I just don't understand the high praise for this one. Maybe it's a case of you know and love the person who wrote it so you love the work more? I just could not get into it, it felt so surface level.

Unfortunately I didn't like the writing nor the story. After about 100 pages I gave up on trying to reading it further. It felt like the story wasn't going anywhere and there was just a lot of white male whining with nothing really happening. Not a book for me nor would I recommend it to anyone.

Blue Graffiti by Calahan Skogman is beautifully written. It was difficult for me to get into in the beginning as the pacing and format felt choppy and didn’t flow, but as this is an ARC these things could potentially be corrected for the final published version. The writing was the standout aspect of this book, and it’s evident that Skogman has a background in poetry. As someone who grew up in a small town, I connected to Johnston and the relationships tied to the town. This book has been compared quite a bit to The Outsiders which I agree with. Any fan of that classic is sure to love this story!

Thank you NetGalley and Unnamed Press for this ARC!

I did quite enjoy the book until 10% but it written in a style that i'm not used to so even though I paused my read for now, I will pick it up later when I have more time to take my time with the book rather than quickly fly through like I do many of the "easy read" romcoms. And adding to why i paused it for now was because I was travelling and then got back and was sick so I just didnt feel like I had the space to really get into it, but I hope that this will be turned into proper review as I have been hearing more and more praise about this book :)

“A love letter to Mid-West America!”

One of the BEST books I’ve read in a long time!! I’ve never felt so close to and understood by any fictional characters in a while. But the way Calahan writes, especially writes Cash, has me experiencing all the feelings I’ve sat with.

Just the emotions Cash goes through. Love, lust, longing, loss, heartbreak and more. While still staying a loyal friend and person to the people and the town he calls home.

This novel has a beautiful story and prose, from debut author Calahan Skogman! Reading it felt like reading poetry!

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

As far as summaries go, I don't really know where to start with this one. We spend the book with Cash, a 29-year-old man living in Johnston, WI. He's always been there. Most everyone has always been there. Things change, sure, but day after day rolls by and Cash finds himself in the same place and is content to remain that way. And then a woman walks into his local bar.

My favorite kind of fiction skews literary and is often about not a whole lot -- day-to-day life, the emotions we all deal with as it grinds by. Joy, fear, grief, love, anger, etc. That's what I thought 'Blue Graffiti' would be, but it was so much more. It felt like all of my favorite books about places -- Steinbeck writing love letters to the Salinas Valley, William Least Heat Moon weaving his way through an America that doesn't exist anymore along blue highways, lessons about the universe through motorcycle maintenance. I'm incredibly impressed by the utterly absorbing tone with which Skogman writes. It's poetry sandwiched between the ordinary exchanges of people who love and know each other, and it's a deep, romantic ode to the Midwest (transferrable to any place you've ever loved singularly, I'm just biased as a Midwest girl myself).

Though the narrative is in first person, the way Cash describes the people and places around him makes them stand on their own. I grew to care for his entire crew, for the places he visited in his mind and in the story, and I felt for them just as much as he did. The entire book just seeps with tenderness, a raw wound of nostalgia and searching for something, for purpose, love, for the answer, who knows.

I know that I'll be going back to reread and pull from this novel many times. It's one of those, folks!

4.5 stars.

what an amazing debut from callahan! I love his acting and his writing and prose are so beautiful. I am so grateful I got a copy of this book. Just a stunning small town love story.

If you want to read a love story told from the perspective of a man, this book is for you. I struggled to call it a romance because the book (attempts to) leans more into the general/literary fiction genre than most romances. I say "attempts to" because it tried to be deeper than it was - it felt like literary fiction written by a dude bro, which didn't feel literary at all and instead more like a stream of consciousness writing style that feels forced and uncomfortable. I don't need to know what a midwestern Chad's inner dialogue feels like and yet I was subjected to it anyways. I will commend Skogman for his immersive writing and settings, though. I felt like I was truly in each and every scene alongside the characters.

The romantic feelings Cash felt towards Rose had no depth and I really disagree with this being pitched as a romance. Its a messy love story at best, which is totally enjoyable if that is what you are looking for. But I picked this up looking for a romance and finished it feeling disappointed.

I will truly think about this book for years to come.

Blue Graffiti is described as a love letter to the middle of nowhere Midwestern America. That description alone made me worried this book wasn’t going to be for me but I was pleasantly surprised.

Cash is a 29 year old who has had so much hardship and loss in his life. He loves his small town and the friends he has there but is always considering leaving and finding what else is out there. It often seems as though he wants to run from his childhood and the things he hasn’t fully dealt with. His fear of leaving what is comfortable often stops him from taking the leap and having a change of scenery.

