I received an arc of The Stone Rainbow from Second Story Press via NetGalley but all opinions are honest and my own. (Thank you so much)

I absolutely loved this story. Liane Shaw’s writing style is gorgeous and I felt like I read the book in no time at all. The book is rather a character-driven but there are smaller plot points that weave together beautifully and enhances the overall plot.

Not only the character growth but the growth within relationships with family and friends was really great to see. There wasn’t a moment while I was reading where I wanted to put it down.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartbreaking yet heartwarming coming-out story.

This was not for me. The writing style was not what I'm used to which is a darker, more serious tone.
Nevertheless, I am confident that there are people who will enjoy this book.

I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. I couldn't connect to the characters. I am a huge huge sucker for world building, I don't want pages and pages of detail, but it is very much needed. This author loves dialouge, which is great, but entire pages of dialouge with nothing else, no mention of who is speaking, what they are doing while they are speaking, what is going on what they are thinking.. here is an example this is an entire kindle page on my phone:

“But liking him and dreaming about him is the fun part. Watching him in the halls. Looking forward to talking to him.”
“I’m already doing that, but I’m not so sure it’s fun. It’s pretty terrifying.”
“That’s okay. I was scared Ryan wasn’t going to like me.”
“Seriously? The guy is crazy about you. I’m pretty sure he was more scared that you wouldn’t like him. The way I’m scared Benjamin could never like me.”
“How can he not? You’re smart, talented, and gorgeous ! Those big brown eyes and that curly hair. Any guy would be lucky to have you!” I can see why Ryan’s obsessed with her. She’s beautiful and observant. Ha, ha. “Yeah, well, if I liked girls, I’d be giving Ryan a run for his money.”
“Listen to you all flirty. Try some of that with Benjamin and he’ll be all over you.”
“Yeah, right. I have no idea if he’s interested in me at all.”
“He told you he wants to be friends.”
“I guess. Listen, I’ll let you go. But I really appreciate that you’re talking to me about this stuff.”
“No problem. I’m sure Lucas would weigh in on things if you’re interested in his…unique perspective.”
“You mean the gay perspective ? Do you think that would help?”

the main character and a girl friend were facetiming on computer, this entire conversation got all muddled in my head, I was tired, i had to read it 3-4 times to figure out who was saying what, it's just SO easy to add little details, things like "Yeah, right. I have no idea if he's interested in me at all." he fiddled with his pencil nervously tapping it against the table, looking off to the side embarassed. or some crap like that. little details to break up the quotes of speech. That's all I'm saying.

and pages and pages of that made it hard to read, so I really had a very hard time getting into it, and unfortunately, I DNF it, I just couldn't get into it.

This is a love story, sort of.

It is a coming out story, more so, and it is about a pride parade.

Mostly it is the story of Jack, who is so far in the closet he has his back against the wall. He fears letting anyone know, and so keeps it to himself, and is miserable.

And then, there is Benjamin. The most beautiful man he has ever seen, and he is in love, and now he doesn't know what to do. Should he say something. Or should he suffer in silence.

What is interesting is, this could have been a "straight" forward love story, but the author chose to take it in a slightly different direction that would bring Jack kicking and screaming out of the closet, so to speak. But it all works, and I like how it was done.

This is actually the continuation of the story that started in the first book in the series <em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1985874471" target="_blank">Caterpillars can't swim</a></em>. That is where we meet Ryan, who is disabled, and Jack's best friend. This first book focuses on what happened to Jack before the events in the current book, but it isn't necessary to read the first book first.

This is a good take on what life in a small town is like for a lot of LGBTQ people, and hopefully if others can read about the courage that Jack has, they too can find hope and courage.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

17 year old Jack is having a hard time in life at the moment. He recently came out to his mum and even though she's been trying to understand, she's having trouble with this unexpected news. His life becomes even more complicated when a new student arrives at school and sets off a spark in jack's emotions and feelings he had denied himself before.

I really enjoyed this story. I was first intrigued by the cover and the title. I didn't even read the description before I requested it; I just thought it looked beautiful and entertaining. The main focus of this novel is its characters; it is very character driven and we see a lot of development from them as well, which I think it important for this kind of story.

I think the author did a great job of addressing certain issues in this book, such as masculinity and mental health. I am enjoying reading a lot more books which upend the stigma of mental health issues and this was one of them. I also liked that the character of Cody could have been very stereotypical but instead was multilayered and multidimensional. I wanted to follow the characters even further, but I also wanted the side characters to be fleshed out even more so i could have understood them further.

