Review: Something Everyone Needs to Read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 4, 2014
No spoilers.I just finished reading Fearless and I am blown away.  At first, the premise seems like one that is present in many YA novels.  The young protagonist is a painfully awkward 15 year old boy, Justin, who has made it his mission to survive high school by being invisible; no clubs, no sports, and absolutely no friends.  Of course that changes when his teacher offers him extra credit to help fellow classmate Liam, whom Justin characterizes as a stoned thug up to no good, catch up on his school work.  After a rocky first start, the boys finally set up a study schedule and Justin quickly learns that not only was he wrong about Liam, but that this scary pothead is actually fun to be around and makes for a really good friend.  The story evolves from there, interweaving many layers that keep this story three-dimensional and believable and keep the reader eagerly turning pages.Fearless is told through Justin's eyes.  We quickly learn his faults and his strengths and his voice sounds exactly how you'd expect a high school freshman to sound.  While he's uncomfortable making friends, he's very confident about his sexuality and his excellence as a swimmer.  Although he mumbles incoherent, one-syllable sentences to all the hot guys he meets, he can deliver sharp and witty lines when thinking in his head.  What results is an amusing character who's highly enjoyable to read about.  Liam is also a very engaging character and it's easy to fall for him as quickly as Justin does.  He has a very take-on-the-world attitude and doesn't let little things like caring what other people will think stop him from doing what he wants.  He doesn't know the meaning of self-consciousness and he slowly but successfully starts to pull Justin out of his shell.  In all aspects, he is a perfect best friend for Justin.  While some of the minor characters were a little stock-ish, they still felt whole and complete and contributed nicely to the story.The writing and plot are fantastic.  I did not want to put this book down; once I finished a chapter I told myself, "Just once more and then I'll go do what I really should be doing."  A major part of this lies in the two main characters.  You really develop feelings for them and they turn into real people, you forget their only fictional characters.  You root for them and want them to succeed.  You empathize with them and share their thoughts and feelings.  Reading this book, I felt a  range of emotions.  While there is a more somber theme running throughout the book, the overall message is of hope, confidence, and not afraid of being yourself.  There are a few dark and dramatic moments but nothing ever felt sappy or saccharine, though they did leave a heavy impact.Seriously, this is a book that I think EVERYONE should read.  It's not so much an m/m romance as it is a coming of age story about a character who happens to be gay.  For the most part, Fearless is an easy read but is also very thought-provoking.  Ignore the one star review and buy this book!  It's one that will stay with you long after you put it down.