Genre: YA LGBTQ+ Romance

Tags: #angstwithahappyending #boyxboy #diverselit #dualpov #family #mentalhealthawareness #Mexican #LGBT #poc 

Blurb:

"Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies.

And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever.

Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway.

And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.

Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites. Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk -- to get the thing they want the most."

RAE'S REVIEW:

There's so many boyxboy YA stories in the world now that I've become very picky about which voices I give my time to. I know I'm a woman writing boyxboy fiction so I work my a** off to do my homework and listen to my gay men friends so my characters aren't just soft portraits of my ideal boi.

Rant over.

All that to say, the first thing I loved about this book is it's written by an actual gay man, married to his husband, and they happen to be dog-dads to a pair of Labradoodles. OMG. Be still my heart.

The second thing I loved about this book was the strong, unique side characters. Max and Jasper each have a friend squad that supports them, challenges them, banters with them, and sparks conflict with them. Konigsberg deftly tackles a bunch of stereotypes about being a gay teen in the dialogue between these characters and I loved hearing his take on everything from 'dude bros' to 'butt sex' to 'friend wives' lol.

Annnnd I'm a sucker for a story that includes a food truck. What can I say?

Available to borrow for free from Libby (or Overdrive) library app.