I really wanted to love Marty with all my heart. Having read Stamper's first book, I was excited to see what he would do next and I'm very disappointed. Whereas the first book flows well, has an interesting theme with fun twists and turns, "As Far As You'll Take Me" doesn't succeed in the same way.

In the first 80 pages, Marty has several panic attacks, which doesn't further the plot and turns the reading experience quite stressful. There are endless descriptions of Marty's friendship with Megan always with the same emotive note. The diary entries are also pointless, as we know from the start we blew up the audition. Also, what's up with him finding Kentucky every place he goes to? The flowers in the pub, the green hills of Italy, the beach in Brighton...it was heavy-handed to say the least.

I love young adult queer books because as Stamper says in the acknowledgements it's important for young queers to feel like they are not in alone in their experiences - and the book does portray body image struggles (so common in the queer community) with some level of authenticity. But, everywhere else the book feels long, repetitive and shallow.

After being disappointed by the authors first novel, I wanted to give this one a shot and I did enjoy it quite a bit more! But the parts of their first novel that I had issues with, were present again here. The writing didn’t feel good, it felt juvenile and I just didn’t love it, also, the realistic factor of it. I’m not being funny but I really don’t think there are many parents who would happily let their child go to a country across the Atlantic for a summer on their own when they’re 17???

I really hated Pearce also from the start, HES a bad person and you can disagree with me but he is. And Marty constantly is trying to impress him until the very end and that just doesn’t sit well with me. When a guy you like basically makes you develop an eating disorder, it’s unhealthy and borderline abusive and I feel like the ending is set up so that they will get together eventually.

I loved a lot of the characters, especially Shane, Sophie, Dani and Sing who all seemed to care about Marty and his wellbeing and they were just a really great group who I loved a heck of a lot. I love found family so, so much.

So no this novel, wasn’t really for me and I think I’ll give the authors next novel a go and if I don’t love that one I’ll stop reading his books in the future bc life is too short to read books you don’t like.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I DNFed at 44% because of how heavy on music it was. I know it's kind of a silly reason but all of the music details flew over my head and I wasn't especially interested in it.

I also am not sold on the romance and honestly? Marty had more chemistry with Sang, who he busked with once than he does with his love interest.

I also think that the author googled how British people speak and applied the most basic of stereotypes on a bunch of teenagers, not considering the area they are from. Honestly, half of it worked and half of it failed, not to mention that these days most British people are more aware of America and typical American things than American teenagers are. So, I found so many of the things to be inaccurate.

As Far As You'll Take Me is a YA coming of age story about a teenager trying to find his place and purpose away from his family and hometown. Marty's been dealing with his religious parents' disapproval since he came out to them last year, but now he's taking a leap into the unknown, and going from Kentucky to London to try and live his dreams of becoming a musician. Only problem is, he's lied to his parents about why he's there (he didn't get into the music school he was hoping for and is instead hoping to find a job), his anxiety and body image issues are making things tough for him, and he needs more people on his side.

This book was refreshing in its focus on Marty getting away from toxic people in different ways and remembering what he really wants, as a lot of the narrative is around a whirlwind London romance that isn't quite as Marty thinks it is and around Marty's baggage from home, particularly his parents and his not-always-very-nice best friend. The message is around forming a chosen family and making friends who support you in ways that don't make you feel bad, and that felt powerful, though it was hard to watch Marty make mistakes to get there. In some ways the book was very much the 'expectation vs reality' meme, showing how Marty needed to step back and consider things to see what changes he wanted, rather than just trying to be a magical new version of himself.

