Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Boy from the Mish

oh. my. god. i love that the first book i read in 2023 is a 5 star read, i devoured this book in one sitting!! i’ve honestly never seen queer aboriginal representation in media and it makes me so happy to finally see. as an australian i found reading the dialogue with the characters voices so so easy because yknow, we have the same accents.

the characters were so loveable, and i found myself easily attached to them. i honestly just want to give all of them a hug because they definitely need it!!

the plot itself was incredible, jackson’s internalised homophobia was so well written and the way this book described feelings and emotions was beautiful

the way jackson, jarny and kalyn sat down at the end and were so open with eachother made me so emotional. especially after what happened with jarny and jackson in the street.

tomas and jackson’s relationship was so beautiful to read, i could actually feel the love and tenderness through the pages. i loved the way they fitted together, and i especially loved how they didn’t just jump into their relationship super quickly. i love the frustration that comes from setting up the relationship!! they were so cute and made me feel even more single every time i turned the page 💀.

i’m literally going to recommend this book to everybody i know, i really hope there will be some form of sequel though - as the ending seemed like it was setting up for one.

i’d love to see tomas and jackson reunite again, and for them to come out to their families.

definitely gonna reread this!

Content Warnings

meglouise's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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nibs's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

I liked it. It was a heartfelt story about family, first love and community. It felt so grounded in reality.
All the scenes with Jackson and Tomas being romantic were so well written and handled - they felt cautious and youthful yet intimate. At times it reminded me of Ari and Dante from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The characters really felt like teens.

I like how they showed how important culture and community is to Jackson e.g. the men's group. And the small details like the whole family visiting over Christmas, and that sadness the following day when they're all left and that moment had ended. Also the emphasis of the feeling of loss when Tomas goes home.

The author's note mentions being inspired to write this because he hadn't found any YA stories about an Aboriginal teen coming to terms with their sexuality. This book is a great start and I hope there are more stories in this area to come.

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kayden__reads's review against another edition

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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

4.5

Content Warnings

nerdinthelibrary's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

God I loved this. Way more than I was expecting, to be honest. Going into this I assumed this was going to be focused primarily on Jackson figuring stuff out, with his relationship with Tomas being a prominent subplot that would ultimately just be there to further his journey. The first few chapters supported my theory going in, but then after about a quarter of the way through it shifts its focus to the relationship between the two boys. Their incredibly sweet romance that had me grinning at how goddamn cute it was. This book is exactly what I want out of YA romances honestly, plus having the added factor of being about two Aboriginal boys, something which not only have I never read before, but no other books focusing on that even come to mind. This was such a great debut; I really hope Gary Lonesborough has more books coming in the future, I would pick whatever he wrote up in a heartbeat.

Content Warnings

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0

While it took me a little bit to ease into this writing stye and culture, by the end, I was hooked. Set in an Aboriginal community in Australia, it's about two books realizing they're gay and coming to terms with it. In a community where they don't think they'll be accepted. A fair warning, there are some pretty emotional moments by the end of this book.

This is also such a unique voice for YA fiction. Honestly, I don't think there are any other books out there like this, and it's an important voice to be heard. I mean, how many YA books can you think of that feature the Aboriginal community in Australia?

I would definitely read more from this author as well. Once he hits his stride, it's such a compelling story. If you're interested in reading something a little different, I definitely recommend this one!

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