. The novel isn’t about coming out either, since Sky’s already out to everyone in his life, which leaves more room to explore other storylines that are just as important as coming out. Another theme that we often see in books that take place in high school is graduation and college applications. While the novel deals a bit with the idea of life after high school, it really isn’t a central theme and doesn’t come with all the stressful application talk. Like a few other things in this novel, I thought it was handled in a creative way that made The Sky Blues quite unique.

As much as I loved the novel, there were things I didn’t enjoy that much. The writing was okay. I think it was fitting for a YA novel, but some group scenes felt a little weird. The general portrayal of teenagers did feel a bit off sometimes, especially in the beginning of the book. It gets better and better after that!
As I wrote earlier, there are many side characters and a lot of diversity, which is amazing, but ultimately, we know so little about them and most of them don’t really have much of a personality. I would’ve loved them to be more fleshed out… There really are so many side characters...
Another thing that bothered me was the rushed ending. I was still waiting for a few things to happen that didn’t, even though the story was sort of leading up to them, and I really thought they were lacking. To be completely honest, this book was a bit underwhelming for me because of that. Eventually, the last 10-15% brought a bit of the emotions I was hoping for earlier in the book.
I think there were so many good ideas, especially with the way the romance progresses in the book, and Sky’s quest on finding out more about his father. Sadly, in my opinion, everything remained a bit superficial.

That being said, this is a solid young adult novel, and it totally fits the genre! I enjoyed it a lot despite its shortcomings. I loved its small town vibe, its peaceful sense of quietness. I think this book is a nice version of the found family trope that so many people like (me included!). It is very positive, probably a bit unrealistic but that’s why we read books… and feels like a warm hug.

I thought The Sky Blues was a really good book, that checked pretty much all the boxes needed to make it a great YA novel. This is a book for LGBTQIA+ teenagers, it’s what it wants to be and it completely succeeds in doing its job!

Content warnings: homophobia, racism, bullying, use of drugs and alcohol, intolerance based on religious beliefs, f-slur, death of a parent (happened in the past), car accident (happened in the past), parental abandonment, vomiting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

For me, Robbie NAILED it with "The Sky Blues."

I love YA, but I think a lot of the recent YA books I've read haven't really given me that thing, that *spark* of realness that made me love YA in the first place. But reading TSB, I immediately felt seventeen again. Even though my high school experience was different from Sky's, I felt like I was there, like I was feeling the same things and experiencing the same things he was. I was immersed in those moments, and it just felt so true to what those years are really like. Found family, stalking your crushes, figuring out your future -- it was just so relevant, real, and engaging. I couldn't put it down. It has beautifully real characters, and the plot is weaved really seamlessly together in ways that were satisfying but still surprising. A must-read.

(Also, as a yearbook nerd, this book truly made me feel seen. Ha.)

A big thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-ARC!

I enjoyed this book. It's about a guy named Sky whose secret promposal ideas got leaked to the whole school. Now he and his friend search for who leaked it and he tries to find his true self. This book was well written and the writing was very persuasive. It flowed well throughout the book and went well with the pacing. I enjoyed how the author wrote real problems into the book and the positive message it sends to the readers. The writing was well done and I had no problems with it.

I enjoyed the main character, Sky, in this book. He is gay and is trying to show the world he is proud of who he is by going through a difficult journey. He had many conflicts and I enjoyed his character development. Usually, I don't enjoy a male main character's pov but the author did a wonderful job with writing Sky that I enjoyed so much. There were so many great side characters in this book and I enjoyed their involvement. Sky's friends were amazing characters and I loved how supportive they were of him. There wasn't much romance in this book but it was perfect for this book.

The reason I gave it 4/5 stars was because of the ending. I didn't enjoy how it was ended and I wish there was more to it. I can see why the author ended it the way they did but in my opinion, I was hoping it to be something different. Overall this book was well done and I really enjoyed it. This book is perfect for fans of Simon vs. Homo Sapiens Agenda and to every reader out there!

This book is like a warm hug on a bad day. I’m feeling all sorts of fuzzy feelings inside. What a wonderful story this was.

The Sky Blues is a YA coming of age novel about a Queer teenage boy.

Sky plans to ask his crush to prom by planning an elaborate promposal. Sadly Sky’s plans are ruined when someone leaks his plans to the whole school along with some hate filled comments about him and his crush.

The story is so much deeper than what the blurb gives us. I wasn’t expecting such a beautiful moving story! The writing was fantastic, I’m amazed that this is a debut!

Absolutely loved the characters in this book. Sky is obviously my favorite character, it’s a character Queer teens need.

The book kept my interest the entire time! I really couldn’t put it down. The author managed to keep us guessing with so many things without it being over dramatic. There’s not a negative thing I can say about this novel. I absolutely loved it. Please go buy it.