I think this is a story that just found me when I needed it. Calahan’s poetic writing describes the depths of loss and grief in a way that feels as if my own personal experiences were spoken about in this book. He simultaneously writes about new found love and the feeling of finding someone who understands your experiences in a way that gives hope.

This is one of those rare books that you find yourself rereading and finding new imagery and quotes that stick out to you each time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unnamed Press for this arc!

⭐️ 3.75

What a beautiful debut novel! As someone who's lived in the Midwest my entire life, and was born and raised in a one-stop light town in Iowa, reading this felt like going home. I've had a love/hate relationship with where I grew up and this book made me feel a lot differently (in a good way) about my experience.

At times the dialogue was a bit hard to follow and there were some chapters that felt out of place and came out of nowhere, but all in all this was beautifully written and I could absolutely see myself reading this again when I'm feeling nostalgic for home. I can't wait to read more of Skogman's work in the future!

"Windows down, the Johnston evening air rolls in, uninhibited, effortless and wise. The cloth seats of my Saturn are still warm from baking in the afternoon sun and the countryside is bathed in those descending hues of orange. A premonition chill sweeps my skin, a call to arms. There's something on the horizon, something coming. There's a real change brewing, I just know it. As the familiar landscape of rolling green and brown passes through my eyes, the future is illuminated through mysterious messages, hidden in shimmering leaves of maple trees just begging to change color in fall. In due time, they'll spin their way down. They'll crown the Midwest with beauty and I'll catch a few in my hands, all the while listening for the whispered plans of God. Everything is feeling alright. The farm field air holds promise."
That is just one of so, so many gorgeous passages that build up this book's foundations. Mr. Skogman's writing easily places the reader into the story he's crafted. The friendships Cash has with Leon and Prince were written unbelievably well. My problem was the romance. On Netgalley, it was advertised as romance, but majority of the book was Cash pining after Rose, then proceeding to sleep with another woman before asking her out. It just read as he was in love with the idea of her, of their cliche picket-fence-happily-ever-after, and eventually falling in love with the actual woman. This just didn't sit right with me.
As always, thank you to Netgalley, Unnamed Publishing, and Mr. Skogman for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Unnamed Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler: The whole book felt like having a deep conversation with my childhood friends.

I got so attached to these characters, it was painful. I ended up not necessarily loving them, but caring for them like they have been a part of my life for years and years. The style was so intimate, with Cash, the main character, sharing his innermost thoughts, beliefs and feelings. I couldn't help but get attached, and I was thinking about these characters long after finishing the book, more so because the whole book focused on a very small group of people and how interconnected their lives were.

I need to point out that it was very obvious that Calahan Skogman comes from a poetic background. His way of writing is very lyrical, with extensive descriptions. At first, I found it a bit hard to get into it, but by the end I was blown away by how beautiful the narration got. The imagery was vivid and simply put, wonderful.

The plot? I don't think it was that relevant. The book was mostly character driven, with the plot being a way for Cash to understand and accept his feelings and what he's been through. The story followed him through the good, the bad, but mostly the ordinary, which is why it felt so intimate. Life is not always good or bad, sometimes it simply is ordinary.

Cash and Rose's relationship also felt very realistic. No huge, impressive gestures, but real feelings and understanding each other. Honestly, for me, the romance was not necessarily their relationship, but the small town: the friendships, the connections, the community. This is what Cash loved.

All in all, I think it was a great debut from Calahan Skogman! The poetical writing turned a this book into an ode to the small-town life.

I felt this novel wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. The writing was beautiful and the characters were endearing but I felt bored and a little lost throughout most of the book.

A promising debut! It was a nice story, and well written. Sometimes it felt like it was trying too hard at flowery prose, but as a poet turned fiction writer that’s to be expected. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I think that this author could become something really special.

I found this book to be too dense and boring to truly engage with. It was a bit of a struggle to get myself to the end.

when i first saw i’d received the arc of calahan’s debut novel, i was ecstatic as i’d watched him in shadow and bone, which made me eager to check out his work. firstly, it is so clear in his writing that he comes from a poetry background; the lyrical way of describing things and beautiful passages were blowing me away subtly. as for the plot, i can only hope it was influenced by a a certain someone in his life, with whom the internet seemingly ships his with…but i digress. i highly recommend this beautiful story and im thoroughly impressed by his first novel- can’t wait to read more!

