Scraps: A Gay Skateboarding Romance Novel
A YA Coming-of-Age LGBTQ+ Romance
by Matthew Francis
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Pub Date Mar 31 2025 | Archive Date Oct 15 2025
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Description
A shy artist. A reckless skater. One secret, passionate summer that will change Gus and Bridger forever.
Scraps: In rural 2003 Montana, two closeted teen boys navigate skateboarding, harsh small-town judgment, and a summer of unexpected young love.
๐ MM Teen Gay Romance
๐๏ธ Small-Town Secrets
๐ฟ Breathtaking Montana Landscapes
๐น Heart-Pounding Skateboarding Action
๐ Perfect for fans of Call Me by Your Name, Mid 90s, Heartstopper, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and The Miseducation of Cameron Post.
When Gus Shepardโs quiet artistic life is upended by his motherโs death in 2003, heโs sent to the rural town of Livingston, Montana, to live with his estranged woodworking father. For Gus, itโs a place filled only with grief, painful childhood memories, and too much sawdustโuntil he meets Bridger Owens, a local skateboarder with a rebellious streak.
Drawn together by a dealโGus will build Bridger a handcrafted board in exchange for skateboarding lessonsโthe two form an unexpected bond, inspiring each other to reach for bigger goals and make the most of their short summer. What starts as friendship soon blossoms into a tender romance they must keep hidden in a town where everyone already knows each otherโs secrets.
In a town this small, escaping feels impossible.
Beingโฆ gay? Unthinkable.
Immediately suspicious, Bridgerโs jealous skate crew leader, Max Stevens, resents Gus and his growing closeness to his best friend. And the coolest skater girl in Livingston, Tara Shae, senses that Gus, like her, doesnโt quite fit the townโs mold. As whispers turn into confrontations and family pressures mount, Gus and Bridgerโs fragile relationship is tested at every turn.
Through late-night swims, daring skate sessions, and moments of breathtaking vulnerability, Scraps paints an unforgettable picture of discovering young queer love in the early 2000s. Will Gus and Bridger risk everything to hold onto what theyโve found, or will the weight of their separate worlds pull them apart?
Why Readers Love Scraps:
๐ A richly detailed LGBTQ+ romance that celebrates love, courage, and self-discovery.
๐ Explores themes of family, belonging, and breaking free from small-town expectations.
โInspired by the viral success of the "Scraps" Gay Skateboarding Romance Short Film that captivated millions worldwide, Scraps is a deeply moving, visually evocative story of first queer crushes, finding oneself, and the risks we take for a shred of love thatโs real.โ
Grab your copy today and immerse yourself in the breathtaking summer that Gus and Bridger will never forget.
A Note From the Publisher
As a gay man who came of age in the 2000s, SCRAPS is my love letter to the queer kids who felt alone, and to the stories I wish I had growing up. Itโs for the quiet ones, the artists, the skaters, and everyone who ever felt like they had to hide to be loved.
Thank you for taking the time to read. If you connect with Gus and Bridgerโs story, Iโd be incredibly grateful for your honest review โ it truly helps indie authors like me get discovered.
If you love the story and leave a review, DM me on Instagram (@Matthewfrancisj) or email a screenshot, and Iโll send you high-res images of the novel to post about and special links to our Scraps Short film and BTS videos to enjoy. We will happily re-post your review on our social media and tag you as a thank you! We can even invite you to help us promote the feature film version!
Advance Praise
"Easily one of my favorite gay stories out there!" -Noah (Goodreads)ย
"Good God, I'm a WRECK!! ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ" - Ian (Goodreads)ย
"Read this NOW! Best LGBTQIA+ romance novel PERIOD! - Ryan (Amazon)ย
"I first found this book from the SCRAPS short film on YouTube. I fell in love with it and, when I found they were writing the novel, I had to order it. I'm glad I did... I totally loved this book. I read it in one sitting in the span of two hours and I plan to read it again." -Stephanus (Goodreads)
"The simplest way to explain it is: if youโre a queer person, you know these characters."ย ย
"I finished this book in a day, because it was just so easy to get lost in the world... I hope this book ends up on every shelf, in every library, in every high school."
