Title: When Everything Is Blue
Author: Laura Lascarso
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 216 Pages
Category: Contemporary, New Adult
At a Glance: When Everything Is Blue is a coming out and coming of age story that resonated with hope and possibility.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: When they were kids, Chris Mitcham rescued Theo from the neighborhood bullies and taught him how to “be cool.” Now, years later, Theo’s developed feelings for his best friend that arise at the most inopportune times. Theo hates lying to Chris, but in coming out, he might lose the one person who understands him best, a risk he’s not willing to take.
When a relationship with another young man goes south, Theo is forced to confront his own sexuality along with his growing attraction to Chris and his stunted, tenuous relationship with his father. Will Chris abandon Theo when he learns the truth, or will he stand by him in this tumultuous season of self-discovery?
In this quirky coming-of-age romance, Theo’s path to manhood is fraught with awkward firsts and a few haters, but also the unexpected comfort of a friend turned lover.
Review: In the idyllic surf community where Theo lives, life is far from a fairy tale. Living with his mother and hormonal twin sister, Theo has an on again/off again relationship with his estranged father, mostly off again, unfortunately. His one saving grace is a friendship that began years before with his next-door neighbor Chris. Chris is not only wealthy and very willing to share his many things with Theo, he is also generous with his affections—too much so for Theo’s sanity.
Lately Theo has begun to realize that he more than likes his buddy Chris—he REALLY likes him, to the point where every time he’s near Chris, his eager libido threatens to reveal the lust he has so desperately tried to keep hidden from the guy. The last thing Theo could handle would be losing Chris’ friendship, and telling the straight guy, who is your sleepover pal, that you may be falling for him is not the safest way to go.
So, it becomes rather easy for Theo to focus on Dave, the new guy in school—even though he is a bit of an ass—because he’s also gay and not afraid to go after what he wants. Theo is definitely drawn to Dave, but more for the fact that he can finally experience what it means to be physical with another guy rather than for the emotional comfort a relationship might bring. You see, Theo has actually fallen in love with Chris, and, while it could be said he used Dave for sex, it’s still a shock when Dave turns on him after Chris ends things with him. Dave’s revenge will have huge ramifications for Theo. However, it will also finally answer the fearful question Theo has always had about whether Chris finding out his best buddy is gay will drive a wedge between them forever.
This is the second novel I’ve read by Laura Lascarso, and I can handily admit that this author will be an auto-buy for me in the future. The ability this author has to write young adult voices that ring with authenticity and consistency is truly outstanding. There are many times in YA/New Adult literature where I find myself thinking I could easily substitute a twenty something for the teenager I am supposed to be listening to and reading about. Not so with this author. When Everything Is Blue plunges you right into that high school minefield where hanging with the right crowd keeps you safe and under the radar of any potential bullies. The fact that it was just such the case for Theo, when Chris saved him by defending him from bullies a few years before, just made his appreciation and acknowledgement of being part of the in crowd all the more realistic.
I appreciated how each boy had to deal with his own coming out and how Lascarso didn’t cheapen the moment by making it all shiny and easy. Instead, we saw the painful way in which one of our main characters was confronted with a father who would not cope with his son being gay. Sadly, this is more realistic than any of us might like and yet, by exposing the rawness of the confrontation the author allowed for the pain to be shared, something that helped strengthen the bond between these young men. This realism then stretched to include the fear that breaking up somewhere down the road might signal the end of their close friendship. Again, the author chose to allow those concerns to surface and for Theo and Chris to grapple with the implications.
While there was a definite happy ending to this novel, there is still the idea that both boys are young, new to being out, and finding their way together in a world that may not always accept them. The worry and doubt that chased these teens didn’t fade to black, but definitely took a back seat to the idea that together they were strong and brave enough to meet any challenge. When Everything Is Blue is a coming out and coming of age story that resonated with hope and possibility. This novel allowed for the idea that our first love is precious and undeniably strong if we carefully nurture it and never take it for granted. It is a lovely book with intelligent characters and a gripping plot. I highly recommend it to you.
You can buy When Everything Is Blue here:
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