Thank you to NetGalley and Dalton Lyle for my first ever eARC!

Before I begin, let me preface this by saying this was the most aggressively Texan, teenage boy, white trash novel I have ever read and I enjoyed it so much for that. The plot (and dialogue) just spirals and spirals in its insanity and stupidity. Wade just continuously digs himself into a hole.

This book encapsulates the sheer bullshit-ery of being a high schooler in Texas.

I will keep this review spoiler-free as I urgently want all of my friends to consume this book when it finally comes out, but this book was great. Wade is a character study in self-destruction and self-humiliation. Every single time I thought he could not get worse—he did. Much to my dismay. With a climax that I would describe as akin to the play scene in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, I do not think I have ever felt this much second-hand embarrassment from a fictional character before. However, with that egregious amount of teenager boy-like dialogue, some of Wade’s thoughts became a bit insensitive, as many teenage boys are. Being in Wade’s mind was probably the most humiliated I think I have ever felt while consuming a YA book.

I do not think this will be leaving my mind any time soon.

wade and felix forever is kinda like if the diary of a wimpy kid books were gay and written for a teen audience.

i haven't laughed this hard reading a book in a long time. the comedy was great and wade was an entertaining protagonist to say the least. just when you think things have gotten bad, wade somehow does something to make things significantly worse. every single time.

i do think the title and cover is quite misleading though. without getting into spoilers, this book is very much about wade and his own coming of age and less about felix than the title implies. their friendship isn't as central as i expected.

the plot also was just very all over the place, which i guess makes sense for wade, but i did feel like the story dragged a bit during certain parts.

overall, this was a fun time and excited to read future releases from this author!

Thank you #NetGalley for my arc of this book!

You know when you’re watching a comedy and you hide your face behind your hands because it’s hilarious and cringy? That’s this book.

The story follows Wade, our bad-decision making main character who has a constant snowball effect following him through all his bad choices. He’s a prankster alongside his best friend (and crush) Felix, and you get to witness all of the cringe scenes of a teenager figuring himself out.

One thing about this book is that Wade is not a good guy, but give him his props he does try and reverse his bad decision making.

No spoilers so I won’t say much, but I really enjoyed the comedy aspect of this book and all of the quirky, over the top characters that came with it.

3/5⭐️! I loved the plot of the book, and whilst it does seem a bit all over the place it does fit Wades rapid (and awful) decision making process.

The story does seem long in parts, but it does pick up and you start to get into the flow of it quickly.

Overall a very funny book, certainly not a forgettable read. I look forward to seeing any future books from this author!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is one of the funniest books I have read so far. It's a satire on high school based in Texas. It has everything you can expect from a satire based in Texas like unnecessary hate on the gays, especially from the closeted gays. Then there is the curious case of conservatives sprouting values of "individualism" and yet don't want anyone to have a single independent thought.

this was the most absurd and nonsensical book i've ever read, in the best way possible.

please, experience this story without expectations; you will be surprised at every chapter, every page—every line, even. wade is possibly the worst person that's ever been written and i kind of hate him (/pos, somehow?). you may have the urge to tear your hair out from how genuinely stupid he and every character is (except maybe felix, he's that one token normal friend)

so, basically, everything that happens and every word that is said keeps getting more and more idiotic and seemingly unserious; but on the other hand, considering the state of the world at the moment, some of the stuff in there truly hits home. i'm mostly thinking of all the queerphobic and xenophobic commentary, the normalised use of ai and the rise of fascism, among other things. the author manages to implement these very real issues into a very surreal environment, and so make fun of them in a very serious way. it's this sort of novel that makes you want to laugh but you just can't because the sad reality of it is overwhelming.

to be honest, i'm a little confused as to how i feel right now because i keep trying to make sense of it all, find a beginning to the chaos and a logical chain of events, but i'm realising i can't and have no idea what the hell i've just read??? and i kind of love it????

anyway, i hope the author will get hype for his debut novel because that was quite an Experience. in byron's (spoiler-ey) words: "accept the chaos"

HOLY COW! This book is hilarious and really well paced. I loved the intertwining of all the little things that wove together this insane and amazing coming of age book. I laughed so hard I sounded like an old truck starting. Thank you for that. This is the best thing I’ve read in a very long time. Pretty much every character, except BBB, is seen in a humanizing (and possibly stark raving mad) light. Wade is really just trying to do his best but goshdarnit, he keeps making very, very poor decisions that lead to… well, that theater scene near the end. I was gasping for air. I will 100% read anything else Dalton Lyle writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a former theater kid from a small suburb in Texas, Wade and Felix Forever by Dalton Lyle felt like stepping into a complete fever dream in the best way. The secondhand embarrassment I felt for the main character was unreal at times, but that is exactly what made it so authentic and so funny. I laughed out loud more than once.

What really stood out was how current events and dysfunctional families were woven into the perspective of a high school student. It added depth without ever feeling forced and made the story feel grounded. The tornado backstory was especially powerful. I truly felt like I was there with Felix, experiencing every moment of fear and trauma alongside him.

The musical was completely unhinged in the most delightful way. It felt like watching a chaotic high school production of Noises Off, which made it even more entertaining. Honestly, the entire book carried that same energy while telling a heartfelt story about a queer teenager finding his place.

This was a fantastic debut, and Dalton Lyle absolutely delivered. I highly recommend this book.