When Taylor Adams (Tye) comes out to his conservative parents, he is sent to a Christian camp for troubled youth where not all is as it seems. Can he survive six weeks of this with his principles and faith intact?

The author did an excellent job in the first part of the book building up an atmosphere of how disastrous any mis-steps on Tye's part would be as he learns to navigate his new environment. My heart was in my mouth as I cheered him on. Unfortunately, the big reveal and how Tye dealt with it in the climax to the book just didn't ring true in the same way. Very disappointing after such a good beginning and middle. ( )

Robin Reardon does an excellent job with a touchy topic. Though the idea is not unique (a gay teen is sent to a Christian program for ‘troubled teens’), the fact that Taylor, the 16-year-old protagonist, is a Christian who acknowledges that the Bible states homosexuality is wrong but still believes that God created him that way. He is sent to Straight to God, where he wrestles with Authority, rules, and trying to discern whether he can trust the other program participants. The climax will blow your mind (though the ending was expected).
Reardon is quite talented, creating characters you’ll love and characters you’ll hate. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll cheer. And if you’re like me, you’ll be highlighting quotes throughout the book as well. ( )

I liked it better than I thought I would. ( )

This book follows the journey of a Christian teen coming out as gay to his family and community. As a result, he is sent off to be cured at a Christian Reform School.

I read this book as part of my research into the gay Christian community. My own father struggled to suppress his gay lifestyle because of his conservative Christian beliefs. He put himself through reform programs and ex-gay retreats to no avail. He died feeling shame and regret because he could not resolve the two as co-existent. Therefore, I have a keen interest in the interplay between the GLBT crowd and fundamentalist Christianity.

Here is my video review of this book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taQRT7jql...

I would recommend this book to three groups of people:

1. Gay teenagers - who are struggling to come out to their family and friends
2. Christian parents of gay teenagers
3. Members of conservative or fundamentalist churches - who might pass judgment on the GLBT community

The plot was predictable, but the story was geared for a YA audience, not a 20-something (like me.) If you are interested in the darker side of Christian fundamentalism and alternative lifestyles, this is a book for you. ( )

Coming out to his religious parents, a gay teen is sent to a treatment centre called "Straight to God." Here, every attempt is made to pray away the gay; but our hero is too confident in who he is to allow his identity to be compromised. He discovers nefarious activities at the centre and is instrumental in making changes there.

Unfortunately, the book is just too preachy, and the agenda of convincing the reader that Christianity is not incompatible with being gay, gets in the way of the story. This is a near miss. ( )