Firstly, thank you to Bloomsbury for providing me a copy of this book via NetGalley – views remain my own.

If you’re going to pick up this book, please be sure to check out the content warnings beforehand. The book deals with a variety of topics that can hit quite hard, especially around mental health and anxiety, and disordered eating. The MC also faces homophobia from his ultra-religious family, and I’m sure there’s other things covered I haven’t noted here.

This is one of those books that makes me really happy younger folks have books like this they can access nowadays – books about teens dealing with the realities of being a teen, handling disappointment at not getting The Thing that’ll put your life on track, the difficulties of teenage friendships and the layers of complexity that comes with them, the desire to impress your crush and the way pressure builds from all sides.

After a failed audition for a music summer programme, Marty heads to London anyway, pretending to his parents and aunt he has got into the academy, and will be attending with his cousin, Shane. Marty’s main goal is to make things work in London, to stay there after the summer is finished. From the moment he arrives, he’s different than the shy, closeted kid from Kentucky, and finds a place more accepting where he truly be himself. But things aren’t as easy as they seem, and although Marty gets the chance to embrace being in Europe, travelling around with his newfound friends, he soon starts to see the cracks building.

Through Marty’s eyes, we see how things impact him, and the way off-hand comments have a way of sticking. You can see the kind of path he’s on, even though he’s hiding a bit from himself, and Stamper deals with the issues Marty faces in a sensitive, understanding way, drawing empathy for Marty and a desire to at least see him have some sort of happy ever after.

Overall, As Far as You’ll Take Me is a wonderful, queer coming-of-age story, about a boy trying to find himself and take his next steps in life. It’s a lovely read, and a great book for teenage readers.

4 stars!

Coming of age stories hold a very special place in my heart and this one was no different.

Very much nailed the feeling of putting up a facade that your life is perfect when in reality, you're absolutely so incredibly anxious about it.

Heartfelt, with some very special moments.

I'll be picking up other books by Phil Stamper in the future.

As Far As You'll Take Me is about Marty who travels to London for a music summer programme. I really enjoyed this one as I did not know what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed the mental health aspect within this book and feel like it was written extremely well. This was definitely an emotional book and was really well written and you couldn't help but root for Marty through everything that he was going through within the book.

Marty was such a relatable character, with his anxiety and his insecurities about his weight, and his willingness to put up with so much more than he should for the sake of acceptance and having people to consider his friends. It was impossible not to feel for him as he struggled with it all. His growth over the story was gradual and painful and not without setbacks, and that made it feel all the more real.

This is far more character-driven than plot-driven, and there were some times where it seemed to be meandering without much point, but by the end of the book the journey felt very satisfying. The wider cast of characters were fun and vivid, and it was great to see Marty begin to find his place among them - found family is one of my favourite tropes - but I wish there had been a little more growth and depth there as well; the friendship felt sometimes a bit rushed or superficial. The relationship in the book was very well done - not necessarily a healthy one at all points, but it was easy to see how someone like Marty could find himself in that situation, falling for the first person who seems to see and accept him for himself and letting his own lack of confidence convince him that things would be perfect if only *he* could change this or fix that... It was hard to read at times because of just how realistic it was, but I think the way it was left at the end of the book was about right.

Overall, a good and quick read that balances a number of harder topics with the hopeful feel of a queer teen finally feeling able to be himself and find his people.

I'd like to thank Bloomsbury YA for providing this e-arc, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 ⭐ a coming-of-age story about a boy who flies across the ocean to find home

"Love is something entirely different. It's realizing the storm's been raging so long you forget you're drenched, until the sun kisses your cheek, dries your tears, and shows you where your real home is.”

Marty is a high school graduate on his way to London for the summer to attend the prestigious summer programme of the Knightsbridge Music Academy. Or so his parents think.
In reality, Marty has not been accepted into the programme and he is crashing at his cousin's place, with 12 weeks to make this work. His plan, you ask? To go to as many auditions as possible and hopefully find a gig as an oboeist in London so he doesn't have to get back to Kentucky.
As he navigates his life in London, trying to deal with his mental health and the feelings towards his homophobic community, Marty finds a new family amongst the talented musicians trying to achieve the same thing he is (but actually attending the Academy).

