carasbuecher's review against another edition
5.0
Jordon asked me if I wanted to read his new book - of course I wanted to!
Watching for comets will be on the market in December & you should definitely remember the book.
It's not just a LGBTQ book, it's also a book about growing up in general. About problems with the family, about feelings of guilt and about love.
Our protagonists are Tyler and Aiden.
Their common friend Bryden died in an accident.
Tyler lost his boyfriend.
Aiden his best friend.
Both have to struggle with their emotions and they have to process their experiences over and over again. And although they can't talk to each other at the beginning, a band is forming between them, but how strong it is, they have to find out first.
My opinion:
Wow. Wow. And again, wow! I loved the book! Aiden and Tyler are incredibly close characters in which you can see how much love and time the author has put into the world of thoughts and feelings of his young protagonists. Watching for comets is not just like any other romantic novel, as you might expect at the first moment. He addresses many problems, such as acceptance in the family, conversion therapies, or even fetishization of gay young men. As readers, we always experience the perspective of Aiden or Tyler and always look forward to the next chapter like in a good series. Because of the changing perspectives, you can immerse yourself incredibly well in the protagonists. You share their excitement and you want to drive them forward in their relationship with each other. At the same time, you understand well why they don't always move forward. Why they hesitate and why they doubt. You can experience how they grow emotionally beyond themselves, but also get caught up in their thoughts. Both boys are going through a difficult time. The book doesn't rush anything and raises many inner problems of the two protagonists. As a result, the story is very comprehensible and realistic.
An incredibly beautiful, but at times also tragic love story that is worth reading and leaves you with a good feeling.
A book that I intend to back up as a print edition again, because I would like to highlight some passages.
Watching for comets will be on the market in December & you should definitely remember the book.
It's not just a LGBTQ book, it's also a book about growing up in general. About problems with the family, about feelings of guilt and about love.
Our protagonists are Tyler and Aiden.
Their common friend Bryden died in an accident.
Tyler lost his boyfriend.
Aiden his best friend.
Both have to struggle with their emotions and they have to process their experiences over and over again. And although they can't talk to each other at the beginning, a band is forming between them, but how strong it is, they have to find out first.
My opinion:
Wow. Wow. And again, wow! I loved the book! Aiden and Tyler are incredibly close characters in which you can see how much love and time the author has put into the world of thoughts and feelings of his young protagonists. Watching for comets is not just like any other romantic novel, as you might expect at the first moment. He addresses many problems, such as acceptance in the family, conversion therapies, or even fetishization of gay young men. As readers, we always experience the perspective of Aiden or Tyler and always look forward to the next chapter like in a good series. Because of the changing perspectives, you can immerse yourself incredibly well in the protagonists. You share their excitement and you want to drive them forward in their relationship with each other. At the same time, you understand well why they don't always move forward. Why they hesitate and why they doubt. You can experience how they grow emotionally beyond themselves, but also get caught up in their thoughts. Both boys are going through a difficult time. The book doesn't rush anything and raises many inner problems of the two protagonists. As a result, the story is very comprehensible and realistic.
An incredibly beautiful, but at times also tragic love story that is worth reading and leaves you with a good feeling.
A book that I intend to back up as a print edition again, because I would like to highlight some passages.
xsarahsmilesx's review against another edition
3.0
f t c: The author reached out to me for a review and provided me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.
WATCHING FOR COMETS by Jordon Greene is a debut YA story about two boys - Aidan and Tyler - torn apart by the sudden, too-soon death of Tyler's boyfriend and Aidan's best friend Brayden. The two boys find themselves grieving together, and their former animosity grows into fondness and confusion as they ask themselves, "What if?"
Trigger warning for: Homophobia, death, religion/conversion therapy, sexual harassment/assault
If I had to give a star rating (which I have my own opinions on, but that's for a different post), this book is a solid 3.5/5. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites, but it was by no means horrible or even average. I think it depends on what you're looking for and what kind of reader you are.
