Quietly devastating in the best way, Scraps captures the ache and rush of first love with raw honesty, set against the grit of small-town skate parks and the softness of teenage longing.

This is a really beautiful young adult book. Following two boys as they fall in love during a summer in the early 2000’s, it perfectly incapsulates the grittiness and aimlessness of that time. It is so realistic and the characters make decisions and have conversations that are completely authentic. The artwork is beautiful too. I really liked this one. I received a digital copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I thought that this book was super charming! I really liked the illustrated chapter headings and they made the reading experience more dynamic. Scraps is a raw coming-of-age story that has a focus on skateboarding, art, and nascent love. The language used is descriptive and you can really feel the exact nuanced emotions the main characters experience from the get-go. It's a nostalgic story, both because it is set in the past but also because this story is familiar in the best way.

What a sweet story this was.

Starting with the negatives, I feel like this book needed more editing. The writing is a bit stilted at times, and while we mostly stick with Gus, the omniscient narrator does jump between heads now and then. It's an amateurish flaw that isn’t really needed since the small bits of introspection we get from other characters could have easily come through Gus’s perspective. I get that Max’s POV was meant to add depth to his character, and my heart truly broke for him; but having Gus notice a bruise on his collarbone and seeing his stepfather enter the shop brusquely at the beginning of the book would have told readers well enough. Not every homophobic prick needs to be a closet case sniffing their mates' underwear. Gus’s POV alone would have sufficed, but if the author wanted multiple perspectives, a dual POV between Gus and Bridger (with separated chapters) would have worked better than the narrator bouncing around.
Also, a few bits of modern-ish slang (like using "to clock" instead of "to notice", "vibing") pulled me out of the story, though those were thankfully rare.

That said, this book really nails what it feels like to grow up in a rural place, being the odd one out and finding your people among the "alt" kids. I, too, remember fondly those nights drinking beer in empty fields, falling asleep looking at the stars. I, too, thought *“I didn’t know this was an option”* (a line that broke my heart 😭) when I started figuring myself out.
However, while the book perfectly captures the queer teen experience and the rural living before cottagecore girlies thought it was cool, I didn't really feel the 2000s era from the book. I think it could have used more period-specific details about the environment, fashion, or even how houses were decorated to really sell the ambiance.

The illustrations inside the book were a wonderful touch, especially since Gus spends so much time drawing-it made the book feel even more alive.

The ending was bittersweet but exactly what this story needed, and I’m really happy with how it was wrapped up. It ends on a hopeful note, I think. Overall, I appreciated how tight the pacing was; the book never dragged or overstayed its welcome.

I’m genuinely excited to hear there will be a movie soon and I can’t wait to watch it!

this queer coming of age story had me feeling nostalgic and warm and fuzzy. It was so beautiful and the teenage ungst was captured perfectly.
The tenderness and honesty, it explores identity, the ache of trying to fit in, and the heavy weight of grief. Francis captures the raw vulnerability of adolescence in a way that feels deeply personal und profoundly moving.
I LOVED THIS!

Early DNF
I really didn't like the writing style so I had to DNF. It was way too overly descriptive about every little thing such as "he smiled somberly at their inaudible melodic chirping". This happened so much in the first few pages it's like the author used a thesaurus to describe everything in pain-staking detail. I think the adverbs really needed to be edited down. I can't comment on the story as I didn't get far enough but the writing was not good.

Scraps by Matthew Francis

4.5/5 Stars 🌟 will be posted today

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of Scraps!

Firstly, I absolutely adored the cover for this book and all of the illustrations that came with it on the chapter headers!

We start of with a young boy called Gus who’s lost his mother and had to move back to his dads house.

We find that Gus is an artist that is going to be going into an art college at the end of the summer. During his time he ventures into the old town he once knew and meets a few people at the local skate park.

Gus then makes his own skateboard using scraps of wood from his father’s woodworking shop and this follows on to meeting Bridger who goes on to teach Gus skateboarding.

He also meets a girl named Tara who at first I thought was very assuming of Gus’s sexuality but turns out she is just looking out for him in ways she knows she’d wanted to be back then.

We also meet hot headed Max who is stuck in the past and doesn’t want to change. This shows throughout the book but eventually things change.

There’s a scene in which Gus looks through a magazine and we see his emotions on girls and boys which was sad and could see some self guilt.

There’s some very cute moments between gus and his dad throughout the book and my favourite has to be when Dan (the dad) finally tells his son to stop calling him sir.

I love how Tara being part of the lgbt+ helps a lot for Gus while he’s struggling to learn and accept things for how they are.

Another of my favourite parts was Gus and his dads conversation about loneliness and love it was beautiful and accepting ❤️

I cried at the end and I fell in love with this book and will forever recommend it. I have kept as little details as possible out but please go look at this book it’s beautiful ❤️
Plus there’s a short film on YouTube I recommend watching!

I absolutely loved the premise, but I ended up DNFing due to the writing. It felt like it needed a lot more editing. From the very first page, the author relies heavily on words like 'spotted,' 'noticed,' 'watched,' and 'saw,' making the writing feel too telling. I also got confused by the head-hopping (a sudden switch in POVs), and rather than leaving a negative review, I decided to stop reading.

I enjoyed the story and the early 2000s setting. I found the writing to read quite young at points, especially with regard to character’s feelings, which were told rather than shown more often than not. As a queer skateboarder I am still really happy this book exists.

Many moments in this book that genuinely moved me. The coming out scene, in particular, really stayed with me. It wasn’t overdone or dramatic for drama’s sake; it felt honest, tender, and full of heart.

