Oh this book...

As Far as You'll Take Me is an absolute knockout! Starting off, I was a little hesitant on whether or not I would love this book after hearing it compared to [book:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856] and the works of Rainbow Rowell. However, Stamper did not disappoint.

As Far as You'll Take Me follows Marty Pierce and his journey of self-discovery in London. From rural Kentucky, Marty has only had a few chances to see the world. Sheltered by his Christian family, his one prior trip to London turned disastrous due to the presence of a Pride parade. Marty is desperate for an escape and hopes that a move to London could be the perfect reset. As a budding musician in London, Marty meets a variety of people along his journey to self-discovery.

This book was so perfect. It had such an interesting plot and I loved the additions of the journal entries. Stamper wrote convincing characters that evoked ample emotion. Most of all, the story felt real and believable. How many books have you read where the ending is imperfect but still perfect in its own way? Marty struggles with fitting in, his personal image, and mental health throughout the entirety of the novel. His friendships and relationships also weren't always perfect. In real life, you don't always get the guy. Maybe that can be true for books too. I was also amazed by the diversity in As Far as You'll Take Me. There were representations of many sexualities and races.

I literally cannot speak highly enough of this book. I related to it so deeply that it has quickly earned its spot in my top 5 books of all time.

This was...fine.

The rep was A+. Diversity in characters, discussion of anxiety and mental health, a teenage boy with eating and body issues, and obviously a story of sexuality to tie it all together.

But the story itself was just so jammed packed with Issue after Issue after Issue and everything went by so fast. The pacing was so rushed. One minute there's a discussion of a trip that's a month away and then suddenly they're there, and then tat trip is a whirlwind of place description. I just don't feel like I got any real feel for many of the characters because their scenes were rushed through with drama and just getting onto the next scene.

Overall, I did like it and the writing was relatable and great, but it just felt rushed.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

"As Far As You'll Take Me" is a young adult book centered around a boy named Marty, who travels to London to stay with his cousin in an attempt to escape from his unaccepting household and be in a place where he can be himself.

Over the course of the story, we see Marty learning to adjust to life in a brand new place and face his fears, and through the journal entries placed throughout the book, we also learn more about his past and what led him to travel to London in the first place. We learn that a former friend of his outed him about his sexuality, and that his parents weren't so accepting when they found out he was gay. His mother is very religious and seemingly expects him to follow the same religion and attend church while he stays in London. Another thing I liked was the anxiety representation - I feel like that was written very well and I like how it wasn't romanticized.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It's one of my most anticipated reads for early 2021, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. I would highly recommend this to YA fans.

Phil Stamper does not disappoint with his newest work "As Far As You'll Take Me" and it is certainly a book I wish I had access to in my middle and high school years. The book follows Marty as he, upon graduating high school, gets a fresh start as a musician in London, far away from his rural hometown and conservative parents. Stamper explores themes of family, friendship, anxiety, and belonging in this heartfelt book. The cast of characters are diverse and relatable. There is romance, but I enjoyed the strong and caring friendships in this book even more. Content warning for disordered eating.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this before the publishing date (out FEB 9th 2021)
It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did it felt like everything a contemporary YA novel should be.
It's smart, funny, and touches on intimate topics such as anorexia, toxic friendships, religion, and sexuality.

Marty is a gay oboist living in rural Kentucky struggling with the fact that his family does not accept him for who he is. So what does Marty decide to do? Runaway to London to live with his cousin (who is also gay) under the guise that he was accepted to a prestige music school.
We follow Marty on a journey through friendships (toxic & genuine), anxiety, and trying to become who he thinks other people want him to be. In the end through heart break and finally accepting himself, Marty learns that only he can define who he is and make his dreams come true.
This was a great story about learning to love yourself despite everything against you, which is something I still struggle with. I 100% recommend this book to anyone out there, whether you're struggling through any of these issues or not.

Review will be available on my blog, The Reading Fairy, on February 6th, 2021.

TW: parental death (mentioned), divorce (mentioned), homophobia, forced outing, anxiety, panic attacks, toxic friendship, use of slurs (f-word), eating disorder

Rep: Gay & Anxiety MC, M/M relationship, queer side characters

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Any quotes used may not match it's final copy. 

