Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues
by H.S Valley
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Pub Date Feb 14 2023 | Archive Date Jan 30 2023
Independent Publishers Group | Hardie Grant Children's Publishing
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Description
What happens when your enemy becomes your friend … with benefits?
Red, White and Royal Blue meets The Magicians in this surprising, wildly original and joyously funny LGBTQ YA novel set in a magical boarding school.
Tim Te Maro and Elliott Parker – classmates at Fox Glacier High School for the Magically Adept – have never gotten along. But when they both get dumped the day before the big egg-baby assignment, they reluctantly decide to ditch their exes and work together. When the two boys start to bond over their magically enchanted egg-baby, they realize that beneath their animosity is something like friendship … or physical attraction.
Soon, a no-strings-attached hook-up seems like a good idea. Just for the duration of the assignment. After all, they don’t have feelings for each other … so what could possibly go wrong?
From debut Kiwi author H.S. Valley, the latest winner of the Ampersand Prize, comes this gleefully addictive romantic comedy that’s perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan. In a word – it’s magic.
Advance Praise
Winner of the 2020 Ampersand Prize, a premier award for New Zealand and Australian first-time authors
"The racially diverse cast and the worldbuilding surrounding the magic system—characters’ powers seem to draw from specific cultural aspects, as when Tim explains that his “Pacific magic,” or magic rooted in his Māori heritage, is useful for summoning animals—provide a unique backdrop for Kiwi author Valley’s witty and buoyant debut." —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"Sweet and sexy in equal measure,Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues explores all the confusion, messiness and joy that comes with queer first love." —Erin Gough, author of Amelia Westlake Was Never Here
"A fun, low-stakes (but high-investment) romp through the brains of lovelorn, hormone-driven teenagers, and the delightful array of queer people that populate their school and by proxy their world." —TheSpinoff.co.nz
"Valley’s conversational dialogue, combined with her authentic characters, make the story easy to connect with. Excellently illustrated teen struggles around love, relationships and sexuality while maintaining the fantasy setting makes the novel perfect for young adults.. . . Use of New Zealand locations and inclusion of Māori culture make the Harry Potter-like story feel fresh. . . . I recommend this novel for all young adults who can get their hands on it." —kete
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781760508753 |
| PRICE | $12.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Featured Reviews
Jane F, Reviewer
Rep: bisexual MC, lot of queer side characters,
enemies to lovers, set in New Zealand
Going into this I was immediately hooked!
This was extremely hilarious and reminded me of Snowbaz for a second or two.
This whole book is set in a magical boarding school somewhere underground in New Zealand.
This book starts with Tim’s gf leaving him…for his nemesis Elliotts friends-with-benefits roommate.
Only Tim and Elliott both planned to partner up for the “keep a magical egg alive for a month” assignment for class with their partners.
Since both of them don’t plan to spend the next month with their exes, they decide to team up for this assignment instead.
But is raising an egg child with your enemy really that much better???
When I started this I was envisioning an enemies to lovers urban fantasy.
What I got instead was a beautiful story about figuring out your bisexuality and experimenting a little…with your enemy.
Tim is an absolute clueless idiot, constantly in his own head, who has a lot on his plate on top of figuring out his sexuality. His father just left and his gf just left him as well. Let’s say he has a few issues. He’s almost 18 and finally wants to find out what it’s like with a boy. No feelings ofc.
Who better to do it with than someone you don’t like? No feelings will ever grow. None. Of course not.
Elliott was such a sweet baby, he just wants to be loved and is a whole pile of feelings deeply repressed.
I loved him from the start and the way he took care of their egg child and the way he lays himself completely open.
I loved the way they start to trust each other and open up to each other.
The way they both learn a lot about themselves and their sexual journey was beautiful to read.
I just loved these two idiots together. Their little gay penguin family with their little magical egg daughter.
They were absolutely adorable.
I especially loved the open communication between them about sex and boundaries ans consent. I loved to see how Tim was slowly figuring himself out and obliviously fell for Elliott.
THEYRE SO SOFT I LOVE THEM!!!!
This is a very, very beautiful story about a bisexual MC written by a bisexual author and you can feel it.
I also really loved the side characters, their friends were super funny and seeing them struggle with their eggs as well was hilarious.
Based on vibes alone this is a total 5 star read for me. It’s seriously one of my favourite books I read this year.
But apart from the magical egg plot and Tim figuring himself out, there really wasn’t a lot of world building and a lot of plot holes and open questions remained.
There wasn’t a lot of magic in this, but what was there was interesting and I really liked the magical system itself.
We don’t get to see a lot of magical classes and apart from helping the plot a little this wouldn’t really have to be a fantasy book at all. I didn’t mind though.
What I didn’t like were that two mayor events of the book remain completely open. I don’t know if this was planned to be a first in a series, but the end was just very rushed and messy and huge themes of this book remain without ANY answers.*
This made the book very messy in the end, and apart from the romance it didn’t deliver much on the plot end.
So all in all I can only give this 4 stars if this will remain a standalone, even if I loved it to bits and I loved the whole romance part and also the end bit of the romance!
______________________
* SPOILERS:
The two questions that remained for me were:
1) What is going on with Tim’s dad? Why did he leave and what happened to him? What is going to happen now?
2) Who the hell married them?! This had to mean something right??
Alessandra S, Reviewer
[4.75⭐️]
This book was presented as an union between Red, White and Royal Blue and The Magician, I haven’t read The Magician but I loved Rwrb so I was all in and in the end it didn’t disappoint!!
Also I would add that this was very much a version of Carry On but with more romance involved and less fantasy.
All the egg-baby thing is just hilarious! I loved it so much and I think it was a super fun and cute pretext for the love story.
One of the things I liked the most is that there wasn’t a third act breakup and any unnecessary drama which is something I’m a bit tired of seeing in romance, so just for this it gets a lot more points.
This book was very easy to read and kept me entertained till the end and it quickly became one of my favorite books that I’ll absolutely reread. So if you want a cute and funny love story you have to read this book!!
I also have to spend a few words for this cover, it’s just gorgeous! I could spend hours staring at it 😍 I must have it in my library immediately
Annie W, Reviewer
This was such an adorable enemies-to-lovers magical teen story with amazing representation! A beautiful and sweet story about figuring out your bisexuality set at a magical boarding school, highly recommended for anyone who loves the combination of a cute queer story with some fantasy on the side!
The story is set at a magical boarding school somewhere below a glacier in New Zealand, where eighteen-year-old Tim Te Maro has just been dumped by his girlfriend and assigned to a life skill project to parent a magical egg together with his nemesis Elliot. But partnering up with his former enemy turns out not to be as bad as it first seems, when it comes with some extra benefits…
I really enjoyed this cute story about figuring out your bisexuality and the enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my absolute favorites! I loved both main characters and the way they opened up to each other and how they explored their sexuality together in such a kind, positive and healthy way, always ensuring the other’s consent. I also really loved all their diverse friends, the representation was simply amazing!
I would have wished for the enemies-part to have lasted a little longer though, and for the world building to have been a bit more developed, especially in regard to the magical system. I also had some issues with the pacing in the second half and how some of the major events remained open in the end.
But other than that, this was such a cute little gem! It gave me a lot of Carry On (SnowBaz) vibes and truly warmed my heart!
Debjani C, Reviewer
Oh My Gosh😻😻😻
This was so so cute. I loved everything about this book. The plot is simple and this is what I would say a perfect Christmas romance💝
Also, the two ML are so cute, especially Tim. Elliot has my 💝
The friends group was so cool.
Absolutely loved it❣️❣️❣️❣️
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