3.5 stars
Isaac is a compelling coming-of-age story set in the digital age.
It is a quick and engaging read, and Isaac’s relatable as the main character.
In some ways, if you like Call Me By Your Name, you might enjoy this book - though, they are very different in their settings.
Characterisation 3.5
Plot 3.5
Prose 3
Themes 5

4.5!⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
A beautiful and poignant coming of age read. Isaac's naievity is frustrating and heartbreaking to read at times, it is easy to forget how young he is as he goes through a tumultuous journey of self discovery.
Skillfully written, relatable and shedding light on some incredibly important subject matter that we don't see enough of! Isaac's relationship with his mother, cherish and later his uni friends are heart warming to read. His disastrous relationship with Harrison on the other hand shattered my heart for poor Isaac. Very very nearly a 5 star read for me, I just wanted a little more for Cherish who was treated pretty appealingly by Isaac at times and didn't quite have the full redemption journey I was hoping on this - however I have battled with this thought as Isaac is still so very young. An important read and excellently executed.

I picked up the novel because I'm curious about the ways in which the young(er) generation imagines growing up/becoming queer. It's sweet. Here, coming of age (graduating high school, going to college, first sex, first love) is interspersed with body image issues (which I found lacking in motivation), family issues (though thankfully not with the main character's sexuality), power relations, and finding a voice through writing. I love it even more because of the coincidence that much of the action takes place in Lewisham, where I stayed when I visited London this year.

Isaac is an uncompromising and vivid portrait of that liminal time between A-levels and university.



It really captures that late-teenage experience, where emotions come the size of articulated lorries and every decision feels vital and precipitous.



Queer readers own memories of first loves and misguided teenage dalliances will certainly be provoked while you read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc. This is a complex and in depth look at a young man discovering himself and his identity. It doesn't shy away from painful things. The writing is great, the characters well rounded. I saw myself and my friends in the interactions between Isaac and Cherish