Thank-you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the authors for the eARC.

I wanted to like this book much more than I did, and I think its main problem was with the way it was advertised. Comparing it to HEARTSTOPPER, while understandable as the series was extremely popular at the time of publication due to the Netflix adaptation, was very much not the move. The only thing they really have in common is gay main characters, full-stop. Going in expecting the same vibes as HEARTSTOPPER and then being met with something completely different really soured my experience.

Overall, had this book been written around a decade ago, I think it would've had a much bigger impact. However, in this day and age, there are PLENTY of other (and much better) options for queer coming-of-age novels.

This is a cute young adult coming out story. It has some mixed reviews on Goodreads, but I thought it was well done.
It wasn’t too politically correct, rather an honest fictional story that many young adults who are trying to come out can relate to. It contained some drama, a little bit of humor, along with a tad of heartbreak. While I'm aware it is a work of fiction, it felt as if I knew the characters personally, and got pretty attached to them by the end of the book. I think it's a great depiction of the reality young people that are different live with every day.
I recommend this book to a younger demographic, but readers of all ages can appreciate this easy-to-read coming-of-age story.

I was pleasantly surprised by Time Out, a YA novel about a gay basketball star who faces homophobia and corruption in his small town. I was even more delighted when I learned that one of the authors is Sean Hayes, the actor who played Jack in Will & Grace. He and his co-authors did a great job of creating a realistic and engaging story that tackles some serious issues.

Time Out grabs your attention from the first page, when Barclay comes out as gay in front of his whole school. This sets the stage for a story full of drama, romance, and activism. I loved how Barclay's character grew throughout the book, as he faced the challenges of being out in a homophobic town. He made some mistakes, he struggles with his own ego and insecurities, which lead him to make some bad decisions that hurt the people who care about him. Along the way, he learned to be more confident and supportive of his friends and family. He had a great arc that made me root for him.

The book also did a great job of creating a realistic small-town vibe, with Barclay knowing everyone and everything that was going on. The plot was fast-paced and engaging, with short chapters that made me want to keep reading. The romance between Barclay and Christopher was slow but sweet, and I enjoyed seeing them get closer over time. They had a lot of chemistry and cute moments. I also enjoyed the friendship between Barclay, Amy, and Christopher, who form a loyal and fun trio. The book had a strong political theme, as Barclay and his friends campaigned for their town's elections and encouraged people to vote. I liked how the book showed the importance of civic engagement and standing up for what you believe in.

TIME OUT is a book that balances humor, heart, and hope. It is a book that celebrates diversity, courage, and acceptance. It shows the importance of being true to yourself and standing up for what is right. It also shows that being gay does not define you or limit you in any way. It's a great read for anyone who likes books with diverse characters, social justice, and adorable love stories.

3.75
I enjoyed this book. At first, I found it a bit harder to get into but then the pace quickened which made the reading experience a lot more enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this book to younger readers who are looking for a book about someone's coming-out story or just a good queer book. I liked the character development of the main character and how he was flawed instead of being the "perfect" human being.

Sean Hayes is having one helluva year.

Weeks prior to winning a Tony Award for his acclaimed turn as concert pianist and comedian Oscar Levant in "Goodnight Oscar," Hayes released his first young-adult novel.

And it's rather good.

"Time Out" is a contemporary teen romance that primarily deals with grief and coming out, within the context of competitive high school basketball.

And found much to love in this debut.

The unfiltered depiction of small town discrimination is timely. If you think the slurs and public harassment are too exaggerated, then I have news for you. It's not.

And I always love a strong message about the value of learning and moving on from your mistakes. Is there anything more relatable to a YA audience?

