This story made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry. Wes and Tristan made me so happy and so sad! This story is a great YA story to address the idea of sexuality and how it might make you feel like you don’t fit in, until you find your people/person.

Cute story, I liked the integration of photography. I'm definitely older than the target audience, but could imagine younger readers really swooning over thos story.

4,5/4,75⭐️

TW: bullying, alcoholism, child abuse, domestic abuse, violence

First of all, thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the Audiobook ARC

“Skater Boy” by Anthony Nerada is a queer coming-of-age YA romance book that recalls the self-discovery of Wes, the protagonist, during his last year of high school.

I adored Anthony Nerada’s debut novel.
I loved Wes as MC and his relationships not only with Tristan but with the other characters as well.
I also appreciated the role that photography played in Wes’ discovery of his true self.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend “Skater Boy” to anyone who loves a great coming-of-age story with LGBTQIA+ representation and I am eager to read more books by this author.

Skater Boy follows Wesley "Big Mac" McKenzie, the schools resident "bad boy" -and closeted gay boy- as he falls for a cute ballet dancer, forcing him to question what he wants to do and be in life.
The romance was cute but I loved that there was so much to this story than that. We see Wes grow in so many ways and find where he belongs at school, with his friends, with his mother and step dad... It was inspiring and encouraging.

I spent last weekend, listening to the audiobook arc for Skater Boy and wowza!

going into this, I was honestly sure I wouldn’t enjoy this book… My friend had been hyping it for so long… but I have never been a bad boy/skaterboy/punk kinda girly… but when I got my hands on an arc through NetGalley, I thought I would give it a shot.

And boy, oh boy, was I wrong! This book is so good and the character I though I wouldn’t be able to connect with is now a new favorite and I just wanted to protect him the whole time I was listening. You can be whoever you wanna be, Wes, baby 🥲💜

This is just a beautiful book about coming out, growing up and understanding who you are 🥰 Y’all should definitely give it a shot!

This book completely blew me away. It hits some heavier topics (CW for internalised homophobia, toxic masculinity, bullying, past parental abuse, anger issues due to anxiety and panic attacks that present as angry outbursts), but it's also so so sweet and cathartic.

I think it's so important to have books that represent anxiety, especially the less talked about symptoms of anxiety, and this book does a great job of showing how anxiety can give you terrible mood swings and anger issues. The first time I read Take a Hint Cloe Brown by Talia Hibbert I was struck by the lines "People think anxiety makes you nervous all the time, and it can. But no one ever talks about how it makes you angry." That was the first time I ever saw ANYONE talk about how anxiety can make you angry, and I felt so seen by it. And I hope this book has the same effect for teenagers who might read it.

There's a lot of aspects of this book I really enjoyed. Wes's relationship with his mother and his mother's boyfriend/fiancé was probably one of my favourite things, and I cried (like big sob fests, not just prickly eyes) THREE times because of it - once for Wes's heart-to-heart with his mother, once when Wes told Tad he loved him, and also for the epilogue where his mother and Tad get married. I also really liked the plotlines around Wes's friends (both the friends he starts the book with and the friends he makes along the way), and of course the relationship with Tristan - though for me the romance wasn't the main focus of the story, and I can see some people being disappointed with that.

I also loved each chapter title being a play on a song name, and the cheeky little "I was a skater boy, he did ballet" line near the end of the book.

The audiobook narrator also did a great job - he has a bit of a melancholic tone to his reading that really suits the story.

He was a punk, he did ballet...

Well that might not be how the lyrics go but that's Wesley and Tristan.

Wesley is failing his senior year of high school when one day his mom and soon to be step-dad take him to a ballet show. That is where he sees Tristan. You see Wes is gay but no one knows it. Not his mom or even his close friends. And then begins a great love story...

Okay we can't say love yet. More like friends to lovers maybe? But while Tristan is important in this book what's more important is Wes. Wes coming to term that he is gay and learning to love Tristan and his friends enough to tell them. This book was so well written. I really love seeing how much Wes grew as a character. He changed so much during those last couple of months of school and it was amazing to see. This book is definitely worth reading.