I enjoyed this story a lot. The chapters are short, and while the subject matter is darker, I would still say it's more lighthearted than the books I tend to gravitate toward, and it's message of moving on and remembering and forgiveness certainly bring up the more somber elements. For people that want to add more queer authors/stories to their lists, this is a good one.
I didn't have super strong feelings about the style, but it was very stream-of-consciousness, and the dual POV was written well enough that you could distinguish who was talking without being told. I felt like some parts went over my head and were more like self-insert for the author to talk about things he was passionate about, but for those that like cars/Overwatch/astronomy, you might see these as fun additions.
However, I will make this disclaimer that one of the characters is a Latinx boy, and I cannot comment on the representation as I am not a member of this group.
What really sold me on this story was the ending - literally the last page. What my professors might call the "so what" of the book. This is not a bury-your-gays or angsty book. Queer people deserve happy endings, period, full stop. But it's a realistic story about taking chances, asking yourself "what if", wondering if you're being cautious or paranoid, and the truly awkward maze it is to navigate your friendships when you date within a friend group/when it goes sour.
WATCHING FOR COMETS by Jordon Greene is a debut YA story about two boys - Aidan and Tyler - torn apart by the sudden, too-soon death of Tyler's boyfriend and Aidan's best friend Brayden. The two boys find themselves grieving together, and their former animosity grows into fondness and confusion as they ask themselves, "What if?"
Trigger warning for: Homophobia, death, religion/conversion therapy, sexual harassment/assault
If I had to give a star rating (which I have my own opinions on, but that's for a different post), this book is a solid 3.5/5. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites, but it was by no means horrible or even average. I think it depends on what you're looking for and what kind of reader you are.
I enjoyed this story a lot. The chapters are short, and while the subject matter is darker, I would still say it's more lighthearted than the books I tend to gravitate toward, and it's message of moving on and remembering and forgiveness certainly bring up the more somber elements. For people that want to add more queer authors/stories to their lists, this is a good one.
I didn't have super strong feelings about the style, but it was very stream-of-consciousness, and the dual POV was written well enough that you could distinguish who was talking without being told. I felt like some parts went over my head and were more like self-insert for the author to talk about things he was passionate about, but for those that like cars/Overwatch/astronomy, you might see these as fun additions.
However, I will make this disclaimer that one of the characters is a Latinx boy, and I cannot comment on the representation as I am not a member of this group.
What really sold me on this story was the ending - literally the last page. What my professors might call the "so what" of the book. This is not a bury-your-gays or angsty book. Queer people deserve happy endings, period, full stop. But it's a realistic story about taking chances, asking yourself "what if", wondering if you're being cautious or paranoid, and the truly awkward maze it is to navigate your friendships when you date within a friend group/when it goes sour.
gee_reads_books's review
5.0
“It’s hard sometimes knowing which feeling to trust, which one is leading you to your best life and which is just fear keeping you from all the beautiful things life has waiting for you.”
There are so many things I want to highlight about WFC, it was difficult to choose a quote to start this review with. But this one, I would say, is the story’s biggest morale, aside from something that really defines both Aidan and Tyler—the doubt, the emotion-driven decisions; enthusiasm-driven in Aidan’s case, and fear-driven in Tyler’s.
“I guess sometimes forever is a lot shorter than you think it’s going to be.”
In WFC we meet Aiden and Tyler, two grieving boys. Brayden, Aidan’s best friend as well as Ty’s boyfriend, died in a car accident two months ago, and although the most visceral part of the pain has subsided, things are still rough. Although they used to be friends, Tyler suddenly stopped talking to Aidan one day, and it seems like they will be worlds apart forever… Until a fateful night, in which Aidan comes across Tyler as he cries and offers him support and company. The boys slowly rebuild their friendship, but when something more is born inside each of them, things start shaking and threaten to collapse again.
“God, please let Brayden know I miss him. Tell him it’s not fair I have to do this alone, that I have to go to college alone. But tell him I know it’s not his fault.”
