This book was a delight. A dark and creepy delight, but a delight just the same. I enjoyed watching the journey the main character took and the twist at the end completely shocked me.

It’s been a while since I last read a book that made me genuinely care about the characters so this was really refreshing. The story follows a non-binary teenager named Sam Sylvester after they and their dad moved to a new town due to some reasons we find out through the book. There Sam gets to know some of the new people, make friends but also discover that the house they just moved in was a place where a teenager named Billy died under suspicious circumstances. Along with their new friends, Sam is set on finding out the truth behind Billy’s death.

First of, I loved the family aspects. The relationship between Sam and their dad is absolutely heartwarming. I love the messages it sends about foster parents and I don’t think I ever read a YA book that actually explored the topic of single parent adoption. I also enjoyed the friendship aspects although at times I wish that the characters shared more moments together.

The whole mystery around Billy’s death was very interesting. I like stories where truth is gradually discovered but that don’t necessarily try to pull some kind of crazy plot twist. While this does have a certain twist at the end it felt believable as there is definitely a solid build up to that moment.

I think the book also does a great job of portraying what it’s like being nonbinary and autistic and it makes me happy we are getting such diverse stories nowadays.

I suppose I’m not really a big fan of all the pop and fandom references, but that’s just a personal preference. One thing I kind of disliked is the way asexuality is introduced. Besides being nonbinary and autistic, Sam is also asexual. However, that is only brought up later in the second half of the book. I always look forward to the representation as I am ace myself but the scene just didn’t sit all that well with me. Sam basically mentions it during a confrontation with one of the boys from his school. It felt a little weird as it was not mentioned again after. I expected Sam would tell it to their girlfriends or friends rather than just being like this where it feels like a scene was added just so that could be brought up.

Overall, I quite loved this. It was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves the trope of queer found family as well as addition of mystery element in it.

This book did not disappoint! I love some good mysteries that need to be solved. Halfway through the book, I was not sure whether I wanted to rate it 3 or 4 stars. I decided to rate it four stars because of the ending. I’ll explain everything in this review. My advice, check the triggers before reading the book!

First, the characters. Wow, they are well written. Sam is awesome. I think they could make a lot of people feel represented. Their backstory is impressive and well thought through. It is tied to the story, and I’m so happy that at the beginning of the book you are informed about their past, but you are told what is necessary to know at that moment. You get bits and pieces throughout the story and eventually, everything makes sense. It all unfolds when the time comes for details to become important. The relationship between Sam and their dad is so lovely. Their dad is the sweetest, and I think I can say that everyone wants a dad like him! So supporting!

Shep and Sky are Sams friends, but I do not love both of them. Shep was amazing, such a great character with her own problems, but also so accepting and supporting. I really liked her, she might even have been my favourite character. Sky, not so much, I often forgot he was part of the story and this made me feel like he was not that important for the story. I feel like we get to know Shep way better than we get to know Sky. I would have liked for him to get more time in the story. More about him.

As I said before check the trigger warnings for this book. It is intense, the harassment Sam goes through and their past. I can imagine this could trigger someone. So no harm in checking those out. It is not a heavy read though, but I think it is important to keep this in mind.

The reason I rated it four stars instead of three? The ending. I did not expect that and It really baffled me. I actually was reading this on the train whilst on my way to meet a friend and when I arrived there was so much happening, I just wanted to keep reading. Looking back, there were definitely some clues that could have pointed you to how it was ending, but I did not figure that out.

The reason I did not give it five stars? I had to get used to the writing style. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it took me a while to get into the book, because of the way it was written. It did not grasp my attention at first. But eventually, maybe halfway through the book, I could not let go of the story.

This book blew my mind away! The plot was really unpredictable and I loved how the mystery was handled! The endind was quite surprising as well!
The characters were very well written and I fel empathy towards them right from the star, especially for Sam and their Dad: tehy suffered a lot in Montana and definitely needed a fresh start!
This certainly isn't your ususal mystery murder book, so if you want to break the pattern of most mystery books, you should check this one out!