I never wanted to disappear, or fade into the background. I wanted to go someplace I could conquer my fears and become my own person."


Everything aside, I am really glad that I got a chance to read this book because it spoke to me in the time when I needed it. A year, where I have been struggling with everything changing to the point where I lost my rock. The year that I was struggling with my anxiety and how it ruined me in everything. How I've turned to self harming myself to help. I am really ashamed of that though because I gave up.

I'm still really salty that I do not have band this year even though they're allowing sports. Like why?? Anyways, I am off topic but I swear there is the reason why I am talking about that because As Far As You'll Take Me is literally band geeks in a nutshell with a gay guy who has anxiety in it. 

It spoke to my soul way too much. I was grinning the whole time while also saying "Stop hating the tea.", because band talk. Band geeks and just people playing instruments. But also, London actually has a good program??? If I stop being what I am now, I'd be all over auditions, but they scare me to death. 

I was just preening like a bird because I am a band geek-I am not afraid to admit that. Like, you're talking about one of my passions in the most positive way ever and the anxiety. As someone who is suffering from anxiety, I know how much it controls your life. How much it is irrational, and even though, it seem like it's gone-it's not. 

Everything about this book spoke to me minus the hating tea thing. Tea is delicious and I am not just saying that because it's the time of the year, where the stores are putting out my favorite tea.  But stop hating the tea. 


The one thing I really appreciated was the messiness about the relationships. It was not perfect at all, and I loved how the author explored that. We need it more in books to where the person they meet is not the one who is right for them. Sometimes, relationships can be toxic or you start doing harmful things to yourself to prove yourself to a guy.

Damn. I came into this with no expectations at all and I may have just found a new treasure trove author for heartfelt contemporaries. This was smart, funny, and held that hard to define and hard to find emotional climate all YA books strive for.

I didn't just feel for Marty, I felt with him.

Since the release date is a ways off, I'll try to keep this as close to spoiler free as possible. In short: we get a story about my fellow Appalachian runaway Marty and the way we try to find ourselves, and define ourselves, by letting other people do it for us.

This is a book about defining and loving yourself, no buts or cuts allowed.

If this isn't on your TBR, it should be. It's that good. :)

This was really cute! I enjoyed the anxiety rep and the pretty seamless inclusion of it throughout the book. I also really enjoyed some of the background characters, especially Sophie and Shane. The dialogue did feel clunky at times, but it didn't bring down the whole thing. My favorite part is the ending and that this is more of a coming-of-age story than a romance.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing an e-arch or As Far As You’ll Take me by Phil Stamper! This book is the cutest coming of age story! We follow Marty, he’s just found himself in London for the summer trying to find himself and discover who he really wants to be. After a disasterous time coming out to his parents, he completely bombs his audition to his dream music school. However, after creating a small lie, he’s able to spend his summer in London with his cousin. He experiences new healthy friendships, a first love (crush might be a better word for it), and faces his anxiety head on. I really enjoyed that this book brought up a friendship breakup that we don’t see a lot in ya books! Overall, I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend! #asfarasyoulltakeme #philstamper #netgalley

Major thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for the opportunity to review this arc!

Trigger warnings: Anxiety, disordered eating, religion (Christianity), homophobia, outing, f-slur, panic attacks

When seventeen-year-old Marty fails an audition for a prestigious music summer program -- his one shot to escape Avery, Kentucky and his religious parents for the summer -- he decides to take the chance of a lifetime. His plan? To book a one-way trip, crash at his cousin Shane’s apartment for the summer, and figure it out from there. In London, armed with nothing but a suitcase, his oboe, and dwindling finances, Marty must learn who he is outside of his rural Kentucky persona. But starting completely over in a new country isn’t all that easy -- Luckily, Marty’s immersion process is fast-tracked from the get go, after Shane’s cute friend Pierce picks him up from the airport, and throws Marty into their friend group. Is everything all it’s chalked up to be? As Far As You’ll Take Me is a contemporary YA novel about discovering one’s self-identity, grappling with mental health, and what the meaning of family truly is.

