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zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Child death, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Car accident, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual content, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Outing
mel_muses's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
"Maybe we have room to share our real selves with more than one person. Maybe not every friendship is The One. When things don't end the way we hoped, maybe shutting ourselves off isn't the answer?
This was my first Julian Winters book, and I think I can confidently say I'm going to have so much fun exploring his backlist. I loved the explorations of friendships, and relationships in general. There's something so special about watching someone recognize their worth and surround themselves with their true found family.
As You Walk On By follows Theo Wright, a gay Black teen who has two best friends: Jay and Darren. They're everything to him — they even have a name: The Nameless Trio. But when their weekly daring tradition leads to Jay daring Theo having to prompose to his long-time crush, things get a little... messy. Theo wants it all: to make his father proud by excelling in school and at track, to remain tight with TNT, and to finally get the prom he deserves — the type of prom his well-off (white heterosexual) friends take for granted.
There were some things about Theo that annoyed me (namely, his disregard for some of his relationships), but I also felt that everything he did wrong was such a normal thing to do wrong. I've definitely been there, reevaluating relationships and making decisions that I later realized were insensitive and sometimes just plain wrong. And because this is such a normal part of being a teenager, being a human, it's something that felt so right to read about. Give me more imperfect relationships! More people owning up to their bullshit! More people deciding for themselves what they deserve in a friend!
I also loved Theo's dynamic with his dad (who is bi, by the way!). Their relationship, even when strained, really shined. The way they talked and joked to each other, as well as the ways they argued, indicated such a developed relationship. Usually in YA, the parents are barely developed and more of an idea than a person, but in AYWOB, I felt like I really knew his dad almost as well as I knew Theo.
I really appreciated the constant recognition of the privilege (in terms of wealth, race, and sexuality) that set Theo apart from his friends, new and old. I can't speak too much to this, as a white reader, but I will say that it felt to me like it grounded the book, making it feel more real and part of the world as we know it.
The romance had such a natural progression and although it was predictable, it was really everything I expected and wanted. And overall, this was such an easy read, too. I had no trouble falling into Theo's mind, especially when he was forming new connections with people he'd just met, or rekindling a relationship with people he'd known for years.
I can't wait to dive into more of Julian Winters' books and meet all his other geeky queer protagonists!
Trigger Warnings: public humiliation, past grandparent death, racism, homophobia, microaggressions associated with both, sexism and misogyny, slut shaming of a side character, sexual harassment of a side character, past death of a teen friend in a car accident
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death, and Sexual harassment
20sidedbi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism
valreadsallnight's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.75
Overall, this was pretty enjoyable! It really is a good book for queer teens of color. It felt a lot more... relatable than other books honestly, which made me feel things I did not prepare for. The final part of the book, where Theo finally got the prom of his dreams just... elicited feelings I didn't expect. I guess, I didn't ever think about how quickly I accepted my own resignation about these types of wants, being a queer teen, especially in a conservative country, it's hard to hope for these types of things. I should probably word this better later.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
kaitlinlovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism, Car accident, and Classism
tristatereader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I finished As You Walk On By yesterday and had to marinate on it for 24 hours because I had so many feelings. I requested this book from my library like 2 months ago and was so excited when it finally came in. I absolutely loved Right Where I Left You and after AYWOB, Julian has officially solidified himself as one of my must read authors.
As You Walk On By introduces readers to star athlete and golden boy, Theo Wright. Theo and his dad have spent all of his high school years adhering to “The Plan”, which ideally culminates in Theo attending Duke for college. But one night, one party, changes the course of The Plan and prompts Theo on a journey of self-discovery and love. In reflecting on this book, I identified The Plan as a metaphor for life; full of curveballs and the need to remain adaptable.
The description of this book being The Breakfast Club meets Can’t Hardly Wait is spot on as Julian artfully masters the “one day/night can change everything” trope. There are so many things I loved about this book, starting with the unconventional way Theo was brought into this world. I loved the complexity and sometimes messiness of all of the characters; so raw and relatable. I loved that while Theo gets his HEA, not everything in his life is tied up into a perfect bow, and he finds peace with that.
This was the perfect February read to celebrate Black History Month. I absolutely love reading Julian’s books because of the abundance of positive BIPOC and QBIPOC representation. Julian’s words are captivating, mesmerizing, and heartbreaking all at the same time. His writing is so important and elicits so much awareness.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Gun violence, Car accident, and Abandonment
annikaa's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Police brutality, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
hilwithonel's review against another edition
hopeful
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
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from penguin teen and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Comparing this to Cant Hardly Wait was perfect. The setting of a significant portion of this story is an upstairs bathroom/bedroom during a high school party. A found family of queer misfits emerge as each character ends up in that room for their own reason. This group was the best part of the story.
Overall, it was a nice coming up age story with a sweet romance, second chance friendship, and a great father and son relationship.
Comparing this to Cant Hardly Wait was perfect. The setting of a significant portion of this story is an upstairs bathroom/bedroom during a high school party. A found family of queer misfits emerge as each character ends up in that room for their own reason. This group was the best part of the story.
Overall, it was a nice coming up age story with a sweet romance, second chance friendship, and a great father and son relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Transphobia, Grief, and Lesbophobia
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