The only negative I have to say about this book is that there have been a lot more LGBTQ novels written in recent years - I would have loved to read this kind of thing as a teenager, but unfortunately it wasn't available to me at the time. But with the growing trend of understanding and acceptance and tolerance towards LGBTQ, this book lacked slightly in being groundbreaking. When faced with books by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, it can be hard to compete. I wish books like this had been available when I was younger; I feel I would have got a lot more out of it as a teenager. I think that younger readers who are just starting out with LGBTQ books would also find it more helpful and positive than I did.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and are in no way influenced.

A beautiful coming out story that will have you in tears, for the pain and the genuine heartfelt moments. The small town claustrophobia and bigotry is well done, the characters so relatable and real. A well written story and I really encourage everyone to read this.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Beautifully written and a real page-turner. I fell in love with this story and the characters. Couldn't put it down and was so invested into it. Hope it gets the hype it deserves upon release.

The Stone Rainbow
by Liane Shaw
Pub Date: 17 Sep 2019
Read courtesy of NetGalley.com

My first note to myself early in the book was, "As a straight person, I've been curious about this. Maybe I'll find out," in reaction to Jack wondering how to find out if someone he might be interested in is gay or not. It ends up that I don't explicitly "find out," due mainly to the fact that there's nothing to "find out." One simply asks someone, no different than a straight person finds out if a straight person is interested in return -- and sometimes the person isn't straight! People are people! (I also didn't find out because Jack's crush, Benjamin, isn't shy about liking other guys.)

The author's message is clear throughout the book. "I don't live in a fantasy land where being gay is easy. It should be. I don't know why it isn't. Why would anyone care who I decide to spend time with?" and "I'll always have a different heaven from hers. In her heaven, everyone starts fresh, reborn into something better than before. Blind men can see, and the lame can walk...and I would guess the gays become "straight" if they make it that far." [Powerful in the declaration that some see "straight" people as better than "gay" people, that "straight" is something to aspire to.] And the more obvious parade rally cry, "Kindness rules": "If everyone just decides to treat everyone else with kindness, it all goes away. Intolerance,, disrespect, racism, homophobia, misogyny, bullying...all wiped out with one simple command. Be kind."

At first I thought this was just a romance novel, which felt a little light and fluffy and not holding my attention, but it took a more serious turn. I found myself immediately drawn into things that happen in real life... and I cannot believe people do this to others. But they do, and the author offered a way to counteract violence with grace. This story didn't need to be written in great literary prose in order for a clear message and interesting story to come through.

This book was a sweet, fierce take on an LGBT+ coming out story.

I really enjoyed plot of the story, however the writing was a little lackluster in my opinion. A lot of the details were blatantly told to readers, not leaving a ton of room for reader interpretation. I think this made it hard for me to connect with Jack, as it was hard to see myself in him. The perspective of being so "in his head" made it pretty straightforward to interpret his thoughts and feelings.

Still a super great, emotional read and I think it's important to have on YA shelves.

Pros:

Jack and Benjamin’s relationship is enjoyable and well developed. I enjoyed Ryan, Jack’s closest friend, and Jack’s friendship, which was strengthened by the end of the novel. However, I would have liked more insight into the comic they were creating, because it seemed meaningful to both characters. Ryan and Cody’s friendship is also interesting. Several scenes are poignant. Jack is a decent protagonist.

Cons:

The writing style is bland; telling and filter words are frequent. In regards to characterization, Cody’s character weakened the novel for me. He never truly learns from his mistakes, despite the novel and characters insisting he changed. Another characterization issue is Jack’s lack of backstory. A particular incident occurred about a year ago, but none of Jack’s life before the event is revealed. Finally, a set of characters appear once at the beginning then show support for Jack at the end. Their support would have been more narratively rewarding if they were more significant characters.

While I wouldn’t read this novel a second time, it’s an entertaining book.

So I received this book for review from Netgalley, and all my opinions are my own.

First off, the writing style of this book is really great. I found it highly enjoyable. The characters were well rounded and believable.
However I ended up DNFing this novel about 70% of the way though, simply because I wasn't really connecting with the story itself. I am not a gay, male, teenager. Also this book was kinda sporty and I'm not exactly in that demographic either.
In conclusion: This book wasn't my thing, but I believe it has the potential to be a 5 star read.

