My review:
3⭐
Genre ~ LGBT romance ~MM
Publication date ~ July 8, 2019
Page Count ~ 453
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ YA, teenagers, coming of age, references to suicide, abortion, depression, homophobia, minimal steamage
Kyle summers with his 4 best friends ~ Trent, Carly, Claudia and Dana.
He sees Jack when they’re all hanging out one day and is instantly obsessed with seeing and getting to know him. He eventually finds the courage to talk to him and he brings him into his friendship circle. There is just something about Jack that makes him want to spend every waking moment together. His friend group has been tight knit for years, though, and they don’t let outsiders in easily, which leads to Kyle pulling away from them. Trent is used to them be being inseparable, so when his bff isn’t around as much as he used to be he makes some bad choices that will drive a deeper wedge between them. I did feel bad for Trent because I could feel his disappointment in losing his friend and, also, his sadness that Kyle didn’t feel like he could tell anyone he was gay.
Other characters of note are Kyle parents, Jack’s parents and another boy, Trey.
It’s broken up into 6 parts ~ May, June, July, August, September & Winter. Each section does not have numbered chapters in the general sense, but each ‘chapter’ is on the shorter side, which I appreciate, however it still felt a bit long. It was a bit repetitive as they really did the same things over and over again, such as going to the lagoon, hanging on the beach, playing volleyball, drinking and playing truth or dare.
Kyle has been depressed for years due to his brother’s suicide. Jack slowly brings light back into his life until September comes and homophobia drives Jack out of town and the light dims again. Kyle is then on another obsessive mission trying to find him. I liked that Trent accompanied him on this adventure, and quite an adventure it was.
Overall, I liked it well enough and I felt the author did a nice job of depicting how first love is and how you feel you can’t live without them, but in turn it was a little too obsessive for me. And I’m not just talking about Kyle/Jack as there’s another bout of jealously going on with another character. I’m happy to say I was not expecting that ending, but it left me feeling rather sad.
*Thanks to the author for sending me a copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Add to your never ending TBR ~ goodreads
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.
Book blurb:
“I was so young when it all began that the blame hardly feels like mine. …”
In the lull between the conservative ’50s and the turbulent ’60s, Kyle Ryan Quinn, an introspective, sentimental boy, leads a golden life. He’s rich, beautiful and smart, and he summers every year on the same island with the same group of friends. Haunted by the ghosts of a tragedy that took place in his youth, Kyle is more sensitive than his privileged peers. He understands loss, and secrets.
When he meets Jack Averill, a quiet, bookish boy, his fateful 18th summer on the island, Kyle attempts to integrate him into his tight-knit yet troubled circle while at the same time he’s pursued by another summer boy, and his best friend toys with the affections of an island girl. Amid mounting familial, sexual and peer pressures, all four young men make heartbreaking decisions that will steal their innocence, destroy lives and consume them forever.
Until September is not just another coming-out or coming-of-age story. It’s an authentically emotional tale of obsessive first love with vivid, relatable characters who will take your breath away and break your heart. If you like Brokeback Mountain and Call Me By Your Name, you’ll fall in love with Kyle as he navigates his own summer of love.
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