"Gus and Bridger are the kind of characters I wish I could have read about growing up. And shoutout to Tara, my personal favourite. We should all have a Tara in our lives!"
"What makes this book so special is that itโs a queer story grounded in the real, the honest, and therefore sometimes the painful. Scraps doesnโt over romanticise young love into a fairytale, and it doesnโt frame queer love as something tragic either. Thereโs hope, thereโs joy, but thereโs also struggle and challenge. It holds all of it."
"Trust me, youโll cry, but for all the right reasons. Whether Gusโ summer feels like a blast from your own past or like the coming-of-age summer you wish you had, itโs going to hit you right in the heart." -Joe (Goodreads)
"Gus and Bridger are easy to love as MCs, and all their friends as found family were as well. I especially loved Tara and her honest relationship with Gus. Oh, and the artwork is stunning! There is a picture of a single skateboard that is perfect. I hope lots of people read this book. It is a joy." - Lyn (Goodreads)ย
Marketing Plan
- For LGBTQ+ readers looking for complex, tender male leads.
- Those who love emotional slow burns and raw character connection.
- For anyone who grew up in a small town feeling like an outsider.
- For those who love nostalgic, early-2000s summer vibes.
- For readers who believe first love can be life-changing.
- For fans of:
- Heartstopper
- Perks of Being A Wallflower
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
- Red, White, and Royal Blue
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
- We Are the Ants
- They Both Die At The End
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781736699041 |
| PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 215 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Jessica E, Reviewer
Bro this is the easiest 5 stars ever
Every so often, a book finds you at just the right moment and this was that book for me. From the very first page, I knew I was in for something special. The tone, the atmosphere, the vibesโ they all whispered, โThis oneโs going to leave a mark.โ And it did.
Francis captures teenage angst with a rawness and nuance thatโs rare to find.
๐๐ฐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ? ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ... ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ข๐บ... ๐ช๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต.
The struggle with identity, the desire to fit in, the quiet storm of being differentโ it was all so real, raw. Bridger and Gus werenโt just characters; they felt like living, breathing teenagers with fears, desires, and vulnerabilities that echoed truths Iโve known or seen.
"๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐'๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐จ๐ถ๐บ๐ด," ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฅ, "๐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ. ๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ. ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐น." ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ค๐ญ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ด๐ช๐ญ๐บ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฏ-
๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฑ.
"๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐'๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐จ๐ช๐ณ๐ญ๐ด, ๐ช๐ต'๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ'๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด," ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ-
๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฅ. "๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐บ."
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐บ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด. ๐๐ถ๐ด'๐ด ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ด ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ณ. ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ค๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐๐ถ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ.
๐๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ.
"๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต... ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ," ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ง๐ต๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ.
"๐'๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต."
Their relationship, slow-burning and tender, unraveled in a way that made every glance, every conversation mean something.
"๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ... ๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ," ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ง๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ.
๐๐ถ๐ด ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ. "๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฉ," ๐๐ถ๐ด ๐ด๐ข๐ช๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ. "๐๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ถ๐ด, ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด... ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ."
But what really stunned me was the depth across the boardโ not just the leads, but the supporting cast too. Max, Tara, even Gusโs dadโฆ each one was thoughtfully written, layered, and purposeful. Francis didnโt just give us a story; he gave us a world filled with characters who felt authentic, flawed, and whole.
There were moments in this book that moved me to tears, moments that made me smile, blush, ache, and think. The coming out scene especially hit home. It wasnโt dramatic for the sake of drama. It was intimate and full of heart. Gusโs fatherโs response wasnโt about gender; it was about embracing love in its fullness, in its wholeness, while you still can before a life of regret settles in.
This is more than a coming-of-age story. Itโs a quiet, powerful exploration of love, friendship, identity, and the aching beauty of adolescence. Tbh Iโll be thinking about this one for a long time.
Cody W, Reviewer
I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait until I can read the next book by Matthew Francis. Five out of five stars from me and would be more if I could.
Ella L, Reviewer
This book was incredible! I have never read anything like this before. It was so emotional and written so perfectly. I loved getting to know the MMCโs and the other side characters. Such a good romance read that makes you feel so many different emotions throughout. I enjoyed this book the entire time reading.
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