This book is a beautiful mess. Or, more specifically, it's a beautiful depiction of one. Because let's be real - so much about the process of growing up and moving into adulthood is a catastrophe, so many wrong turns and missed connections and mistakes that grow into disasters that grow into learning opportunities.

Marty's life in this book is probably one of the purest, most distilled forms of teenage growth I think I've ever seen in a YA novel, and I really think that's saying something. It's framed in many ways - by Marty's struggle with parents' on-and-off acceptance of his sexuality, by his disordered eating, by his fear that he's somehow missing out on life by not living in the right place at the right time. All of this is bracketed by his love of music, a constant refrain throughout the entire book, that keeps his anxiety at bay and allows him to find a group of friends in the crazy, hectic, spontaneous life he's living in London.

There's so much of myself that I saw in Marty. This book does a phenomenal job of making you feel <i>anxious</i>, of expecting the worst from everything, because at every corner and at every turn there's something there in Marty's life to throw a wrench into everything and send him spiraling into despair. It's hit after hit, punch after punch of mistakes and bad decisions and flawed characters doing flawed things. And you know what? It's perfect. It's real. It's human.

I think the biggest thing I will take away from this book is the power it holds in showing queer people that sometimes our dreams take on lives of their own. That we have the same problems, in a lot of ways, that everyone else does, because with equality in the highs comes equality in the lows, too. Marty is naive at the beginning of this book - not because of anything he did wrong, but because he's a teenager, and he's going to make teenager mistakes. You learn from them. You move on. It makes you a better person, and you're stronger for it.

AS FAR AS YOU'LL TAKE ME is a powerful, poignant reminder that life is a bumpy ride, but it's still a ride that's worth taking.

(Thank you to Bloomsbury for the NetGalley ARC! I could almost taste the mushy peas.)

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of As Far As You'll Take Me in exchange for an honest review.

After reading (and enjoying) Stamper's The Gravity of Us, I think I was predispositioned to expect a certain type of story here and actually originally thought I wasn't going to like this because of it based off of how the story starts but I was quickly pleasantly surprised. Marty's story focuses mostly on his personal development and character growth and it was a delight to watch him transform into the best possible version of himself. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it all the same.

​Rating: 10.5/17

A story about anxiety, first romance, leaving a toxic home, making friends, and growing up. This is a very emotional book with detailed descriptions of Marty's feelings and anxiety attacks in all the ways they manifest.

I really liked this story. Marty goes to London and deals with a lot of firsts as a teen. When I was 19 I went to live in the UK for university and this book really brought back some memories.
I like Phil Stampers writing and I actually read this before the Gravity of Us. After reading this it makes me want to go read that one.
The main character was incredibly relatable and I really had a good time reading about him.
The only things that were off for me is I wanted it to be a little longer and i wish the love interest was a little more fleshed out.

Overall i think I’m gonna give this a 4.

4/5⭐️ to As Far As You’ll Take Me

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for early access to the egalley, especially as this was on my most anticipated releases list for 2021!

TW: anxiety, homophobia w/ a slur, disordered eating, outing

In As Far As You’ll Take Me, we follow Marty as he moves to London, England from his extremely conservative Kentucky town in search of a new life, a musical career, and freedom to truly be himself. It’s mostly told in present time, but is also told through 10 journal entries set one year prior. Although this wasn’t super fluffy, happy-go-lucky YA contemporary romance I was expecting, this was nevertheless a super important, compelling, heartfelt coming of age story. The emotive writing was super effective in connecting me to Marty & his feelings & story. The characters in this, as well as Marty learning & growing up & dealing with his anxiety are really what made me love this book. For the most part, these characters are so supportive of each other and there were so many fun scenes of them jamming together (they are all musicians). Their diversity was great to see (multiple cultures, countries, and sexualities represented)! And as someone who is musically inclined, I so enjoyed how music was such a prominent part of this book and connected all these friends together! These aspects also provide a joy and lightness to the book which counterbalance the heavy topics which I will discuss later.

The various settings were also a big part of why this book was so fun for me! We are mainly in London, but we also have scenes in Kentucky, Wales, Italy, and the city of Brighton! London was so amazing as a main setting, and it completely took me back to when I visited the UK!

