Trigger Warnings: anxiety, depression, death off-page, and description of traumatic outing off-page.
Representation: gay main character (written on the page), anxious main character (alluded to), bisexual side-character (written on the page), pansexual/questioning side-character (not confirmed on page), Black side-character, and Fat/Plus-Size side-character
It was nice to see a found family story, with a diverse cast! I think sometimes queer books center on one gay kid who has a slew of straight friends which is… obviously not always correct lol.
This book started off strong, with the author drawing you into Logan's life, feeling sympathetic for his past, and Rebecca J. Caffery does a great job of balancing a large cast of characters. Although, I will say, while it was clear that Logan developed strong relationships with the boys, I wish more time was spent on developing his relationships with the girls. When the inevitable climax occurred, it didn't hit me as hard as it could've if their relationships were fleshed out (more on that later).
I enjoyed how Logan was anxious, and yet cocky and brave at times, and this was highlighted nicely in the club scene. I also really loved how quickly he was able to fit in with his new group friends, after his prefect, Charlie, invited him to lunch with the gang in the dining hall. There were great instances of Logan and his friends hanging out in Cherrington Academy, though I wish there were just a half-scene or so more of him in class, as I think that would’ve strengthened the plot a bit more.
Now let's get to the climax. To be perfectly honest, I wanted the author to put Isaac through more hell than she did Logan. At Logan's birthday party, it's revealed that Logan and Isaac messed around behind October's back while the pair had been dating (and had emotionally cheated while Logan and Callum dated, though this one is a weaker argument to me; I think they should really only be mad at him for the week or two they kissed when Isaac and October were together, and for all the secret keeping). What a birthday, huh?
After the truth comes out, Logan runs from his problems (literally, too) and hides away in his dorm for as long as he can, but it doesn't prevent the rumor mill from making its rounds. Which then brings us to the ickiest part of the book to me; this unresolved, homophobic belief by both October and her friends that Logan has somehow turned Isaac gay (he is not; the author confirmed on Twitter that he is pansexual, although no label is applied to Isaac on the page). I wish this dangerous belief had been resolved in the book, with even October saying, "I understand you didn't turn Isaac gay, and I'm sorry my friends spoke to you like that.” But this did not happen.
Which, ultimately, brings me to another issue I had; no one apologizes to Logan. Ever. The entire third act of the book is Logan apologizing to everyone, and no one reciprocates. Not Noah, for blackmailing him, despite them becoming friends in the end, not October for the above, not Isaac for flaking on him after the truth comes out and not being there for him (though this is answered later), not Charlie for getting mad at him for falling for Logan (that whole bit didn't make sense to me; Logan didn't really have much to apologize to Charlie in my mind, due to his relationship with Isaac. I mean, yes, he had to apologize for making his life as prefect harder, but I didn’t see much else), and not from any of his other friends. At the end of the book, I'm not too certain where Logan stands with two of his friends, October or Libby, as October rebuffed his apology and Libby was never mentioned ever again after the birthday party; the others, he was able to make amends with, in some form, so those relationships had resolutions. However, this part was probably left open-ended for the second book.
And now to the ending. I believe that all authors are entitled to end their books however they want, as it is their story. However, I believe even a paragraph more at the end is needed, or at least, strongly wished for. We just started to see Logan grappling with the cracks in their relationship in the very last chapter (how Isaac had ditched him the moment the truth came out, kept secrets from him, and otherwise was kind of a shit boyfriend/lover), and then suddenly, the book was over. I wanted just one last bit of Logan talking about how his and Isaac's relationship had been toxic, and he realized that now. I'm holding out hope that the sequel will assuage these feelings.
Though, I will say, that I completely understand that relationships are messy and teenagers can be immature. I do applaud the author for taking the road less travelled; instead of wrapping the relationships up with a neat little bow, she demonstrated that friendships are messy, love doesn’t always last forever (or is even a true love), and that you can have a book with romance, that isn’t a romance, but rather focuses on the unique dynamics of high school friendships.
It was an adorable read for the most part, and I really only took issue in the third act....more
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