"Golden Boys" by Phil Stamper is a stand out in his career! Stamper covers 4 boys going through high school equally while making you root for certain pairings and relationships to work out as well as their own personal journeys through jobs, school and family drama. If you are a fan of Stamper's previous works this is not one you'll want to miss!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

I loved this one. I loved the friendships between the four boys and the way that they balanced each other out. This was a great read and I really enjoyed it. I wish we got to know more about Sal. I felt like he was the only one I didn't really get a full picture of.

I received this egalley as part of the ALAN conference and it is kept on a kindle in my classroom. My rating is based on the ratings provided by my students who have read the book and I look forward to when I get the chance to do so.

I loved this book! The characters are so endearing and I found myself rooting for each of them in their journeys. I'd gladly read about these guys just living their everyday lives. They feel real enough to be your best friends.

Not my cup of tea at all, but I am sure that other readers would enjoy this novel. I would pass it on to friends, but it just wasn't my style

An enjoyable story following four boys as they separate for a long summer of finding themselves in various corners of the world. It’s the first time they’ve been apart and it’s all new, all finding who they are and discovering what they want from life. Since it’s the summer before their senior year, the pressure is on to decide what to do with their lives, what to study in school, and how to achieve their dreams. Following all four boys was a lot. While their stories were interconnected at the beginning, overlapping points of view of the same scenes, when they separated, there wasn’t enough attention paid to any one of them. The last chapters, especially, felt rushed, weeks passing by in only a sentence. I would have loved more focus on each boy and their respective summer programs. Reese and Heath felt very much shoved into the background in light of Gabe and Sal’s whole relationship. It would have been interesting to follow Gabe and Sal for the first book and then Heath and Reese for the second.

The beginning chapters had promise, setting up interesting characters and a strong premise. But it didn’t hold up much longer than the first third of the book. The story felt spread too thin across too many people, with too quick of resolutions for what should have been big problems.

Golden Boys is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but gay. I love the connection these four boys have with one another, so much so that I was disappointed if we didn’t hear from one of them for a few chapters. While the various internships and experiences they all partake in seem a bit much for impending high school seniors, the situations they all find themselves in are so real. They each find their happy for now ending, even if it’s not what you thought would happen in the beginning. Solid YA gay summer contemporary novel.

Golden Boys is stated to be like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but starring 4 gay boys. That would have been enough to draw me in, but then to top it all off, it’s written by Phil Stamper. His books, As Far as You’ll Take Me and The Gravity of Us, are on my favorite books shelf and I have a spot next to them for this one!

I’m easily confused when there are multiple different POV’s, but luckily the audiobook is fully cast and it made it a lot easier for me to keep track of what was happening.

I love that even though each of the characters were going to a different place for summer vacation, we got very different and distinct stories. They were all a close knit group who kept in touch, for the most part, the entire time. And even though they were cities, states, and even countries apart, they found their way back to each other in the end.

Another drastically overdue review.

Four queer best friend find themselves split up over the summer before their senior year. They are each of on their own adventures, but in the process they will learn a lot have to learn a lot about themselves and the friendship.

This is your quintessential queer coming-of-age story. For friends to go on adventures while that lead to them realizing what’s most important to them. If you are looking for some a lighthearted and find read, I think the Golden Boys is a solid and enjoyable option.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC!

