Dean Atta is an auto-read author for me. I loved his first two queer YA novels in verse (The Black Flamingo and Only On The Weekends) and his memoir (Person Unlimited), so when I saw he had a new queer YA novel in verse coming out, I couldn’t wait to read it!

I Can’t Even Think Straight tells the story of Kai, a mixed-race gay teenager in England. Kai is managing coming out, relationships, friendships, and being there for a friend after something happens to them. He’s figuring out dynamics with adults in his life at school and at home and realizing that he really does have a village around him, even if he doesn’t always feel that his single mom is present enough.

Having read Dean Atta’s other YA novels and his memoir, I love how he always ties his own life experiences into his stories and how he made a connection to The Black Flamingo in this book. (Kai’s best friend Vass’s favorite drag queen is the Black Flamingo and they have a poster of them on their bedroom wall - it really made me smile to read that part!)

I thought this book did a great job of weaving multiple perspectives on queerness and coming out, from Vass, whose bedroom is full of rainbows, to Matt, who is afraid his religious parents won’t accept him, to Kai, who falls somewhere in between. Having two best friends from different areas of life and figuring out how to merge those friendships was also very relatable.

I really enjoyed I Can’t Even Think Straight!

I’m a huge fan of Dean Atta's writing, especially after reading The Black Flamingo, so I was excited to dive into this one. The writing in verse was absolutely beautiful again and made the book a quick read. Kai is a fun and relatable character and his journey felt real. However, in my opinion, the ending felt a bit rushed, like there could have been a bit more to wrap things up. Still, it was a lovely read.

3.5 stars, rounded up to four.

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I read Black Flamingo when it came out, and really liked the idea of a book written in verse. Atta has done it again with a great coming of age story in verse about discovering self, love, friendship, and family as a gay teen. I was able to read this book in one sitting over just a few hours and felt a sense of completion through such a brief reading experience. Kai and his friends are well developed and feel whole, flaws and all. Kai's voice feels age appropriate. The HEA feels a little rushed at the end maybe, but I still enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this if you want a palette cleanser with artistry or if you've come off a slump and get over it.

🧠❤️📖 BOOK REVIEW I Can’t Even Think Straight by Dean Atta 📖❤️🧠
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Huge thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for the ARC! This one follows Kai, a biracial teen trying to navigate love, friendship, and identity with all the chaos, confusion, and quiet moments that come with it. The verse format makes this a super-fast read, but one that still manages to pack in a lot of emotional complexity. Kai’s voice feels raw and real, sometimes selfish, sometimes unsure, but always honest. There’s something deeply comforting about being inside his messy head, and it reminded me that not every story needs a perfect arc to be meaningful. Also, reading in verse makes me feel like an intellectual poet sipping tea by a rainy window, and honestly? I live for that.

A few of the secondary characters felt a bit underdeveloped, and I did wish for a bit more plot momentum at times. But ultimately, this is a story about growth, self-reflection, and choosing yourself, messy edges and all. Thoughtful, gentle, and quietly powerful, this is a solid pick for fans of The Black Flamingo or anyone who wants to feel a little clever and a lot seen.

#ICantEvenThinkStraight #DeanAtta #QueerYA #BooksInVerse #ComingOfAge #NetGalley #YAReads #BookReview

Dean Atta is a master of writing flawed realistic characters that actually feel like they’re not only in highschool but actual teenagers with every complicated feeling and action that comes with it. Teenagers are messy! Let them be messy! The novels are always fast-paced due to their in-verse nature and always so easy and simple to fly through.

I never leave them with super strong feelings of the story, ‘The Black Flamingo’ left the biggest mark on me. But there is still something in these books that leaves you coming back, to find a simpler joy, to read about someone else’s messy life to bring some peace to yours. It’s reassuring and maybe the truly poetic part of these stories is your experience of reading them. I will still come back for more, and sometimes that’s all you need in a book.

I Can't Even Think Straight by Dean Atta is a coming of age story following the character Kai, a biracial teen who is learning more about himself. At the start of the book, he had not come out as being gay to anyone except his friend Matt, who was also gay, but was not coming out due to his family's religion. Kai and Matt become friends with other boys at school, and Kai introduces Matt to his cousin/friend Vassa. Kai meets a boy named Obi and starts to date him but isn't sure there isn't more there between him and Matt. This book is told in verse, which speeds up the reading. The plot is brief, and there isn't much action, but the author touches on many important topics about coming out on your own timeline, anger issues, religion, family, sexual assault and more. This book is for older teens, but it is recommended for places where Atta's other book, The Black Flamingo, circulates well.

There were a lot of heavy topics in this book, but I felt hopeful at the end. It was exploratory but I felt some of the characters lacked depth.

I really enjoyed how the topics of racism, privilege and queerness were talked about. However, this felt on the younger side of YA (at least or me). I love reading YA and it usually feels like it's aimed for the older range, but this one didn't. I think that kinda took me out of the story.

I also felt like there could have been more plot developments for the MC Kai. Overall though, this was a great read and I enjoyed reading this book from Atta.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for a copy of this ARC.

4.5🌟Thank you to Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading this book I found myself asking how is this the first Dean Atta book I am reading?! I absolutely loved how this author had me hooked on Kai's story, his diverging thoughts, and emotions. It was definitely a fast read as it was written in verse which made it easy to finish in one sitting. As a queer women who came out in high school I was really drawn to Kai's experience and left this read with a full heart.

This book touches on topics related to coming out, parental influence and power, lack of self-confidence, the power of positive relationships and community, the importance of self-growth, discrimination, sexual assault all while displaying a sweet young romance.

I would 100% recommend this book and look forward to what this author has in store for the future.

"I Can't Even Think Straight" is a well-meaning book, but I wish I liked it more. While the novel deals with challenging yet realistic themes such as coming out, racism, dating pressure and sexual assault, I think the story's juvenile tone hinders its execution and overall nuance.

And while I don't think it's a requisite for main characters to be likable, I'm not really a fan of Kai due to him having almost no character development throughout the story, a major example in my opinion being his constant reiteration that Matt "knows how to handle [him]" instead of him bettering himself in some way.

There's almost no plot as well, the book seemingly being an amalgamation of vignettes of Kai with his mom at the weekend markets, time at school especially the lunch table, moments in his bedroom, and hanging out with Obi and friends/acquaintances. The novel has potential, however Atta has yet to grasp it. I loved "The Black Flamingo" so this is a bit of a disappointment.

This is my first book by Dean Atta and it will be not my last. This book exceed all my expectations. It’s deep and humorous and serious and the same time.
The themes (queerness, social disparity, classism, racism) are well executed, I love that. I love Kai, my precious baby, and I love Matt. I love everything about this book, really. It’s so much.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you Quill Tree Books for an advanced copy to review!

A queer biracial teen confronts issues of race, privilege, class, and sexuality on his journey to falling in love.

^from the publisher!

After reading and loving The Black Flamingo last year, I was so excited to see that Dean Atta had another book coming out.

I love novels in verse. They are so unique and beautiful and the storytelling always hooks me right away. There’s something about the magic of this type of writing that is so different from anything else.

Kai had my heart from the very first page of this novel. Trying to figure out his life, what makes him happy, friendships, crushes, school, love, family… it’s such an incredible story.

I loved his friendships and how they developed in the book. I loved Matt so much. I understand his hesitancy and how it made things stressful and frustrating for Kai. But that ending!!! Tears in my eyes. So beautiful. Vass was lovely and I adored their storyline. Handled delicately, and was heartfelt.

All in all, an enthusiastic yes from me. Loved.