Trigger warnings:
-Hate crime
-Transphobia and misgerdering
-Mentions of lung cancer
-Panic Attacks
-Anaphylaxis and allergies
-Death and violence
-Murder and attempted murder
-Biphobia
-Hospital setting and stay

“I’m still stuck on two people using my pronouns right in the space of an hour.”

How beautiful, emotional and compelling this story was!

The relationship between Sam and their dad was inspiring and endearing. It was definitely one of my favorite aspects of this story. The love, the protectiveness, the dedication… It got me emotional many times.

Sam is a queer, autistic and non-binary teen, and I felt like the representation was well done— at least in my opinion. As a neurotypical person myself, it’s not really my place to say and it might not mean much anyways, but I did appreciate being in Sam’s head, experiencing the world through their eyes and discovering the way their mind worked.
Witnessing Sam evolving in an environment where they could be themself was amazing. I wanted to protect them at all costs.

I also loved side characters like Shep and Sky, or even Dylan and Aiden— with their clumsiness but good intentions.

The mystery itself was intriguing. I loved the psychic/mystic vibes brought by Sam’s intuition and sort of sixth sense. However, I would say the story mostly relied on an atmospheric aspect rather than an actual thriller/investigation one (until the end and the eventful denouement of it all.)

The writing style grabbed my attention very quickly. My main criticism would be about the pace— it was a bit slow at the beginning, but it cleary is necessary to the development of both the story and Sam’s character.
That being said, I do think the book could have been shorter, or at least the “investigation” progress more condensed. It felt a bit lengthy at times.

Overall, I had a good time and this is definitely a very important book. An ode to life.
4 stars.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House!

while I'm always happy to find more nonbinary rep this book wasn't for me really, I struggled with the pacing of it.

The tension and intrigue is on point. It will be a fast favorite when it releases in May 2022 for sure. It's a fast-paced page-turning ya murder mystery complete with love, lots of fab queer characters, messages from ghosts in the past, and plenty of aww and sweet moments. I was shocked but not too shocked at the ending/mystery conclusion. The conclusion made sense but I like that I didn't guess it ahead of time. I rooted for Sam and the other characters and would love to read more from the perspective of Sam or their friends.

I received an eARC free of charge from Netgalley. It was my choice to read and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

I wanted to love this book so much. Because it has the most fabulous rep and the most fantastic (LGBTQIA+) parent ever. I really wanted to. But …

Sam is eighteen, non-binary, and on the autism spectrum. Because of a traumatic experience Sam and their dad move to Oregon to a house where a teen boy died thirty years ago. Sam has long been fascinated by kids who died before they turned nineteen and therefore want to investigate the death of the teenage boy. But then they meet resistance.

First of all, the cover. I love the colors and after reading this story, it fits Sam so much! Furthermore, the rep in this young adult is great, and I loved the supporting characters. I had a soft spot for Sky with his pizza and his glitter Chuck Taylors. And the best of all was Junius, Sam’s dad, a Black single father who adopted Sam when they were seven years old and supported them wherever he could. If it is about their disorder, about gender, traumatic experience, or just about living, Junius is always there for Sam. Like I said, the most fantastic parent ever!

But …

Yep, I already announced the but. Although the story should tick all of my boxes, it just didn’t. The writing was awesome, I loved the part about Sam’s heart being not on their sleeve. The rep was great, the author tackled heavy topics, and I really liked the characters. I just didn’t get invested in the mystery/paranormal aspect of the book, and I think the story was a bit too long and therefore started to drag.

On the other hand, I think a lot of people will like this book, because of the reasons I stated above. It’s probably a me, not the book thing, so please check out the four and five star reviews if you want to read this book!

This is the first mystery I've read with an enby protagonist and, from one enby reviewer here, it was refreshing to read. Loved the concept of trying to unravel a mystery that occurred decades ago—always a gripping concept. Will be recommending this one to fellow mystery lovers, especially queer readers.

