This was positive in every sense of the word. Sky is a sweet, kindhearted kid who is struggling with coming out and has everything bad happen to him. On the other hand, everyone close to him goes into loving overdrive and rise to the challenge. I think what made it even more beautiful were the number of adults in the novel who weren’t just decorative but actually served as support systems for Sky the whole time. The romance story line is adorable, but the friendships made the whole thing have a warm glow. This was a kind story in the face of a hard time. I loved every minute.

3.5 stars

Sky, the m.c., is an excellent character who is dynamic and at times frenetic. I love his energy, but I also found it overwhelming, particularly early on in the novel.

Sky's resilience is the standout here. When readers meet him, he is living at a friend's house after being kicked out of his mother's home. This is a direct result of his coming out to her, and that is a grossly common story that can never have too much representation, especially for the target audience. Sky is also bullied and targeted, again as a direct result of his identity. But none of this stops Sky from being appropriately infuriated AND completely resilient. His disappointments in life - and there are all kinds of them - often turn in to wins. The most powerful aspect of this evolution is that Sky is the one who makes that happen. He is not the kind of character who just waits and gets lucky. He's a great model for all kinds of readers because he is willing to take challenging steps and put himself on the line over and over again.

There are some overly convenient circumstances at times that make the novel feel less realistic and in some ways younger than possibly intended, and I'd have appreciated some economizing around the dialogue. These points noted, this is a solid read with positive own voices rep, and I'll be recommending it to students for these reasons.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Netgalley for the arc of this book!

Let me start off by saying I thought this book was super adorable and heartwarming in A LOT of ways! I also thought there were some really great messages in it!

Sky has really good character development and I love that he learns to really appreciate his loved ones by the end of the book. I also loved Teddy and was glad Sky learned he had been stereotyping him.

With all that, I felt there were some problematic and potentially harmful things that happened in this book. There may be minor spoilers below.

The first thing I noticed that made me cringe was the way Sky kept describing everything he did as gay. Like he walked in a gay way. Talked gay. Gay voice. Held his books gay. I got that this was to show that he was constantly feeling the need to monitor his behavior to not make others uncomfortable by falling into stereotypes of queer people, but I felt this could have been shown in a more subtle way that was less potentially harmful.

A few other minor things I thought were problematic: one of Bree's brothers is said to have autism in a one time throw away comment. He barely does anything at all in the story and it honestly just felt like that was added for diversity points? That character could have had some kind of meaning in the plot, but he didn't.

Another issue was the use of the R-slur. The character was obviously supposed to be rude who was saying it, but I honestly didn't think it was at all necessary to throw in such triggering language there when it had nothing whatsoever to do with the story.

I was sad about the way Sky felt about his scar. I was hoping he would have learned to accept it over the course of them book. Instead he covered it up. It also took a boy for him to start hating it even slightly less. That didn't seem very body positive at all.

My biggest issue, however (slight spoiler?) Were the "Gay for X" t shirts everyone started wearing. Enjoying something does not mean you are gay for it. Honestly I don't think a straight person should ever say they are gay for something like that. They don't understand what the term means or how hard it can be for a queer person to claim it for themselves. And there was no pointing out at all that this was problematic? Sky encouraged it.
The message was that everyone was supporting him, but there could have been SO MANY other ways for that to happen without completely bulldozing over the word Gay.

I did enjoy reading this despite these problems.

CW: homophobia, religious bigotry, racism, self-hate, depression, disowning, slurs

I thought this book was really cute! It's almost impossible not to compare it to Simon Vs. the Homosapien Agenda both in plot and spirit. Sky is a teen boy who plans on proposing to his crush, one of the most popular guys at school, when his plans are leaked in an email of hatred. The story was well-executed and overall was a fun read. Theres nothing groundbreaking here, but the story is cute and definitely not a waste of time for the audience. The story focuses more on Sky's own journey than romance, so if you're looking for a romance book you likely won't find it here. My only qualm with the book is that the way teenagers are written in this book feels a bit out of touch at points. Content references to 2020 pop culture may force the book to age badly, but this was overall a cute and very insightful read! 3.5/5 stars

Sky is a senior at his high school in Michigan state. Being gay often comes with struggles in his everyday life and at school. He has to face Cliff and his crew at school and the endless teasing they give him. Not only that, but his mother also kicked him out of the house after he came out and his older brother is no help either.

