My Thoughts:


Theo Jamal Wright is a good kid at heart, promise. However, he does not seem to say and do the right thing. But in this cute take on Breakfast Club with an odd assortment of kids hiding out in a bedroom at a raging party, the relationships made in the bedroom is great as long as the party lasts. However, what makes this story so sweet is the way Theo has to make things right in order to continue the progress they all made on that one night. Where the jock character in Breakfast Club talks about the fact that when they get back to school it will be like before, Theo knows he has to grow and face some truths about himself in order to reach out to his new friends that he has hurt.

Theo is infuriating. I wanted to yell at him to stop so many times, but stick with him. He is worth the investment, at least the other in his life that stick with him think so.

This is a great read for queer kids, non queer kids, misfits popular kids that feel like imposters, the ones that are silently suffering even if everyone thinks their life is so perfect. Don’t walk on by for this one.

From the Publisher:

Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad's plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves exceling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters, and going to Duke on athletic scholarship. But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares Theo to prompose to his crush at Chloe Campbell's party, Theo's ready to throw caution to the wind and take his chances.

But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party rages on downstairs. Having an existential crisis about who he really is with and without his so-called best friend wasn't on tonight's agenda. Though, as the night goes on, Theo finds he's not as alone as he thinks when, one by one, new classmates join him to avoid who they're supposed be outside the bedroom door. Among them, a familiar acquaintance, a quiet outsider, an old friend, and a new flame . . .

I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. It is a perfectly crafted story of a queer boy who wishes to experience a relationship as his friends do. It is a coming of age story that would help the reader realise that they are not alone in their feelings. I love that the mc learns to stand up for himself in the story.

A fast (and fun!) read! But it is to be expected with Julian Winters, he just writes the best YA Contemporaries!

Julian Winters can truly do no wrong. I love how fun and full these characters feel while also being able to reflect diverse, intersectional identities. I actually ended up re-reading via audio because I enjoyed it so much!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Another great book from Julian Winters. This was definitely a YA contemporary for the teens who are craving something familiar,

IF you enjoy lgbqia+ stories, then you will more than likely enjoy this ya story. It showcases a lot of what younger people are dealing with when trying to find themselves and navigating the dating world. I especially enjoyed the main character, Theo's growth and how he changed from the start of the story until the end. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I promise you it won't be my last. And I don't really remember the breakfast club nor have I seen the other movie, but I still enjoyed this read.

I read Right Where I Left You last year and absolutely loved it. I definitely had high expectations for this one.

Julian Winters writes the perfect YA novels. He has a way of writing characters that grow with every page.
This one has a lot of characters but I never once got confused. Everyone was so unique in their own way.

I liked the exploration of toxic friendships and what true friendships should be. I think that topic is super important in YA books.

Walk On By was a quick and fun read with some tough topics mixed in there. Also the representation is amazing.
I highly recommend this if you loved The Breakfast Club!

4.5 stars. This was my first Julian Winters book, and I think I can confidently say I'm going to have so much fun exploring his backlist. I loved the explorations of friendships, and relationships in general. There's something so special about watching someone recognize their worth and surround themselves with their true found family.

As You Walk On By follows Theo Wright, a gay Black teen who has two best friends: Jay and Darren. They're everything to him — they even have a name: The Nameless Trio. But when their weekly daring tradition leads to Jay daring Theo having to prompose to his long-time crush, things get a little... messy. Theo wants it all: to make his father proud by excelling in school and at track, to remain tight with TNT, and to finally get the prom he deserves — the type of prom his well-off (white heterosexual) friends take for granted.

There were some things about Theo that annoyed me (namely, his disregard for some of his relationships), but I also felt that everything he did wrong was such a normal thing to do wrong. I've definitely been there, reevaluating relationships and making decisions that I later realized were insensitive and sometimes just plain wrong. And because this is such a normal part of being a teenager, being a human, it's something that felt so right to read about. Give me more imperfect relationships! More people owning up to their bullshit! More people deciding for themselves what they deserve in a friend!

I also loved Theo's dynamic with his dad (who is bi, by the way!). Their relationship, even when strained, really shined. The way they talked and joked to each other, as well as the ways they argued, indicated such a developed relationship. Usually in YA, the parents are barely developed and more of an idea than a person, but in AYWOB, I felt like I really knew his dad almost as well as I knew Theo.

I really appreciated the constant recognition of the privilege (in terms of wealth, race, and sexuality) that set Theo apart from his friends, new and old. I can't speak too much to this, as a white reader, but I will say that it felt to me like it grounded the book, making it feel more real and part of the world as we know it.

The romance had such a natural progression and although it was predictable, it was really everything I expected and wanted. And overall, this was such an easy read, too. I had no trouble falling into Theo's mind, especially when he was forming new connections with people he'd just met, or rekindling a relationship with people he'd known for years.

I can't wait to dive into more of Julian Winters' books and meet all his other geeky queer protagonists!

“…maybe the night’s just beginning. Maybe our lives are too.”