Marty is welcomed in London by Pierce, a dreamy-looking musician and friend of his cousin. Of course, we all know where that is going from page one. However, their relationship has a weird dynamic from the very start. Pierce never seems fully committed and disappears several times without considering Marty's feelings. Not to mention that multiple members of the friend group warn Marty that Pierce is not the relationship kind of guy and is using him to advance his musical career. But who cares about red flags and warnings? Not Marty, he thinks starving himself is the only thing hindering their relationship. And unlike anxiety, disordered eating is just not dealt with in the best way. Marty just snaps out of it. He realizes that everyone else was right and that Pierce was treating him like shit and just gets better. It all just wrapped up with a nice pretty bow, not the best look.
Also, can we talk about Megan? I mean, she is just not a nice person. She is a terrible friend and, to be honest, kind of a bitch. But dear old Marty just takes it in good spirit and thinks she's just pushing him out of his comfort zone. Of course, until she outs him to the entire school/young people in the community.
I wanted to have read a bit more about Marty's relationship with his parents, especially once it started to improve. They may have been toxic in the past, but you can see they are trying to make better choices and support their son. Homophobia in a small town is not a new concept, but unfortunately, it remains a very real problem for queer teens all over the world, and it is important to keep bringing it to light.
Loved the traveling parts, seeing Marty explore his surrounding was one of the most enjoyable parts of the book.
Overall, I think this was meant to make Marty a relatable queer young adult, trying to find his own place in the world but was just not it for me. Also, who in his right mind flies across the world with barely any money, no job, no concrete plans while lying to their entire family? In real life, this would have ended very badly...

If I'm honest, I do have mixed feelings on this book. That is not to say I did not enjoy my reading experience, because I did, however I was under the impression this would be a sweet, cute romance, when in reality it dealt with very heavy topics. Anxiety and homophobia were topics I anticipated reading, but I did not expect the topics of disordered eating, nor of body image.
Nevertheless,. Stamper's writing is easy to engage with and fun - he's clearly incredibly talented at building a story.

I liked this contemporary novel. It was the right mix between serious and sweet with some really nice moments in this of discovery and discussion. The themes of friendship and romance were done well and i liked the variety of friends Marty made when he moved to London. I could definitely see this being a good read for an under 16-year-old as it touches on many important themes relating young gay men on that cusp between adulthood and childhood. The writing was beautiful and there were several moments that made me tear up or get super angry.

As Far As You’ll Take Me is about a boy called Marty who has a one way ticket to the U.K. With his oboe and just enough savings from his summer job, he tries to start a new beginning in London, but time is running out and things don’t entirely go with what Marty had planned for himself. ⁣
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This was a really touching and emotional book, and took me completely by surprise at some of the topics that emerged while reading. ⁣
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I really related to Marty with a lot of his issues with his friends, family and himself. There was a point towards the end of the book that really stuck with me and I kept thinking about it for days after finishing. It resonated so deep and it brought up so many unexpected feelings that I pushed into the back of my head. ⁣
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This book is also a musical lovers dream. It made me want to pick back up the violin! ⁣
I’m not that knowledgeable on certain musical terms, but it felt oddly nostalgic in a sense to read and experience the love of music that the characters have. ⁣
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If you’re looking for a quick, emotional and touching read, I would 100% suggest this. Some of the subjects were hard to read due to the triggering nature, but I came away from this book feeling happy, content and proud. ⁣
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Trigger warnings are eating disorder, toxic relationships, mental health, family trauma and religious views.

Gorgeous novel, a wonderful read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

This book was alright. Not the most memorable read.

I think if the premise appeals to you, then you'll probably enjoy this queer YA story. As a Londoner who dreamt of moving here from abroad as a teen, I really identified with the protagonist's 'at any cost' approach to moving over here.

Marty's willingness to see the good in some unlikeable people and his journey to understanding that not everyone has your best intentions at heart was an interesting arc for his character. However, considering the amount of incredible queer YA fiction out there now, this one didn't wow me.

