aligroen's review
5.0
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review An Alisa Review:
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Ohh, both of these boys are adorable. Wren is still dealing with coming out and all the backlash he received but finds friends and acceptance joining his brother’s Boy Scout troop. Felipe doesn’t have many friends other than Kyle and Travis but sees something in Wren that draws him.
I love trans stories because they seem to get so much more in depth than many. This was different getting to see an accepting and loving family along with the new friends Wren has made, many are when the characters are older and usually haven’t have good experiences. I was able to connect easily with these characters, they didn’t try to hide their emotions but needed some help to accept their feelings. The encouraging friends and family helped both of them the most. This was such a feel good story and shows how much love and acceptance can help anyone.
The cover art by Brooke Albrecht is nice and perfectly understated.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Ohh, both of these boys are adorable. Wren is still dealing with coming out and all the backlash he received but finds friends and acceptance joining his brother’s Boy Scout troop. Felipe doesn’t have many friends other than Kyle and Travis but sees something in Wren that draws him.
I love trans stories because they seem to get so much more in depth than many. This was different getting to see an accepting and loving family along with the new friends Wren has made, many are when the characters are older and usually haven’t have good experiences. I was able to connect easily with these characters, they didn’t try to hide their emotions but needed some help to accept their feelings. The encouraging friends and family helped both of them the most. This was such a feel good story and shows how much love and acceptance can help anyone.
The cover art by Brooke Albrecht is nice and perfectly understated.
suze_1624's review
3.0
3/3.5*
I liked the story well enough - Wren is forging new tracks in his life and is working hard to be accepted as who he is. His family is supportive and his new friends are quirkily odd balls!
His friendship/romance with Felipe is sweet, with both of them being a big gun shy to start with.
My main problem was that the boys read younger than 16/17/18 to me - that may be a UK/US thing, and so my issue rather than the book.
I liked the story well enough - Wren is forging new tracks in his life and is working hard to be accepted as who he is. His family is supportive and his new friends are quirkily odd balls!
His friendship/romance with Felipe is sweet, with both of them being a big gun shy to start with.
My main problem was that the boys read younger than 16/17/18 to me - that may be a UK/US thing, and so my issue rather than the book.
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
Elliot Joyce’s In the Desert, his contribution to Dreamspinner Press’s States of Love series, came out a couple of months ago, but I just finally wised up and grabbed it. I don’t know why I ever hesitated, to be honest. I should have trusted my gut, and that wonderful cover, and the fact that I have loved almost every States of Love book I’ve read, and jumped on it. This book had so much charm and sweetness and characters that were so easy to fall in love with; I enjoyed the heck out of it.
Wren is newly out as transgender—he came out to his family less than a year ago—and it wasn’t smooth sailing, initially. He ended up having to change schools, as he was getting bullied at his old school, and the upheaval put some stress on the family, causing tension between he and his siblings as well. Things are a bit better now, though; the family is coming around, especially Wren’s Dad, who I LOVED, and he’s liking his new school pretty well also. But, since Wren lost most of his friends in the move and he’s going to be headed off to college the following fall, his dad thought it might be a good idea to check out the Scouts so that he could meet and possibly hang out with some other teenage boys. So, Wren goes to a meeting with his brother, Chris, not really knowing what to expect or how he might be received.
As the new guy in the troop, Wren doesn’t know anyone except Chris, but overall the guys are quite friendly and accepting. He meets a couple of Chris’s friends and some of the other guys, including the fantastically funny Travis and Kyle, and soon one of their friends, Felipe, is chatting him up. Felipe is into video games and Lord of the Rings, among other “dorky” things…but, Wren thinks Felipe has a way of making dorky pretty darn cute. Wren thinks that Felipe is straight, however, and also learns that his family is very catholic, so he fully expects his growing crush to be a one-way street.
Wren also learned from his brother that there is another out trans guy in the Scout troop, who turns out to be a good friend and ally to Wren as the story goes along. I’m not sure how realistic two trans teens in one Boy Scout troop is, and Joyce’s inclusion of the second trans character could have come off as just a convenient way to push the narrative forward, but it didn’t. I think it worked just fine.
Throughout the book, Felipe and Wren grow closer and closer, of course, building a wonderful friendship, and then finally admitting that they each have a major crush on the other. I enjoyed both their friendship and their sweet romance, and I liked both guys individually a lot. Felipe was such a good, good egg. So smart, and super kind and considerate. I also loved his relationship with his family.
