Title: When Everything Is Blue
Author: Laura Lascarso
Narrator: Michael Mola
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 7 hours and 1 minute
Category: Contemporary, New Adult
At a Glance: It really is a treat to listen to a narrator who does more than just read or heaps accent after accent on the ears. Mola conveys the care and the words without making them heavy or predictable.
Reviewed By: Mike
Blurb: Sometimes the people we need most aren’t bonded by blood but by something deeper.
When they were kids, golden boy Chris Mitcham rescued dweeby Theo Wooten from the neighborhood bullies and taught him how to “be cool.” Now, years later, Theo’s developed romantic 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 the stunted, tenuous relationship Theo has 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 several awkward firsts, a few haters, but also the tender comfort of an unexpected lover.
Review: Theo is captivated by Chris. What’s a guy to do when the object of his admiration lives next door, has saved you from your grade school bullies, and fills all of your adventures with affection and fun. Skateboarding, surfing, and camping together, they do their best to fight a mutual attraction. From furtive exploration and random touches to hasty retreats, Theo finds himself in a relationship with another boy who uses him badly. Chris rides to Theo’s rescue once again; this time, though, they cannot deny their mutual attraction.
Michael Mola gives both boys their own voices, and all the other characters find their own voices as well. From Theo’s know-it-all twin sisters to Chris’ parents and Theo’s distant, belligerent father as well as the other boys in the skate park, everyone has their own cadence. It really is a treat to listen to a narrator who does more than just read or heaps accent after accent on the ears. Mola is capable of giving listeners all new characters with just his voice and different intonations. The mark of any really good narrator is that he can do female voices without resorting to clichés—Mola is very good at female voices and making them believable.
When Theo and Chris move into a romantic relationship, they remain best friends, and the tension of getting to that place is played very well. Having to deal with coming out, being outed, and telling parents, are all dangerous places for anyone to be, but Theo and Chris navigate it with a lot of support from caring families. Mola conveys the care and the words without making them heavy or predictable.
Buy this book because it deals well with coming-of-age. Buy the book because the story is sweet, and buy it for a very well-suited narration.
You can buy When Everything Is Blue here:
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