As a grown up emo kid I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Mostly for the emo vibes and chapter headings.
The audiobook narration was well done. The book was fun and took the iconic lines by Afril Levine as plot but with a queer twist: I was a skaterboy and he did ballet.
The coming out hesitation plot line went on a little too long and the love interest not giving him the space to do it in his own time did get on my nerves. It’s totally fine not wanting to date a closeted person but… their home situations and support systems were completely different from each other. And it felt like the love interest was unable or unwilling to understand what exactly the fear was that he had.
Idk the love interest really annoyed me and at times I hoped they would break up so that the MC could find a better person to date lolll.
Bonus points for the MC being a ginger. Xoxo a fellow red head 🫚

Thank you Netgalley, Anthony Nerada and the publisher for the audiobook ARC. In exchange I will write my honest review.

I like the writing style of the author, but this book wasn't for me.

I didn't like the main character. I understand that his behaviour is influenced by his past, but some things he did or said were unexcusable for me. The chemistry between the MC and the love interest was a bit too insta-love for me.

The narrator did a great job. It was easy to keep track of the story. The story was also nice to follow.

I would recommend this book to people who like the premise, and don't mind the behaviour of the main character.

Wesley is failing his senior year with his tendency to ditch classes and focus on other things like his secret like for photography. When his mom drags him to a production of The Nutcracker, it's there he see Tristan Monroe on stage. Wes has hesitancies to even admitting he likes Tristan, who is openly gay and talented while Wes is as closeted as they come. And as he gets more chances to hang out with Tristan, he has a new sense of purpose. Driven by this, he hopes to find a new way to graduate high school. With this, a fall out with friends seems inevitable and without finding the right words to save anything, everything feels like it's falling just as they were getting good.

This was a really great debut and I really enjoyed the audiobook of it as well. Sometimes I get nervous with LGBT YA novels but this one shown and although I've never read Simon vs the Homosapiens (i only watched the movie), it was better. I know that's unfair, I just can't explain it though. this one was about self-reflection and clear in what the points were. I also liked the characters a lot in this one and lead to being very vulnerable, in my opinion.

I liked it, will be recommending it and will be looking forward to other things Anthony Nerada will write.

Wesley, known as big Mac to his friends, is a punk. He’s a punk on a skateboard. He’s got anger issues, rowdy friends and is struggling to find their place in the world. They also know they’re gay but is yet to come out of the closet. Around the holidays he’s forced to go see the Nutcracker with his soon to be stepsister and he can’t keep his eyes off the ballet dancer on stage. Tristan is out and proud. He spends his life dedicated to ballet but also to getting good grades, driving a Tesla, and everything Wesley is not. But opposites attract, and in this book, they attract, they clash, but they also cuddle. This book was very sweet. It’s about a teenage boy who has been told all his life by most everybody that he’s bad so he acts out as people expect. But he must find out for himself that he can beat people’s expectations. He must believe: I can do better I can be better and I want that. He also wants Tristan, which gives him some of what he needs to make the changes in his life. This book was fantastic. As an audiobook, it moves swiftly, your engaged with the story, and you really feel for Wesley. You’re cheering for him. “You can do it you can do it. You can be exactly who you want to be. You can be Better. Just say I need help.” I love this book. It’s Anthony Nerada and I will be reading whatever they write next.

This was gorgeous. It's smart, funny, of the moment, and with just the right amount of romance. It's all about a bad boy falling for a ballet dancer, and figuring out how to get through school, clear his rep, and get the boy. I loved it. It's angsty and over the top, it's romantic and genuinely insightful about queer courting and friendship, it feels very authentic. Can't recommend enough, and look forward to this author's future work. Narration is great, too.

It's giving Avril Lavigne vibes.
It's giving angsty teens falling in love and grumpy x sunshine vibes.
It's giving early 2000s emo bands.

Skater Boy is a book that you’ll want to pick up if you feel like you’ve never really fit in as a teen. If you felt like you were an outcast and if you had a difficult family life. It’s a story that follows a gay punk as he comes to terms with his sexuality, family issues, and having a change of heart and wanting to go to college. Overall, it’s a nice and lighthearted story that touches on some darker themes.