He was a skater boy, he did ballet. Can I make it anymore obvious?
I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed Wes’ character especially with being a former emo teen myself. I loved that the chapters were all emo/pop punk songs with a twist.
I listened to the audiobook and really liked the narration and the voice of Wes. I just wish I could have seen all the chapter titles instead of hearing them.
Wes is finding himself and growing after being labeled a punk/ skater boy. It was super fun but had a ton of depth and growth. A great coming of age story.

*Thank you RB Media and Netgalley for an advanced listeners’ copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the e-audio for Skater Boy. A queer book written after Skater Boy? Sign me up! Unfortunately it didn't live up to my tbr new release hopes for this year, but I think it's because it's just not for me and will impact the readers who will click with it. Having been bullied pretty bad throughout schooling, keeping in mind that I never know what's happening at home is one thing. Reading from the bully's perspective was too much. Again, not saying the book was bad but that it just wasn't for me. I think this dynamic could be important and I hope this book finds those whose it's meant to find.

Note on narrator: can never go wrong with Michael Crouch.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, Soho Teen, Anthony Nerada, and Michael Crouch (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Skater Boy in exchange for an honest review.

Skater Boy gives an in-book shoutout to Avril Lavigne's classic song, and this book is easily described as "Wesley was a punk, Tristan did ballet". In a senior year coming-of-age adventure, Wesley explores his attractions while supporting Tristan in following his dreams. With a fictional blend of realistic romance during the final months of high school, this novel is an exquisite read for older (new adult) readers of the LGBTQ community.

Wesley is a skater and mostly known by peers and teachers as a "bad boy." He often ditches doing homework for hanging out with friends and enjoying skate sessions. He also has a love of photography, something he learns can be percieved as a true art form and something to possibly pursue after high school. He doesn't really care about much regarding school or his future, until his mom drags him to the fated production of The Nutcracker, where Tristan is the lead character and dancer.

Watching Tristan move motivates Wesley in a way he doesn't expect. Wesley knows he shouldn't be falling for a ballet dancer, of all people, and he isn't sure how to share his feelings, because he certainly hasn't told anyone about his interestes towards men, that's for sure!

As the two start spending time together, Tristan sparks a new motivation in Wesley: the drive to graduate and seek some semblance of future. Relationships go both ways, and supporting each other will become the inspiration and determining factor they might both need in the relationships they seek for their futures. When Wesley starts showing who he really is, he is worried about losing his friends. Choices must be made, and it's that time of life when some of the hardest choices lay in the near future.

There is certainly something to say about Nerada's novel, as it is a debut that is eloquently written and contains multitudes of thematic lessons for young readers to take away. This novel encourages youth to take risks to be who they are, because finding yourself and being yourself is an importaant aspect to one's choices and future. It also offers a testament to following your dreams, something every individual should strive for. The novel expresses the importance of being different, and how our differences are what make us unique.

An overall brilliant debut novel certainly worth the read (or a listen, as the audiobook has a brilliant narrator, bringing Welsey's character to life and adding a depth to the novel that just reading off the page doesn't quite grasp).

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an early copy of Skater Boy.

He was a boy
He was one too
Can I make it any more obvious?
He was punk
He did ballet,
What more can I say.

Skater Boy is a young adult coming-of-age story about over coming past trauma, self-discovery and self-healing. Although Skater Boy is YA, it does touch on some very serious, but important themes, such as trauma, alcoholism, bullying and racism.

Wes is a punk, a skater, a bully. He skips class, drinks/smokes and is a general 'bad-boy'. Tristan is a ballerina, goes to a private school and lives in the nicer part of town. They are opposites but when Wes watches Tristan dance in 'The Nutcracker' he is transfixed and needs to get to know him. Tristan encourages Wes to follow in his interests and overcome his need to appear 'punk'. While Wes annoyed me slightly at the beginning he grew on me quickly. He is a well rounded character who has a great character growth where he learns to overcome his fears of being "himself" around others. I loved following along with his journey of self-acceptance while also watching him fall in love with a cute ballet boy.

The chapter titles and references are absolutely genius and sold me very quickly.