The novel is set in the fictional small town of Johnston, Wisconsin, where Cash, now aged 29, has lived all of his life. He is anchored to Johnston by a deep sense of *place*. In addition, he is tied there emotionally by his group of close friends who are like family to him, and by the memory of his own family: his beloved mother, who died in a car crash, and the father who disappeared from his life, and toward whom he feels both love and hate. The story is a small slice of Cash’s life that captures the dynamics of his friends and family as well as the changes he feels in himself when he meets Rose, a new woman who comes to Johnston with deep green eyes and a constellation of freckles on her cheeks that immediately grab Cash’s heart.

There are several overarching themes framing his story. Foremost is that of Cash trying to make sense of the bad and good in life, and “…holding fast to my faith in the bright future. No matter how wonderful or terrible the past, what is ahead will be special. It will be the way. This is the thing. This is hope.”

Another theme is the background “music” to the story that is the background music in the lives of the people of Johnston: the blues. Skogman writes:

“. . . a feeling so deep and so settled that you’d often forget it was there, but it is an essential element of your blood. It’s a recognition that things are fleeting and fragile and changing, and they’ll never stop being that way. . . . It’s an admission that God hasn’t made the walk easy or kind all the time, and life is a journey, full of harsh nights, cold mornings and scattered stretches of yellow sun. To have the blues is to know that it’s all more worth it that way, together, it is.”

Cash, once while tripping on acid, covered the entire walls of his basement with a mural of abstract cuts and swoops: “The wall looked like it was crying, like it was hemorrhaging blue. I had covered the entire wall of my basement in blue graffiti. . . . I could feel the blue slashes of pain, the torment, the chaos, all together with the serene, calm areas of relief. . . . It was my life. That’s the only way I could describe it. It was all of our lives.”

He often reflects on the lives of the people of Johnston, so intertwined with his own: “Quiet, simple talkers who get up early hours and do their jobs. They get their hands filthy and calloused and make just enough money. They take care of their homes, try their best, and get little rest. . . These are the people of God’s Earth that won’t detail your history books. They won’t make all that much noise.”

Instead, he muses, he and they leave their mark in “the graffiti of our town. . . . We are cracks in sidewalks, bent street signs, rusted gutters and train tracks. We are nails in wooden boards, handprints in cement. We are creaks in the doors of diners, stains from cigarettes. We are streaks of graffiti, blue as the sky.”

He also maintains that “Truth is, none of that big city, big money life had anything to do with the lives of the people here. They are universes apart.” This observation speaks to what is perhaps my favorite sketch in the book of what life is like in Johnston, when Cash talks about the ex-girlfriend of one of his friends:

“Shelby didn’t love him anymore but lacked the courage to cut the thing off swift and bloody. She was probably scared of being alone, just like all the rest of us, terrified of shoving chips into her mouth, solo on her carpet couch where the material was so old it rained cotton and almost swallowed you whole when you sat.”

In that passage I could *see* Shelby sitting in that room, staring into the harsh sun out the dirty window, despairing of her life, weighing the pros and cons of what was possible for her. So many passages in this book were like that: poetic reflections that make the mundane worth observing, and worthy of love.

Evaluation: I was immediately reminded of the book "Shotgun Lovesongs," with its small town Wisconsin setting, the focus on a small group of friends, and the prose that often sounds like poetry. Skogman’s reflections on the nature of family relationships and his evocative portraits of the realities of small town life in America is impressive in its *recognizability.* I lived in a small town during high school, and his descriptions of the diner, the sticky dim-lit bar (“Jimmy’s Place”) , the car repair shops, the familiar detritus on lawns, the dreams of escape by its denizens - it was all so familiar. Skogman did an excellent job in capturing all of it and elevating it to something special.

An absolutely beautiful debut! This was beyond poetic and lyrical and just simply stunning writing. Who knew Calahan was a poet?? The story was incredibly immersive and very descriptive and not at all what I was expecting but I found myself falling for the characters and the town and just wanting everyone to be ok!

It’s definitely more litfic than romance.. the romance is a very minor part of the plot but what there was I was invested in. I would say this is very character driven. No real plot. Just following the life of Cash so be ready for that. I could see it all play out so clearly in my head though and the only person who could ever play Cash is clearly Calahan so…. We need to make that happen asap k? K.

VERY excited to see what else he writes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and The Unnamed Press for the ARC!

i’ve been a fan of calahan skogman since he blessed our screens as mathias in six of crows! when i saw he realised his own book i was very excited due to enjoying his poetry. this book did not disappoint! his writing and his mind is truly admirable and i hope he writes more. phenomenal. truly brilliant.