Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he's plagued with the belief that he's not enough for anyone: he's recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can't quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.
Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love--and be enough for--himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.
Title : And They Lived..
Author : Steven Salvatore
Format : eBook (overdrive)
Page Count : 384
Genre : LGBTQIAP+ YA romance
Publisher : Bloomsbury YA
Release Date : March 8, 2022
Reviewer : Hollis
Rating : ★ .5
Hollis' 1.5 star review
I wanted to just slip this one under the radar and dodge reviewing it but as it's one of my Twelve Recommendations in Twelve Months.. I sorta feel obliged to slap a (half-hearted) review together in honour of my friend who was kind (and brave) enough to offer said recommendation.
And listen, at a glance, this seemed like it could've been cute. Maybe not mind blowing or revolutionary but fun. So I saved it for Pride month (even though we should [and I do] read queer all year!) and.. yeah, yikes. This rating might feel like a hate crime but I don't know what else to say except this wasn't it.
I understand based on the author's note that this is a very personal story, depicting a journey the author themselves went on to a certain degree, but it also very much feels like a self-insert fantasy retelling of their life and it's just as unrealistic as it sounds. Also, very dramatic, very insta-love, potentially very triggering, filled with fairly stereotypical character and representation archetypes, and oh, did I mention unrealistic? None of this feels based in the real world and that's fine but it also doesn't make for an easy to swallow read.
I think, buried somewhere in amongst it all, there is an important message about self-love but I personally don't think it was well done. Which basically sums up the story. Not the characters or the plot or the message was crafted well or with any kind of care, even though I think there was an attempt to do so, and with so many heavy topics touched on, and some outright playing out on page, I just think this was a total fumble. There was no fun to be had, no emotions to be felt, and the romance was.. cringe. Actually, a lot was cringe.
In conclusion, because I have nothing more to say, I am thankful for the recommendation and that I've read at least one (!) LGBTQIAP+ read this month (because with the way my reading is going I have no idea if I'll pick up another), but I will not be paying this one forward.
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