I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

I wanted to love Coming to Life on South High. But I just couldn't connect to the Gabe. His journey is interesting, but it did nothing for me.

This is a tough one to review. I felt disconnected from the main character, Gabe. It was difficult to maintain interest in his love life, his friends, his family...The POV is what I think tripped me up with this story. Perhaps if it would have been written in first person, I could have connected better with Gabe.

Patton's novel is a lyrical coming of age story that follows a recent college graduate as he finds his way in the world. It's hard to describe the central character, Gabe, as a protagonist since so much of the novel is defined by all the ways he avoids making decisions or moving the plot forward. He's in a sincere state of ennui and floats through things happening to him. It's really not until deep into the story that we finally get an idea of what Gabe wants, which allows the story to pick up considerably. Yet, that would be giving away too many spoilers. This is for a patient reader who is willing to go along with the experience Gabe's journey; not someone who wants a traditional linear story/plot. Fans of Andre Aciman's novel "Call Me By Your Name" may find a spiritual companion here.

The story is told through a 3rd person viewpoint and that's my biggest issue - it felt so impersonal and seemed to skip right through a lot of the MCs decision making and though process and left us behind a bit when it came to his emotional development across the story.