Under the Stars by Geoff Laughton at Harmony Ink Press
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Young Adult / Romance |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 18-October-2014 |
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Young Adult / Romance |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 18-October-2014 |
Ethan Tanner is an out and proud, fastidious, and fashionable sixteen-year-old vegetarian who likes theater and musicals. This year, it’s his sister's turn to pick the vacation destination, so he ends up on a dude ranch he knows he is going to hate. What with the dirt, animals, and germs, he can’t possibly be happy.
Jason McCoy is the closeted sixteen-year-old son of the ranch owners and is trying to find his place in a world that doesn't seem to fit him. He takes an interest in Ethan, shows him around, and gets him to ride a horse. When he invites Ethan camping, Ethan thinks Jason must be joking. But Ethan takes a risk, and the two boys bond under the stars.
After that, Ethan and Jason are inseparable. Their friendship grows into something deeper as they begin to figure out what they want from life. But Ethan’s home is in Chicago, and the distance might be more than the two teenagers—and their blossoming relationship—can withstand.
In a wonderful variation on “City Kid meets Country Boy”, this story is about sixteen-year-old Ethan from Chicago who is “forced” to go on a family vacation on a dude ranch. He is out and proud, likes to dress well, and cannot imagine having to live in a primitive cabin and “do stuff outside” for two weeks. Jason is the dude ranch owners’ son, also sixteen, and loves the countryside, never expecting to live anywhere else. And voilá, the stage is set for conflict, a very reluctant friendship, and the slow blossoming of something more between two young men who couldn’t be more different. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to find out Geoff Laughton’s plans for these two.
Ethan has never hidden who he is, well not beyond a couple of unsuccessful attempts when he was very young. He came out when he was fourteen, and has extremely supportive parents. He is a bit of a fashion addict, likes his creature comforts, and I don’t think he knows what to do with himself without some sort of electricity-based toy at his disposal. Life without WiFi is his idea of a nightmare. When Ethan first arrives on the dude ranch he expects life to be pretty bad for the next two weeks, but when he meets Jason, a boy his age, all of that slowly begins to change.
Jason has no idea what it is like to be out. He knows he is gay, but his parents are pretty homophobic (his father more openly than his mother), and anyway, he doesn’t believe he’ll ever live anywhere else than on the ranch. He is upset about the fact he is being used as cheap labor, while his slightly older cousin is being paid for his efforts since “he has to save up for college”. When Jason begins to get to know Ethan, his view on life, and who he might be when he grows up, slowly begins to change.
This is a charming story in a spectacular setting, a burning romance between two young men on the threshold of becoming men, and so much longing and sweetness between them as they fight seemingly impossible odds that I came close to tears several times. If you like young adult romances that are just as intense as some more adult versions, if you want to know some of what it’s like for two young gay men to figure out who they are and what they want from life and each other, and if you’re looking for a sweet read with a lot of angst and some very loving moments, then you will probably enjoy this novel. I totally adored it and can only hope there will be a sequel to see what life is like for Ethan and Jason at college.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been purchased by the reviewer.
Format | ebook and print |
Length | Novel, 180 pages/50542 words |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 09-October-2014 |
Price | $6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle |
Buy Link | https://www.harmonyinkpress.com/books/under-the-stars-by-geoff-laughton-107-b |