There are few things that Sky Baker really cares about... He loves working on the school yearbook committee, he loves his very best friend and her family who so kindly took him in when his mother kicked him out and there is the beautiful boy that he is secretly crushing on. But with just thirty days until his senior prom, Sky's elaborate prom-posal plans get leaked to the entire school in not only a homophobic attack against him, but in a racist attack against the boy he had been planning to ask, leaving him shaken to the core. While Sky is openly gay in their small Michigan town, he still doesn't feel openly accepted, and this anonymous e-blast that went out to practically the whole town was a rude awakening.

Sky is heart broken and embarrassed and doesn't know what to do. But with the encouragement of his friends and the delivery of a high school yearbook from the past on his doorstep, he decides to fight back against this unknown person and attempt to uncover their identity at the same time. He launches a whole movement inside his school that garners a wonderful amount of support and learns things about his family and ultimately about himself.

This heartfelt book send such a beautiful message about acceptance, both outward and inside yourself. It is about learning about what makes you happy and working to make it happen. This book felt like a warm hug and even though there were parts that made me want to cry, I am left with just the overall feeling of happiness. Sky was a sweet soul who deserved nothing but happiness. His friend group and the people he meets along the way were unique and each lent something special to the story.

My teen years were severely lacking in queer prom stories. I'm glad teens today won't have that issue. ❤

Sky wants to ask his crush to prom, but when his promposal plans are maliciously leaked along with hate-filled comments about both him and his crush, he feels his senior year come crumbling down around him. Sky initially wants to disappear, but he's met with such a wave of support that he ends up becoming more visible than ever.

This book felt like a hug. Couch did a great job balancing the reality of the overt homophobia and the microagressions queer teens face with the promise of "it gets better." I loved the emphasis on found/chosen family and the reminder to nourish those relationships.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Netgalley for the arc of this book!

This was a wonderful story that left me feeling so satisfied in the end!
This novel follows the story of Sky, a high school senior with big plans for his promposal. You join him and his circle of friends as they navigate the pressures of trying to be yourself in high school which is no easy task.
I would have really loved to have more LGBTQ content like this in high school as I come from a southern state where nobody even mentioned coming out until they went to college.
I also really enjoyed that the romance line in the book started off as the main focus but shifted into self-discovery. I thoroughly enjoy watching Sky come into his own and I appreciated the look into the inner workings of how he handled everything thrown at him.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and will be actively doing so once it releases!

This book has made me feel so nostalgic for the few years I spent growing up in Michigan...probably because the setting is so well described right from the start. A major plus for me with this book is the writing style. Because it is so casually written, it makes it a fast read but also sets up the story so well. Incredibly talented writing, yet not at all difficult.

Sky knows who he is right at the beginning, and so does everybody else, which I think is a totally underrepresented point of view in YA. While coming out stories are so important, it’s equally as important to see what will come next. It’s wonderful watching the relationships progress around him as he lives out his last few days of high school, standing up to administration, and solving a bit of a mystery.

Something I totally appreciated from this book was the friendships being built. Although there is a bit of a romance aspect, the main focus is on friendships and the importance of maintaining them which is really refreshing from a YA novel. I personally did not connect super well emotionally with the characters, but I have heard from other readers that they totally did, so that may just have been me. I would have loved to see more personality from Sky as well as his friends as I thought it was just starting to be touched on and I could have used a lot more.

All in all, an incredibly worthwhile read. Super short, excellent and unique writing style. Most definitely worth your time!

This was a really great read. It tells a story of a high school senior who has plans to make an elaborate promposal to his crush. When someone anonymously leaks the plans in a homophobic email to all the seniors and their parents at the high school, the main character spirals downwards and questions whether he should even return to high school. But much to his surprise, his classmates rally around him to fight back -- and make him rethink what he's long believed about his school and his town.

The characters here are well drawn, the story is very engaging, and the writing is great. Highly recommend!

This is a well written book that I would recommend to High School students and those that work with and support them. The story is very timely and brings out themes that were made worse in the last few years. With the step backwards and support for bigotry and hate that we have lived with in the last years, this book is even more important. One can hope that stories of strength resilience like this can support young people and their supporters / caregivers in doing similar things in real life. It was very uplifting to me and I expect to will be to those who read this book. The characters were well created and felt real. I appreciate the diversity of characters presented without a lot of fanfare. The experiences they shared can help readers to understand the feelings and experience of being marginalized and the power in positive action to move beyond stereotypes. Readers can feel the empowerment the characters felt as they lived and experienced the best of themselves.

So many times, I read books as an adult that not only would I have adored and obsessed over as a teen, but read books that would have helped me figure things out about myself so much sooner. This book, in all its glory, checks off both of those boxes.

The Sky Blues tells the story of Sky Baker, an openly gay high school senior in his small (and relatively homophobic) community. He has planned and prepped to make his big move on his all-time crush by going through with an elaborate promposal. Things take a turn, however, when this gets leaked not only to the crush, but the entire school.