There were a few aspects of this book that made me a bit uncomfortable, but that add such important aspects, details, and messages to the book. First is the main relationship in the book, which is Marty’s first relationship he’s ever had with a guy. They start off super sweet with a first kiss, butterflies, and being super supportive around his anxiety, but as the story progresses it becomes almost toxic, and I could tell as the reader that something was off. I was initially hoping for a relationship that would be very swoon worthy, but ultimately was more complex and provided some reality. Now you know, too, in case you were also expecting something lighter. The second element is now Marty develops habits of disordered eating, of which the onset is fairly quick and strong. It also seems to go away very quickly without Marty dealing with the roots of it. I so appreciate that this book demonstrated this in a male character, but it can be a lot for someone in a similar situation. Lastly is the aspect of the family & town that Marty leaves behind. I come from a very similar background (mostly white, evangelical Christian town), and although I still very much hold onto the Faith in which I was raised in (I 100% don’t agree with everything the Church traditionally stands for/supports, specifically LGBTQ+ issues) I can definitely feel & understand the hurt and near alienation he experienced from what should be a loving, caring community. Especially his relationship with his parents, which honestly broke my heart. Again, just be aware that this could be quite triggering.

Definitely check out this gem of a book when it comes out February 9th, 2021! I can’t wait until my physical copy arrives in the mail!

A readable, charming story about a young gay man named Marty that moves to London to escape his religious upbringing and pursue his goal of becoming a professional musician. I enjoyed this book--there were a lot of fun travel bits (London, Cardiff, Florence), as well as some cute YA moments (first romance, making new friends, surviving on your own). Overall, it is an enjoyable coming-of-age book.

However, it is a YA novel, and sometimes the emotional swings and changes in tone were drastic. The love interest, Pierce, becomes a wildly different person depending on what Marty's journey needs from him in that moment of the book. Minor plots are resolved offscreen with little explanation (two minor characters go from despising each other to a romantic relationship with basically no build up). Marty has a lot of things to deal with in this book, and not all of them are given enough attention to justify their inclusion in the story. For example, an eating disorder is very quickly introduced and then resolved. Throughout the book, Marty alludes to a story about a disastrous audition, and we learn the information through diary entries, but when the full truth is revealed, it is extremely underwhelming and doesn't justify the buildup.

It's a decent story with a fun setting. There are plenty of these young-person-goes-Europe books, but this is the first one that I have read with a gay protagonist, and I think many young musicians would appreciate Marty's focus on music. I would still recommend this one, but there are a couple of plot/pacing issues that could have been cleaned up to make the book a little stronger.

I really enjoyed Marty in this book, his anxiety, his issues with his weight and the issues he had with his parents not accepting him made him very relatable. I enjoyed how descriptive the parts about the oboe were because I know nothing about oboes or any kind of musical instrument and the writing made it so easy to picture it all.

To me, the story was missing something. Not much happened in the first half and the rest was just missing a spark.

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Marty is desperate to get out of his small town in Kentucky. He has dreams of being a musician and being able to live his life out and accepted for who he is. He runs away to London where his aunt and cousin live, telling his parents he was accepted into a summer music program, where he's finally able to make accepting friends and live life on his own terms -- but that comes at a price for Marty. He still struggles with his anxiety and with a job search and his very first boyfriend. He soon finds that living life on your own terms isn't as easy as it seems.

I just want to go right into how much I love this book. Truly. The anxiety rep felt so incredibly real to me, and I was emotional more than once with how much I related to Marty's struggle. The feeling of not being good enough, the negative self-talk. All so well done. I love Marty as a character because of this. I felt his worry and I felt his excitement and I felt him falling in love for the first time. All those feelings that come in a rush and feel so incredibly overwhelming, whether they're good or bad.

The story is a really great coming of age tale. It's very much about found family and recognizing the toxicity in your life for what it is. Sometimes we hang on to people out of some feeling of duty or time spent trying to make it work, and this book was a great statement about how we just have to let that go sometimes. We have to stand up for ourselves. Marty finding his own way in a totally new country with a new group of people was heartwarming to read, even the not so great bits.

This was truly Marty's story, but the cast of characters was diverse and well done. Marty's cousin Shane was sweet and protective, his love interest Pierce was that one boy that I feel like I know (you know, the one everyone falls in love with and is charming to a fault), Sophie was an example to Marty of what a good (but flawed) friend should be. Really well done.