Sky currently lives in the basement of his best friends' house. The Brandstone's house is definitely much more welcoming and he gets all the love that he deserves from them. Together with Bree, Sky decides to start a countdown for 30 days until he gives his promposal to his crush. The walls of his bedrooms are now filled with ideas of ways for him to ask Ali to senior prom.

Things don't go as they've anticipated. After an email gets sent to the entire student body exposing his promposal plans, Sky is mortified. He refuses to go to school but a small act of kindness gives him the will to fight back. Teaming up with his friends, new and old, they're determined to reveal who was behind the email.

Star Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

I loved the diversity of characters and how fun they were to read about. Ms. Winters and the Brandstones were so supportive of Sky and his friends always had his back. They all stood by him from the beginning which I think positively impacted Sky.

The titles for each chapter in the book were great. By using the countdown until promposal as the title, it gave me a better time pacing while reading the book which I loved.

The Sky Blues is an amazing debut novel. The author touches on the subject of acceptance in a lighthearted and funny way that made me laugh but also cry seeing how Sky wasn't accepted by his mother. I'm definitely looking forward to other works by the author considering this was a debut!

Sometimes, all you want to do is read a YA contemporary that feels like a big old hug. Well if you do, I am happy to be able to tell you that The Sky Blues is the book for you. It’s a very kind book: kind on its characters (unless they don’t deserve it...like the homophobes) and kind on its readers. It’s the sort of book you want every gay teen to read immediately.

The novel is about Sky, whose promposal plan is exposed to the entire school, and who must decide just what he’s going to do about it. What follows is an exploration of found family, forgiveness (and non-forgiveness), and a book that’s full of a whole lot of love.

What I’ve loved seeing most in LGBT YA in recent years has been how full of love for their readers the stories have been, particularly with the growth of the ownvoices tag. There’s a lot less of the kind of ideas that marred earlier lit (you know, shaming for not being out, forcing people to come out, forgiving your parents even when they’re massive homophobes). The narratives are kinder and more genuine. And I feel like that shines through so much in The Sky Blues and I loved it for it.

It’s also a book full of characters you can root for. You’ll love Sky from the start, but you will equally love every one of his friends and all the people who come to support him. (I mean, you will also be begging Sky to get a better gaydar, but it’s fine. Some obliviousness is acceptable.) You will equally adore the journey he goes on outside of school.

Because that’s the second aspect to the plot: not only is it about Sky being supported in school after everything, but it’s about him and his family too. It’s about him realising he is perfectly within his rights not to forgive his family their homophobia and it’s about him forming his own family, one that doesn’t hate him for who he is.

So, if you would like a nice good cry over a YA contemporary novel, I would highly recommend you do it over this one.

What a WONDERFUL story! The characterization by the author was spectacular! There wasn’t a dull moment with this thrilling, joy ride. My attention was held the entire time. I loved every page.

At the beginning of The Sky Blues, we meet Sky Baker, a 17-year-old high school senior. We meet him after he has come out and his mother has kicked him out. He is living with one of his best friends, Bree, and together they are trying to figure out how to ask his crush, Ali, out to prom. Unfortunately, things quickly go downhill quickly as someone leaks his Promposal plans and a picture of him and Ali out of context.

While Sky is out, he still struggles with accepting himself in the face of small-town bigotry. In addition, Sky also comes to see that people are more willing to accept him than he previously thought. The major theme of self-acceptance is an important one, because we often treat coming out as if it will magically fix our problems, but it often is only a step in a larger process.

Crouch's writing and plotting are standard YA novel fare; nothing special, but nothing egregious, either. He falls into familiar tropes (the Leaked Email, the Oblivious Crush, the Special Teacher, etc.), but handles them carefully enough not to feel like recycled material. While there is a range of diverse characters (a Black character, a Middle Eastern character, an autistic character, a trans character, etc.), all seem periphery to the main plot, accept to more forcefully point out the bigotry of the town.

Overall this is an enjoyable debut novel. While it wasn't groundbreaking and was mostly forgettable, I still enjoyed my time reading it.