Still worth a read if you think it might be your thing.

Trigger Warnings: eating disorders, anxiety/panic attacks, religious bigotry, homophobia, mention of conversion programs

One of my favorite books in 2020 was The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper, so I was delighted to see that he had a new book out this year. For me, As Far As You’ll Take Me wasn’t quite the five-star read that his previous book was, but this is still an entertaining and engaging story that will be ideal for summer reading.

Marty is an anxiety-suffering gay seventeen-year-old from a conservative town in Kentucky where he is only out to his disapproving, conservative Christian parents and his best friends. Desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere of his hometown, he has lied to his parents in order to spend three months living in London where they believe he is studying at a prestigious music school and living with his estranged (and very liberal) aunt and cousin Shane. Instead, Marty is planning to spend the time auditioning and finding a permanent position somewhere that will allow him to obtain a visa and never go back to small-town life.

However, Marty’s plans are almost immediately derailed when he is met at the airport by Shane’s friend Pierce. The pair are flirting with each other within minutes and soon, Marty is spending more time trying to impress Pierce than on achieving his own goals. This includes dangerous crash dieting after Pierce comments negatively about his own weight. Marty’s relationships with his new London friends and his cousin/roommate begin to suffer, as does his health, but is Pierce really as wonderful as he seems, or is he just using Marty to further his own career?

While mostly set in London, this is a globe-trotting book that also features sections set in Cardiff, Brighton (the LGBTQ capital of the UK), Kentucky, and even parts of Italy. Everything is well-researched – I could easily picture where Marty and his friends were walking during the scenes set in places I had visited – and mostly avoids boring stereotypes which is refreshing. It was great seeing the characters, Marty in particular, exploring different parts of the UK and Europe rather than simply staying in one spot, no matter how vibrant a setting London might be.

Although technically a YA book, As Far As You’ll Take Me deals with some pretty heavy topics. Marty’s anxiety disorder is a major focus of the story, along with his rapidly intensifying eating disorder and the homophobia he continues to face from his conservative parents. Marty struggles in crowds and finds the bustle of London difficult to handle at first but we get to see him learn coping techniques that allow him to get by successfully even in the busiest areas. The people around him are also largely supportive, although you do get to see how the different responses Marty receives influence his mental health both positively and negatively.

Unfortunately, at the same time, Marty’s eating difficulties are getting more and more pronounced. Both his health conditions are handled sensitively if dealt with a little too easily (as is often the way in fiction), but the first-person perspectives on food in many parts of the book may well be intensely triggering to readers also struggling with their relationship with food. LGBTQ readers who have grown up in conservative, religious families may also find some scenes upsetting, especially the flashback-style diary entries where Marty recalls his first visit to London with his parents.

I struggle to say why As Far As You’ll Take Me didn’t grab me as much as Stamper’s previous book, but I simply failed to connect with it. Perhaps this was partly due to the musical world Marty inhabits, filled with similarly-aged students from the Knightsbridge Academy of Music. Many of the conversations are about playing music, auditioning, and also about specific pieces of music and how well they work on certain instruments. Given that my personal experience of playing music doesn’t extend much beyond trying to learn Three Blind Mice on the recorder at infant school, this felt like an alien world I was on the outside of trying to look in and, perhaps as a result, I never formed much of a connection with the characters. However, comments and reviews I have seen from readers who do have a musical background suggest that the very thing that pushed me away has drawn many other readers in.

While I didn’t enjoy As Far As You’ll Take Me as much as The Gravity of Us, this is still a fantastic summer read with a diverse cast and great mental health representation. I would especially recommend it to anyone who feels stuck in a life that doesn’t fit them and also to anyone longing to travel once the Covid19 crisis has finally abated.

GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

I really enjoyed reading this, it’s such a touching read which represents anxiety and mental health in such a honest and sensitive way. A moving and heartful coming of age story this covers a lot of tough issues and Marty’s struggles are sensitively portrayed and the book captures his messy relationships, striking the balance between struggle and hope. It’s beautifully written and very addictive reading, highly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Sadly this was just a okay read for me! It’s such as shame as I loved Stamper’s first novel a lot and I though I would really love this one but.. it seems to just land a bit flat. I liked the characters and that a big plus for me. And it’s not a bad book at all sadly I just couldn’t really get into it.