Wes is a pretty relatable character. He’s flawed and angsty and a teen who deals with issues that many teens face. He deals with his coming to terms with his sexuality and coming out. And he also deals with trauma. He just wants to get by. He has some bad parts and good parts but is overall a nice character. And it’s great to see his growth from the beginning to the end of the story. He learns to appreciate his family more and comes to terms with who he is which I’m happy to see.

As for the love interest, Tristan is the absolute sweetest. He’s hard-working and not afraid to be who he is. He’s super nice and understanding and honestly, the kindest to Wes even though he’s an outcast initially. I loved seeing his love for ballet and how he also helps West out. Best LI ever.

Finally, I loved Ted and Mom as well. I thought they were the sweetest characters ever and they were great towards Wes. Also, I loved how the author addressed the mom’s past trauma as well.

So if you’re looking for a queer contemporary read that’s inspired by Avril Lavigne, then I recommend Skater Boy!

Overall, 4.5 stars.

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada is a coming-of-age story in which protagonist Wes deals with being in the closet, borderline poverty, and anger issues stemming from his family history of domestic abuse. A chance encounter with ballet dancer Tristan leads to an unexpected attraction, Wes has to decide what version of himself he's going to be, and who he brings with him into the next phase of his life. I found the novel realistic and approachable, and enjoyed the interactions between Wes and the various people in his circle. Wes has a lot to manage: he's barely hanging on at school, his main friend group isn't in a healthy place, his mother's relationship may be taking the next step into a permanent arrangement, and then Tristan enters his life. Tristan, who inhabits a world Wes could only dream about, who shows Wes facets of himself he hadn't seen any value in before. Can Wes get over his anger and forge a worthwhile relationship with Tristan? There are lots of ups and downs in this novel, but the pacing kept me wanting to know what happens next more than it had me dreading what mess Wes would make of things. And, boy, can Wes make a mess of things! I liked the resolution of this novel, and I'm looking forward to whatever Anthony Nerada does next.
I listened to this on audio, narrated by the extremely talented Michael Crouch, who has narrated hundreds of audio books, and specializes in YA and LGBTQ works.

Skater Boy is so much more in depth than I expected it to be! I expected a fluffy story, that I also would’ve adored, and went in to a story of character growth with an amazing romance and great relationship dynamics. This is a book I’d definitely reccomend to anyone!

I really enjoyed this debut YA queer romance. It was very well written and the characters felt really well rounded. We've all known people like all of the characters throughout the book, which added to the feeling of authenticity. I very much enjoyed that the plot didn't go in the obvious way all the time and the struggle of the main character, Wes, was relatable and i really ended up caring about him and the outcome of his various troubles. The romance was really only one aspect of the story, with the difficulties with a friendship group taking up quite a lot of page time along with his family dynamic, which added interest.

I would definitely recommend this to contemporary YA fans, however the one thing that bothered me was that the relationship between the two main love interest didn't feel fully realised. I appreciated that Wes went through some self discovery within the pages of the book, but the way that his love interest, Tristan changed his feelings very quickly felt a bit jarring.

However overall very enjoyable and I will definitely be looking out for whatever this author writes next.

I was provided with a access to the audiobook by the publisher via Netgalley. As always, Michael Crouch did a spectacular job with the narration. I've listened to him read countless books at this point and he never does a bad job. Narrator perfection.

I wanted to love this. He was a skater boy. He did ballet. What more can I say?
The writing was good, the narrator did a lovely job. I was able to keep up with who was speaking. I felt emotion behind the words…and yet I still feel like something was missing. Also I just wanted to hug our MC while simultaneously shaking him. Use your words friend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this big-hearted queer debut! Fun yet poignant writing mixed with refreshing themes and messy, yet lovable characters, Skater Boy was unlike any Young Adult contemporary book I’ve read in a long time. A new author to look out for, Anthony Nerada carves out a space in the queer community for those who don’t fit the stereotypical mold and does so with the utmost care and attention. You can be gay and be a punk, or you can be gay and do ballet. Can I make it anymore obvious?