Overall, I'm so excited for this book to be out in the world. I'm excited for queer teens who struggle with anxiety and acceptance to be able to read this book and relate. Another winner from Phil Stamper!

A must have for your YA shelves since this not only deals with teen homelessness (an important issue), but also coming to terms with yourself and your identity.

Before starting my mini-review I want to thank @bloomsbury for granting me my wish and allowing me to read As Far As You'll Take Me beforehand and review it.
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TW: homophobia, outing, religious trauma, HP references,anxiety
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As a queer person who has been only reading queer YA and New Adult books for the last 10 months, As Far As You'll Take Me struck my interest immediately. I admit, the gorgeous cover also played a part in it. No one can deny how beautiful this cover looks.
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When it comes to the book itself, there were many things that I enjoyed and a few things that didn't hit the mark for me. Firstly,pros.The book talks about some important issues like mental health. Our main character Marty has anxiety.And I think his anxiety was well written and the fact that he was so well written makes him a relatable character for the readers. At least for me lol. I really related to him in so many aspects.The other point is that the book takes place in United Kingdom.I'm an English Language and Literature major so UK has always been a very interesting place for me. If you are also interested in ever going to UK this book might be interesting for you. It really makes you want to visit the places Marty has visited in the book,I for one would really want to go to UK for a summer holiday. Also,there are many many mentions of Pride which also makes you want to go to a Pride in England. One of the most important thing in the book was about outing and toxic people.So many of us don't understand how we can deal with toxic people.We continue to be friends/lovers with them even though they constantly make us feel like shit . We can't give up on them just because we love them. So I really loved the approach the author took regarding this issue. Lastly,I read The Gravity Of Us which is the authors first book. People had different opinions about that book but I can say that the writing style of this book was better in so many ways.
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Now,cons. These are mostly my personal preferences but I feel like they are important. Firstly,the first 1-2 chapters was hard to get into for me. They weren't as interesting as the rest of
the book but once you get over the first 2-3 chapters the rest will follow. Then we have this "Insta Love" trope going on. I'm usually not big on this trope. I feel like you have to get to know the person and bond with the person to fall in love with them. So,I'm not big on this trope. Lastly,this book had a few HP references which I didn't appreciate. I understand that HP played a big part in so many of our lives but we all know what's up with JKR and since this is a queer book it immediately made me uncomfortable. But since I read the e-arc ,the uncorrected version of the book I hope the final version of the book won't have those references.

I'm finding that I love the nuance and layers to stories by Phil Stamper, though I realize that it's not what everyone expects from a YA contemporary and some might want something more straightforward, less complex, or tackling fewer issues. That said, this is the second book I've read from this author and both times I have found them to be deeply moving, thought-provoking, and "going there" with difficult to tackle subjects.

As Far as You'll Take Me brings something new to the oeuvre of queer coming of age stories, this time in a narrative that includes such difficult subjects as: growing up queer in an evangelical household, toxic friendships and relationships, disordered eating and body dysmorphia in boys, and coping with severe anxiety. Is it intense? Yeah, it is. And there are no easy answers to any of this, which kind of mirrors real life, but this book begins those conversations through a character journey that I really loved.

Marty is 17, has just graduated high school, and is escaping his religious family and conservative Kentucky hometown by traveling to London with his beloved oboe, hoping to find a new life and musical career. One where he can be openly gay. Back home he has a toxic best friend, and parents who are less than supportive or understanding. In London he has new friends, new opportunities, perhaps even a new romance, but also severe anxiety and a developing eating disorder.

I won't say more about the story, but I really connected with this, messy as it sometimes was, and loved seeing Marty's journey towards being his own advocate and finding what he really wants. I do wish there had been more nuance to the handling of the eating disorder/body dysmorphia elements at the end because it comes across as a bit simplistic. But other than that, I really appreciated what this book was doing and think a lot of people will see themselves in parts of it. I received an advance copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings adopted from Adri's review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
CWs: bullying, toxic relationships, manipulation, homophobia, religious bigotry, graphic descriptions body dysmorphia and disordered eating, self harm in the form of self-starvation, use of queer slurs, public outing without consent, near instance of sexual assault, and several HP references

3.5***

Thank you NetGalley and the author for an early e-reader copy!

