I so enjoyed the first 2 titles in this series a great deal. I enjoyed the 3rd installment but in a different way. Coming home again provides it's own set of issues and problems and dealing with reality after a big life dream is just different. I liked the book but it had a shift in tone as new issues arose, which makes sense as the character got older.

Unlike most readers, I did not immediately fall in love with Nate Foster. In fact, my review of the first book reflects my lackluster opinion of him and his adventures. But he as he grows, so does my appreciation my this scrappy young man...who is now facing high school! I laughed, I cried, and by the last page, I realized that I was not ready to say goodbye to Nate.

Tim Federle is an absolute gem in children's publishing, and I was so happy to see Nate's adventures get an addition in this third volume to the series, I don't think there is any other book on shelves right now that so perfectly captures 's like to be a kid with big dreams -- add in the fact that Federle's writing is so funny and so relatable and so beautifully encapsulates the LGBT experience for those under 14, and I can't recommend this series enough. I'm only sad that this seems like the final Nate story we'll be getting, but I can't wait to see what Tim has up his sleeve next!

eARC from Netgalley

This is the adorable conclusion (and beginning?) of Tim Federle's Nate Foster trilogy (Better Nate Than Ever and Five, Six, Seven, Nate). The first two books deal primarily with life on Broadway, full of musical and show references. In Nate Expectations, Nate comes back home to western Pennsylvania to find that his time away in New York has turned his world inside out, and not in a bad way. We see more of Nate's relationship with his parents, especially his father, and we get a sweet and tender treatment of what it means to come out. Nate's voice, as always, is hilarious, but he is definitely growing up and growing into himself. A satisfying end.