Sky is out in college, but that doesn’t mean he escapes verbal abuse. When a particular nasty hack of the school e-newsletter spreads around the school, Sky and his friends, some of whom have also been implicated in the hack, vow to find out in time for the prom. Couch provides colourful backgrounds and traits for his characters. He also provides adult allies, whilst proving that it is sometimes also an uneasy road for a gay teen - particularly with his immediate family.

The Sky Blues is a story that's equal parts fun and heart-wrenching. This novel balances well its themes of found family, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, and immerses us in the particular world of this character while dealing with more universal questions of identity and relationships.

SPOILERS: I was not particularly fond of the "Gay for" t-shirts, but I wasn't bothered enough by it to dislike the book overall (there are plenty of ways my own friends supported me in high school that now makes me cringe). My only other nitpick is that the protagonist describes himself by his Harry Potter "House" at some point, which is not something you're likely to see from the Class of 2021.

Overall this is an enjoyable, affirming book that I'm sure many teens will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a free digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

2.75 stars. the voice here is good, the representation is good, the tension is good, and even the unpredictability of parts of the story are good. normally in a book like this sky would end up with ali, who was hiding his queerness the whole time; it was really nice that sky actually ends up with someone else at the end. and of course, the kids standing up for themselves are good. there was a bit too much insistence on advancing the tension for no reason (many times there was no reason to lie, for example, except to manufacture pressure to not tell the truth about something) and that definitely interfered with my enjoyment, but this was still really nice overall. Sky is a relatable teen, embarrassed by regular high school things, dealing with tough things, surrounded by good friends and a support system (that might not come from where it should); it's nice to see that even with his struggles, he is buoyed by some adults and kids around him. ( )

theres something about this book that i really liked and something about it that i really didnt and i really havent been able to pinpoint either? its a lil confusing to me

fundamentally, this is one of these very gay, very lightearted stories with a lesson at the end. you know, just about my favorite thing to read. in general, i liked it -the main character was a fun dude, the friend group was fine, the love interest is absolutely adorable, and theres even a lil twist, a lil subversion from the typical plot, which i love.

i have a couple issues with it, though. first of all, the characters sometimes felt inconsistent or acted irrationally? lied when it was literally not necessary to, when no person on planet earth would lie, just to furthen the plot, for example. keep a whole ass relationship hidden from their best friend for no reason, just for shock value. its so... strange.

also, the mystery of the whole book could have been a literal crime mystery thing, like, something to solve, and instead they told us straight up who the hell had perpetrated the crime and then found proof to confirm it, no surprise whatsoever. which IN THEORY could have been cool, but in the real sense, it just made the reading feel inconsequential because we already had all the answers from the get go.

also, the narration itself is a little hard to get used to because its so informal. it feels very personal and thats a good thing, but it gets old and a bit repetitive, using the same colloquial expressions over and over until they stop being effective. some mannerisms sky has are never explained even though a side character points them out, which left me more than a little puzzled.

my qualms arent huge, though. i liked the idea of it, i liked the characters, more or less. the romance was there but not overwhelming, despite the original premise, because the story is in fact not about the promposal at all, thats just the catalyst. at its core, the story is about coming into your own, and pride, and standing up, and found family, and being open to the possibilities, and THAT i can get behind. its finny at times, its sweet. it didnt make me, like, SQUEAL, but thats totally fine. its very pure, love the representation, love the concept.

if anything, its a little too idealist, kind of in a red, white and royal blue sense (remember how you thought "thatd NEVER happen in real life"?), but you know what? we need that sometimes. ( )

#GayforSky

This novel is like an adorable high school gay rom-com and coming of age story all rolled into one. The writing is on point, it's humorous and heart-felt. Sky has a very distinct voice, you really can hear each character which I appreciate greatly...it makes it that much easier to become fully immersed into the story. The plot is a tad predictable, but sometimes you need a book that's going to give you exactly what you're hoping for...and this is that book. It's the perfect positive comfort read!

The only thing I have to criticize is how the story played out with Charlie and Brian...I felt like there was a huge cliffhanger in that part of the story and I found myself many chapters later like...wait...what happened there?! THANKFULLY it all wraps up as I'd hoped, but I definitely wish Charlie's part of the story didn't get overshadowed and pushed to the side like it did for a bigger part of the plot. Buuuut, that's just me being a bit nit-picky :)

Overall an absolutely enjoyable, emotional read.

Big thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me an ARC to read and honestly review. ( )