Oh my heart—the friendship between Tamma and Dan is like nothing I’ve ever read. This book was incredibly written, gut wrenching, heartbreaking, and inspiring. I loved Tamma’s realizations and monologues on life. I loved rock climbing as a metaphor for embracing the difficulties of life. I could have read hundreds of more pages. This was excellent. *4.5*

Gabriel Tallent’s latest novel is a stunning exploration of friendship, freedom, and the fault lines that form when two very different lives collide in the crucible of late adolescence. Set in the stark, sun-bleached beauty of the southern Mojave Desert, this story pulses with raw emotion and luminous prose, capturing the electric highs and crushing lows of coming-of-age on the margins.

Dan and Tamma are unforgettable—a golden boy with the world at his feet, and a firecracker burnout who’s never had a safety net. Their bond is unlikely but deeply believable, forged in stolen moments, harsh landscapes, and a shared hunger for more than the lives they’ve inherited. Tallent paints their friendship with care and complexity, never shying away from the pressures of class, expectations, and the ache of impending adulthood.

What elevates the novel is Tallent’s extraordinary sense of place. The Mojave isn’t just a backdrop—it’s alive, vast, and aching with the same contradictions as the characters who traverse it. From climbing boulders under starlit skies to crashing against the weight of the future, every scene is infused with beauty and danger.

Dan and Tamma is a novel about risk-the kind that comes with love, leaving, and daring to want more. It’s equal parts adrenaline rush and elegy, bursting with life while shadowed by the inevitability of loss.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a climbing enthusiast, this book is for you. Using the arduous sport as a metaphor for life, Gabriel Tallent takes us on a year-long journey in the life of two best friends in their final year of high school. They face choices that will affect the rest of their lives. They are at a crux, hence the name of the book and the critical point in rock climbing that determines your success in ascending ( called a send in climbing jargon). The two face plenty of obstacles, both in life and on the face of rocks as they attempt some of the toughest rock climbing in the Southwest. Tallent has an ear for young adult challenges and jargon. He either spends a lot of time with teens and rock climbers, or he has an ability to fully absorb his subject matter and put it on paper for the rest of us to learn. Thank you Penguin Random House for letting me read this review copy of Crux.

Crux delivers a compelling story of teenage friendship set against the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Tallent’s vivid nature writing and adrenaline-fueled rock-climbing scenes create an immersive backdrop that keeps the pages turning. Dan and Tamma’s bond feels authentic, with their struggles and dreams portrayed with tenderness and grit. However, at times the pacing falters, and some plot developments feel a bit predictable. Still, it’s a thoughtful, soul-searching read about youth, risk, and the desire to escape — well worth the time if you enjoy character-driven, atmospheric novels.