Review: A Sweet Coming Out Story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 8, 2014
A copy of this book was provided by the author for an honest review.**Caution--Contains spoilers**A sweet coming out story, this is the tale of Brian and Joey, two young men who met when they were five years old and became best friends forever. Brian narrates their journey through grade school and high school, culminating in the traumas and joys of their senior year and the New Year’s Eve kiss that sealed the deal on their forever relationship.I enjoyed the author’s writing style as she kept the story fast paced and interesting, interspersing humor with angst, as the boys matured to adults. Both boys loved music and there were many references to artists and songs of the late 70’s and early 80’s. In fact, the author used a Bryan Adams song, “Heaven”, to allow Brian to finally open his eyes and realize that he had feelings for Joey that were much more than friendship.The book is sweet, no explicit sex, and totally about feelings and relationships. I loved Joey, the always colorful and flamboyant, self-assured member of the group known as Freaks by his classmates. And Brian, Brainy Brian, cute and sweet, and so clueless I just wanted to hug him. His uncles Gary and Nat were wonderfully characterized, and I especially enjoyed Nat’s giggling reactions when he and Gary tried to speak seriously to the boys about sex.I also really enjoyed the way the author gave us a look at their current situation at the end of the story. Seeing where the men are career-wise, learning about changes in the lives of Brian’s uncles, and witnessing their high school reunion as a married couple, were all very appreciated by this reader.I definitely recommend this to any friends who enjoy a young adult or coming out story. It’s not too lengthy and would make a good beach read, or even better, a book to snuggle up with on a cold winter day.