As Far As You'll Take Me is a fantastic read. It tackles experiences and mental health issues that many will relate to in an open and sensitive way. It could potentially trigger readers as it doesn't shy away from the topics it discusses. The characters are very relatable and the description of London will likely make you want to go and visit. An enjoyable read that many readers will relate to.

This book is cute and engaging and features a coming of age story not usually seen in YA.

In this book, the cool kids play in orchestras.

I particularly loved how the author made a feature of the city of London at the beginning of the story - it was so well written it felt like an extra character.

I really liked this book. I found the story easy to read and enjoyable. I appreciated the contrast between American and English Culture as well as the diversity of the characters. The inclusion of LGBTQ+ community and the tackling of Male Mental Heath such as Anxiety and Eating Disorders. I related to Marty's anxiety and really appreciated seeing his way of dealing with things (lists) as this is something I do. It was interesting to see the typical dynamics from heteronormative relationships in a LGBTQ+ relationship. I really enjoyed the U.K setting as an English reader as I was able to follow the journey's they took around the country.

Marty escapes his small town and religious family to join his cousin in London, where he hopes to get a job playing the oboe. He has the summer to prove that he can do this to his parents, who think that he is attending a music summer school. Free from hiding his sexuality, Marty embraces friendships and romance but his anxiety spirals out of control.
This is a very readable and believable story of a teenager who has been repressed by his very religious family and the small American town they live in. I was elated when Marty arrived in London and began to live freely for the first time, he makes a lot of mistakes and this understandably exacerbates his anxiety. Despite several things that go wrong, Marty learns to deal with his anxiety and finally begins the life he had been praying for.

Nothing overly wrong with this one, just not for me.

There's a lot in this book that in theory would have worked for me, but unfortunately it didn't live up to what I wanted this to be.

WHY IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME:
-The concept really isn't unique - I've seen it been done many times before.
-I couldn't connect with any of the characters - besides Sophie, who was a side character, none of the characters worked that well with me, and in a character drawn novel like this, that is pretty important. Marty is quite a frustrating character.
-There's not a great conclusion at the end - We kind of have to accept that the eating disorder Marty develops across the novel just fixes itself, which isn't realistic.
-The writing is just okay in my opinion
-There's some inconsistencies in the character - Marty goes on about googling everything in advance, but there's a lot of quite simple things that he doesn't know the differences between (in terms of the differences between American and British English).

WHAT I DID LIKE:
-Sophie (obviously)
-The ending is good (besides leaving out some things)
-Discussions of toxic friendships - this is something I could relate to.

Big TW for eating disorders.

I DNF'd this book 45% in. Unfortunately the anxiety representation was so accurate, it gave me second hand anxiety. And on the basis I didn't care for the characters and overall wasn't interested in the story, I wasn't willing to put myself through the anxiety to finish the book off.

TW for anxiety, disordered eating, toxic relationship/friendships.

In January I read The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper and I loved it! It was so fun and nerdy, all about space travel and exploration with amazing characters. And ever since finishing that book I have been waiting to get my hands on a copy of As Far As You'll Take Me, Phil Stamper's second novel.
As Far As You'll Take Me focuses on Marty's summer abroad in London, except he's not attending the prestigious summer school his parents think he is.. he's running away. My heart broke for Marty in the very first chapter, he's an incredibly sweet and passionate character who just wants to live his life as he pleases.
Phil Stamper writes novels that resonate with me so much, The Gravity of Us found the inner Space nerd in me and As Far As You'll Take Me spoke to the teen girl who practiced her squeaky clarinet until her brother shut all the doors. Whilst both of these novels dealt with serious and sad situations, the majority of the stories are fun and engaging tales about queer boys finding love in the un-likeliest of places! Phil Stamper writes with humour that is very much needed in contemporary LGBTQ+ stories while not shying away from the realities of life. As Far As You'll Take Me is another great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.