One of the first things I would like to highlight about this book is the approach to grief. Let me make this clear, and please trust my Psychology degree for once: there isn’t a single, universal way to experience grief. There just ISN’T. Emotions are completely subjective, and each person experiences a situation and reacts to it in a different way. Two months after Brayden died, Aidan and Ty are still coming to terms with it, each in their own way but both past the stage of endless crying and rage. And I really liked how Jordon showed this next phase of grief—the phase in which some days you’re feeling and doing better, some others you can’t stop thinking about it and feeling a void, sometimes you allow yourself to feel good and sometimes you beat yourself up for feeling something besides sadness. It wasn’t your mainstream, stereotypical depiction of grief, and that’s precisely why it felt real to me.
“It’s not that hard to treat me like a normal person and stop acting like I’m some Satanist simply because God made me gay. It’s not that I don’t believe in God. I do. Just not the way they do.”
Something else I deeply enjoyed was Ty’s being both Christian and gay. Many times it seems like you can’t be both. There’s pressure from both very conservative sectors of Christianity and the queer community to “choose”; surely you can’t be a believer in Christ and feel non-heterosexual attraction! This book defied that, and I was so happy to see my own experience reflected in Tyler’s. Of course you can be both. Each of those labels is a part of your identity, that does not define the other. You’re so much more than just “gay”, or just “religious”, and you can be both, one, or neither!
There were also characters that reflected very realistic experiences that come with being both .Ty’s father does not accept the fact that his child is gay, and he’s convinced that through ‘manly’ activities, conversion camp, or simply prayer, he can go back to normal. And here’s the beautiful thing: he isn’t a psycho. He’s simply a man worried about what he believes homosexuality will mean to his son. And Tyler knows that. Tyler goes beyond the “you MUST accept and celebrate who I am” pose, and understand why his father is that way. He understands that he’s genuinely worried about him, that he’s sticking to a very literal interpretation of the Bible, and that he still loves him. Even if he can’t accept or agree to his orientation. There’s no major fighting scene over it, no sudden change of heart in Tyler’s dad, and that was actually a very realistic depiction of how things work in these situations. When a certain attitude is part of someone’s core beliefs, you can’t just change that suddenly. Just as they can’t change you. The way they seemed to accept that things were the way they were with each other was really well done.
“You know, if you wanted to be on top of me so bad, all you had to do was ask. You don’t have to make it look like an accident.”
And now that my TED talk is over… Read this book, period. It was just soooo cute! And made me feel so much! Have you ever watched “readers react to…” TikToks and reels? I went through so many of those reactions. Sometimes Aiden made me feel such second-hand embarrassment (in a good way, ofc), I had to look away and make a weird face just to deal with it. Sometimes the boys, or Kallie, would say something sassy as hell, and I’d have to try not to laugh the way a sea lion would choke in the middle of the night. Because: yes, this book kept me up at night. The characters were so easy to love, and their dynamic was so good! I would SO read more books about Tydan being cute together! Because GUYYYYS THE PINING, THE SLOW BURN, I WAS SO DEDD
“You should be flattered. It’s not every day you say something worth repeating.”
If I had to highlight something I didn’t love as much, maybe I would go for two things. First of all, sometimes Kallie could be a little too pushy. She’s worried about her best friend Ty, and she simply wants to help him move on. Many times, when she’s being histrionic, you can see how she’s just trying really hard to be there for both boys, and to make them smile again. But a few times she overstepped. That’s something that happens IRL, too, with people who desperately want to help their friends, but usually the latter tell them not to do that and the intrusive attitude is adressed.
“It feels like forever, him and me.”
Something else I would’ve enjoyed would’ve been a scene in which Tyler explains to Aidan why he, at first, couldn’t stand him. Although he does talk it through with Kallie, Aidan doesn’t really get to hear from him the reason why he hated him. Considering that he’s explicitly wondering about that in the book blurb, I would’ve enjoyed a scene in which he finds out.
“God, please let Brayden know I miss him. Tell him it’s not fair I have to do this alone, that I have to go to college alone. But tell him I know it’s not his fault.”
All in all, this book was delightful, and earned a solid 4.5/5 stars from me (rounded up to five, because in this house we love, respect, and amplify #OwnVoice authors)! Will most probably reread it in the future… Now, though, I have a problem—I just NEEEEED to get and read Jordon’s previous book, “A Mark On My Soul”, soon!
