This was such an impactful and well written novel. I absolutely adored Audie’s character, as there are many relatable parts from my own childhood. The coming of age aspect is what pulled me in and I was fascinated watching the bond between Gib and Audie unfold. This is such an important book even in today’s world. Unforgettable characters and big lessons, I will always treasure this story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

The premise of the story is a sound one: two teenagers coming of age in 1960s Canada, under the rule of homophobic military parents and siblings. Their love makes it through the trials and tribulations of youth, especially during times of trouble as the French and English-speaking areas of Canada go through internal struggles.

The story is not the easiest to read, especially at the start. Part of this is down to the writing style of Stephens Gerard Malone, who writes in an almost spoken style - a bit stop-start and blunt in tone and not as flowing as some other authors. Oddly, once around halfway through and the cottage comes into the story, the writing style takes on a more typical flow and is easier to read. It is easy to feel for Audie and Gib as they get to know each other as both friends and hidden lovers.

One thing about this story is that there is no obvious HEA ending, and it is tear-jerking at the end as you realise that life has decided Audie and Gib are not meant to be lifelong partners after all.

this was such a powerful and story that will linger long after people read it. and so it should. this is just a book and the story of Audie. but this is a human beings story. this is just like so many humans stories in real life. not exact but im sure similar. and that in itself makes it an impactful read. because some of things shouldn't have been gone through simply by the way someone shows up in this life. what he chooses to love or like shouldn't make him have so much rubbish come his way or make him bullied(although bullies dont have a reason no matter the person they pick obv) i got very protective very quick in this book. and i just wanted to watch his journey and see him have some sort of peace, happy ending even? but due to the life, and the way the story was going i feared so much that this would not be the case.
Gib and Audie and there moments captured me. they pulled me in and their moments in this book shine so much for how much heart is written around them both. how much you could see this pair in your readers minds eye and truly feel for them.
sadly this is also an important book. still to do this day there is an awful lot a lot of people would do well to learning from. and for us all to be reminded of. what went on, what still goes on.
Gib and Audie's relationship unfolded in a way that made me right there with them every step of the way. the way the story is paced lets you right in to Audie's life especially so it feels like you know these people from the ground up, you come to care for them so much more because of that.
this was a really great read.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This is a poignant coming-of-age story about two boys growing up in the late 60s and early 70s on a military base amidst rising political tensions. The story takes some time to pick up, and some readers may take issue with the pace as a results, but as someone who grew up one neighbourhood away from CFB Rockliffe, where this story takes place, I appreciated reading about places I knew from my own childhood. This book is beautifully-written, and I would highly recommend it.

Trigger warning for period typical homophobia.

I was conflicted reading this one since I was expecting something more similar to call me by your name with a lot of deep feelings and tension but the tone was more disconnected and not passionate. I'm not sure if this is based on a true story I couldn't find much info on it and knowing that could change my opinion. If it's purely fiction I would have liked to see more yearning and feelings between the leads but if it's based on the authors actual life I could understand a more dissociative tone. I'm not familiar with the political landscape of Canada in the 70s so I'm not sure if this was an accurate portrayal but it felt intense. I was also hoping for deeper reflection of the mmcs struggle with his feelings internally but mostly just saw him react to others in his life without understanding why.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a hard one to rate! I went between giving it 3 stars or 4 stars, which is why I settled on 3.5 stars.

Overall it was a 3 star book, since a lot of parts were really slow and it took a long time to get to the main part of the story. After Audie went to the cottage, then it really picked up for me and I was pretty hooked until the end. The ending really made up for the rest of the book.

It was a really easy book to get through, even if I was kind of bored at the first part of the novel, I was still able to get through it pretty fast. I really couldn’t put it down by the end.

This was a very character driven book. If it focused more on Gib and Audie I would have liked it more. So much of it was random bits of Audie’s family or him working or just living his life, which I didn’t care about anyone else, so for me it wasn’t as interesting to read.

I just didn’t connect to the rest of the characters, so when it wasn’t about Audie and Gib, I wasn’t caring as much. I know the build up is important to see the dynamic of Audie’s life because it was important to the story and why things end up the way they do, but a lot of it I didn’t really feel like it needed to be in there.

I loved Audie. I felt so bad for him. He deserved better than how he was treated. Even how Gib acted toward him sometimes broke my heart! I do understand why Gib did what he did, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel bad for Audie. He had such a rough life and I felt so bad that he was being bullied for stuff that he loved. I am super empathetic, so naturally I felt so deeply for Audie.

I just wanted him to be happy and I wanted him to finish out the plan they had in place!

It was such a tragic novel! You could see it would end in tragedy, but you were hoping as you read it would have a happy ending. I liked the foreshadowing throughout the book. It was a pretty direct approach, but the way the author worded it really blended well within the story. It was almost like breaking the fourth wall, but more natural.

It ended pretty abruptly, but that is how life goes sometimes.

I would still recommend reading this if it sounds interesting to you. Some people may find a lot of the content more engaging to read about than I did, so there could be more enjoyment of the novel. The story is worth the read. Just be prepared for some heartache!

Interesting book with a realistic and raw plot, showing the struggles and problems someone who's not fitting other's people's expectations.