#Adulting
Right Where I Left You is my favorite of Julian Winters‘s novels thus far. If you’ve never read one of his books, well, go remedy that right now. Winters tends to explore similar themes throughout his works, such as what it means to be on the cusp of adulthood. Here, Isaac deals with social anxiety, his small friend group and lack of romantic experience, causing him to worry he won’t adapt to college. He has to figure out how to be true to himself and all of the facets of his personality and identity. What does that look like for him?

Isaac feels that he should have so much more figured out at eighteen. It’s easy for me, as an adult, to read this and think, “Oh, honey, how you’ll learn.” But, Winters really succeeds in never undermining his characters or his intended audience of young adults. Right Where I Left You is a very gentle reminder that it’s OK to not have everything figured out without ever talking down to its readers.

Right Where I Left You feels like a safe space. Isaac trips and falls, whether it’s with regard to how he treats his friends, his family or dating life. Isaac messes up a lot and is a bit of a jerk sometimes, but I never stopped rooting for him.

SPOILER: The book did make me wonder what it’d be like to read a story of two best friends in a relationship. So many stories about friends falling in love end at the beginning, as it were. But, what does that transition from friendship into a romantic relationship look like?

Diversity FTW!
People need to see themselves in books, and it’s so nice that in Julian Winters’s world, queer BIPOC characters are the show’s stars. Isaac Martin is a nerd, a Black Latino nerd, a gay Black Latino nerd; he’s also a son, a brother, a best friend, someone who deals with social anxiety — you get the picture. His friend group is equally diverse — because the world is diverse.

This innate diversity allows for Winters to integrate important issues into Right Where I Left You without it becoming an “issues” novel. For example, Winters is able to seamlessly touch on white privilege and biphobia because of the make up of his cast.

Easter Eggs!
In true geek fashion, Winters pays homage to some of the queer YA greats in a fun and clever way. It took me a few chapters to spot it, but it put a huge smile on my face when I did. Also, I want to take a moment to appreciate Winters’s prose. It’s a lovely mix of contemporary referential and stylized descriptions.

The Minorest of Quibbles
OK, this is probably build up from consuming a lot of media where this happens, but why have vegans eating animal products when they’re high/upset/bored/whatever become a trope? For most vegans, their lifestyle is an ethical thing, so having them eat animal products feels akin to having a strict Jewish or Muslim character suddenly start slamming bacon McGriddles, and I think most people realize that would be offensive.

Should You Read It?
Yes, obviously. 💯%


Right Where I Left You hits shelves March 15. Pick up a copy at your local indie book store or library.

Unabashedly queer, gloriously nerdy, and incredibly sweet, this book was the perfect balm for the blah mood I’ve been in recently.

It’s so rare to find a book so focused on joy and happiness, especially when it concerns queer teens and even more so queer teens or color.

Reading a book where sexuality and gender identity are just accepted aspects of the characters’ lives and personalities warmed my cold dead heart. If only books like this had existed when I was a teen!

There were times the characters felt a little younger than I usually expect pre-college teenagers in YA to feel, but there is such heart and warmth that spreads from the first page to the very last punctuation mark, I found it almost impossible to fault the book.

This was adorable! When I think about this book & recall the friendship & family here, I feel warmth & security.
It's a beautiful coming-of-age that explores difficult family relationships, first loves & found family.

Isaac and Diego are perfect. If you're looking for a friend.. no.. a BEST friends to lovers.. this is the one and only.
A very relatable LGBTQ+ coming of age story, that will melt your heart. All the feels, all the romance, and of course, the drama that comes along with it. Cute, relatable, well written, absolutely.. all the stars.

It’s the summer before heading off to college and Isaac is determined to make his last summer with his best friend, Diego, amazing. But when he accidentally runs into his former crush Davi, and suddenly all of the plans are messed up. Suddenly the summer of best friends becomes the summer of Isaac, Diego, and Diego’s gaming buddies, and maybe a budding romance with Davi.

This was a fantastic coming of age story. I will say I expected more of a romance based on the description, but if you go in without those expectations there is a lot to love about this story. Isaac’s story and growth was fantastic. I particularly enjoyed his family relationships and all of the details of his Afro-Latinx culture. They way he reconnected with his brother was heart-warming and a highlight of his story for me. I also enjoyed the new friendships he created with The Six.

I did get lost on occasion with all of the fandom. Isaac is a comic fan and Diego is a gaming fan so there were a lot of references to the fictional fandoms and for me, those took away from the story at times.

Thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

An incredible story of coming of age as finding love with people who’ve been there all along. The writing is incredible, the queerness of the story is heartwarming and felt like a homecoming. Putting this into a classroom curriculum would be incredible for queer kids in high school who need some solace and representation!