I won’t lie -- Marty’s decision to move to another country, while lying to his parents and having no back up plan completely stressed me out to the point where I had to put the book down, and walk around the room. But Marty’s story and Phil Stamper’s writing had hooked me from the beginning, and so I knew I’d have to continue to see how it all played out. This is the first book I’ve read of Stemper’s, and will definitely be picking up The Gravity of Us once I get a chance.

Stemper tackles many important issues in As Far As You’ll Take Me; all of which I think was presented well. Marty’s eating disorder, relationship with religion and his parents, toxic friendships and relationships, and anxieties made him a very real character to me. I’ve met many Marty’s in my lifetime. I’ve been Marty -- minus the lying to my parents and moving to another country alone bit. It was all too easy to see and to understand why he made the choices he did, and Marty was a character you couldn’t help but root for. Something Marty said in an earlier chapter really stuck with me -- “I’m not the protagonist of anyone’s story”. Except, he is. He’s the protagonist of his own story, and watching him learn and grow and understand that role was a joy.

I would highly recommend As Far As You’ll Take Me, especially to readers of Adam Silvera’s, or fans of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, or Autoboyography by Christina Lauren.

As Far As You'll Take Me is about a gay teenager, Marty, who flees his religious household in Kentucky to try to make it as a professional oboist in London. As his time and savings dwindle, he also has to reckon with family and friends back home, new friendships and romantic prospects in London, and his anxiety.

This is a lovely story, and it touches on a lot of issues without losing its heart. As in Stamper's debut, The Gravity of Us, the characters and relationships in As Far As You'll Take Me are messy and realistic. I appreciate how he explores all the gray area without telling the reader how to feel. At the same time, I was impressed with how vivid Marty's anxiety and feelings could be, even when the feelings were irrational.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet story and the mature way that the issues are handled. I think a reader who can closely identify with the Marty, his religious upbringing in Kentucky and his anxiety, would particularly enjoy the book.

Content warnings: outing, homophobia, F-word slur, disordered eating

** Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! **

This is a YA contemporary novel focusing on Marty, a gay oboist with anxiety struggling to live as his true self in rural Kentucky. When coming out to his religious parents during a trip to London goes horribly wrong, Marty decides that the only way to start over is to put some distance between the life he’s living and the life he wants to live. Under the guise of being accepted into a prestigious music school, Marty books a one-way ticket to London with the plan to crash with his cousin Shane and start a new life. The immersion is immediate - He gets picked up from the airport by his cousin’s cute friend Pierce, is thrown into their friend ground, and for the first time is living a life where he doesn’t feel judged because of his sexual orientation. But is starting over really that easy? This is a story of friendship, first loves, mental illness, body image, self-love, autonomy and sexual identity.

Overall, this was a super cute read. I loved the anxiety rep, especially since I felt the author organically weaved it into the plot rather than tokenize it. I loved all of the side characters, and felt hat each one contributed something important to the plot. I did find the romance to be a little too insta-lovey for my taste, and I did wish that some of the friendships/side characters got a little more screen time. But all in all, this was an entertaining coming of age story and would def recommend it!

A stunning book about finding and fighting for yourself. I loved Phil Stamper’s The Gravity of Us and this was the perfect act to follow for me. I loved these characters and how deeply we got to see Marty deal with his identity and family. This book had one of my favorite found family tropes. What a lovely lovely read.

Thanks to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for providing me a digital copy for review.

I started reading this book thinking I’d get a cute and fluffy love story, but I got so much more than that (and the love story wasn’t even the best part). I loved the musical aspect of the book and I wish it was explored a little more since sometimes it took a backseat to the romance. Talking about love and romance, at first I thought that the main character fell in love far too fast but then I put things in perspective and realized that I would’ve probably done the same at 17 years old.
The book dealt with some heavy issues: Eating disorders, Toxic relationships, religion, anxiety and more.
However, I thought it handled those subjects relatively well and I found it really original how the author chose not to simply, almost miraculously, solve them, they are still ongoing after the book ends just as they are real lifelong struggles for people in real life.
The ending was exactly what I wanted, I won’t go into details to avoid further spoilers however it was very satisfying even though it wasn’t wrapped up in a pretty bow.

