Marco is a few days from his 18th birthday when he’s supposed to depart his home in rural Ballarat, Australia for Melbourne, where he has a full university scholarship to begin his lifelong dream of becoming a surgeon. Unfortunately, this top student has two serious panic attacks that prevent him from boarding the train. Marco’s dumbfounded at this unexpected struggle, refusing to admit he’s suffering anxiety. He’s thoroughly embarrassed at his “failure to launch,” because Marco has always been the best student with all the right answers. Instead of accepting the help his parents can offer, he jumps at a chance his nonna extends: to take some much-needed self-care time by joining his estranged uncle aboard a cruise ship in the Mediterranean.

Marco’s best friend, CeCe, is a dance performer on cruise ships and she lucks into an opening aboard the same ship where Marco’s Uncle Renzo is the staff captain. Marco’s so happy to have her support in this time of confusion. Marco has never met this uncle, and the family almost never speaks of Renzo, who left home thirty years ago and never came back. It turns out that there was some hidden family drama that caused Renzo to leave, knowing he would not ever be welcome again. Marco’s sad for his uncle’s loneliness, and confused about how the nonna he’s loved his whole life could have been complicit in the pain Renzo’s suffered, but that’s not the reason Marco’s on his quest. He needs to figure out his own life, and CeCe encourages him to try and do some wrong things, to make mistakes against his usual instincts, in order to figure out his true fears and needs.

This is a coming-of-age story, along with a family dynamic story, that really delves into the need for kids to go out and make mistakes that will guide them, not destroy them. On his tours around the Mediterranean, Marco gets to visit Italy, the homeland of his father’s parents, several times. He makes special moments with a carefree dancer, Hunter, who teaches him to let stuff go–even if it’s not the grudges they develop. Marco definitely gets out of his comfort zone, but keeps his wrong choices to things that are more stretches of boundaries than ones that could harm his future. It was a wild experience to transit the cruise circuit with Marco, as he grows quite a lot from the dedicated private school boy who knows all the facts, but can’t cope with the real world. I really enjoyed being trapped in his head, experiencing his anguish and his efforts to escape that anguish. His relationships get tested, particularly with CeCe, and also his father. The opening/healing of old family wounds was particularly poignant, especially following a “some questions don’t need to be answered” theme. It was pretty slick of the author to unsettle Marco with that sentiment, and then create a similar tension with readers–who we all know are nosy buggers who want all the details. As a reader, I felt connected to Marco’s youthful confusion and the pain Renzo suffered, because I could wonder about those past interactions, and have to make peace with not knowing–just as they did.

There’s a bit of a love interest story here, but it’s not the main theme and the experience turns out positive, if not happy. For Marco, his family and his future are entwined, and they’re back in Ballarat, not cruising the Mediterranean. I felt there was a good resolution to the family drama, even if I’d have had a more cathartic experience, again, if the author had perfectly packaged this fiction with the glossy bow of closure. But that’s not how life is, and that’s not what he did. So, points for portraying realistic messy life situations and reminding everyone that sometimes you don’t get to fix what you break in this life, even if you really want to do just that.

I liked the story a lot. I would definitely recommend it to YA readers, New Adult readers, and people who just like journey-to-self-discovery stories. Marco’s a good kid with relatable issues who experiences realistic drama. I wanted him to end up happy, and I believe he finally chose the right pathways and opportunities to do exactly that.

This is the first time I've read anything by Tobias Madden and I found this one enjoyable. The main character Marcos struggles with anxiety, which he discovers by having a panic attack so severe, he's taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Even though this is by an Australian author, I felt like I could have been reading about one of my students. The pressure to achieve, to be the "most remarkable" to not just be the best student in their specific high school but the whole state... it's too true and it's taking such a toll on kids. Marcos experiencing anxiety when he's literally hours away from being at University, which he's been working toward all his life, is heartbreaking and unreal.

From there, the rest of the book is a surprise. Who could anticipate going from his parents calling University to set up a yearlong deferment to living on a cruise ship? I appreciate the unexpected turns and the "solution" being that Marcos only go for "wrong answers." The one quibble I do have with this novel is the estranged uncle going from no contact for twenty years to having Marcos live with him on the cruise ship. I get the why, but there felt like something was missing in the family reaction when Nonna revealed this news.