This was a cute light read and I liked how much Wes's friends and family played into the story. It was nice that he was figuring out those dynamics too and how to grow and change in them instead of it just being about his and Tristan's relationship exclusively. It always adds to a romance for me when the main characters and side characters have depth like this. It took me a little while to get properly into this book because the start was very heavy on the internal dialogue and that was bogging things down a bit for me, but once it got going it was a quick read and hard to put down.

me, an angry queer/former emo kid from ohio who also loves musical theatre: is this fucking play about us?

(it is, and it absolutely hits!)

LISTEN. wes is my son, okay? he’s a little shit, but he is perfect *to me*. he just wants to be loved and understood in a place where he doesn’t feel loved and understood! he *wants* to be a better person and actively works on it, even if he stumbles a few times in the process. and his journey to not only self-acceptance, but to seeking forgiveness from the people he’s hurt? to figuring out who he *really* is, not just what people expect him to be? it’s so lovingly and beautifully crafted. there’s just so *much* in this book, in the best way. found family and coming of age and first love and complicated friendships and some really heavy topics that brought me to tears more than once, and it is all so masterfully interwoven. wes is a messy, deeply imperfect character, yet you can’t help but completely empathize with him and root for his happy ending. you want what he wants, so completely, despite his (many) fuck-ups. i couldn’t put this book down because i *needed* him to be okay in the end, and really, what more can you ask for from a book?

this book, like wes, is so much more than what it appears to be on the surface. i expected a cute opposites attract YA romance, and i got it, but i also got this really beautiful coming-of-age story with incredible writing and character growth, and a really poignant exploration of what it means to be a scared, queer kid of a square peg in a round hole.

i desperately needed this book as a teenager, and im just so happy that teens now get to read this and see themselves represented so beautifully.

i really, really love this book. it will stick with me for a long time.

taylor swift vibe: electric touch feat. fall out boy (obviously)

recommended for: angry queers who want to see all of their messiness represented but still want the happy ending they deserve.

(i add this to all my public reviews as well, so including here--)
if you’ve read it please yell with me about: the chapter titles!!!!

(i also wanted to share that the audiobook is FANTASTIC and the narrator is amazing. i am not a great audio reader, i tend to zone out while reading, but his narration, coupled with nerada's amazing writing, kept me completely locked-in and engaged throughout.)

i have submitted a review on Amazon, as well, but am waiting for approval. i will update this feedback with a link once it is live. (Amazon review is added!)

This was SUCH an enjoyable read from start to finish for me! And sooo quick too. At least I zoomed through the audiobook (probably because the narration was fantastic – but we'll get to that). I pretty much immediately fell in love with Wes as our main character. He's giving "we must protect the misunderstood, angry boy at all costs" energy for me. Which I already gravitate naturally to characters like his, but Wes just had some different sort of magic to his makeup that I immediately said I need to give him a hug and just tell him everything's going to be okay, 'ya know? I really went into this book thinking it was going to be a light, queer YA romance read but boy, could I have been more wrong. It was still a wonderful ya romance, but it also did more than that. It handled some pretty heavy topics in a very approachable way that didn't lighten the gravity of said topics but also didn't bog the story down in any way that affected the pacing or storyline. Everything felt like it had it's purpose in the story and I could tell the heart Anthony put into the writing through his handling of particularly significant character events. And Wes wasn't the only lovable/relatable character to me, I felt a little for each of his friends' various experiences, which only made the story feel more genuine and well-rounded as. whole. Wes, especially, went through some pretty significant growth over the course of the book and I found myself feeling so proud of him and his journey by the book's conclusion. I also thought the romance was great and very age-appropriate to the character, which I'm just personally a big fan of in high-school setting YA. That's not to say I didn't get frustrated a few times with the "Tripod," the endearing, self-proclaimed name of Wes' tight-knight friend group. I wanted to definitely shake some sense into them a few times, but alas I'm only the reader and had to watch as they all majorly fumbled some miscommunication situations in the book.

Also, I would be SO remiss if I didn't mention that I specifically listened to this in audiobook format and WOW! The writing was already great (Go Anthony Nerada!) but then Michael Crouch (the audiobook narrator) just brought Wes' character to life for me! His voice acting in this role probably accounts for a strong portion of why I love Wes so much in this book. He felt so genuine and real to me.