The enemies-to-lovers trope was a bit forced. Also, sports.
But overall, a respectable debut from a queer icon.

i went into this book thinking it was going to be a romance story and honestly it really isn't at all. it's basically just a story about the main character going through bullying and grief? the romance was barely even a side plot to the point that if you took it out of the book, nothing about the story would have changed. which i mean if you enjoy basketball, can relate to either losing a close family member or have dealt with bullying and harassment due to your sexuality, then i guess you might like this book? honestly speaking i'm glad it was a shorter book because if i had read over 300 pages of this i would have been a little upset that i wasted time. i'm not a sports fan at all but i don't mind reading a sports romance every once in a while as long as it is 1) actually a romance and 2) doesn't focus on the sport TOO much, like i don't need to be reading an entire chapter of just the character playing the game lol. the bullying felt tired and overdone, like it was all the typical textbook bullying of the gay kid like defacing lockers and "joking" they are dating the other only gay kid because of course their school only has one openly gay kid!

it wasn't badly written per say, it just didn't feel like it lived up to what it was advertised as? i don't want to be rude but i honestly don't get how it took THREE authors to write this book. i was hoping for maybe at least dual-pov. overall i guess if you can connect with the story and characters you might really enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me. i would also highly suggest looking up trigger warnings because there are quite a few for this book that i think could be quite triggering if you aren't expecting it.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for an arc copy.
This was a really cute read.
The pacing is very fast and keeps the reader engaged.
Barclay is a relatable character for readers young and old and we really get to understand him. We get to see that he can be gay and he can be a basketball player. That he doesn't have to give up one for the other, and this was a really important message in the story.
The book takes on a lot of themes though and tries to cram a lot into a less than 300 page book. Somehow they pull it off but many parts of the story fall to the wayside throughout.
I think this is one of the best coming of age/coming out stories I've read in awhile.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘.”

I knew I had to read this YA book described as “Heartstopper meets Friday Night Lights” and finding out it was co-authored by actor Sean Hayes made it that much more exciting.

This story took me a bit to get into - I loved the premise of a star basketball playing coming out and it not going how he expected it to, but I found myself questioning at first “are small towns really THIS much into high school basketball and caring if their star player is gay?” Barclay is self-centred and he hurts some people that were trying to look out for him along the way; but as I got further in, I started to fall for Barclay as he stumbles through learning who he is. The bigotry and hatred that are thrown his way made me truly angry. While Barclay and Christopher’s developing friendship and romance are one focus of the book, I loved how the emphasis the authors placed on all Barclay’s relationships - with his family, his friends and his teammates, especially as Barc learns to lean on the people who show up for him. Barc’s relationship with his brother Devin was a particular highlight, and I wish there had been even more of it. I adored for Amy, Christopher and Barclay as a team, and side characters Pat, Tabby and Zack are equally loveable. There is a lot going on in the story - coming out, bigotry, obsession over basketball, corruption, grief - but I think overall it balanced well in the end.

Time Out is a story of challenges, speaking up, togetherness, changing plans, and not being intimidated by who you are. I think it is an important book for LGBTQ+ students or allies, young or old at heart. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

Rating: 4.75/5 Stars

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book, in particular, I love how the grief of a loved one to be specifically a grandparent; I could personally relate to it as my own grandmother passed unexpectedly, just like the main character (it wasn't tragic, though so I didn't personally relate to that aspect in particular. one aspect I didn't like, but I eventually got over it was the main character Barclay I am not the biggest fan of that name, but I found his character so likable that I didn't mind in the end. Overall, I found some of the plot points predictable and rushed.

I have so many feelings about this book. Firstly, I couldn't put it down, finishing it in one sitting. The character development of many characters in the book, not just Barclay, is written so well and realistically, it really held my attention. I want a friend as passionate about saving the world as Amy is, and Christopher gives me more, probably unrealistic, goals for my future partner. But the most important thing about this book is the story of learning to accept yourself despite the cruelty and bigotry you may face. There were multiple moments when I got truly angry in Barclay's defence, especially at the beginning. While he is sometimes in the wrong, the way the entire town and his teammates turn on him as soon as he comes out is fury-inducing and all too realistic. While I am not necessarily the target audience for this book, at least in age, I think it's so important for books like this to be out in the world, either for young people to feel seen in the story, or for other readers to experience it and give the story a chance to really affect them, in a way that may make a difference in the way they look at the world. Obviously, the goal is for nobody to be able to relate to the terrible things Barclay and Christopher have to face, we all know this isn't the case. And I praise the writers of Time Out and all other books that are published or will be published like it. Suffice it to say, I loved this book and everybody should read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Barclay is a high school basketball star in small town Georgia, and all he wants is to completely be himself - which involves coming out. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't see things the way he does...

