Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I love when poets write prose as the writing seems that much more lovely. This debut novel follows James, a sixteen year old, as he is discovering his sexuality and desire. He meets Luke, a boy who is different from him - a bit older, handsome and a bit wild. James is immediately drawn to him and begins to feel things he has never felt before, exciting yet scary at the same time. We see a slice of James' life as he goes through this year with Luke learning about boyhood, l0ve and how life can change us with each of our experiences.

Hewitt's prose and love of language and writing really shine through this book. I felt steeped in the character's experiences and drawn in to the slow, complex nature of the story.

This is the story of a boy with the courage to fall in love, knowing loss waits at the other end. With an internal dialogue that is earnest to a fault, James pines after Luke, his neighbor and closest friend. As the stakes increase, James is confronted with all he is willing to risk to prolong the feeling of connection.
In Open, Heaven, Sean Hewitt has distilled queer limerence down to its very essence. Even the landscape seems to reflect it. Verdant prose draws the reader through time, painting a vivid picture of the Irish countryside as it changes with the seasons and cradles the fragile relationship building between James and the object of his infatuation.

In Open, Heaven, Hewitt brilliantly captures the treacherous terrain of growing up. From first loves to self-discovery, Hewitt gives space for his characters to navigate adolescence and his lyrical writing strengthens the meditative core of the novel.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Haunting and gorgeously written. This is less a straightforward love story and more a fever-dream of memory and longing. The prose is lush and atmospheric, and one I will be recommending.

This was a touching story about love lost. Hewitt's writing is gorgeous, nimbly delving in the depths of the main character, James, as he struggles to identify his place in his small town, hid family, and in his own head. This is not a love story, but there is so much appreciation and care for the strength of friendship, and of discovering self love.

If you're in the mood for a slow, Sally Rooney-esque single POV coming of age story, look no further!

Very interesting book.About james who came out to his family. It was interesting how the whole town didn't understand it and this was 1 year 2000. It's different in the real parts of ireland because I have family in history And the church. James is really hard for his family.So he starts to work with this man named dave delivering milk so he could buy his dinner at school. One of these stops he meets This boy named luke who's STANDI.N.G with this aunt and uncle. This was a really interesting part of the book.Because you see how james were in love with this man and he felt comfortable with them. Luke had a heart upbringing because his mother left him and his father didn't really understand him I like when they go to the Rugby club.This was interesting how everybody was drunk. Mother of james is much more easier to accept it than his father. His brother.
Ed did not know what was going on and he had medical conditions. This was interesting how the story played out. Everybody seemed to get along. The only people who do not understand was this classroom. It was hard because they were going to probably the same thing, but they didn't want to admit it. The title is interesting too.Because I guess god accepts everybody. I think this.
Would be a really good book to teach in school?How people can be different but at the same time be together

Open, Heaven was a beautifully written story of a young man's first crush. This is a quiet, character-driven novel. I really enjoyed the main character, James, and was rooting for him the entire time. The writing is just gorgeous, and I also really liked the setting. Not a lot happens in the 224 pages so I would recommend it for someone who does not need a lot of plot and appreciates getting to know a character really well. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. 4.25 stars.

Open, Heaven is a coming-of-age story layered with yearning, tenderness, and a soft melancholy. It’s beautifully written—there’s no denying the lyricism in the prose—but something was missing for me.

The novel’s structure made it difficult for me to stay fully immersed, my mind drifting more often than I’d like. While I appreciated the writing, I went in expecting an emotional wrecking ball and instead came away feeling a little unsatisfied. Maybe it was the book. Maybe it was me and my current headspace.

If you’re in the mood for a quiet, introspective read and don’t mind a slower pace, this may resonate more deeply with you.

Open Heaven was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

Having loved Hewitt's previous book, a memoir plumbing the depths of his relationship with an ex during a period of time where the ex struggled with extreme depression, I just about clamored for a chance to read this one early. While I didn't get to finish it before its release, it was well worth waiting for a moment to sit and consume it in its entirety. This book is about desire and how that feels in the queer body and how others react to that desire. Hewitt masterfully details the teenage space and how first loves gets all wrapped up in the body and how, often especially in queer spaces, they pass into the realm of infatuation. James' love for Luke is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking and despite the latter, I enjoyed every moment I spent watching them grow together.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a well-written, character-driven, emotional read. I found myself skimming a bit at times, but I liked it overall. It was kind of a quiet, floaty sort of book. I'm curious to see what the author writes next.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I had high hopes for this, but unfortunately could not bring myself to like it. I have tried several times over the last few months to get through this book, but I only made it about halfway through on my latest attempt. The writing style was not for me, but would work better for someone who is used to the more lyrical writing. Thank you again for the ARC! I’m sad it wasn’t the right fit for me.

I just finished a good book. Open, Heaven by Sean Hewitt is available now and is one you should put on your list.

<i>Open, Heaven</i> is an exception to my rule about avoiding novels written by poets; Hewitt's prose is so splendiferous that I want to write rapturous odes about it. He is so able to convey the headiness of first infatuation that I was left feeling intoxicated.

Very highly recommended.

Received via NetGalley.

This book really feels like a testament to queer youth before public “acceptance” (I say loosely) became more mainstream.

The longing for romantic reciprocity and desire in those teenage years is a fucking whirlwind, and this author managed to capture those feelings so well.

I am so happy that queer lit exists. ❤️

I went completely blind into this books; I simply loved the cover with the pink and off-white background, and the childish drawings... I was like 'why not.'

This book was 50% harrowing 50% comforting. The comfort part was coming from the writing. I could feel the poetic soul through the lines. I have never read such an introspective point of view of a day character: how he lived his coming out, how lonely it was, how he was fighting his feelings on the daily, and how those feelings/thoughts/impulses were so strong he kept unintentionally hurting his own family.

The little brother storyline hit close to home; it was nice to talk about epilepsy and what a nightmare it is to navigate through this condition no one can still understand to this day: it comes and it goes and neither patients or lived ones can control it, until you're lucky enough to take medication that works for you (they don't always do).

A pleasant, demure reading that I recommend to anyone wanting to read gripping litfic.

Thank you NG and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

DNF at 35%. all he talked about was how he was attracted to every single man on earth and that he delivered milk. i was 60 pages in and just couldn’t even anymore

I love the writing of Sean Hewitt so much—he has a unique capacity for nostalgia without the syrupy quality of overly saccharine prose. His writing is lovely and thoughtful, and the spaces that he writes into feel so real. I did find, however, that some of the buildup of this book was for naught; there was a climax, sure, but I don't feel like it was quite what the rest of the story was building towards. I had the opportunity to reflect on this book with a friend, and we both came away with the impression that it felt a bit like a wet firework. It still went off, but it didn't quite light up the sky or have the BANG that we were hoping for.

That said, Sean Hewitt has a talent for beautiful writing, and I hope he continues to bring us new stories. Thank you to Knopf for the opportunity to read and review!

Open, Heaven is a beautifully heartbreaking queer coming of age story. Seán Hewitt's prose feels so immersive and is (naturally) poetic through and through. I enjoyed that this didn't have the typical happy ending, and we're left with this empty feeling at the end, much like James feels as an adult, post-separation from a partner who could never live up to the love he has for Luke.
This entire story feels green, like running through a meadow, like bee stings, and nostalgia for a place i've never been.

Thank you NetGalley & Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the arc.