Overall, I'm really happy that this book exists out in the universe and had a great time reading would highly recommend to anyone in the market for a fresh MM YA romance read set in high school or maybe just something to satisfy that urge to go back to an emo version of yourself from high school (if this applies to your experience ofc).

P.S. I believe others have said it in previous reviews, but I couldn't get enough of the chapter titles! They were fantastic and something I looked forward at the start of each chapter 🥹

I saw one of the author's reels on Instagram and I was curious to know what this story was about. When I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. It was an emotional, mental, spiritual need, and everything in between. And boy did it live up to expectations. It is a light but solid, strong, and emotionally intense narrative. It left me speechless!

Full review to be published on February 12: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/02/resena-review-skater-boy.html

I really enjoyed this story! the characters were entirely relatable and lovable to me. while they had the relatable teenage grunge vibe, they were also their own whole people who are experiencing life-changing, ever evolving emotions that was special to read. I loved the coming of age, identity-positive take to this lgbtq+ YA novel. I loved the multi-dimensional family, friend, and romance dynamics this story held so respectfully and authentically. overall, this was a joy of a book to read, thank you so much for the arc!!!

I adored this book from the first word to the last. Its a very sweet MM romance. I love this. It was romantic without being tawdry considering that they were minors. I also really appreciated the amount of representation on the LGBTQIA spectrum.

Why'd Wes have to go and make things so complicated 😔🤘

I didn't vibe with the audiobook narrator. I'm kind of (very) picky about audiobooks, so the fact that I didn't dnf shows that he did a decent job at least, but I feel like he missed the mark on narrating the dialogue. Sometimes I couldn't tell the difference between Wes's internal narration and when he was actually speaking which was confusing, and the narrator also read everything in this sad, hesitant sort of voice, which works for the overall vibe of the story, but makes the happy, lighthearted moments in the book feel sad as well.

I hadn't expected to, but I found myself relating to Wes quite a bit. His experience of being labelled as a bad kid, and then only being seen as such without being given the chance to break that expectation, as well as his feelings of anger and fear and powerlessness, that no one wants to listen to him, that he can't open up to people, that he's inferior and will never amount to anything, took me right back to primary and secondary school lmao. (I'm so glad I'm not a teenager anymore.)

I also empathise with how awkward Wes feels around Tristan, or when he's trying to talk to people who aren't his friends; not knowing the right thing to say, or when he says something that comes off as angrier or meaner than he intends—that's literally me, baby!

A part I don't relate to is the bullying. Wes is like, a legit bully, like pushing kids into the lockers like in American high school movies kind of bully. While he's not the main aggressor among his friends, it still kind of hurt to read about how he hurt people in the past. I liked how his character arc developed, with him facing up to his actions and apologising to his victims, although I do think he was forgiven pretty easily; I personally would have held a grudge until I died, but good for them!

At the start of the book I was worried that this would be a whole "find a bf and magically all your problems are fixed!" kind of story, but while Tristan is definitely a motivating factor for Wes to improve himself, I really appreciate that Wes was the one who decided to take initiative and begin the first steps to becoming better.

There's layers of complexity to Wes and Tristan's relationship, because (a) Tristan is Black, and so deals with racism that Wes could never understand, (b) Tristan is out and Wes is not, (c) Tristan is a perfectionist and has a goal and life plans, while Wes is flunking high school with no plans to apply for college, (d) Wes had an abusive childhood, and Tristan has loving supportive parents, and (e) Wes is poor and Tristan is wealthy.

These are a lot of issues to handle in one book, and while I feel like the author does a good job discussing and resolving most of these elements, there's one point that I feel didn't get fully resolved, and that's the wealth disparity between them. Wes is super aware of this as he constantly notices the differences between the way they live, which makes him feel self-conscious around Tristan.