That cover is beautiful, and so is this book. The small town bigotry felt grossly real, and it made my heart hurt for them. Not gonna lie, I got a little emo with a few of those scenes (the hospital!...).

Jack has had a tough year that included struggling with his sexuality. It's tough to be gay in his small town, with a mother who wasn't exactly thrilled when he came out. It's nice to see the character development as Jack and others realize how important it is to be open and inclusive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Story Press for the ARC.

Jack is a gay boy living in a small town. Although there are rumors circulating about his sexuality, he is in the closet to everyone but a few friends and his mother. Even though his friends and mom try to understand and accept him, things are awkward and uncomfortable and Jack feels alienated. Then, a boy named Benjamin moves to town and Jack finds himself intensely attracted. After a brush with near tragedy, Jack decides he can’t hide who he is anymore and decides to make a statement to himself, his friends, and his own.

I really liked this book a lot. Jack and his struggles felt very real to me. I totally understand what it feels like to come out and not be understood, or to declare who you are and not be accepted. I also loved his relationship with Benjamin. They were very high school, but it felt natural and real the way they interacted. The whole book was very authentic and full of real feelings.

I liked, too, that Jack was gay in a way I haven’t seen very much in YA recently. He wants to be fabulous and wear pretty clothes. Part of his coming out is gaining the courage to dress the way he wants and sparkle and shine.

I also really liked that the characters were very complex. There were characters who were kind homophobic when they talked but then took a stand for what was right and actually followed through and made choices that for them was tough. They were nuanced and, while not very likable, very real and ultimately admirable in their way.

This was an charming, realistic, and uplifting book about a boy coming of age and growing. It’s about a family who comes to not only love him but accept him and about a community coming together in pride

The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw (out 17th of September 2019)

The Stone Rainbow is about Jack, a gay teenager in a small town dealing with everything that comes along with that stigma and having the courage to make things happen, namely the towns first pride parade.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Honestly, if I had read this maybe, two years ago, it would have been a five-star read based on the fact that it’s a positive queer YA book. Two years ago, that’s all I needed to love something like this. However, over the past two years there has been a change in queer books published. Namely, there has been an amazing swell of own voice novels, written well, and subverting or completely doing away with the usual tropes that befall queer books. Suddenly, because there is so much more choice in the YA world for queer books, I’m no longer so easily impressed.

Overall, I liked the plot and direction of the novel and I thought Shaw did a really good job of addressing issues of masculinity, mental health and how not everywhere is as progressive as it should be. I enjoyed the diversity, particularly the disability rep and even though I thought the side characters could have been fleshed out more, I also really like the characters of Ryan and Cody, if only because I thought they were the most interesting and multifaceted characters that I would have liked more time to explore.

My main issues came down to our protagonist, Jack and the writing.

In terms of the writing, it was a little too in Jacks head the entire time, and that resulted in a whole lot of tell and almost no show. We were just presented information as fact from Jacks mind, but we were never given any actual evidence to back any of it up, to give is a sense of reality. For instance, in the beginning Jack is swimming, he hits his head. something that is very simple, but we didn’t see Jack hit his head, we just had jack relay the info to us after the fact. Or, possibly my biggest gripe: Jack is constantly calling his small town backwards and hick, talking about all the inherent and rampant homophobia, but we never get any actual scenes of these things until the middle to end of the book. There was no present, evidence of homophobia or even bullies really to give these claims any foundation to build off of.

The character of Jack himself was just a tad…annoying to me. He came off as one of those characters that nick picks everyone around them in a negative light without ever having any factual evidence to back up his statements. It seemed as though he had this cartoonish perception of what a small town should be like and then forced those stereotypes on those around him. Another for instance is the rumors. Supposedly the school is flush with rumors about Jack, yes, that he’s gay, but also that he’s a drug dealer. It was never addressed why this was a rumor, and once again we never saw any evidence of these rumors.

The romance was cute, with an added meet-cute, if not a little insta-lovey, but in a small enough way that I could get over it and still enjoy the budding romance. I also loved the desire for social change and the active steps they took to create their own small piece of progress.

Overall, while not my favourite queer contemporary, I think it has potential, and perhaps a younger reader, not so well versed in queer literature, would really get something more out of this than I did.

