Hunter Drake is a 17 year-old boy-band member feeling the consequences of being “out” as his band, Kiss & Tell, begins a second tour and finds itself in the early stages of big fame. On the wings of band work and school is a budding potential live affair with a member of the opening band.
Hunter’s character is doing an amazing job of depicting the struggles of being the “token” anything in a group. So many LGBTQ books focus on why a character doesn’t want to be THE gay hockey player, or rock star or *insert profession here.*
Kiss & Tell portrays why there’s often been that aversion. The pressure Hunter feels to represent his demographic and single-handedly bring equality to all gay teens subtly portrays why people are reticent to take on the responsibility of being famous and out. A morning show segment using a 17 year-old boy to help plan a brunch is such a smart way to exemplify this. Hunter is impressive in his acknowledgment of his privilege, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out with a band full of diverse minorities. If you liked Eden Finley’s Famous series, this will serve as a bit of a prequel: what would the fallout have been if those band members had been able to live their truths? The clickbait headlines are hilariously clever, and the use of media articles is reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six. I can’t wait to read the book in full!