This book is a coming of age new-adult following Marty who has been determined to leave his hometown in GA & get out of his comfort zone!
I enjoyed this book enough, it really covered self love like I have never read. Marty struggles a lot with himself being queer, as well as not 'attractive' in his eyes and tons of other things.

Marty & the characters all have unique personalities with focus around music. I enjoyed the pacing, the scenery descriptions, as well as the overall story. HOWEVER, I was under the impression that this would be a lighter cutesy romance summer book.... and that's not it. It does describe that he is battling anxiety, but the whole book is really him just in a huge struggle with himself, his parents, his family, friends... everyone.
I still think people will enjoy this, as I did enjoy it - just not my typical vibe.

I loved this book so much!! I could really relate to Marty’s anxiety, and I loved seeing him learn new coping methods. This book was also very raw with the portrayal of anxiety - it can sometimes happen and ruin a perfectly happy moment.. and sometimes you’ll end up pushing people away before they hurt you, but you only end up hurting yourself. I also loved how it showed that sometimes you need to move away from your hometown to really grow as an individual. All the relationship developments, whether they were romantic or friends, each one progressed as their own story and I couldn’t get enough of it!

I feel like everyone has a few books that are just perfect for them. Like, you pick it up expecting a good read and somehow you get everything you could have wanted AND everything you didn't know you wanted, too.

This book was that for me.

Some content warnings: it deals heavily with self-esteem issues surrounding weight and unhealthy dieting / not eating regularly or well. The main character also has anxiety, and while I felt it was portrayed in such a great way, if being in the POV of someone who is often anxious is stressful for you, this might not be your book. Lastly, there is discussion of being outed by others in this book, and if that is going to be triggering for you, I don't suggest you read this. It is, again, handled very well, but it's also realistic and could be upsetting, especially to an unsuspecting reader.

I don't know how much I can say without spoiling it, but I am going to list a few things I love about this book.

1. Marty's voice is so strong; from the start, I was engaged, HOOKED by the way he narrated the story.

2. The way Marty describes the experience of coming from a conservative town and also seeing a place like London covered in Pride flags and realizing he could belong somewhere as his honest self? Something I deeply relate to. It had me all in my feelings of being 17-almost-18 and escaping my hometown for a future I hoped would be brighter. And the fact that this book could make me remember that but in a way that felt safe was such a gift.

3. THE SIDE CHARACTERS!!! They're all so well developed and such complex individuals! They really make this book stand out.

4. Building off of that, the relationships! Some of the relationships you know are great, but some of them are complex. It reflects real life, and it especially shows what life is like when you're struggling to make connections in a new place--especially when you're not-yet-18 and on your own!

5. The importance of owning your mistakes. I feel like this was a theme in this book and I do not take that lightly, because I don't think this theme gets the glory it deserves in media. Without going too deeply into things, there's a moral to this story that everyone fucks up, but owning your mistakes is one of the most important parts of atoning for them.

I'm big heart eyes over this book y'all.


Things I didn't love as much (which I really had to stretch for on this one):

The journal entries from the past threw me off at first? I was super confused. But then once the story progressed they were PERFECT. Just a small pacing thing for me.

That's really it? I loved this book. I loved it so much. I can't wait for everyone to read it, and I hope it reaches the people who needed it in their lives as much as I did.

17-year-old Marty leaves his unaccepting parents, a toxic best friend and an oppressive Kentucky town behind when he decides to spend his summer (and maybe the rest of his life) in London. There he hopes he’ll be able to be his true true self, find his dream job in music and maybe even fall in love. But with his anxiety worsening, the cute boy he met maybe not being what he seems and his chances to live his dreams shrinking, Marty has to figure out what to do next.

Phil Stamper does such a great job of tackling multiple heavy topics in As Far As You’ll Take Me. The way Marty’s anxiety was depicted was like nothing else that I’ve seen in YA novels. Marty was messy and made some mistakes that made me want to scream, but he was also super endearing and I was rooting for him to figure it all out throughout the entire book.

I also want to talk about Sophie because I love her!! Too often in YA books with a queer male lead, the female best friend is usually my least favorite character. They usually treat the main character terribly, are flat, or are just there to make forced-in pop culture references. Sophie felt fully fleshed out and I really appreciated that. She had her own story arc, her own flaws and her own development. Sadly, that’s pretty rare to see.