Fans of Stamper's debut The Gravity of Us might expect more of a romcom from this one, but instead it's a more grounded (pun intended) look at someone learning how to find a place for themselves and surround themselves with the right people. Marty makes mistakes and has a lot to deal with at times (and idealises London to an extent that is almost painful), and Stamper covers issues like disordered eating and forced outing without making them the main focus of the story, but this is still ultimately an upbeat look at finding ways to grow that are positive and finding people to grow with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Marty arrives in London with nothing but his oboe and meagre savings from his summer job, but he’s excited to begin his new life - no longer the closeted kid who slips under the radar and is now free to explore himself and his sexuality without his parents’ disapproval looming over him. From the outside, Marty’s life seems like the perfect fantasy: in a few weeks he has made new friends, he’s growing close to his very first boyfriend, and he’s travelling Europe. Yet Marty knows the facade he has put up can’t last long. He hasn’t spoken to his parents since arriving in Britain, his savings are dwindling, homesickness and anxiety are clawing at him and he hasn’t come close to landing a job of his dreams. Is it possible for Marty to find a place that feels like home?

Marty is a character you can’t help but adore. He’s a brave, old soul chasing his calling elsewhere in the world. Like all of us, all he truly wants is to fit in as who he is, not other’s impressions of him. I loved seeing this shy, LGBTQ+ character take on the world in any way he could, even if at times it was messy and bad for him. Marty is realistic, a perfect interpretation of a young adult simply wishing to live his life and gain new experiences. He doubts himself, he wonders about things he could have done differently and he is eager to step out of the shadows and into the sun.

Stamper’s inclusion of mental illness was pretty good in my opinion. He tackled anxiety, elements of depression and eating disorders. Each matter was handled with care but equally, was given enough focus for the reader to take note. They weren’t added as devices for you to purely sympathise with Marty as a character, but to relate to him as a person. Many teenagers experience some form of mental illness and it is important that it isn’t forgotten. Combine this with the addition of difficult friendships and we have a winner. It’s easy for a person to stick with the friends they’ve had for years when it is difficult to find new ones - even if they have a negative impact on your life. I empathised with the way Stamper had Marty reluctantly removing himself from previous toxic friendships and enjoyed seeing the highlights and more positive moments too.

Overall, As Far As You’ll Take Me is a fantastic story that proves being yourself is all you need to be and that no one should make you feel smaller than you are.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advanced copy.

Marty leaves Kentucky to start a new life in London, away from his small town religious upbringing and his parents. He's determined to be a new person, stepping outside his comfort zone and not hiding himself.

This story takes you through Marty's first few months in London and flashes back to his time in London a year previously, He meets a new group of friends, gets a boyfriend and travels through Europe. But is he happy?

I enjoyed reading this but didn't get as drawn into the story as The Gravity of Us. I will still be recommending this though and ensuring people read it. Thank you for the early copy.

Marty was such a relatable character, I understood all of his anxieties and they were so well described. He has to deal with all of his anxieties, but he also wants to be adventurous and try new things, which was very relatable, and seeing how he grew as a character was great!

This book also covered a lot of different issues, from anxiety and disordered eating to being gay in a religious family, and it handled them all very well without taking away from the main points of the story.

The friendships and relationships were also realistic, as they weren't perfect and a lot of things went wrong but that made it so much more lifelike. I didn't really understand all of the musical references but I did like how the group had a big common interest that tied them all together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

I highly enjoyed Phil Stamper's space-race YA romcom 'The Gravity of Us', so I was incredibly excited to read his new novel 'As Far As You'll Take Me'. As a music nerd (clarinet) and (up until very recently) Londoner, I loved the focus on a group of passionate musicians trying to make a living in our wonderful capital city. Marty is from Kentucky, a conservative small town, coming to London for a summer music programme at a prestigious academy... Or at least that is what his very religious and judgemental parents believe. In reality, Marty flunked his audition and has plans to stay in London more permanently than expected, both to escape the torment from his parents and controlling best friend Megan and to embrace his music career and sexuality on his own terms.

