A cute new perspective on the freaky Friday genre! The characters were well thought out and interesting. Max is a very REAL character and I can tell the author has put a lot of time into crafting him. I wish there were books like this when I was 16 and figuring out life! ❤️

A diverse cast of characters and an honest exploration of what it’s like to be queer, this is a brilliant YA story that will have you falling in love with Max and his pals. It’s a book I would 100% gravitate towards. It was thought-provoking, educational, and a great light-hearted read. I love reading queer literature and this is one that I enjoyed.

This book had me frustrated and a bit disappointed for large parts of it, but the final part was so cute and satisfying!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Overall: I enjoyed reading this book and I'm sure many people will too.

However:

I really cannot stand when books tell instead of show, and this book does that pretty often.

3.5 rounded up

This was one of my most anticipated releases and I just know I'm going to enjoy it. And I did!If you're looking for a qwuick queer pick me up read, this one's for you!

I just rally couldn't find anything in this book to keep me wanting to read more. I couldn't suspend my imagination enough for this Freaky Friday situation. It didn't help that none of the characters were even remotely relatable.

This was a super fun queer YA coming of age Freaky Friday esque story. Perfect for fans of authors like Jason June or Casey McQuiston. I can't wait to read more by Calum McSwiggan. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Max has always been out and proud. However, one day, he gets frustrated with not being in a relationship and wishes for a different life. In a Freaky Friday-esque situation, he wakes up and realizes his life has been changed. His best friend is gone and he is in a relationship with a girl. Max soon learns that he should be careful what he wishes for.

I think this took a while to get into. It's also hard when the characters are teenagers and wishing for serious relationships/love. It just isn't as believable. I think even if they had been in college, it would have resonated more.

Thank you NetGalley, Union Square & Co, and Calum McSwiggan for providing me with a copy of Straight Expectations for review.

This was a very cute read! Max and his core friends are such a wonderful time. I certainly loved the dynamic between them and it was just so much fun. I had a great time read this with all the cheeky queer references and completely recommend it.

For me, this book did an excellent job at presenting the reality of being a horny teenager whilst not being spicy or extremely uncomfortable for adult readers. It captured the humour of being an embarrassing, stupid, overly sexual teen without having sexual content. I understand that it might go a bit too far for some people.

Truthfully, about half way through I was doing some 'hetero propaganda' eye rolls but it righted itself really well. I loved the ending and way that Maxxie brought all the pieces together was beautiful.

3.5*

Thank you to Netgalley and Union Square & Co. for a an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I liked it. I really liked McSwiggan's writing style and witty humour. It was a really cool concept and one that I think a lot of queer people can relate too, how much easier would my life be if I was "normal" like everyone else. Although there did seemed to be some issues that I felt held the book back.

Firstly the main character Max. He was okay, I liked him at times, but other times he did seem to be a little silly or "boy crazy" as his friends called him. I liked that he had great relationships with his parents in either timeline and that him being queer didn't change things like that. One problem that I had was that Max's reason for fighting with his friends in the beginning felt kinda forced? It did feel very petty that he felt had so many problem because he didn't have a boyfriend at eighteen. Which I get was supposed to be his flaw I guess, but it seemed kinda strange. The other problem that I had was that it felt like Max fixed things too easily. Near the end he just simply apologises to his friends and they accept it almost immediately with little to no tension. It didn't feel earned.

The most frustrating part of the book for me was when Max and Dean were making up at the end and Dean brings up that Max didn't understand how hard he had to work on his drama school auditions because he was Black. Max says he didn't know Dean felt like that to which Dean replied, well you should have asked then. What? That part made no sense and felt very virtue signaly to me. How are you supposed to ask if your friend is feeling anxiety about something because of his race? I can't imagine someone ever asking someone that. Why was it up to Max to ask Dean to be vulnerable with him about something Max didn't even know he was feeling? And that was a big part of their argument which was the hinge of the story, so that made it even more weird. It felt like a misunderstanding/miscommunication, but then Dean turned it into a teaching moment. Who talks to their friends like that?

Anyway, I still loved the writing style and I really liked the ending when Max and Oliver got together, that was cute. I can tell that McSwiggan has a great career ahead of them and I won't hesitate to pick up his next book.

Before anything else, I would like to give my heartfelt gratitude to the publisher for giving me access to this e-ARC.

Due to life's circumstances, I am, unfortunately, unable to read this ARC before it is archived here on Netgalley.

Again, thank you so much for this opportunity that you have given me.

Straight Expectations is going to become a very vital story, every library should be adding this to their catalog. It covers some very complicated and in depth conversations that will really aid those struggling in the LGBTQ+ community, something I wish I had growing up.

I think this book did exactly what its purpose was. To show members of the LGBTQ+ community that these negative thoughts and feelings towards your own identity are normal and as a member, I really appreciate that.

I picked this book up because of the charming cover and thought it would be a little laugh. Turns out it exceeded my expectations.

Max is a super gay kid in his last year of high school dealing with typical high school life, his future, his parents, his crush. A wish made in a fit of anger sends him to a parallels dimension where he wakes up…. straight! He has to navigate this new reality and find his way back to his own.

This book delivered camp in all the right ways, exactly how you would expect a book like this to read. The surprising part is that the story ended up being deeper than it let on at first.

Max didn’t just have to come to terms with himself but also the world; that there are no perfect relationships, just people trying to make things work, that there’s more than one way to be gay, and that even when he sees the light and talent in his closest friends, they as people of color they’re still running in a different race than him.

I was actually tearing up by the end of the book. It was a great read with a good balance of humor and compassion and definitely worth reading.

STRAIGHT EXPECTATIONS by Calum McSwiggan is the story of a gay high schooler who gets in a fight with his best friends and wakes up the next day in an alternate universe, where he's straight. His strange circumstances force him to question his own privilege and the way he treats the people most important to him, while he tries to figure out a way back to his old life.
The story is a cute and told in funny, punchy prose. It makes a good introduction to the topics mentioned for young people who might just be learning about them. The pacing, however, didn't work for me, as large sections at the beginning and end of the story seemed to be lacking in stakes and tension. Still, young readers will be likely to enjoy this light-hearted story with some thought-provoking ideas.

Every time I put this book down, I struggled to pick it back up. That had nothing to do with the book. It was lovely, but it just wasn't for me.

3.5 stars

What happens when you make a wish out loud that comes true? Max learns the hard way that words matter after he tells his best friend he wishes he wasn't gay while they were fighting. His wish comes true and when he wakes up in an alternative timeline where he's very much straight and his best friend Dean is missing. Max has to navigate this new world that he doesn't want to be in. Everything goes wrong for him and he has to find a way to find his true self again. Straight Expectations is a fun, light YA story full of great characters and charm

I enjoyed Straight Expectations.
It was a quick and fun read with some great characters!
I definitely recommend it!

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.