Another thing I really liked was the focus on friendships and how those are just as important (and sometimes more important) as romantic relationships. We see Marty grapple with a lot of different new friendships as well as work his way through some of his old friendships and that was really refreshing to see.

I was worried about how this would end and where all of Marty’s relationships would be, but (no spoilers!) I was really happy with how this one ended.

CW // eating disorders, religious trauma, forced outing, anxiety, homophobia

Note: In the ARC there are a few Harry Potter references, but Phil Stamper already said they won’t be included in the finished book

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for this ARC!

Content warnings for this novel: eating disorders, outting, anxiety, religious trauma and unaccepting parent(s).
I fell in love with Phil Stamper's writing voice as it relates to teenagers when I read 'The Gravity of Us' for the first time. 'The Gravity of Us' uses social media presence as a very prominent plot device. Unlike typical YA books, the representation of social media was not at all cartoonish; Stamper was very realistic in his portrayal of the 21st century American youth experience, which is very connected to social media. This grounded take on current teenage-hood cemented my appreciation of Stamper's work, and I've been anxiously awaiting this sophomore album, 'As Far As You'll Take Me.''
'As Far As You'll Take Me' tells a more-common-than-you'd-think story of a gay teen who ventures from his unaccepting family, church, and town to find a new life in London. Marty, a 17 year old form Kentucky, travels to London to live with his cousin, where he meets accepting, like-minded individuals where he can take solace; a "chosen family." Between dealing with cute boys, finding a new family, looking for a job, and struggling with anxiety and an eating disorder, Marty is swept up in his new life, and loses himself to the European streets.
This is an incredibly important book for queer youth to read. About 3 quarters LGBTQ youth in America have experienced severe anxiety, and this is my first LGBTQ young adult novel I've read about an LGBTQ main character that experiences anxiety disorder. Gay males are also only about 5% of the total male population according to recent statistics, however among males who have eating disorders, 42% identify as gay. The representation of disordered eating in our main character is very real, and scarcely represented in LGBTQ media. Reading about Marty's struggle with both in the context of finding himself will definitely strike a chord with countless queer youth.
My only criticism with this book is that I wish it was longer. There were many plot-lines and dynamics that could have been fleshed out more thoroughly to invoke a deeper interest in the book. I would've loved to learn more about Sophie, Marty's closest Londoner friend, and the dynamics between Pierce and other members of their group, specifically Dani and Ajax, which would definitely increase the quality of Act 3 of the book. My criticisms are few and far between with this novel; regardless of the lack of depth in some places, this novel still earns a solid 4.5 stars from me.
This book is a masterfully perfect balance between angst and seriousness, and young adult fun. If you're looking for a light-hearted rom-com, you won't find it here; but if you're looking to think, to learn, or perhaps to therapeutically relive some coming of age trauma, pick up this book as soon as possible.

Phil Stamper's "As Far As You'll Take Me" is a wonderful tribute to London, foreign travel, learning who you are as a person, and orchestral music.

Thank you so much, Bloomsbury USA Children's Books and Bloomsbury YA, for the chance to read and review one of my most anticipated reads of 2021.

TW: anxiety, eating disorder, abusive relationship, underage drinking, forced outing, homophobia

Marty is seventeen, when he decides to leave his own home in Kentucky, where he feels unwelcomed and trapped as a gay young man and to move to London. With his meager savings, his oboe and the support of his cousin Shane, Marty is determined to live his life, not longer closeted, exploring his sexuality, without his parents' disapproval, making new friends and finding new opportunities.
But even though in a few weeks he's made new friends, travelled around Europe and, maybe, he's also gotten his first boyfriend, he hasn't spoken with his parents in a long time, his anxiety and homesickness are becoming worse and worse and he doesn't know how to financially support himself, without managing to find a job, his dream job. Will Marty be able to find his own home?

As far as you'll take me is the kind of book that makes you cry, laugh and clap your hands at the same time. It's a wonderful story about finding your own home and family, your own people, becoming stronger and more confident, an intense coming-of-age story, with a main character so relatable it's impossible not to love him.
There are so many things I loved about this book. The writing style is brilliant and it made me feel so connected with Marty, the characterization is so good and the way Phil Stamper wrote the story it felt like I was there with them.

