Review: Heartwarming YA story!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2014
4.5 rounded up to 5. This was a lovely YA coming of age/romance. It touched on many issues that kids have to deal with and they came out stronger and together. You have Jamie who Is 9 & is getting a foster brother & his concern is whether he has to share his room with the new kid. Then you have Daniel who is 9 and has lost he dad to death, his mom to suicide, and the rest of his biological family didn't want him being thrown into the foster care system (which is not always good). Jamie is hyper, outgoing, physically outstanding and always looking for fun. Daniel is calm, shy, mentally outstanding/piano playing and trying not to be noticed. Over the years everyone starts to love each other and Daniel is treated like a son & not a foster son. The parents even offer to adopt Daniel many times & you'll find out in the book why Daniel turns it down. Daniel tells the family his senior year that he's gay and he is accepted by all with little fanfare. This gets Jamie to thinking that he's never been with a girl and has never found one attractive and that the only person he really wants to spend time with is Daniel. Which in turn gets him to the realization that he's gay as well and wants to be with Daniel. The news that they are gay gets out at school & the one who spreads it causes a really bad attack on Jamie that lands him in the hospital. This in turn gets their relationship out to the family who accept after very little angst. The book ends with them planning to go to the same college together (which incidentally their older brother goes to already). This was a good story and well written. The only reason I gave it a 4.5 is that it is one of those books that is going from past - present - past - present throughout the book & I'm not really a fan of this style of writing. I agree with one of the other reviewers that I would like to read a sequel showing were they are today. They are out of college? Living where? Doing what? Maybe married (they are in California)? I would say I'm hinting but I've sent my thought on a sequel to Mrs. Scott personally. LOL.