I absolutely loved this debut. This feel-good story has everything I enjoy about contemporary young adult: strong friendships, supportive and loving parents, romance, and the addition of both athletes and musicians rounded off my favorite things about reading this book.
The characters felt so real and each brought unique character traits and life-problems to deal with. The author tackled tough issues people face every day in a way that made me think about others with kindness. Spencer, the point of view character, must deal with struggles of being transgender and the choice of whether to fight for his rights to play on the school team which would mean coming out publicly, or keep his secret safe with trusted family and friends.
Justice also has tough issues to face--his family lives as strictly religious with zero tolerance for anyone who is not "straight."
The author doesn't overwhelm his readers or preach to them, but lets them really feel as if they are going through what Spencer and Justice are living through. I enjoyed the writing style and never wanted to stop reading.
The characters felt so real and each brought unique character traits and life-problems to deal with. The author tackled tough issues people face every day in a way that made me think about others with kindness. Spencer, the point of view character, must deal with struggles of being transgender and the choice of whether to fight for his rights to play on the school team which would mean coming out publicly, or keep his secret safe with trusted family and friends.
Justice also has tough issues to face--his family lives as strictly religious with zero tolerance for anyone who is not "straight."
The author doesn't overwhelm his readers or preach to them, but lets them really feel as if they are going through what Spencer and Justice are living through. I enjoyed the writing style and never wanted to stop reading.