It’s a No From Me, Dawg.

I always feel bad giving less than a 5-star review because I really do usually five-star LOVE everything I read. This one is more of a 3.5 for me, but I rounded up since 3.5 isn’t a choice.

I get it that the theme of this book is learning to speak your truth, having the courage to say what needs to be said… BUT… the path to get there for Max and Jordan involved two sets of some of the rudest, most unsupportive friends I have ever encountered in a book.

True, a lot of the friend stuff is meant to be “teasing” and, at the end, true to the theme of speaking your truth, both Max and Jordan address the issues with their friends… BUT, the journey to get there involved just some crappy treatment of the boys from their friends.

This was my biggest issue with the book. The story is typical of the genre, with the twist of the problems each boy faces. I liked the development of the relationship between Jordan and Max. The friends, though, were just pretty unlikable. AND… I listened to this on audio book and Max’s friend Betts was narrated to sound like a character from “Beavis and Butthead”!

All in all, there are other LGBTQ YA books you should choose before this one. Try “Red, White, and Royal Blue” or “Alex in Wonderland” first!