Write what you know and get people to feel what you feel... This is fantasy, and yet its impact comes from the in-depth understanding and delight we share with the main character, Sam. Sam is a none-binary queer autistic individual (like the writer), and seeing the story through their eyes is the best thing that could happen to us. The writing draws us straight into their feelings and it is refreshing to get such a perspective, especially with so much good sentiment behind it.
This will not suit people looking for fast-paced books, new worlds and intricate magic systems, this book offers subtle little touches of the fantastical and there isn't all that much action. But it is really immersive, and if you are character driven, you will love that cold case psychic YA novel.

This book. THIS BOOK.. it was so good. When I saw the main character is autistic and nonbinary and has an obsession with dead teenagers I was sold. I felt straight away that I would like it, but I didn't know I would feel so many feelings. It was kind of a wild ride. I laughed and I cried and I got scared and excited. It was a lot. At times it was really hard to read because of how many things Sam and their friends go through, but hard because I felt their pain a bit too much. The author said they wanted to write the book that they wished they had as a teen, and I too wish I had read this as a teen. Some of the rep included, because representation is important: asexual, queer, bisexual, gay, nonbinary, autistic, Black, Latinx, Asian (Vietnamese). These all apply to people that are important in the story. Chef's kiss to the author; thank you for this gem

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is your next all-consuming murder mystery, but make it queer.

Sam is an autistic nonbinary teen who just moved to a new town to escape the terrible things from their past. When they move into a legendary "haunted" house in this new small town, they discover it's the same house a boy died in 30 years ago. Sam befriends their neighbor, Shep, who shares their suspicion that the boy was actually murdered and they work together with friends to uncover the truth that the town wants to pass off as a tragic accident. What truths will Sam and their friends find? What obstacles will be thrown in their way to keep the truth hidden?

I've been searching and searching for a new murder mystery obsession since reading the Truly Devious trilogy, and I finally found it in The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester. What's to love about it?

•A wonderfully diverse cast of characters
•Mysterious small town vibes
•Murderous shenanigans
•A close-knit group of friends who will stick together through anything
•A romance that fits well into the story and feels natural

To start, Sam Sylvester is our main character. Sam is autistic and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, and is on the ace spectrum (in my opinion they're coded as demi or gray ace). We see sam's autistic and nonbinary identities very clearly represented on page through stimming, situations where Sam goes non-verbal, sensory sensitivities, binding, introductions with pronouns, and many more. A lot of these are things I haven't seen often in books so I was really glad to see them on page here.

There is also Latina, Black, Vietnamese, bi, and aroace rep in the major side characters, and lots more rep in Rainbow Island, the LGBTQIAP+ group at Sam's new school.

The mysterious and murderous vibes come through a lot more strongly in the second half than the first, which I think is in part due to needing to set up the story, however, I would've liked to have a bit more of the spooky small-town vibes a bit earlier on. Throughout the book, you'll most definitely be left guessing who to trust, what will happen next, and what the truth is. And things get intense (CWs listed below). It makes for a wonderful read that you just can't put down!

The friendships and romance are also well done and the characters are fast favorites. Shep and Sky are Sam's closest friends, but all of the members of Rainbow Island are great and we see a few of them frequently as well!

The only criticisms I have of this book are minor and do not impact my rating or overall thoughts, but I find them important enough to note here.

The first being that the description says "teen with autism" which with the author being autistic themself, I wouldn't normally criticize, as I am aware that some individuals may personally choose to identify this way. However, there's a scene in the book where Sam explicitly says that "person with autism" is a horrible phrase used by neurotypicals. Because of this statement in the book, it seems logical to assume the description should say "autistic teen" rather than "teen with autism" to reflect the message in the book, as many people are unaware that autistic community largely prefers the former, and a lot of neurotypical professors teach their students the latter.

The other is the way aromanticism and asexuality are referred to in reference to the aroace character. The wording is "sent him some info about asexual aromanticism." To me and other aspecs I have talked to, this implies that asexuality and aromanticism are one identity, and suggests that these two communities are being misunderstood. Wording it as "sent him some info about asexuality and aromanticism" would clearly specify that they are two separate identities and promote a better understanding of them.

Again, these two things are super small in the scope of the book and do not impact my overall love of it! I already have the desire to reread it and become lost in Sam's story and the small town mystery vibes again.