Sky Baker is struggling to find his place during his senior year of high school. Being gay seems to have caused some conflict in his personal life and at school. Day dreaming about his crush causes enough anxiety. Estranged from his mother and still affected by the death of his father at a young age, Sky can’t seem to find his grounding. Sky’s best friends, Marshall and Bree, are there to support him in times of celebration and struggle. An incident at school where some photographs were sent to a large number of people causes Sky and those in his school to take a stand.

This is a perfect story about found families and Sky is fortunate to have chosen people to be by his side. The plot focuses on the experiences of queer individuals and people of color caught in a community where they don’t see themselves represented or always included. Readers will fall in love with the antics of this friend group and enjoy the emotional ride of senior year. Friendships and families experience turmoil but Sky comes to learn about the real meaning of family. Sometimes the high school tropes and stock characters don’t always work in YA fiction, but the dialogue and emotions in the book feel authentic. If I could ask for more, I would love to read more about Ali. There is more to his story and the plot’s main conflict. There are some parts that felt a little unresolved at the end, but I think that’s part of why the book is successful. The experiences of LGBTQ youth are so varied there isn’t one kind of closure. I hope #gayforSky catches on. I’d buy the t-shirt.

Thanks #NetGalley for access to the ARC!

“You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn’t accept you for who you are.”

Couch’s debut follows 17-year-old Sky Baker, who may be openly gay in his small town but still is oppressed by the people in it. Kicked out by his mother on Christmas, he’s living at his best friend Bree’s house. But, instead of letting the circumstances ruin his senior year, Sky decides to make an epic splash: he’s going to pull off the gayest promposal in history and ask his cuter-than-cute crush Ali. All he has to do is come up with the perfect plan - in less than thirty days. When his secret promposal plans get leaked to the entire school, Sky’s friends and classmates band together to find the culprit. As his personal vendetta turns into a viral school trend and a hashtag, Sky’s hard-won visibility won’t be the only thing he’ll be getting once his promposal countdown runs out…

Couch manages to strike a good balance between heavy topics and fun moments in this debut. Sky comes with a lot of baggage as he’s been kicked out by his mother, has a strenuous relationship with his brother, retains a big burn scar from an accident, and has adjusted his mannerisms to not be ‘too gay’ at school, e.g. not flaring his hips while walking. Not to mention the blatant homophobic treatment he has to endure at school from bullies. Nevertheless, Sky is an excitable, genuinely goofy and caring character that readers will deeply relate to. Throughout the book, I was rooting for him and invested in what would happen to him next. I also loved to see how he began his promposal ideas because he wanted to live life out and proud, to leave something of a legacy behind before escaping from his small home town but ended up in a much better place emotionally and mentally.

Let’s talk about the extended cast of characters for a moment because they deserve the spotlight. From Sky’s difficult relationship with his best friend Marshall (around whom he thinks he can’t act ‘too gay’ lest he won’t want to be friends anymore) to his soul-mate relationship with his best friend Bree (whose family deserves all the awards for inclusiveness and being a support system for Sky), I really just loved the dynamics of them on their own but also together. The secondary characters that appeared quite a few times like Dan, Teddy and Ali were really dynamic and I loved the casual diverse and queer rep and the reminder that just because you’re part of the LGBT+ community doesn’t mean you won’t sometimes get pronouns or sexual orientations right. But like Sky does in the book, the best way is to apologise and then move on, vowing to do better – we’re all human, after all, and mistakes are normal.

Also, hats off to all the characters that were connected to Sky’s late dad. I really enjoyed how all the different plot strings were brought together. There are hints at something bigger happening and the foreshadowing to those people’s connection to Sky was well done. I loved that ‘aha’ moment I had just before everything was revealed because it was quite clever.

I have to admit that even though I could tell who was going to be the love interest, I would have wished for more fleshing out of that process since Sky pretty much skips all emotional reactions and just goes from being head over heels in love with Ali to fixating on this new love interest, without much explanation beyond suddenly feeling butterflies. It came off as a sort of insta-love-coping-mechanism, so I wasn’t entirely on board. However, I still immensely enjoyed the love interest and really loved his frequent appearances and his genuine connection with Sky.

The only (small) complaint that I have is that there were a few missed opportunities when it came to character growth for Sky. Scenes that could have potentially shown another side of him or make the reader relate more, for example during a beach scene with his friends where Sky is about to reveal a burn scar to them, were skipped and relayed afterwards, somewhat taking out the immediacy of the situation. Still, the plot was very well paced and I understand why the story ended where it did.