I liked his previous books which was why I was excited to read this one. Four queer best friends go on separate summer trips before senior year of high school. Sounds like a familiar movie!! Sal went to DC to work for his local senator and follow his passion of politics. Gabe went to Boston to save trees and to work through his anxiety day by day. Heath went to Florida to visit his aunt and cousin because his parents were divorcing. Reese went to Paris for design school because he wanted to become a designer. The beginning of the book was hard for me to pick up. There were too many voices and perspectives and not enough time to think about it. The texting among the guys was a bit confusing. The four stories themselves was good, and I loved how each guy learned so much about their future, family, friends, goals, and love. The epilogue was a bit disappointing and the story didn’t end the way I wished it did. That being said, I liked the overall story and loved the author’s previous books. So I will definitely read and recommend his books to others.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I flew through this book and loved it. I liked the different perspectives and the use of texts. I loved the characterization of each of the boys and how the reader saw their struggles.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review is based on the final copy, acquired through the library.
I had never read anything by Phil Stamper before, but the premise of Golden Boys drew my attention. It’s a lighthearted summer read centering on four queer teen boys navigating a summer apart and how that challenges their friendship (and possibly more for a few of them?), and each of them making plans for the future and figuring themselves out in the process.
The friendship dynamics are the core of the book. I love the banter between the four of them, which comes out the most in text and video chat conversations that they have while they’re apart over the summer. And the way sometimes the chats will alternate between being between certain characters highlighting what they think a third or fourth is going through, indicating their absence and avoidance of them, illustrates the tension of their complex friendship beautifully. This especially comes to fruition with the question mark around Reese and Heath and what remains unspoken between them. It’s such an interesting contrast to the dynamic between Sal and Gabe, where they had a casual hookup thing going on initially (the book even opens with a relatively non-explicit moment of them together, implying as such), although neither views it as anything serious. It’s fascinating to watch the two pairs working in reverse directions, with one navigating toward admitting feelings and getting together, and with the other disentangling themselves from a physical connection they’ve formed and trying to navigate returning to just being friends and allowing each other to find love with someone else.
And while I often struggle with multiple first person narratives, I didn’t with this one, especially once I got to know each of the boys and their own little quirks and flaws. Gabe and his anxiety are incredibly relatable, especially as he’s finding himself having to meet new people during his volunteer activities. The way he blossomed in that made me feel so proud of him and also reflective of my own journey. Sal is under massive pressure from his mother to succeed, and he hides that under this cool, confident façade. I really appreciated seeing him question things, about whether the path he was on was truly right for him. Reese is a burgeoning artist who likes to have a plan, and I love how that is shown throughout the book in his little planner with doodles and to-do items. And then there’s Heath, who’s the sweetest, in spite of coming from a less well off background.
This is a really sweet, heartwarming story that left me with a massive smile on my face while reading. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA contemporaries.

Thanks Netgalley for the E-Arc

3.5 rounded up!

What a fun, lighthearted, easy read! I breezed through this books and loved the characters and relationships. A wonderful coming-of-age story about friendships and figuring yourself out. Some of Phil Stamper's work. Beautiful story.

I absolutely loved this book - it reminded me of a queer Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and so it felt really nostalgic for me but also very with the moment and contemporary. I thought that the relationships between the characters were well developed and I really liked rooting for them. I am very excited for the sequel!

I really enjoyed this! The alternating points of view were all clearly defined and the storyline for each character was clear. It was incredibly sweet and showcased why we need more YA novels about queer friendships. I'd love to see this turned into a miniseries or movie - It has all of the elements made for that. I can't want for the sequel!

I really enjoyed this! To me, it felt a little like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but very queer. I liked the different perspectives and how things did or didn't work out for each character.

So much time is spent on the build-up to the boys leaving, I honestly wondered if that was going to be the whole plot. I rather enjoyed them reflecting on the major change in their lives, dealing or not dealing as the case may be. There isn't much action or drama until they part ways. That point, though, is when the plot becomes pretty predictable and fantastic. Entertaining but not very deep.

A very fun and insightful look into the lives of four boys as they get separated to do their own things. It was different from I was expecting and it caught me off guard while also making me like it more because of this. The boys were all likable in their flaw full selves.
The book flows well and it keeps you interested with the POV changes and you really start caring for all the boys and you want only what's best for them.

Golden boys accomplished something really impressive—it told a complicated, messy, and ultimately affirming queer story. The boys in this story are messy, imperfect and deeply flawed, and I love them so much for that. They jump off the page and right into your heart. Each of them was interesting to read about, though there were a few moments I felt like their voices were so similar I forgot whose pov I was in, this book is excellent and should be in the hands of queer kids everywhere.