A very cute and geeky queer coming of age story! Isaac is an introverted comic book obsessed teenager who wants to spend his last summer before college with his best friend doing all the nerdy things they love together. Things don’t go exactly as planned when a cute boy distracts him from getting the Con tickets they had been saving for. This story has BIPOC queer characters, found family, friends to lovers, and all the charm you could ask for. I fell in love with these characters and their journey.

From the author of Running with Lions comes a new YA book about a last-ditch effort at summer fun between two best friends. Julian Winters’s Right Where I Left You, which comes out on March 15th, is light-hearted, fun, and a great book to add to your Spring/Summer TBR.

This book was a fun and quick read. This friends-to-lovers YA romcom leaned more on the side of coming-of-age story as Isaac navigates how the relationships in his life are changing and how he wants to move forward in his life before starting college. Additionally, this book also touches upon topics like sexuality, divorce, family relations, and more. However, readers definitely get their fill of relationship drama between Isaac, Davi, and Diego!

I enjoyed the parallels between the comic book series referenced throughout the book and Isaac’s own life. I also appreciated the way this book tried to highlight LGBTQ+ voices and diverse love stories. This book will really resonate with anyone who is part of a fandom, relates to certain characters in their fandoms, and bonds and creates friendships with those with similar interests to them.

Isaac can be a bit oblivious at times which can be frustrating, but I don’t think that there would even be a book if Isaac was as perceptive as I was while reading this book. Aside from Isaac, who highlights diversity as a gay, black/Latino teenager, this book is full of diverse characters of all ethnicities, sexual orientations, and backgrounds.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I think young adult audiences looking for books that highlight diversity will really enjoy this fresh and relevant read.

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

Right Where I Left You is an ode to nerdy queer teens trying to figure themselves out. I loved the pining, the friends-to-lovers element, and how the references to different games and comics were incorporated.

this book was cute, it was funny, and i thought the representation was beautiful. it touched on a few important topics regarding race, gender, and sexuality that i thought flowed nicely between the light-hearted friends-to-lovers main plot and was executed well!

i'm hesitating between 3.5 and 4 stars!

overall, this was a great story! julian winters really knows how to write a great before-college-coming-of-age story. it was funny and sweet and emotional at times. i loved all the characters and their relationship. i absolutely recommend this book to everyone!

Isaac is as nerdy as you can imagine: obsessed with comic books and praying his favorite fictional characters get together. Even his best friend Diego is in love with gaming and the community that rises from it. When an attempt to get tickets to the most legendary convention of the year, Isaac and Diego have to find a way to make the most of their last summer together before college. Will boys and other things come in the way of their friendship, or will they discover there is so much more out there?

This was very much a love letter to members of the LGBTQ+ community and fandom members. Walking into this story felt like coming home at the end of a long day. This story delves into the deeper parts of fandom and some of the discourse that envelops it. It also highlights a lot of the "support" that some larger companies attempt to show during Pride month when it's really only a way to capitalize on this special month. It's not really conversations you read a lot about, so I'm glad that it was able to be discussed without it becoming too much of a focus that it overshadows everything else in the story.

I absolutely loved the characters! I do think at times that Isaac was a bit obsessive with his favorite pairing from Disaster Academy, because at the beginning of some chapters there are quotes from the comics or snippets of social media or fanfics. Some of Isaac's comments on the latter were a bit... extreme, to the point of him getting in arguments with people on social media. That detracted a little bit from his character for me. However, I do understand the importance of Charm and Reverb to Isaac. It's the first time he's able to see himself properly represented as a Latino queer person in media. Isaac emphasizes that importance and I think it's super important to talk about, because you don't see many queer characters that are both queer and a POC. This story is absolutely full of them, and it's a start.

The representation from Latinx communities I cannot really speak on as I am not a member of that community, but I loved how it was incorporated into the story and an integral part of both Isaac and Diego's upbringing. Walking into their homes in the story felt like I was walking into a nicer version of my own home, and I wished I could have partaken in the meals and traditions they partook in. The emphasis on family was extremely well done and heart-warming, but also wasn't afraid to show the more complicated matters.

I will admit that the timeline of the story was a bit confusing, because the story set it up to make me think that this was the very end of the summer. However, it takes place mostly during Pride month and going into July. While the impact of moving to college was there and strong, I think it would have been stronger and more impactful if it was closer to when Isaac actually moved in.

Right Where I Left You is a beautifully crafted love story that will have your queer heart gushing with love and pride.