All in all, this was a pleasant surprise. I’m always excited about new authors and Robbie Couch knows how to write snappy sentences and keep readers engaged without dragging scenes on. Taking on a plethora of topics from body dysmorphia to mental health and being queer in a town that doesn’t like anything straying from the norm, Couch delivers a nicely done story of loss and longing, and finding your way through it all, as long as you have your friends by your side.

With an endearing, relatable protagonist and a school-wide investigation that would make Veronica Mars proud, The Sky Blues is a promising debut, perfect for fans of Date Me, Bryson Keller and What If It’s Us.

Solid 4.5 star debut novel from Robbie Couch. All of the queer debuts I’ve read in the last few years have been fantastic. I loved the way the multiple storylines wove together, and also the representation was well written and none of the side-rep felt hokey. Sky was very charming and easy to love and his group of friends and adults that loved him were, too.

Plus, I love when a book does a good fake out. Don’t want to spoil anything, but I was nicely surprised at the end. This was a book I’ve been looking forward to for a while, so it was nice to sit down and get into it. It’ll be a definite collection purchase and a book I’ll buy personally.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Sky is an openly gay teenager in small-town Michigan whose plans for an epic promposal go awry when the plan is leaked in a homophobic email blast to the entire school. Rather than slink away in humiliation, Sky decides to fight back with the help of his classmates.

Those are the basics. But like the best novels, what makes THE SKY BLUES special is difficult to capture in a brief synopsis. The headline here? This is a standout book. Just a terrific read, and a story that lingers long after you turn the final page. The highest compliment I can give is that, upon finishing, I immediately did a Google search to find out when the author's next book was coming out.

Onto specifics. Other have compared THE SKY BLUES to SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA. And while that's not inaccurate -- the books share an ingratiating, low-key gay narrator, a ride-or-die friend group, a surprising love interest, and an engaging high-school mystery (as well as a warm, compulsively readable momentum) -- there have now been a number of books in the vein of SIMON. And while I love Becky Albertalli, it's a disservice to suggest that's all this book is.

For one thing, THE SKY BLUES has an unshowy authenticity that I find in only a few books per year, if that. Couch nails the awkward high-wire of emotions that comes with being a gay teen -- from the awareness of your physicality, to the fraught no-man's-land of being out but not fully actualized. He also nails, in 2020, what it means to simply be a *teen* (at least, from the vantage point of someone who spends a lot of time with 19- and 20-year-olds): The book captures how adolescence is different from even a decade ago, but without the shoe-horning in of contemporary fads or references that sometimes makes authors seem like they've read one too many NY Times trend pieces. Finally, as a native Michigander, he makes you FEEL as if you're in small-town Michigan to such a degree that I realized how rarely that sense of place is actually achieved.

THE SKY BLUES is notable for other reasons. It displays an admirable ability to depict the bittersweet, melancholy side of adolescence without ever lingering in it so long that the story loses its fundamental optimism. And it depicts difficult situations too often milked for melodrama -- in particular, Sky's estranged relationship with his family, but also the scar that preoccupies him -- with a clear-eyed restraint that is much more true to life. A subplot, involving an anonymous yearbook that ultimately broadens Sky's world, opens up another rich vein of emotions in a unique, genuinely surprising story.

My only issue: The cover, while beautiful, feels muted (and not particularly striking) in a way that undersells the book's warmth and humor. If I hadn't stumbled across this, I'm not sure the image would make me click on a thumbnail or pick up a hard copy in a bookstore.

But that's a minor complaint. Overall, this is a rich, readable story of the sort that doesn't come along often. It's easy to get lost in it, but afterwards you'll be glad that you did.

True rating: 3.5 stars

I will admit that this is a book that other people will like more than I did in the end. I wanted a bit more development on characters like Sky's mother and his love interest and just was left wanting a bit more. However, it's still a nice read with lovely characters

The Sky Blues is a compelling read and a great look at the high school experience of a gay student. The voice of the writer, and the use of first person narration, captivates the reader and makes for a terrific read. It's a very real, authentic look at high school and all it brings to LGBTQ kids.

The Sky Blues is an enjoyable read. The characters are all fleshed out and memorable. The plot was very compelling. My only complaint is that I wanted the romance to be developed a little more and/or sooner.