CWs: bullying, panic attacks, stalking, attempted murder, murder, hospitalization, alcoholism, biphobia

**3/5 stars**
[eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review]

Charming and a deeply validating read for non-binary and autistic readers, who need to see themselves on the page more frequently. However, the “wake up and go to school every day” plot works for the first fourth of the book and grows tiring thereafter. It is unfortunate that part of the mystery relies so much on high school characters, from students to teachers, but it could be mixed up a little. The last thing high school readers want to do is come home from school and read a book about going to high school every day. (At least, high school me wouldn’t have liked that.)

Sam is an extremely likable character whose likeableness drives the story. The mystery is compelling enough to grasp the reader’s attention until the end, but barely. The great reveal feels unconvincing. The dialogue is very smart but then at times overbearing. I nearly put down the book when Sam said to another character, “Yo, white boy.” It felt so… odd. I had to go back to the beginning to affirm that Sam, too, is white— as is the author. And the Tumblr references… Let’s just say I felt second-hand embarrassment. It feels like breaching some kind of Tumblr code to use tumblr-isms outside of Tumblr. And then there’s my general aversion to the use of the word “fandom” —used throughout— in any positive context…

I will say that I enjoyed Sam’s healing journey and was satisfied when they were able to find closure.

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester wasn’t for me. There’s a really lovely story hiding under the fluffy dialogue and plot condemned to school hallways and an old bedroom.

Content warnings: homophobic and transphobic abuse

This book is so important, the MC, Sam, is non-binary, autistic, queer and recovering from past traumas.
I loved how unapologetically queer this book was, Sam is queer and a-spec, their dad is aroace and there are two bi side characters.
Sam and their dad's relationship is so important and heartwarming. Sam is extremely loveable and Junius is so supportive and just the best parent ever. These two characters + the rep were the best thing about this book, everything else felt flat. The murder mystery was not well executed, they didn't really investigate, everyting they found about the case was by chance or a coincidence. The romance came out of nowhere and 90% of Sam' conversations with their friends was basically the same thing over and over again.
I came for the murder mystery, I stayed for the father/kid relationship.

I unfortunately couldn't get into this book and had to give up on it. So this was a DNF for me.
I don't think it was the books fault for say but more of a we just didn't gel.
I've seen some other reviews and it looks like a lot of people love it so.

I'm so happy that stories with nonbinary main characters exist across genres and this one didn't disappoint in that sense either!

Although this book is focused around gender and sexuality, I think that it also speaks to a young audience who may feel that they do not fit into typical stereotypes for many reasons. Finding ones place in the world and society these days has never seemed more difficult and stressful. This book should give comfort to many young people but also would make a great gift , teaching inclusiveness and tolerance for others.

A few weeks ago I saw The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester on someone's story and absolutely fell in love with the cover and the premise of the book. You know I had to request it on the Netgalley!

So, what is this book about?

Sam Sylvester (they/them) is a non-binary teen with autism and they move into the new house with their dad (who is one of my fav characters EVER) after problems at previous school. But, is it just an ordinary house? Of course not, Sam and their dad moved into the house everyone thinks is haunted because 30 years ago, a kid died in it! Sam becomes obsessed with Billy's death and starts investigating it with new friends they met at school.

I won't say anything more because I don't want to spoil things for you, but it's very intriguing, trust me!

Sam easily became one of my favorite characters ever. I don't know how to explain but they just felt like home. Sam being a non-binary teen who is also ace-spec and neurodivergent meant a lot to me. I don't remember when was the last time I read a book and related to the main character this much. It just feels nice to be seen and to know there are a lot of people like you out there in the world, that you aren't the only one just because you haven't met people like you in your town.

Sam's dad, Junius, is the STANDARD! He is the father we all want to have and I'm so glad Sam has him in their life. You'll see what I'm talking about when you read the book, I'm afraid I'll spoil something if I start talking about him.

Sam met some incredible friends at their new school and I liked them all but Shep was definitely my favorite.