Diversify Yo Bookshelf bingo 2021, 4/35! Free choice. I chose an LGBTQ+ M/M book with a religious main character, and a Latino one.
dfbballinger's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
court1386's review
4.0
A beautifully written story with compelling characters. I read most of the book in one day because I didn’t want to put it down!
astoria_in_a_jar's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marieke_du_pre's review against another edition
4.0
I have a confession to make. I read ‘A mark on my soul’ and I liked it, a lot. So when Jordon Greene announced ‘Watching for comets’ I immediately added that one to my TBR and started reading on the day it came out, expecting to read it in a couple of sittings. And then ... there was a bummer ... because ... I didn’t like it. The first chapters felt like jumping from snippet to snippet. I sighed, became nervous and quit reading more than once. Because what if I really didn’t like this story? I hate it when I don’t like an anticipated book as much as I thought beforehand and I hate giving less than 3 stars (but sometimes I do).
Then I started again at 16% of the story and I forced myself to read more. And somehow from about 18% I read on and on instead of sighing and without wanting to throw my ereader away; I just found myself smiling every now and then.
From the moment Tyler and Aidan really started talking, not only the moment in the park, I connected more and more to the story and I dove into it and came out happy at the end. Fortunately!!
I liked the relationship between Tyler and Aidan, hesitant at first but growing more and more into a close friendship, later on liking each as in having a crush. I also liked the way their grief is handled, at first a lot of bad moments, later on more happy moments with bad ones in between. The doubts Tyler had about falling in love again, too soon, and the doubts Aidan had because he really liked Tyler but wasn’t sure Tyler liked him back, were very realistic. In the end I enjoyed the book a lot. Although the story started sad, overall it was fluffy and cute. So this story was a satisfying read. I would have been even more satisfied if I got to know Brayden a little better and if I had read more about the relationship between Tyler and his dad.
And Jordon, did you mention yourself in the book? At the coffee shop I go to down here sometimes, there’s this older bald writer that comes around and writes all the time. Think he writes horror too actually. Not that I think you’re old, and maybe you’re not bald (just shaved your hair on the photo on Goodreads) but this doesn’t seem like a coincidence
Then I started again at 16% of the story and I forced myself to read more. And somehow from about 18% I read on and on instead of sighing and without wanting to throw my ereader away; I just found myself smiling every now and then.
From the moment Tyler and Aidan really started talking, not only the moment in the park, I connected more and more to the story and I dove into it and came out happy at the end. Fortunately!!
I liked the relationship between Tyler and Aidan, hesitant at first but growing more and more into a close friendship, later on liking each as in having a crush. I also liked the way their grief is handled, at first a lot of bad moments, later on more happy moments with bad ones in between. The doubts Tyler had about falling in love again, too soon, and the doubts Aidan had because he really liked Tyler but wasn’t sure Tyler liked him back, were very realistic. In the end I enjoyed the book a lot. Although the story started sad, overall it was fluffy and cute. So this story was a satisfying read. I would have been even more satisfied if I got to know Brayden a little better and if I had read more about the relationship between Tyler and his dad.
And Jordon, did you mention yourself in the book? At the coffee shop I go to down here sometimes, there’s this older bald writer that comes around and writes all the time. Think he writes horror too actually. Not that I think you’re old, and maybe you’re not bald (just shaved your hair on the photo on Goodreads) but this doesn’t seem like a coincidence
saturnsam_'s review
5.0
This book is amazing! I really enjoyed how the characters interacted and I was even laughing out loud at some points in the book! The way grief was talked about through out the book was perfect and it heavily impact the characters. Overall I highly recommend this book!
ohshirls's review
medium-paced
2.5
This book I think has potential. The story was interesting but could have been written better. Also I really wish the writer would stop using SO many pop culture references and over explaining a scene. It got kind of annoying but I decided to finish the book regardless. I also could have done without the whole Overwatch game scenes and game explanations. And it got really tiring that every character called each other bitch so many times.