This story is a journey with coming out and finding yourself. About overcoming grief and bullies. Exposing corruption and finding ways for the good guys to win.

It was cute, but I did find the main character to be really self-centered, and it was annoying. The overall idea behind the story works, but the MC definitely has a lot of growing to do.

CW: bullying, homophobic comments, grief

I loved the cover of Time Out!

While I didn’t dislike Barclay, I definitely liked the side characters more. (Tabby & Christopher for sure!) I feel like this kinda had a lot going on, basketball, coming out, shady school dealings, losing a family member … it was a lot.

Overall it was a quick easy read and I this one I think will appeal to the younger YA crowd for sure.

This was a nice story but it was not my favourite LGBTQ story. You can tell it was written by an older generation.

This book starts off with a bang when Barclay- the basketball team captain and town hero- decides to come out at the school pep rally. Barclay felt he was loved by all and was confident that his coming out wouldn’t change anything but boy was he wrong. After coming out he realized how quickly people can change when their views don’t align with you.

Now Barclay is at odd with his team and the whole town, finding hostility where he used to find love. His best friend Amy saves the day when she gives Barclay a cause to fight for. Barclay finds a new family in this group (vote squad) and even finds a little romance with the only other out kid at his school, Christopher.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute short read.. a really great palette cleanser after all the fantasy I’ve been reading lately. I really loved how coming out was addressed in this book. Barclay was so confident in his sexuality and didn’t let all the sneers and comments change that confidence. Yes the others comments hurt him and got to him but he never let it affect his acceptance of himself and confidence in his sexuality.

Final Rating: 3.5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Themes: Coming out, Finding yourself, Definition of a team
Representation: LGBTQ+, Grief
Content Warnings: Homophobia, Bullying, Violence

Premise: When basketball legend Barclay Elliot comes out in his small Georgia town, everything changes. And he must decide whether to fight back or cower.

Characters
I thought that the characters were well-represented. The majority of the main characters and side characters (excluding the antagonists) were pretty loveable while still remaining realistic. They also had pretty good character development.

I also like how the book focuses on many different types of relationships rather than just romantic ones. For example, I liked the emphasis that the author placed on Barclay’s relationship with his mom and siblings. I also liked Barclay’s relationship with Amy, Zack, and Tabby, his friends and how, although he is good friends with all of them (or eventually becomes good friends with all of them), their relationship looks different.

I also liked the chemistry between Christopher and Barclay and it is clear that they care for each other as Barclay even opens up to him. However, I wish there was a bit more since, from reading the story, I get the vibes that they are best friends rather than “more than friends.”

Rating: 4.5/5

Plot
I thought the plot was generally well-structured. I could clearly see where the exposition begins, where the climax starts, and where the falling action ends. I also thought that each part of the story had appropriate elements that correlate to the structure.

For example, a general introduction of the setting and characters in the exposition. A third-act conflict that makes Barclay realize important things in the climax. A tense rising action with twists and turns. And a falling action that resolves the problems that are tackled in the story.

However, I do wish that there was a bit more of a resolution in the denouement. I thought that if the reader got a chance to see how Barclay and his friends and team are doing sometime after the end of the book, it would’ve wrapped up the story more nicely.

Rating: 4.5/5

Style, Themes, Representation
I liked how the themes were represented in the book. I thought it was done fairly well. With the theme of homophobia and finding yourself represented realistically rather than only positively. Because unfortunately, even in the 21st century, there will be A-holes who see you differently if you come out as gay.

However, this book shows that with your friends, your family, and your support system, you can make the best of this situation, and educate the A-holes, while still changing things for the better (like fighting for a better town council.)

Finally, even though some portions of the book were a bit awkward, which makes sense considering it is an ARC, I enjoyed the overall formatting. I liked how there is a different font and format when the text type changes which makes the story easier to follow.

I also like that there are lots of pop culture references!

Final Rating

Characters: 4.5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Formatting: 4.7/5
Final Rating: 4.6/5 (round up to 5 stars)
Personal Rating: 4/5

Date Read: April 22nd, 2023
Date Reviewed: April 24th, 2023