I absolutely loved "Skater Boy". I listened to the audiobook arc, and the narration was wonderful for every character. The beginning was a bit slow and it took me a few chapters to really get into it, but once I did, it was such an emotional read. It's tender and sweet, dealing with first love. But it's also heavy; dealing with familial trauma, internal homophobia, anxiety, anger, and learning to handle the rough bits of life. "Skater Boy" has one of the best written examples of anxiety I've ever read. I really appreciated that the author wrote anxiety manifesting itself as anger because it's an aspect of anxiety that I think gets overlooked often, especially in adolescent boys.
Wes and Tristan come from different backgrounds, and are generally just very different from each other. Their relationship goes through its ups and downs, but they ultimately end up being very good for each other.
Loved "Skater Boy" and I can't wait to read more of Nerada's books.

Wow this book was everything. As someone who is also a punk, the authors not at the beginning about loving to listen to MCR one second and blast the newest musical straight off of Broadway the next really spoke to me and told me I was in good hands. And boy was I.
I love the chapter titles all being based off of iconic punk/rock/metal songs. I love the whole book being based off of one of the most iconic songs of all times just with the gay twist we were all wanting. This is one of those books that is going to be with me for a long time.

The perfect read for fans of Simon Vs the homosapiens agenda and Autoboyography. I had so much fun reading this book! Will definitely make it a staple in my queer recommendations

Wesley “Big Mac” Mackenzie is close to failing his senior year of high school, preferring skateboarding, spending time with his friends, and taking pictures on his phone. Dragged to the Nutcracker, Wes couldn’t be less interested until he sees Tristan Monroe’s hypnotizing performance as the titular character. Closeted Wes believes he shouldn’t like out-and-proud Tristan, but he can’t get Tristan out of his head. As they spend time together, Wes begins to think he could change his life for the better. He just needs to start standing up for and believing in himself.

This was a great YA debut full of emotions and growth. The serious topics addressed in the novel were well-handled. I adored the relationship Wes had with his mother. I can’t wait to see what else this author writes in the future – fingers crossed there might be a sequel about Brad in coming!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and relatable story about self-discovery, friendship, and the courage to embrace one's true identity.

This was such a heartfelt story. It was impossible not to get wrapped up in Wes' struggle to be himself and find his place. He was so angry (for good reason) and misunderstood and even though he tried to hide it he felt so much. It reminded me of the ways I was misunderstood as a teen, the way my friends were misunderstood. It was hard to listen to, hard to witness so much pain and embarassment and fear and tentative hope. I found myself wincing at times as I listened, cringing from the secondhand embarassment, and then crying by the end. It was beautiful.

The audiobook was performed brilliantly and the narrator really embodied the characters and brought them to life. He has a very nice voice and listening made it even easier to get wrapped up in the story. I generally listen to audiobooks while doing chores and making art and I did, but as the story progressed I found myself devoting more and more of my full attention to it until I was only listening.

*Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for providing an early copy of the audiobook for review.

This is the perfect coming of age book for anyone with a passion for photography, dance, skateboarding, music, and so much more. The passions of the characters explored in this book really makes it easy to connect with these characters making their experiences and the journeys they take through out the book so much more powerful.

A feel good coming of age story that I’ve sorely been missing from my reading endeavors lately. The characters were fully flushed out and Mackenzie made for a compelling morally grey character that was easy to fall in love with 😍

I was kind of debating between 4 and 5 stars for my rating of Skater Boy, but the night I finished it I was laying in bed crying over it, so that cemented it- 5* for me. Add in the narration by my favorite YA narrator Michael Crouch, and really, it was a no brainer.

This was such an intense read and I loved it so much. I just wanted to protect Wes from everything. Phew. He had so much internal rage, with a big ol' chip on his shoulder. But there was so much more to him than he let people see. I loved his coming of age journey, even while it broke my heart at times.


Michael Crouch was the perfect choice to narrate Wes's story. His vulnerability really shone through in this performance.