I will admit, I made the mistake of watching the short film first, which had me anticipating certain moments in the book. I found them, but they felt more simplified and quieter in tone, yet still impactful in their way.

This is more than just a coming-of-age story. Honestly, this one will be sitting with me for a long time.

I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait until I can read the next book by Matthew Francis. Five out of five stars from me and would be more if I could.

I really enjoyed the SCRAPS short film on YouTube and was excited when I saw the story was being expanded into a novel. A queer coming of age story set in the skateboarding world of the early 2000s definitely appeals to my interests. I did like getting to see more of Gus and Bridger’s story beyond where the short film ends. It was a quick, breezy read that has some nice small town atmosphere.

Unfortunately the writing held me back from being able to fully enjoy this. There were so many odd word choices when it came to descriptions. And I felt like there was more of an emphasis on describing locations and actions instead of the characters’ thoughts and emotions. It seemed like I was just getting an overview instead of being able to viscerally feel what they were going through. Also, I wasn’t a fan of how the POV switches happened. The book is mostly from Gus POV but sometimes in the middle of the chapter it would change to being Bridger, Gus’ dad, or one of Bridger’s friends' perspectives for a paragraph or two before switching back. It just felt a bit sloppy.

If you liked the short film and are dying for more of the story then check out the sample of the book and see if you enjoy the writing. If it works for you then the book should be a fast, cute read.

This book was incredible! I have never read anything like this before. It was so emotional and written so perfectly. I loved getting to know the MMC’s and the other side characters. Such a good romance read that makes you feel so many different emotions throughout. I enjoyed this book the entire time reading.

The book is poorly written and could have benefited from two or seven more rounds of editing. Some of the issues include POV hopping between characters, telling rather than showing, overuse of character filters such as "saw," "thought," "watched," etc., and odd physical reactions and body language descriptions (e.g., grinning sneakily, whispering through grimaced teeth).

Overall, it reads like bad fanfiction—not something worth reading.

I watched the short film on YouTube, and I loved the depiction of skater teens in rural Montana in the 90's. I was excited about reading more of Gus and Bridger's story, and I felt that it hit all the right marks.

Gus being the shy artist and learning to skate from Bridger while also dealing with coming-out was well written and heartfelt. The story beats between the two characters were really great, and I also enjoyed the side characters especially Tara and Max. At the same time, the story does feel more like a screenplay/movie rather than a novel. There are shifts in point of view which I think would fit well for a movie, but they take some getting used to after the first few beats of the story. For that reason, I'm looking more forward to the full length movie.

At the same time, I would still highly recommend this story to lovers of YA M/M romance titles like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the movie Shelter.

Thanks to the writers and Netgalley for a copy.

This one honestly felt more like a screenplay than a novel—and that tracks, since it started as a short film. The first third is basically a scene-for-scene adaptation, and I could picture the movie version way more clearly than I could connect to the book. The short film? Genuinely good. But turning it into a novel didn’t really work for me.

The comparisons to Heartstopper aren’t just vibes, think Heartstopper and skateboarding in the early aughts in a blender, but not fully blended—you can still spot the chunks. scenes, characters…. identifiable to me in a way that would be more than a coincidence

The writing itself feels pretty unpolished in a way that might be fine for younger readers, but threw me off, that screenwriting style again. Incredibly straightforward in its telling of people’s inter motivations, just handed to you like stage directions.

Becuase of that, the POV shifts all over the place—sometimes we’re in a parent’s head, sometimes side characters, sometimes it’s omniscient in a way that makes you question whether the narrator is seeing or knows this. Like a film.

And the main character’s identity arc? It felt like a Big Deal for about five pages, and then suddenly he was out and chill about it. There’s some very soft background homophobia implied, but it’s never shown or explored in a way that felt era-appropriate.

At the end of the day, I just don’t think this needed to be a book. If you liked the short film, you might enjoy spending more time with the characters. I won’t be picking up anything else by this author but would definitely watch the feature length film in preproduction.

Bro this is the easiest 5 stars ever

Every so often, a book finds you at just the right moment and this was that book for me. From the very first page, I knew I was in for something special. The tone, the atmosphere, the vibes— they all whispered, “This one’s going to leave a mark.” And it did.

Francis captures teenage angst with a rawness and nuance that’s rare to find.

𝘋𝘰 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩? 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰... 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘺... 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵.

The struggle with identity, the desire to fit in, the quiet storm of being different— it was all so real, raw. Bridger and Gus weren’t just characters; they felt like living, breathing teenagers with fears, desires, and vulnerabilities that echoed truths I’ve known or seen.

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴," 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥, "𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹." 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯-
𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱.
"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴," 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯-
𝘶𝘦𝘥. "𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺."
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘎𝘶𝘴'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳, 𝘎𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥.
𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥.
"𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵... 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦," 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥.
"𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵."

Their relationship, slow-burning and tender, unraveled in a way that made every glance, every conversation mean something.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸... 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶," 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.
𝘎𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥. "𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩," 𝘎𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦. "𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴... 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭."

But what really stunned me was the depth across the board— not just the leads, but the supporting cast too. Max, Tara, even Gus’s dad… each one was thoughtfully written, layered, and purposeful. Francis didn’t just give us a story; he gave us a world filled with characters who felt authentic, flawed, and whole.

There were moments in this book that moved me to tears, moments that made me smile, blush, ache, and think. The coming out scene especially hit home. It wasn’t dramatic for the sake of drama. It was intimate and full of heart. Gus’s father’s response wasn’t about gender; it was about embracing love in its fullness, in its wholeness, while you still can before a life of regret settles in.

This is more than a coming-of-age story. It’s a quiet, powerful exploration of love, friendship, identity, and the aching beauty of adolescence. Tbh I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.