There were a few little things I wish I could have seen… A little bit more character development would have been great. Learning some more about Wren’s backstory might have enriched the storyline. But, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed In the Desert. Like I said above, there was a definite charm to the story. I’m so glad I finally bought this one! I’d for sure love to see more stories from this author.
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach
Wren is newly out as transgender—he came out to his family less than a year ago—and it wasn’t smooth sailing, initially. He ended up having to change schools, as he was getting bullied at his old school, and the upheaval put some stress on the family, causing tension between he and his siblings as well. Things are a bit better now, though; the family is coming around, especially Wren’s Dad, who I LOVED, and he’s liking his new school pretty well also. But, since Wren lost most of his friends in the move and he’s going to be headed off to college the following fall, his dad thought it might be a good idea to check out the Scouts so that he could meet and possibly hang out with some other teenage boys. So, Wren goes to a meeting with his brother, Chris, not really knowing what to expect or how he might be received.
As the new guy in the troop, Wren doesn’t know anyone except Chris, but overall the guys are quite friendly and accepting. He meets a couple of Chris’s friends and some of the other guys, including the fantastically funny Travis and Kyle, and soon one of their friends, Felipe, is chatting him up. Felipe is into video games and Lord of the Rings, among other “dorky” things…but, Wren thinks Felipe has a way of making dorky pretty darn cute. Wren thinks that Felipe is straight, however, and also learns that his family is very catholic, so he fully expects his growing crush to be a one-way street.
Wren also learned from his brother that there is another out trans guy in the Scout troop, who turns out to be a good friend and ally to Wren as the story goes along. I’m not sure how realistic two trans teens in one Boy Scout troop is, and Joyce’s inclusion of the second trans character could have come off as just a convenient way to push the narrative forward, but it didn’t. I think it worked just fine.
Throughout the book, Felipe and Wren grow closer and closer, of course, building a wonderful friendship, and then finally admitting that they each have a major crush on the other. I enjoyed both their friendship and their sweet romance, and I liked both guys individually a lot. Felipe was such a good, good egg. So smart, and super kind and considerate. I also loved his relationship with his family.
There were a few little things I wish I could have seen… A little bit more character development would have been great. Learning some more about Wren’s backstory might have enriched the storyline. But, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed In the Desert. Like I said above, there was a definite charm to the story. I’m so glad I finally bought this one! I’d for sure love to see more stories from this author.
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach
ktomp17's review
4.0
As an overall read, this was a 3 star story, but it definitely gets an added star for having great trans characters and amazing, supportive friends and family along with some realistic family adjustment issues.
astarlia's review
5.0
I have a very soft spot for diverse queer fluff where nothing bad happens and this book is 100% that.
fantasyliving's review
4.0
Wren and Felipe are teens who meet at a Boy Scout group. Wren was encouraged to go by his dad, as a way to meet more friends. Being out as trans is something recent, and he still feels awkward and alone as the only trans person he knows. So he goes along with his father’s suggestion to his little brother’s Scout group although he’s not convinced he’s in the right place for him.
Felipe is drawn to Wren and really wants to be his friend. He is almost compelled to be friends with Wren. He doesn’t fully understand why, but knows it has to happen. With the help of his best friend Kyle, he puts himself out there and they start building a friendship. While Wren knows he is crushing on his friend, Felipe is slow to catch on to his own feelings. Coming from a Catholic upbringing this is a pretty terrifying development for a boy who always thought he was straight.
I really enjoyed the awkwardness of this. It felt like my high school years. Yes, I was ridiculously awkward (and still am really), so it warms my heart that I am not alone, at least not in fiction. There was some really sweet relationship building between Wren and Felipe.
Felipe is drawn to Wren and really wants to be his friend. He is almost compelled to be friends with Wren. He doesn’t fully understand why, but knows it has to happen. With the help of his best friend Kyle, he puts himself out there and they start building a friendship. While Wren knows he is crushing on his friend, Felipe is slow to catch on to his own feelings. Coming from a Catholic upbringing this is a pretty terrifying development for a boy who always thought he was straight.
I really enjoyed the awkwardness of this. It felt like my high school years. Yes, I was ridiculously awkward (and still am really), so it warms my heart that I am not alone, at least not in fiction. There was some really sweet relationship building between Wren and Felipe.
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