Sky Baker deserves all of the hugs and much like Eric “Bitty” Bittle from the graphic novels Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu, should be protected at all costs (#TheSkyGuard?). While Robbie Couch has brought some deeply homophobic aspects into this book, there are so many feel good moments that Sky, and readers get to experience that help to remind us of the goodness in the people we choose to surround ourselves with. Robbie made a diverse cast of characters, both major and minor, all of whom are fleshed out and add deeper content to the story. What started as a small group of friends turns into an amazing found family of friends. Over the course of the story, we see Sky make mistakes, suffer from previous and new traumas, find answers to some of his questions about his life, open up to his friends, and learn that he can be tough. Robbie has created a story that shows a full range of emotions that can happen to high schoolers, the euphoric highs and the very lows. What really sold this for me, was the inclusion of characters like Charlie, Brian, and Ms Winter. I can't say why because of spoilers, but these are characters who would be crucial in any young queer person’s life.

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!

Take note, YA fans, Robbie Couch’s debut novel THE SKY BLUES comes out April 4!

The book follows Sky, a gay teen at a conservative high school, counting down the days until he promposes to his crush—only for things to go catastrophically wrong before he even gets the chance.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once things got rolling, I was definitely invested in Sky and how he was navigating the particular difficulties in his life, with the help of some amazing friends. The character development was well-done, particularly in terms of Sky's own changes from the start to the end of the novel.

The book was really sweet and had a great message about love, acceptance and courage. My main issue with the book was that it described every single thing Sky did as ‘gay’–he walked gay, talked gay, even carried his books gay–which made that his main personality trait, taking away from a lot of the more intricate aspects of his character and backstory. As a reader, my primary association with Sky was his gayness, rather than every other aspect that makes a personality whole, so I didn't feel as though he was as well-rounded as he could have been.

The story was very light and fluffy, with all of the conflict being resolved almost too easily. There was never really any point where I was surprised by where the plot was going, or felt particularly nervous for anyone. However, it had a lot of heart and something to say, aiming to empower those that are typically oppressed, making for a very sweet and heartwarming YA story.

The world needs more LGBTQ+ YA books, and I’m excited for THE SKY BLUES to be added to this canon!

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!

Let me just go ahead and get this out of the way right now: READ! THIS! BOOK! If there was a way to give it more than 5/5 stars, I would.

I got this ARC ebook from @netgalley and from the first chapter alone, I knew this book would be a gay rom-com that I would never regret reading. This might even end up being the best contemporary LGBTQ+ book that I read in all of 2021! It definitely is right now. I swear there were parts that made me actually squeal with excitement like a 12-year-old girl.

The main character, Sky, could not be more awkward if he tried and it is so endearing. He is also incredibly oblivious sometimes. He is strong and determined. No matter how many times he struggles, he always perseveres. I honestly think he would make such a great role model. I love him with all of my heart.

Now onto the book itself: I could not put it down! The author did such a great job of dragging out parts of the story while still keeping it interesting. There were so many “almost” moments for Sky that frustrated me to no end, but that just made it all the more enjoyable when I finally got to the big finale!

This book is so funny as well. Like, I actually laughed out loud at certain points, which I almost never do with books, and I was constantly smiling while reading. The humor is just so well done.

And, like any YA rom-com, there were parts that hurt so much to read. These parts made me want to just hug the characters and cry with them. But, these parts were also beautifully done and were completely necessary to the story. Every bit of the sadness was worth it in the end.

But (maybe more importantly) this book was also really heartwarming and uplifting! Parts of it made me feel like I could take on the world. One of the most prominent aspects of this book was friendship and acceptance. Sky and his friends are all so strong and genuinely good people. They aren’t afraid to fight for themselves and others. We could all stand to be a bit like them, I think.

Anyway, this book is definitely in my top 5 favorite LGBTQ+ books of all time now. I will never stop recommending it to anyone and everyone! Robbie Couch has made a lifelong fan out of me with just one book and I am so excited to see what else he does.

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.