Burro Hills

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this book. Jack, the main character is a 17yo high school junior in a dying town in California--lots of gangs and drugs, unhappy parents/sad home life and he knows that he is gay but he goes to great lengths to hide it because it is NOT cool. His friends are drug dealers and all they do it get high, drink and hang out pretty much. But they are all super-macho-alpha type males. Then he meets Conner. Conner is really good looking and extremely confident and Jack falls for him pretty quick. Their relationship is so sweet and they both end up caring about each other so much that it was totally adorable, very romantic. Jack, however, still doesn't want anyone to know he is is gay. He does everything he can to hide it, even shutting Conner out for awhile, but eventually people find out. His mom, Conner's Uncle, and his friends figure out and give him a hard time. I don't want to ruin the end of the book, but I loved how Jack finally figured everything out for himself, at least about his family, friends and Conner and accepted himself, and was proud. I loved all of the characters and the writing. Brutally honest, from JAck's point of view. He acted tough on the outside, but on the inside he had so many feelings about Connor and his friends etc--he knew what he wanted, he was just so afraid to go for it. Jack was a great character---his strength and love were amazing. Highly recommend this one!!! Emotional but so worth it!

The Outsiders written roughly thirty years or so ago is widely considered to be the fist YA novel and started the genre as a whole. It's all super gay, regardless of what the author says about being attacked her being straight. So, when I read that Burro Hills was like a queer version of The Outsiders that also focuses a lot on toxic masculinity I practically salivated at the thought of reading it. And now that I have, I can honestly say I was not disappointed in the slightest.

Burro Hills follows Jack, a seventeen year old living in what is essentially the dying town of Burro Hills. He smokes too much pot, has no real life goals, and just kinda bums around with his drug dealer friend and his bestie, Jess. This book really shines in just the sort of mundane-ness of life in Burro Hills as well as just the sense of loss in the town. The people who live there, Jack included, just seem lost and spend their lives just passing the time by making it hurt just a little less. The atmosphere Rubin created on every page was brilliant through and through.

The characters and their dynamics with one another were another great part in this book, particular between Jack and his friend Toby, the aforementioned drug dealer. As previously stated this entire book is about toxic masculinity and I find it very refreshing to have a book about toxic masculinity with a male protagonist and a queer one at that. A lot of books that deal with the subject with a female protagonist in relation to sexism or misogyny and I'm glad a book exists that showcases a different demographic that are hurt by toxic masculinity.

Throughout the story, Jack is desperate, desperate, to adhere and appear masculine in front of his friends going as far to try and seduce his best friend while they watch. It's an interesting look into toxic relationships between men with Jack trying to fit into the box of masculinity Toby has set up while Toby pulls the strings to test him for reason even he doesn't fully understand. It's a great character dynamic because it not only feels natural to the characters, but realistic as well.

As for the romance between Conner and Jack, I really enjoyed it. I liked how both Conner and Jack were messed up but neither guy set out to try and fix or save the other. They were just there for one another supporting each other first as friends and then as lovers, which is another things this book has going for it, an emotional intimacy between men that wasn't always romantic. Which is another thing toxic masculinity tends to destroy.

This is a great book with a whole bunch of layers I don't want to spoil, so I'll close with this: I loved the setting, the characters, and the dynamic so much and I know if you read it, you guys will as well.

This book was intense. It dealt with a lot of issues. Drug abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, alcohol abuse, homophobia, mental health, etc etc.

The author did a good job of handling these issues and spreading them through the book without it feeling overwhelming.

I have a lot of feelings about this book. My brain is king of jumbly after finishing. But in a good way. I really enjoyed it.

The main focus of the book I felt was overcoming fear of what everyone else thinks about you and being yourself. But in a more intense way.

Jack is struggling with his sexuality. He is terrified that if someone finds out it will be the end. But then he meets Connor, the cool, confident new kid.

Conner is bisexual and not ashamed. He wants more than friendship with Jack. And Jack wants it too, but he’s not ready to be out. The book follows Jack and Connor’s relationship as Jack struggles with his friends, family, and personal issues.