A great perspective and an adorable romance.
Genre: Y/A, Contemporary, GLBT
No. of pages: 330
From Goodreads:
Ben Carver is back to normal. He’s getting all As in his classes at the Natick School. He was just elected captain of the baseball team. He’s even won a big scholarship for college, if he can keep up his grades. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg last semester is over now, and he just needs to be a Carver, work hard, and stay focused.
Except…
There’s Hannah, a gorgeous girl who attracts him and distracts him. There’s his mother, whose quiet unhappiness he’s noticing for the first time. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. And there’s Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else…and maybe the real normal that Ben needs.
What a fantastic follow-up to ‘Openly Straight.’ I laughed out loud many times – I love the cookie humour in this series. It was great to break the tension and release the angst and anxiety of the novel.
Where ‘Openly Straight’ challenged the notions of labels, in ‘Honestly Ben’ I felt we got to live in a number of them and discover that they are merely descriptors that make other people comfortable (or uncomfortable) – and what it truly means to carve your own path.
Identity, sexuality, gender are all in different hues, and never too stagnant. People are different and grow and change over time, so it stands to reason that those concepts would evolve too. It was great to get a wider scope of what these terms are, and mean. It was an eye-opener on diversity for me. I got a bit of an education. And I like that I learnt something, but hand in hand with this kind of thing – and that I see in many other novels tackling these same topics – it always saturates the narrative in the world of socio-politics and correctness, and suddenly you find yourself submerged in a world that is less real, and consequently loses its relatable edge. But that is unavoidable – as you need to saturate yourself in something to truly understand it. I commend this novel for the aspects in this area.
The romance was still angsty and steamy. Though at the same time a little stand-offish. I guess because in the first novel we’re dealing with Rafe’s identity, and here, with Ben’s. So the focus is on them finding their place in the world and not so much on a romance. You get a strong sense of Ben exploring who he is. I actually found it compelling and refreshing.
I revelled in the fact that life is allowed to be a big confusing mess, that somethings you just can’t put a label on.
As with ‘Openly Straight,’ I found Koinsberg’s writing style compelling and hard to put down. I completed this book in one sitting and was craving more when finished. There is always a sense of hope and desperation it the tone of the characters that has them practically leaping off the page.
There were issues I had with a bit of machismo in ‘Openly Straight’ which get addressed here – and in such a way it was delightfully surprising. Ben has such a knack for controlling a situation in a positive way and I felt involuntarily drawn to him. If he were a real life person, I’d be pathetically devoted to this young couple, simply because of how they treated the world. Truly inspiring.
Though all the characters are fallible, it was in an endearing way, making them feel like people I knew. Even with their growth through the course of the novel there is a strong note that their journey is far from over at its conclusion.
The general crux of the novel is very predictable, but the way the story is told distracts you from the inevitable, and leaves you with a sense of wonder. I totally felt like I’d been given a great big warm hug – and I wanted to live in that moment for as long as I could.
I enjoyed how Rafe and his mother were challenged on how they labelled people – seriously or not, almost like reverse discrimination I want to say – just because you know something, doesn’t mean you know.
I can only hope we get to visit the world of Rafe and Ben again sometime in the future – I’m completely down for that. So I’m sending out vibes into the universe for Konisberg to get inspired and continue writing for this collection.
Overall feeling: Totally amazeballs.
© Casey Carlisle 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Genre: Y/A, Contemporary, Paranormal
Lillia maintained her more annoying personality traits. She was clingy and somewhat self-absorbed, not to mention times of indecisiveness and being completely clueless. I don’t even think she grew all that much as a person from the events – yes there was a note of wisdom there, but nothing ground breaking or poignant.
Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Adventure
Kat’s descriptions of the bleak dystopian world, and the mutated creatures within was marvellous. I was entertained throughout and gripped from start to finish. It didn’t have as much wonder and intricate plot as her previously released Darklife duology, this was more of a quest story with less twists and turns. So I felt the book overall was slightly less surprising.
Her friends on Embassy Row, which I dubbed of the ‘Super Crack Teen Spy Squad’ came and went from the narrative with each successive installment of this trilogy. So strong in the debut, but were reduced as mere plot points to move the story along in the consecutive two sequels. That was highly disappointing for me. There was such great chemistry and such interesting characters in this group, I would have liked to see them featured more prominently.
Especially in your genre. Look at what is successful, what grabs your attention. Also know your target market. If you are pitching to publishers or professionals, there is usually a criteria that they are looking for.
Most of the time there is a detailed list for criteria of submissions, when they are accepting submissions, and who to address the work to. Don’t get off on the wrong foot looking unprofessional without discovering the basics in their submission process. Some publishing houses won’t accept submissions from an author, and you’ll need to find a literary agent. Just about every professional in this field will not accept unedited work. Give yourself the best chance at success and get your work professionally edited. Have multiple versions of your submission – and get feedback on those to hone out which is the best example of your work, your brand, and your professional standards.
Know your niche, genre and target market. Compare your work to already successful publications. ‘My novel is a mash-up of Twilight meets Pride and Prejudice aimed at the 20-35y/o market who love paranormal romance.’ For example. Be precise. No-one wants to hear that it fills nearly every genre and everyone from the ages of 10 to 80 would love to read it : that is a marketing nightmare and impossible to sell.
– a story idea is the concept of your novel. The bones of the character and his/her journey. Your topic will be the subtext and the lessons your main character have learned over the duration of the story. What is the unique, curiosity-sparkling take that is going to reel your reader in?
Editors and Publishers are busy folk, so you want your pitch to be organised, logical, polished to perfection and highlighting all the right points in a paragraph or two. Mention exciting key aspects of your story. And above all – proofread it up the wazoo!
Get as much constructive criticism as you can to perfect your submission.
I know it’s easier said than done. Rejection can kill the creative spirit and any confidence that you have. But things move very slowly in the publishing industry. Be patient. Be professional. Be tenacious.
Genre: Y/A, Contemporary, GLBT
I also loved Carson’s attitude towards homosexuality – he is faced with this question of acceptance in a variety of forms throughout the novel, and for a heterosexual white teen, he shows grace and maturity beyond his years, and beyond the scope of just about any other character in the novel. It was amazing to read. Juxtaposing this new generation growing up with tolerance and acceptance with that of an older, prejudiced one. And not just on sexuality, but on race, age, and class. It was such a succinct observation on society, as a subtext, that had me cheering.
Genre: Y/A, Contemporary, Mystery
Maybe I’m a little disconnected, or in shock, or simply disorientated from all the going’s on in the book, but I didn’t really laugh or cry. And I was expecting to. So that is the only reason I deducted a mark – lack of emotional connection. Quite possibly it is also because all the cast were flawed and there is no clear definition of what is good or bad and who deserves punishment or not.
Casey Carlisle 