The author dealt skillfully with important themes such anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorder (the beginning of one), abusive relationships and the strength in realizing the truth about them and self-preservating oneself.
With sensivity and care, Phil Stamper talks difficult relationships, between sibling, parents and son, friends and boyfriends, in a very realistic way, with their fights and misunderstanding, but also withthe hope of changing something for the better.
This is the kind of book that, in the end, leaves you drained, but in a very good way.

The story is divided in two, swinging between Marty during this summer in London and a diary assignment he had to do for his school, set in the last summer. Chapters after chapters the reader is able to know what happened last summer, what pushed Marty to lie to this parents and move to London, what gave him the last push and strength and to follow Marty in his time in London, between music, art and new friends.

Marty is an incredible main character and I felt so connected with him, with his anxiety, fears and attacks and his mental health. He's strong, stubborn and it was amazing reading how much he changed and grew and realized things during this book. I loved seeing him pushing himself, finding new friends, trying new things, being more confident and sure of himself and his talent. I followed him falling, making mistakes, realizing them, growing up and I'm so incredibly proud of him.

The characterization is brilliant. Not only the main character is relatable and so lifelike, but all the characters, main and side ones, are amazingly written and their relationships so true and realistic, with their feelings of envy, jealousy, resentment, love, affection and so on. Exactly what you would find in a group of teenagers.
I really enjoyed reading the parts about music and art and their importance. Above all I loved reading about the relationships and their complexities, like Marty's bond with Shane, who is a wonderful and supportive cousin, his friendship with Sophie, Dani and the others. Marty is surrounded by great friends, with their own intricacies and problems, tensions, hopes and dreams. I absolutely love Shane and his relationship with Marty, he's such an amazing character.

The trope of found family is one of my favourite ever. I love the idea of finding your own people and home, a place where you can be accepted and loved, even though your biological family doesn't get you. I loved the way Marty was able to find his place and people, his home and the courage and strength of cutting away those who were hurting him.. It takes great strength and the way the author wrote this part was heartwrenching and so true.

I was really impressed by this book and I saw myself so much in this story, about abusive friendship, the struggle with anxiety and his lists and being able to function every day and the importance of support, help and healing.

I totally recommend this book to...basically everyone! It's such a wonderful and intense story, with friendships, love, found family, the courage of being oneself and to find your own home and people. It filled me with so much warmth and joy!

Marty arrives in London with nothing but his oboe and some savings from his summer job, but he's excited to start his new life where he is free to explore his sexuality without his parents' disapproval. Within a few weeks, he starts making new friends, he's getting close with his first boyfriend, and he's travelling around Europe. However, Marty hasn't spoken to his parents since he arrived, he's tearing through his savings, and as he's trying to find the job of his dreams, his anxiety is getting worse and worse. Will Marty be able to find a place that feels like home?
I really liked how this book addressed Marty's toxic relationship with his boyfriend and the fact that he started to develop an eating disorder in order to impress Pierce with his body and stay with him. I'm really glad he found a supportive group of friends who were able to help Marty recognize that he was in a toxic relationship.
I also liked how this book talked about friendship breakups, because that is something not often talked about in YA that a lot of teens go through.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Eating disorders, forced outing, homophobia, anxiety.

3.5⭐️

Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a copy to review

I really enjoyed Stamper’s first novel, Gravity of Us and this one was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and I’m so glad I enjoyed it!

Marty is a gay teen who decides to hatch a plan to spend the summer living with his cousin in London to escape his overly religious parents and suffocating Kentucky hometown. Whilst there he searches for a job to make his stay permanent and also falls in love with one of his cousin’s friends.

I didn’t expect this book to be as heavy as it was but honestly I think everything was handled really well and you could see Marty’s growth and character development from beginning to end with how he handled certain traumatic experiences. While reading this I was getting kind of annoyed by him and the decisions he was making but then I took a step back and realized what all he was dealing with at seventeen. His toxic family, his toxic friends back home, an anxiety and eating disorder, and a boyfriend with ulterior motives. Like that’s a lot for anyone, let alone a kid in a foreign country.

While I enjoyed the plot and eventually started to enjoy the characters, this book was just missing that certain spark for me to fully love it and bump it to favorite level status.

I can easily see this author becoming a staple in the YA LGBTQ book world and will continue to read everything he puts out there in the future though.

I also learned quite a bit about the oboe in this book, just for fun.

CW: outing, homophobic parents, disordered eating, anxiety attacks