I liked their friendship and everything but some moments just felt cringy and I wish I found out more about the characters and their hobbies. In some moments, it felt like they had nothing else to do in their lives except investigate who the murderer is, but okay.

All in all, I liked this book and I hope it gets all the attention and love it deserves when it comes out. It's not perfect, there are a lot of things to improve but it is an important read, and I think a lot of people will relate to Sam in a way I did.

TW for misgendering, panic attacks, murder, stalking, and bullying.

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester - 4🌟

I got this off of Netgalley, these opinions are my own. The two genres I’ve been really into lately are LGBTQ+ books and mystery, so I of course had to read this as it combined the two! Plus I recently went to Oregon and we visited Astoria and I loved it so that made me even more excited for the book! Sam and their dad move to Astoria after a traumatic event, after moving Sam finds out that a boy died in their house 30 years ago. So they along with Shep, the girl next door (well down the street), and some other friends set out to find out what happened! Even when someone doesn’t want them too! Sam was such a relatable character even with them having been through things most of us can’t relate too. I haven’t read a lot of books with a non binary protagonist, as a non binary person myself it was nice to see representation, and such badass representation at that! I also loved their dynamic with Junius is perfect, Junius is a dream parent for LGBTQ+ people! I loved Shep, Sky, and Aidan as well! This book was full of twists and turns and I didn’t see the end coming! Maya MacGregor wrote a lovely book! I’m excited to read this again when it comes out in May!

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me an ARC for this lovely novel!

Originally on Bookstagram i gave this book a 3'5 rating rather than 3 as i contemplated a lot throughout my read if i should push it up to 4 stars or not.
With that being said 3 stars for me doesn't mean i disliked the book, on the contrary i did enjoy reading it, but i believe it had room for improvement and potential to be more than it was.

Essentially the premise of the book is a YA, contemporary, murder mystery with a underlining important message of trauma and dealing with hate crime.

Sam is a non-binary, autistic teen who moved to a new home with their adoptive father after suffering bullying in their old school in Montana. The catch is that the house has a history, rather a teen named Billy died in the house and Sam, along with their friends investigates what happened to the boy.

I do think this book is definitely important for a lot of readers and a lot of readers could identify with Sam, as well as get a better understanding of autism as the book is from Sam's point of view, giving us the readers, the story from their perspective, showing us how they think and experiences they face as a queer teen.

I will just have to add that i did find only small moments with Sam cringey, like the jokes with them saying out loud "Barf emoji" or "Heart emoji", but apart from that i definitely like Sam as a character.

I liked a lot of elements in this story, especially Shep, who is Sam's closest friend (wink wonk ;) ) and Sam's father who is a great example of good parenting, supportive and loving.

The things that i did not like and what made me lower my ratings was the pacing and characterization of Sam's friends.
I felt like the dialogue and scenes 80% of the time focused on "what happened to Billy?" with little to no room on anything else.
If we push away the constant drama/angst and talk of struggles and trauma, we're actually not left with much as the friendship group centers solely around it.

At first i was definitely intrigued, i wanted to know more, but with 400 pages and 50% of the book simply Sam and their friends pondering over Billy, i kinda just wanted to skim through already to finally get over with what happened.
I also wanted to connect more to the characters, but i found that apart from the fact that Shep and i share the same pronounce and we're bisexual, i actually couldn't grasp to anything else.
I felt like the book is overwhelmed with mystery plot and constant angst, it leaves little room for characters to simply be teens and act like teens.
I want to know more about their hobbies, their life goals and dreams, what their childhood was like or anything else really.

There was a brief scene close towards the end where we finally do get a breather from the whole Billy drama, but it's short lived and once again cuts back to the obsession over "what happened to Billy?".

I definitely do think this book is important for the very message it preaches surrounding dealing with trauma, violence queer teens face as well as the need for a better environment and more support.
I simply think the book could have been shortened as the pacing was really slow or balanced out with scenes that focused more on the characters simply being teens, getting to know one another more and doing activities like sleepovers, gaming nights...etc, simply giving moments of breather, both for characters and readers.

Overall i did like the book and the ending was definitely tense, i would recommend it to those who are into YA drama and mystery novels.