I received a copy of this story as an e-ARC from both NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Right Where I Left You follows Isaac Martin, he's just graduated high school and has one last summer until he's headed off to college. Isaac should be excited, except his best friend, Diego, isn't coming with him. Isaac doesn't know what he'll do without Diego to help him. He wants to have the best summer ever with Diego before they're separated. The two plan to go to Legends Con, but when Isaac is distracted by a cute boy and misses getting tickets, their summer plans are derailed. Instead Isaac is made part of The Six, the crew Diego games with. Isaac is wary, cue the social anxiety, but Diego's friends are all bad.

This was such a sweet book. I really enjoyed Isaac as a character. His social anxiety is different from mine, but damn was it still relatable. I loved how Isaac explores his family relationships during this book. The way he reconnects to his older brother really pulled on my heart strings.

Then there are the fandom elements! Isaac is a comic fan and Diego is a gamer. Between the two of them there are tons of fandom references, and even though it's a made up fandom for the book, I loved it! I loved how Charm and Reverb's story plays out alongside Isaac's, it was such a great way to parallel the book.

I absolutely adored The Six. I was immediately a fan of Alix and Zelda, because they're the coolest. I also have a thing for quiet girls with cutting words (Alix). I really liked seeing Isaac branch out. He has a hard time letting people in, but by the end of this he has made other friends besides Diego. I really loved watching him grow!

Rep: Afro-Latine gay cis male MC, bisexual Iranian-American cis male side character, bisexual Puerto Rican gus male side character, BIPOC queer nonbinary side character with two dads who are drag queens, questioning white male side character, asexual white female side character, autistic Puerto Rican male side character, various Black and Latine side characters.

CWs: Mental illness (anxiety), parental abandonment. Minor: homophobia/homomisia, racism.

(3.5 stars) I really liked this book. It was really fun and the easiest way to describe it was pure joy. The only think I thought it was lacking was that I wish that the book dove deeper into some harder topics like how racism is seen in the gay community (something as a white queer person I would love to read more books about.) I feel like there was opportunity for a deep commentary on different issues that it didn't really touch on. However, there was great representation and was overall a great read.

I think I went into this book with different expectations; I was expecting more of a best friends to lovers situation, but had an insta-love-esque love triangle, and it just didn't really work for me.

Spoiler alert: I’m in love with two boys. Head over heels, smiles-at-nothing-while-walking-into-walls kind of love. But they’re not real people. They’re comic book characters. Also, they might be in love with each other. Huge emphasis on the might.

Right Where I Left You follows Isaac Martin during the summer before his freshman year of college. Dealing with the looming dread of being separated from his best friend Diego as they’re both about to start the next chapter of their lives, Isaac is determined to make this the best summer of their lives. But fate seems to have other things for him in store—first, an unexpected run in with his crush Davi distracts him from getting tickets to the epic comic convention Legends Con and then, Diego is suddenly only hanging around his gaming budding, which so was not part of the plan. When sparks fly between Davi and Isaac and Diego gets more and more distant, Isaac’s perfect summer is becoming a fleeting dream. When Isaac and Diego’s friendship takes a hit after a secret is revealed, it’s up to them whether they can make this summer unforgettable for all the right reasons.

The vibes in this novel, honestly. If you’ve ever wanted a read that accurately represented how fleeting yet endless summer break can feel when you are young, Right Where I Left You will feel like a time machine. Somehow, Winters managed to pace this novel just right so that you feel as anxious as Isaac about making this last summer count for all it’s worth while also not wanting to constantly look at the clock and wonder what will happen once it’s over. Pair that with once-in-a-lifetime-moments like an unexpected yet sweet first kiss in a parking lot and celebrating Pride with your friends and you have the perfect summer read.

In the centre of this story are the many facets of friendships, old and new. Considering how hard it is for Isaac to make friends because of his social anxiety, the friendships he finds in this novel felt all the more validating. The representation of social anxiety also felt so accurate—how it was almost like pulling teeth to read about Isaac being tongue-tied and not knowing how to convey any kind of feeling, the way he was overwhelmed when everyone was talking and how he reprimanded himself for not reaching out on his own. Yet we always have Diego as this sort of touching point that grounds Isaac, and eventually, he finds true companions in these gamers. I loved how it was shown that sometimes you find new friends by proxy (aka they’re Diego’s friends first) but end up forming long-lasting bonds anyway.

And speaking of long-lasting bonds. Diego and Isaac’s friendship was absolute goals. These two know each other inside and out and yet there are moments when they realise the other is holding back. I loved how natural their bond felt and how, even when new friends appeared, you could still tell that they remained the most important people in each others’ lives. Sure, there’s drama and tension added by miscommunication, potential love interests that cause problems and hidden feelings that make for bittersweet moments, but through it all, Isaac and Diego try to make it work.