**Review will be up on Goodreads one month before the release date**

'As Far As You'll Take Me' is a contemporary YA featuring Marty, an oboist who lies to his parents about being accepted into a prestigious London music program in order to escape the homophobia of his tiny hometown. In London, Marty deals with severe anxiety while navigating the difficulties of maintaining old friendships and forming new ones, coming to terms with his first situationship, and trying to survive in an expensive city with no job prospects and dwindling savings.

As a queer band nerd from a small town who has anxiety and ALSO moved to Europe with no money, I found Marty to be super relatable. His anxiety was portrayed realistically but never felt like it was his entire personality. Watching him grow into himself and build a home and family that respects him was a beautiful thing. I so appreciated the depiction of friend-breakups, which can be just as heartbreaking as romantic breakups. Perhaps the most engaging aspect of the story was Marty grappling with loving his parents when their Christianity meant they couldn't fully love him back.

After reading and loving The Gravity of Us, I was so looking forward to Stamper's sophomore novel. It absolutely did not disappoint! I would recommend this for fans of 'Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda,' Adam Silvera, or David Levithan.

I received a copy of this books from Netgalley for an honest review.

This book is about a kid who takes a chance to start a new life in London and leaves behind his homophobic family pretending he is just doing a summer program when he is not coming back.
Somehow, I guess because of the cover, I thought it was going to be a lighter book, but it delves into self worth, anxiety, how much you’re willing to change to be liked/loved,
Al the characters seemed so very real to me with good and bad.
Marty even though his anxiety and insecurities was trying so hard to be better, to grow up, to be happy.

I want to start by saying that the cover for this book is WONDERFUL.

Marty is leaving his old life in Avery, Kentucky and starting a new life across the pond in London. Yes, London, England. He’s got his oboe, his anxieties, and his dreams of making something of himself before the summer is over so he never has to return home. In London he can be out, proud, and happy. All the things that he can’t be back home in Avery. Once he gets to London he finds it challenging, but he also finds new friends and maybe in love. When thing’s don’t go according to his very detailed plans (and, they are bullet pointed and he Googled everything) Marty has to decide if he is going to run home or face his fears.

I was drawn into this book the minute I started it. Phil Stamper really hit it out of the park with this book. I enjoyed The Gravity of Us a lot, but this book is so much more than that book. So much better, richer, deeper, uglier, and filled with such honesty that I couldn’t believe it. Marty is on a journey to find himself, but complications come up and he has to face his anxieties in order to really be happy.

Marty has to learn that how to really love and believe in himself, to stand up for himself, and even what real friendship is all about. He learns harsh lessons about being in relationships, and glorious lessons about how wonderful having real friends can be. Marty faces a lot of challenges in his move to London, but he finds that even the most difficult obstacles can be beaten with the help and support of those around you.

Phil Stamper really tackles a few issues with this book: eating disorders, anxieties, toxic friendships and relationships, religion vs sexuality, finding a “chosen family”, and learning that sometimes home is a complicated thing.
I am not an expert on many of these issues, nor do I experience all of them myself, but I really felt like they were handled well. Marty’s eating disorder, why he does it, and his reasoning to keep doing it all frustrated me but I also felt like I understood him. If I were Marty then I would believe my rationalizations as well. And his anxieties! Holy crap, I really felt like this was handled well. Just from personal experiences I really understood Marty and his uneasiness in pushing himself and putting himself out there.

And his conflicts with religion and being gay really struck a cord with me. I really understood this conflict in and out because I went through so much of it myself. Marty’s experiences are definitely worse than mine, but I still really felt for him. The conflicts it causes, the rifts it makes between family and friends. How suffocated it made me feel and how I always was looking for a way out so I could really live. It’s complicated and messy. And I loved all of it in this book.

A few shortcomings I have with this book are the shortcomings with Pierce and how little Shane is used.

Pierce is clearly a troubled kid, with lots of his own problems to work out. This was not his story, I get that. But I would have liked to have seen just a little bit more about him and his POV. The resolution between Marty and Pierce felt a bit forced. Not that Stamper forced it in the writing, but Marty made friends just so things weren’t awkward. I would have liked some more development form Pierce, or maybe a bit more understanding of his character.

And Shane. I really felt like he was under used the whole book. He is an excellent character, and I loved his little side story, but overall he just kind of fell into the background. I think not using Shane more was the wrong choice.