Marty is a really sweet protagonist and I loved reading about his growth in his sense of self across the novel. He has some challenging moments, related to his sexuality and body image, but it is heartening to see him shed a number of toxic relationships to make his own way in the world. There are some friendships/romantic relationships which add to Marty's insecurity. For example, front and centre is an intense romantic relationship with music student Pierce. It is difficult to read about a character as lovely as Marty make less than ideal choices but this is why his character arc is ultimately satisfying for the reader.

Overall, this is an adorable story about identity and forging your own path. The story paints a vivid portrait of what makes London such a great city. Some of the descriptions felt a little too detailed, reading as someone who knows the city and woodwind instruments well, but it is clear this book will be able to appeal to a wide range of people. A sweet book with a key message which will be enjoyed by its young adult audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.8/5 stars.

TW: eating disorders, forced outing, homophobia, anxiety.

As Far as You'll Take Me is a raw intense book about our main character Marty trying to make a new start in London, away from his small town and parents who aren't accepting of his sexuality. It depicts his anxiety incredibly well, as something that surrounds him and every move he makes, and encompasses the struggles of a gay teenager trying to make a place for themselves and grow.

Marty was a sweet main character, I really felt for him and his struggles and anxieties. He was very relatable, ambitious but fearful, shy but wanting to make new friends and try new things but afraid of the fall if he takes the risk and jumps. Even if I was disappointed with him for jumping into a relationship, I understood him. I enjoyed reading about him, and his passion for music. I know nothing about music so it all went over my head, but I liked reading about his choices in music and how he connected to others through music. It felt very genuine.

There were some parts that fell flat, like Pierce. A lot of the book was focused on him, since Marty was focused on him, and I personally didn't care much for him. Some of his journeys in London felt almost cringey, though as a Londoner I may just be more cynical when reading about the city. Nonetheless, it was cute reading about Marty's fascination with the city and how at home he felt in a place that was accepting of him. I think the whole novel really showed what it's like to grow as a teenager, to make your own decisions and find your own family.

Release Date: Expected Expected 9th February 2021

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / LGBT



Marty doesn't think he's the protagonist in anyones story. But now he's getting his own story. After months of meticulous planning, he's heading across the world to London to stay with his cousin under the guise of reauditioning at his dream music school ... but he isn't coming back. With an overly religious family who can't quite accept him, questionable friends and anxiety that is almost crippling him, there's nothing for him there.

After a deadly combination of jetlag and infatuation leaves him crushing on his cousins best friend within minutes of arriving, Marty is finally ready for adventure. He's got his Oboe, he's got a cute boy, a team of musicians who are slowly becoming friends ... and a glimmer of hope that might finally be in sight. But boys suck, families suck, and anxiety sucks, so it's not going to be easy.

'As Far As You'll Take Me' is told from two points of Marty's life - his current adventure and old journal entries from the last time he tried to follow his dreams - slowly filling out all the pieces of this wonderful character who was so very easy to fall for the more we got to know him. The story was slow in places and looking back, not very much happened but when reading I was so wrapped up in what Marty was thinking or planning next that I just didn't notice at all. There were so many things about this book that I saw coming, which to begin with kind of threw me out of the story - but this isn't a murder mystery, it's about life. And the way this was written made me feel like I was a friend, quietly watching Marty ignore countless red flags as people so often do and wait for him to wake up and see the truth.

This was a truly warming and uplifting tale about acceptance, love, and self-discovery in all it's forms with an ending that left me bursting with pride.

Sometimes, the best reinvention is finding yourself.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐



TW: Homophobia / Anxiety / Eating Disorders

Thank you to Netgalley and Phil Stamper for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I really loved Phil Stamper's first novel, the gravity of us, and when I heard this one I was super excited but also nervous that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. Well, I'm happy to say this exceeded them! From the discussions of mental health that really resonated with me to the cute and fluffy protagonist who is literally one of the most loveable characters I've ever read, this was the perfect second novel and I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

This book is a middle grade book of a teen looking for acceptance after coming out to his parents. This book didn’t say anything new but could be valuable to a teen or preteen reader.