Right Where I Left You also delivers on the friends-to-lovers romance perfectly. You get all the pining, the “did I miss something?” moments, the confusion and anxiety that comes with realising that your best friend might just be more than that. I loved how their story was paced and how we got to see everything develop. Isaac’s obsession with a certain fandom added so much to how he sees himself and finding love and even Diego’s gaming influences the trajectory of their relationship.

There are also a lot of messy, flawed character dynamics within this story that Winters explored beautifully. Without taking too much away, both Diego and Isaac deal with separate issues with their family—Diego’s parents aren’t on board with the life path Diego has chosen and Isaac is still reeling from his father leaving and Isaac’s older brother trying to connect. There is such a tender touch to the way Winters explores these complex family dynamics without ever losing that sense of unconditional love and support and I think that’s amazing and such a validating reading experience.

Honestly, it’s hard talking about this novel without spoiling anything because everything is interwoven so intricately—from the delightfully queer cast of characters that bonds over gaming and fandoms to the discussion of the importance of BIPOC representation in the media (and in the comic book world most of all), miscommunicated crushes and expectations to Isaac’s tight relationship with his older sister and his wholesome tradition of watching The Princess Bride with his grandfather—that to explain one aspect would spoil another. As such, I can only recommend diving into this wonderful novel without knowing too much and to just get swept up in the magic of a—if not perfect, then unforgettable—summer.

One last thing that added such a sweet touch to the story was that there were some cameos from fictional characters and authors within these pages. Every chapter starts with geekery related to Isaac’s obsession with Disaster Academy and the potential love between the two male protagonists and there are tags like you’d expect in the fandom world. If you’re familiar with the queer YA landscape of the past few years (e.g. Felix Ever After, You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah on the Offbeat…), chances are you’ll have a giant smile on your face like I did every time I spotted another nod toward these lovely authors.

A joyful, heartfelt tribute to nerds, Right Where I Left You expertly explores the messy side of growing up, finding long-lasting friendships and falling for the right person who’s been there all along. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Ben Philippe!

This was a typical Julian Winters in the best way where you’re getting a good amount of romance but also the perfect coming of age story. Also I love that there’s no major trauma. Full of messy queer BIPOC teenagers trying to find themselves while also living loud and proud. And as per usual I love seeing Georgia represented in YA books.

Oh my god, my HEART. This was the absolute perfect read for Valentine's Day. I had the pleasure of virtually meeting Julian Winters a few nights ago, and I have been dying to read this ever since. I knew it would make me smile so big, and I was not disappointed! My face still hurts hours later. BFFs to lovers? Check. Nerdy MC? Check. Touching, bubbly, pure AF? Check, check, check!!! I can't even tell you how phenomenal this book is and how badly you need to read it. Isaac will be one of my top ten characters of all time.

I think I may have gone into this with the wrong expectations. It's being pitched as a best-friends-to-lovers romance, and it is....but it leans hard into being a general coming of age story with the romance as more of a side plot. This is kind of like the difference between adult romance and women's fiction where the latter is mostly contemporary fiction, with a strong romantic subplot. That's what you get here. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't what I expected and that might have contributed to me finding parts of the book very slow to get through.

I love that there are geeky elements, found family, pining, and a joyful celebration of gay boys of color. All of that is wonderful. I do wish we had spent more time on the actual relationship though because they really only get together at the very end of the book because of a love triangle and lack of communication. And given how much the description talks about them trying to get badges to this comic con, I was really hoping they would actually get to go and we would get some convention scenes! Alas, no dice. Though we do get a lot of content about the comic the main character is obsessed with. Isaac is painfully shy and probably has social anxiety, so we see him pushed out of his comfort zone as new people come into his life when all he wanted was to spend the summer before college with his best friend Diego.

I think there are readers who could LOVE this and feel really seen by it. Isaac is Afro-Latinx which is great to see represented and I loved how much his family and their cultural food was represented in the story. I loved that we have a gay MC with two bisexual love interests. Basically I love a lot of what this was doing and if I was a bigger fan of general contemporary YA stories, I might have enjoyed my time with it a lot more. So I want to set expectations for readers. That said, if you know going in, you may be very charmed by the romance! I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

DNF

I said this last time too, but I mean it this time, this time i really mean it I won’t read another Julien Winters book. I liked Running with Lions. But all his books since then are pretty much same and boring. It not a terrible book so don’t think its worthy of one star, but I found it bland and so repetitive of his past books