This was so good on so many levels. I never really thought about life on a cruise ship before and the author really brought you there - the good and the bad.
The friendships and the boy - boy romance were incredibly believable. The author didn't shy away from showing the ugliness of messy relationships as well as the beauty.
Finally, I really appreciated how anxiety was handled with the repercussions for all involved - including friends and family. It is a tricky subject as it is so individualistic but the denial and final acceptance was really well portrayed.
This is a great book.
Enjoy!

Marco has pushed himself all of his life to be the best, and is ready to study biomedicine. But when the day comes to leave, he can’t do it. Unhappy when his parents plan a new future for him, just days before his 18th birthday, Marco seizes an opportunity his grandmother arranges and goes to live on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean which his estranged uncle works on.

Trying to change himself up, he commits to doing things that his prior self would consider to be “wrong.”

Marco is all over the place in this book. I found his adventure on the ship to be a nice, fresh setting.

Marco definitely chooses several wrong answers and struggles to see why they are wrong, causing fractures in his oldest friendship.

Can he get himself back on track?

This book is well written and captivating. Sometimes you want to reach through the pages, grab Marco, and yell what are you doing?!?! Yet, you can’t help but sympathize with his situation, his family issues, and his struggle to “fix” himself.

I think you’ll enjoy this one.

A coming of age story with humor, wit, anxiety, romance, family drama, and friendship. This was such a beautifully told story. Marco is supposed to be going to university, but when he begins to have panic attacks, his grandmother suggests he go on a cruise ship with his estranged Uncle for some needed relaxation. His best friend joins him and encourages him to talk to his crush. What follows is a bit of romance, a lot of self discovery, some family drama and secrets, a test of friendship, and a look at anxiety.
I think many queer/gay people will find aspects of this story relatable. There was great conversation about coming out, generational differences in attitudes towards being gay, secrecy and the damage family members can inflict on gay psyches. This followed a YA character but it had a lot of “grown up” conversations. The main character was flawed and had some growing up to do, but was endearing and I found myself rooting for him, his growth, and his family. 4.25

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying, as a Hunter I was really hoping for a different Hunter in this book lol, but the character was well written. I loved this story, it had me laughing and crying and wishing to be in Italy sitting in a lemon tree grove. The end of this book had me crying my eyes out so warning there for those who read.

Marco does not have anxiety, he can't right? It was just a blip. When Marco has a panic attack before moving to begin his journey to become a surgeon he feels lost. His parents make him defer a year and sent to his uncle he has never met on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean he tries to find himself once more.

Marco had so much personality and Madden wrote anxiety and queer self-discovery so well in this story. The panic of leaving on your own for the first time not knowing what will happen is a huge fear for so many that it was great to see that representation.

I would love to read more from Tobias Madden now and will have to look into that. This is the perfect summer book in my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, Tobias Madden and Penguin Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read all of Tobias Madden’s books and think this one is his best so far. It reminded me of Phil Stamper’s Golden Boys. Wrong Answers Only and Golden Boys are both about boys on the cusp of adulthood who close a chapter and start a new one.

Mario has it all. He was a golden boy at high school who has never failed in his life. Until he’s almost leaving for university. Then Marco freezes, having multiple panic attacks, blibs, as he calls them.

Instead of going to university, Marco takes a gap year and leaves for Europe to live on a cruise ship his estranged uncle is working on. To find answers.

Marco always wants answers to his questions, but what if you can’t find them? Or can only find the wrong ones? This is what Wrong Answers Only is about.

As always, Tobias’ writing is breezy and vivid, and this story is easily readable despite the tougher topics. Like I said, it felt like Golden Boys. Don’t expect a romance because this isn’t one. It’s a story of finding yourself, a story about family relationships and friendship. I liked Marco’s friendship with CeCe, and I loved Renzo, but I disliked Hunter from the start. Oliver though, I wanted to know better (and somehow wanted Marco and Oliver to get together).

If you liked Golden Boys or Phil Stamper’s writing overall, I highly recommend this book. But also if you have a soft spot for stories about finding yourself, family, and friends.