Spoiler warning, but at one point Tristan dresses Wes up in like a pricey cardigan and a polo shirt to meet his parents, and later Wes is furious and leaves early because he feels out of place and insecure, and that Tristan is trying to change who he is. Later, they talk and Wes comes to the conclusion that he was over-reacting, which, yeah, he was. But Tristan never apologises and is like "you know I would never have made you change your clothes if I knew it would make you feel bad!" He also makes fun of one of Wes's friends, and Wes wonders if part of the reason why he doesn't want to introduce Tristan to his friends was because he felt embarrassed.

I feel like this is a pretty big deal, and an obvious source of tension, that doesn't seem to get fully resolved. Most of Wes and Tristan's discussions about their relationship revolve around Wes apologising, but Tristan, even though he never does so intentionally, never apologises for making Wes feel inferior in this aspect.

I also feel that Tristan was kind of one-dimensional. From Wes's perspective, Tristan is perfect and flawless, and he puts him on a pedestal, while Wes is the one messing up. Tristan's only flaw, as far is I can tell, is that he struggles with anxiety, but he never seems to show it to Wes, for all that he encourages Wes to be emotionally vulnerable with him. I would have liked it if Tristan messed up, or needed Wes to support him or comfort him in some way (Wes does support him, near the ending, but that doesn't really count), to balance out their relationship a bit, instead of always having Tristan encouraging him, and having Wes mess up and make up for it.

The climax of this book gets really chaotic, huge shit goes down, like life-ruining shit. Wes manages to work it all out in the end, but I feel that it came way too easily, especially the problems he had with his friends. I feel like it got dismissed as some sort of misunderstanding, like Wes was the one making a big deal out of nothing. Afterwards, he and his friends talk it out very maturely, but where was all that maturity when shit was going down!!

I realise that a lot of my review sounds like I'm complaining, but this is really worth a read! The way this book discusses toxic masculinity, emotional vulnerability, dealing with trauma (because Wes is very clearly traumatised) is so well-done, and you can tell from the author's note that he put a lot of love and thought into this book.

This book came on my radar because the author is doin go an event at Powell’s and I was lucky to get an advanced audio copy from NetGalley. In this book Wes is seemingly a bad seed who comes from a broken home and gets into trouble at school- often a bully but with a couple close friends who share in his deviant behavior. When Wes goes to a performance of The Nutcracker he’s immediately drawn to Tristan, who just might have the magnetic pull to bring Wes both out of the closet and onto a better path. This story is uncomfortable at times when Wes is pulled in different directions, a coming of age and coming into your own type YA novel.

4.5 Stars (rounded up)

This book has been on my radar for months and I've been so excited to read, and I'm definitely not disappointed! As a fan of pop punk/emo/rock/etc music and queer books, I was thrilled to find this crossover.

Skater Boy starts off with a beautiful dedication, and every chapter is named for iconic songs - I laughed out loud at multiple of them. In "sk8r boi" terms: Wes was a punk, Tristan did ballet.

The story is single POV, following Wes through part of his senior year. He's not sure his place in the world - he has his two best friend and his mom, but he's not doing well in school, he's not going to college, and he's hiding a huge secret - that he's gay. He doesn't know how anyone will take it, even his friends make some homophobic jokes. But he powers through, trying to breathe through the anger he's experienced since he was a kid. Landing in this town years ago after his mother fled his abusive father, Wes is just trying to fit in, but how can he when he's a gay punk?

He's dragged along to a performance of the nutcracker (his mother's boyfriend's boss' daughter is in it, I think?) and he see Tristan, a beautiful ballet dancer that he cannot stop thinking about. After the performance he meets him and makes a bit of a fool of himself in his interest, but then he ends up getting a chance to hang out with him and it's all he wants.

This book really dives into Wes and his experience as a closeted gay kid who isn't sure what it'd be like to be out, isn't sure who he really is because he feels like he's always hiding himself, and someone who still has unresolved trauma and fear that affects his day to day life.

I loved getting to watch Wes grow through the book and really come into himself. I highly recommend for anyone interest in a teen coming of age book, but it's even better for those who love pop punk/emo/rock music. Wes takes you for a journey, but it's a wonderful one.

Also will say that the audiobook was beautifully done and I loved experiencing the story in that way! It was paced well and really brought the emotions into the story.