I received an ARC from netgalley.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me an Arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was amazing.
It was honestly a very powerful an eye opening read.
I loved our main characters they made me laugh and cry with them.
It really highlights what it’s like to be gay in a small town and I loved it.
The plot was amazing and kept you on your toes and the interactions between the characters was amazing.
I gave it 5 stars.

What first dragged me to this book was the cover, it was colorful mysterious. I had no idea what it beheld and reading the description I wanted to read it more. So, I dipped in, starting to adore Jack the way he wants to be less afraid, wants to embrace himself and just be himself. Not sure that makes any sense. But being yourself, in this society is hard, because it’s always someone who wants to rain on your parade, so to speak- to be evil, cruel and stomp on you. But back to the book at hand, Jack I think is adorable – especially around the new kid, Benjamin. He’s trying not to be awkward, but somewhat fails and Benjamin is saying things straight out even though it might surprise anyone. Even though that Benjamin is completely out as a gay person and Jack is, well he’s somewhat out, but still somewhat “in the closet” if you can say it like that… he’s scared of what people thinks about it and what reaction and gossips will come of it. Then, further reading I came to love Jack more, care for him, want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be alright, even though I have no idea if that’s the truth or not. When going in to the book I thought his mother was honestly going to be a bitch, but to be fair having a gay son is hard for her, but she’s trying, I know lots of people who’d kick them out and not care. But she tries, even though the gay- thing is hard. But again, I’m rambling…. This book isn’t just all fluff, it has so much… struggling with being out, accidents, scared, loneliness, freaking out over things…. And more. I’m literally at the edge of my seat pushing pages and pages for what’s happening next…. rooting for the main character, Jack to be who he wants to be, and to be proud of it. Damn this book make me feel so much.
I Especially if you didn’t already know it love Benjamin and Jack, those characters kind of placed themselves in my heart, I can’t even explain it. More than I just giggle and grin and make weird noises because that’s what I do. This book needs to be read, simply because “Love is Love” and “kindness rules.”

This review will be posted on my blog in August!

The descriptive bit: Jack is seventeen and gay. He’s come out to his Mom … and it didn’t go perfectly. In fact, he’s sure that his Mom is still pretty sad about the fact that he’s gay. He isn’t out to everyone in his life because they live in a very small town with its fair share of jerks. Then Jack meets Benjamin – a new student at school who is out and proud. Just when things are beginning to look hopeful for Jack… the homophobia in town steps up a notch and suddenly Benjamin is the victim of a terrible crime. This book is a sequel to Shaw’s book Caterpillars Can’t Swim but I haven’t read that and had no trouble with this plot.

My thoughts bit: This is a great book. The characters are well developed and the plot is intriguing while maintaining focus on what it is like to be queer and young in a very small town.

Jack has a couple of pretty unique friends. Ryan lives with Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair. He’s also the guy who pulled Jack out of the river when he fell in. (There’s more to that story but I’m not going to spoil it for you.) Cody is another interesting character. He is a brusque, loud, jock who is on the swim team and has agreed to teach Jack to swim. Cody’s character struck me as quite realistic… I loved the way he grew and changed in the book.

At the root of this story is the fact that Benjamin is out and proud and Jack is out to as few people as possible. Sure, there are some people who know but he just lets the rumors fly and prefers not to draw attention to himself. When Benjamin creates a piece of artwork at school that is a vehicle for him to declare his sexual orientation he becomes the victim of an attack.

The attack rattles Jack. He’s always known that keeping his head down was the best way to protect himself but having something happen to Benjamin is jarring. In response to the attack, Jack decides that he wants to put on the town’s first PRIDE parade. I liked the way the author wrote about how difficult it can be to swim against the tide in a small community. While there are some supportive adults in the novel, there are also some who demonstrate a clear dislike for people who are queer. I think that’s a pretty typical breakdown of what might happen.

This is a novel that will make you feel good about people, it’s hopeful and has a genuine feel to it. I would happily recommend The Stone Rainbow to anyone who enjoys YA with queer characters. In particular, I think this would be a great novel for kids in their early teens who might be coming to terms with their own sexuality or gender identity.

The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: attempted suicide, homophobia, hate crime (violent attack)

I received an ARC of The Stone Rainbow by Liane Shaw from Second Story Press via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

My attention was caught as soon as I saw it was a readalike to Silvera. Which is a lot to live up to. But I was not disappointed. The characters were fleshed out nicely and I became really invested in following them on their journey.