AS YOU WALK ON BY is a fresh, tender queer YA romcom that puts a modern spin on The Breakfast Club. Winters centers queer and trans teens of color in this loose retelling that takes place primarily over one night at a fateful party that brings five very different people together. While it’s definitely a romance, what I found most powerful about this story are the friendships that form, break, and reform throughout. I also loved the main character Theo’s relationship to his dad, showing how being Black, gay, and working class in a white, straight, wealthy town impacts both of them, and the ways they show love for each other in the face of that. It’s a heartwarming novel that tackles the many serious issues the teens are dealing with while also representing the lightness, joy, and spontaneity of high school. Thanks to Penguin Teen for the eARC!

Content warnings: grief, loss of a parent, toxic friendship, homophobia/biphobia, racism, sexism, classism, sexual harassment

I loved this book so much. I had never read anything by Julian before and I don't know why it has taken me this long. I loved this so much. The writing was easy and I loved the cast of characters that we met from the very first page. I loved Theo and his relationship with his father and his Granny. I was rooting for Darren and I am so happy he really pulled through. I loved Luca.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

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

I finally read this book on Valentine’s day when my audiobook hold came in and loved it so much!

As You Walk On By follows Theo Wright who has everything figured out. But lately he’s questioning if he does. He’s determined to put off thinking about it by securing the perfect promposal. When the promposal goes wrong, he ends up hiding in a bedroom at that party with some unlikely acquaintances.

Theo was so easy to relate to. Was I also that overachiever with a ten step plan in high school? Yes. Did it also get derailed and send me into an imposter spiral? Also, yes. Haha it might have never left? Anyway back to Theo. He was such a sweetheart and I loved this precious boy! His relationship with his dad was so loving and it made me so happy for them. Loved getting to see a Black man as a single dad and hear about IVF through his perspective.

Then there’s the found family aspect. IT WAS PERFECT (as it usually is). I really loved this group of characters and seeing how they bonded. The end totally had me in my feeling too because friendship is the BEST! Anyway, this is your sign to pick up this book right now!

Thank you, NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Theo thinks he has everything figured out. His plans, or better, his dad's, involves being excellent at his school, get scouted by a college recruiter and win an athletic scholarship to Duke. But when his best friend Jay dares him to prompose his crush Chloe at her party and the promposal goes wrong, everything changes. He seeks refuge in an empty bedroom, trying to avoid people and the party downstairs. Theo tries to figure out who he is and when other people join him, also trying to avoid others outside. Among them, acquiantance, an outsider and a new flame.

For me Julian Winters could write and publish a shopping list and I would read it and swoon over it anywhere and anytime. He's an author who does nothing wrong in his writing and characters and I love everything he will ever writes. As you walk on by is no exception. This book is funny, swoony, very realistic in his characterization and I love absolutely everything in it. Theo is a wonderful main character. He's a teenager, he has plans, he's a bit scared of the future, he only wants a perfect prom and, after a promposal going wrong, only wants to hide for a bit. It's so peculiar choosing this setting, how people, very different from one other, choose to hide and start to mingle with each other and how things changes. I truly loved it, it's very weird and intriguing at the same time.
I couldn't recommend this book enough. You will feel very involved in the story, captured by its characters and their choices and feelings. Loved it.

This is my first book by Julian Winters and now I need more! I enjoyed this one a lot. It peaked my interest because of the breakfast club vibes. I loved that movie and I wanted to see how this author could bring that to light in this fun queer ya book. I was not disappointed. I liked that even though it was following the main protagonist, it still focused on each of the other characters in turn and we got to learn about all of them and their troubles. I also liked that it focused a lot on friendship. There was a bit of romance but it was mainly about the friendships and each of the characters figuring things out and growing throughout the story. Overall I think that if you like the breakfast club, I think you will enjoy this one. I cannot wait to read more by Julian Winters.

content warning: toxic friendship, grief, homophobia, racism, sexism

This was my first Julian Winters book, and when I tell y’all I am now obsessed, I mean OBSESSED. Julian is an incredible writer, and I am kicking myself for taking so long to experience his amazing craft. He is now amongst some of my favorite authors. ⁣
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AS YOU WALK ON BY will put you THROUGH IT. This book made me laugh, cry, smile, and yearn for the days I was in high school with my best friends. ⁣
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Our entire cast of characters are just wonderful - fully fleshed out, complex people that you can't help but love and root for. Every single character added something important to the story, and their friendship will make you cry. Julian really knows how to write characters that feel real and honest. ⁣
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Of course, my favorite person is Theo. The development and growth he went through during the story was just awe-inspiring. I saw so much of my younger self in him, and I just wanted to jump into the story and give him a huge hug.
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This book is everything you could want out of a YA book and I promise you will love it.

As You Walk on By is a story about expectations, grief, friendship, and new beginnings. I think that most of the character relationships were done pretty well, but I did have to suspend my disbelief while reading the main conflict of the third act.

4.5 Stars

Thanks to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an e arc of this one!

This was so cute! The firstike 70% all takes place on one night and I was so into it. Honestly I wantedike all of it to just be that haha.

This had great relationships and interesting character development! I really enjoyed it!

Cw: racism, homophobia

This one gave me all my favorite comfort movie feels. I just wanted to hug every character in this book and be ten years younger and be bffs with my beloved Theo.

I adored this book utterly. I'm very happy I had the opportunity to read this book early. This book discusses friendships and the true value they hold for us. Hold on to the good ones and know when to let go of the bad ones!