I was so riveted by this book that with the exception of the first two chapters, I read the entire thing in one day. These characters are extraordinary and I was deeply invested in all of their lives, primarily Sky's. There is a softness there as he narrates his story, describing the "gay gloom" that can settle over him when he gets anxious or depressed. After trying so hard to blend in with his classmates, he's thrown into the spotlight and has to find his footing and find himself. What ensues is beautiful.

As a teacher, there is a character in this book who I gravitated towards more than I did toward Sky. It is the teacher who creates the safe space in her room for her students to just ~be~ and protects them fiercely when the situation calls for it. That is the teacher who I've always tried to be. That is the teacher who all students, especially those who are queer, need to have in their corner.

This book certainly does not shy away from stronger topics and themes. There are moving descriptions of grief and anxiety, situations with hostile family members, and the eternal terror of being bullied for being who you are.

I cannot wait to own this book and have it on my shelves when it comes out. This is a good one. This is an important one. This is one that I will lend out to whoever wants (or needs) to read it.

5 of the bluest blue stars.

One of the best queer YA books I've read in a long time. Full of Midwest heart, funny moments, and a carefully-constructed, page-turning plot, this is everything special about queer YA in one beautiful package!

THE SKY BLUES is incredibly cute and fluffy, while dealing with serious topics such as homophobia and racism. However, I feel that while the character building and the events occurring were great and in depth, the actual plotline is lacking some flavor. Definitely read if you don't want a super mind-taxing read!

Robbie Couch shares a likable story in a believable youth voice that speaks to inclusion and identity. A book to share in the library, on the classroom shelf, and beyond.

This was positive in every sense of the word. Sky is a sweet, kindhearted kid who is struggling with coming out and has everything bad happen to him. On the other hand, everyone close to him goes into loving overdrive and rise to the challenge. I think what made it even more beautiful were the number of adults in the novel who weren’t just decorative but actually served as support systems for Sky the whole time. The romance story line is adorable, but the friendships made the whole thing have a warm glow. This was a kind story in the face of a hard time. I loved every minute.

3.5 stars

Sky, the m.c., is an excellent character who is dynamic and at times frenetic. I love his energy, but I also found it overwhelming, particularly early on in the novel.

Sky's resilience is the standout here. When readers meet him, he is living at a friend's house after being kicked out of his mother's home. This is a direct result of his coming out to her, and that is a grossly common story that can never have too much representation, especially for the target audience. Sky is also bullied and targeted, again as a direct result of his identity. But none of this stops Sky from being appropriately infuriated AND completely resilient. His disappointments in life - and there are all kinds of them - often turn in to wins. The most powerful aspect of this evolution is that Sky is the one who makes that happen. He is not the kind of character who just waits and gets lucky. He's a great model for all kinds of readers because he is willing to take challenging steps and put himself on the line over and over again.

There are some overly convenient circumstances at times that make the novel feel less realistic and in some ways younger than possibly intended, and I'd have appreciated some economizing around the dialogue. These points noted, this is a solid read with positive own voices rep, and I'll be recommending it to students for these reasons.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Netgalley for the arc of this book!

Let me start off by saying I thought this book was super adorable and heartwarming in A LOT of ways! I also thought there were some really great messages in it!

Sky has really good character development and I love that he learns to really appreciate his loved ones by the end of the book. I also loved Teddy and was glad Sky learned he had been stereotyping him.

With all that, I felt there were some problematic and potentially harmful things that happened in this book. There may be minor spoilers below.

The first thing I noticed that made me cringe was the way Sky kept describing everything he did as gay. Like he walked in a gay way. Talked gay. Gay voice. Held his books gay. I got that this was to show that he was constantly feeling the need to monitor his behavior to not make others uncomfortable by falling into stereotypes of queer people, but I felt this could have been shown in a more subtle way that was less potentially harmful.

A few other minor things I thought were problematic: one of Bree's brothers is said to have autism in a one time throw away comment. He barely does anything at all in the story and it honestly just felt like that was added for diversity points? That character could have had some kind of meaning in the plot, but he didn't.

Another issue was the use of the R-slur. The character was obviously supposed to be rude who was saying it, but I honestly didn't think it was at all necessary to throw in such triggering language there when it had nothing whatsoever to do with the story.

I was sad about the way Sky felt about his scar. I was hoping he would have learned to accept it over the course of them book. Instead he covered it up. It also took a boy for him to start hating it even slightly less. That didn't seem very body positive at all.

My biggest issue, however (slight spoiler?) Were the "Gay for X" t shirts everyone started wearing. Enjoying something does not mean you are gay for it. Honestly I don't think a straight person should ever say they are gay for something like that. They don't understand what the term means or how hard it can be for a queer person to claim it for themselves. And there was no pointing out at all that this was problematic? Sky encouraged it.
The message was that everyone was supporting him, but there could have been SO MANY other ways for that to happen without completely bulldozing over the word Gay.

I did enjoy reading this despite these problems.

CW: homophobia, religious bigotry, racism, self-hate, depression, disowning, slurs