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sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicidal thoughts
nerdinthelibrary's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Police brutality
Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicidal thoughts
emily_mh'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? No
4.25
This was a lovely romance. Jackson and Tomas were incredibly sweet together, and I loved seeing the character development they both went through. Not only that but Lonesborough captures the Australian summer SO. PERFECTLY. I was transported, and actually felt a little homesick for a place I rarely feel homesick for.
There were just a couple of things that brought the rating down. The first is that I felt the narrative needed a bit more structure. The second is that it wasn’t clear from the beginning that Jackson had been questioning his sexuality since he was 12 - I think that giving this information earlier would have given better context to the overall story, and made his exploration of his sexuality feel less like it came out of nowhere.
There were just a couple of things that brought the rating down. The first is that I felt the narrative needed a bit more structure. The second is that it wasn’t clear from the beginning that Jackson had been questioning his sexuality since he was 12 - I think that giving this information earlier would have given better context to the overall story, and made his exploration of his sexuality feel less like it came out of nowhere.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Outing, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Horse racing, homophobic slurs, internalised homophobia, incarceration, disowning, child birth, gambling, references to the Stolen Generationforeverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
Thank you to Pride Book Tours and Scholastic for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this one. Made me so soft.
Ready When You Are is the US publication of The Boy from the Mish. It's the story of young Jackson, an Aboriginal Australian young man. He's finished his second to last year of high school and he doesn't know if he'll go back after the summer break. When his family comes to visit for Christmas, he doesn't expect Tomas, a boy his auntie is looking after. The two are forced to spend time together and as they begin to open up to each other, they both realize there might something different than friendship between them.
This was a really beautiful story of questioning and coming out. Jackson has so many factors he has to consider before he can even think about coming out. His culture is not outwardly homophobic, but the fear of being shut out is hard to overcome in a small group where there are almost zero queer people. This story really shows how much damage queer invisibility can do. There are so many invisible obstacles and having no one as a role model can make it even harder.
I'm really glad I read this book because I loved getting a look in Aboriginal culture and history. Jackson's culture and identity is important to him. He spends time in his Koori men's group and seeing spaces like this was amazing. The world needs more spaces like this for marginalized groups, especially groups with intersectional identities. I loved seeing Jackson connect to his people and traditions through stories and art.
Jackson and Tomas's relationship was so well developed. Both of them are unsure of each other and themselves, but I loved seeing them navigate it together. The ending was a bit sad and emotional but there was so much hope for the future. I hope we get more stories like this and ones with queer Aboriginal characters achieving their dreams or in SFF stories!
Aboriginal Australian (Koori) gay-questioning male MC, Aboriginal Australian (Koori) gay-questioning male love interest, multiple Aboriginal Australian side characters, white gay male side character.
CWs: Homophobia/homomisia, racism, racial slurs, alcohol consumption (underage), cursing, drug use (marijuana), violence, police brutality, hate crime, colonisation. Moderate: sexual content, outing, vomit, bullying, blood, injury/injury detail. Minor: Alcoholism, addiction, past mentions of domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, medical content.
I really enjoyed this one. Made me so soft.
Ready When You Are is the US publication of The Boy from the Mish. It's the story of young Jackson, an Aboriginal Australian young man. He's finished his second to last year of high school and he doesn't know if he'll go back after the summer break. When his family comes to visit for Christmas, he doesn't expect Tomas, a boy his auntie is looking after. The two are forced to spend time together and as they begin to open up to each other, they both realize there might something different than friendship between them.
This was a really beautiful story of questioning and coming out. Jackson has so many factors he has to consider before he can even think about coming out. His culture is not outwardly homophobic, but the fear of being shut out is hard to overcome in a small group where there are almost zero queer people. This story really shows how much damage queer invisibility can do. There are so many invisible obstacles and having no one as a role model can make it even harder.
I'm really glad I read this book because I loved getting a look in Aboriginal culture and history. Jackson's culture and identity is important to him. He spends time in his Koori men's group and seeing spaces like this was amazing. The world needs more spaces like this for marginalized groups, especially groups with intersectional identities. I loved seeing Jackson connect to his people and traditions through stories and art.
Jackson and Tomas's relationship was so well developed. Both of them are unsure of each other and themselves, but I loved seeing them navigate it together. The ending was a bit sad and emotional but there was so much hope for the future. I hope we get more stories like this and ones with queer Aboriginal characters achieving their dreams or in SFF stories!
Aboriginal Australian (Koori) gay-questioning male MC, Aboriginal Australian (Koori) gay-questioning male love interest, multiple Aboriginal Australian side characters, white gay male side character.
CWs: Homophobia/homomisia, racism, racial slurs, alcohol consumption (underage), cursing, drug use (marijuana), violence, police brutality, hate crime, colonisation. Moderate: sexual content, outing, vomit, bullying, blood, injury/injury detail. Minor: Alcoholism, addiction, past mentions of domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, medical content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content
longlost's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
WOW this was a good book. These are the types of books that need to be published, so that marginalized kids and adults can see themselves in the pages.
Lonesborough gives us an incredible look at life through the eyes of a queer Aboriginal teen coming to terms with his sexuality. Jackson's developing relationship with Tomas is so, so sweet, and you feel for his fears ofbeing outed as not straight. Lonesborough showcases his anxieties wonderfully, in a way that makes us understand what Jackson may have to lose if he embraces his identity.
The relationship between Jackson and his family was incredibly heartwarming to read about -one scene that hit me hard was when one of Jackson's cousins was bitten by a snake while they were out in the bush, after which Jackson and the others had to rush him to hospital. The quiet understanding of his mother and Aunt Pam and their refusal to blame him for the accident made the entire scene so much more heart-wrenching.
The book can be a hard read - Jackson faces a lot of conflicting feelings in regards to his identity, along with systemic racism and homophobia in several places in the book - but in my opinion that makes it even more worth reading. Lonesborough writes Jackson's story while drawing from his own experiences, and it provides a unique understanding of the life of someone who belongs to these two intersecting identities. I've always found it easier to learn from fictional books rather than non-fiction, and I definitely appreciate the glimpses this book gives us into Aboriginal culture with Jackson and his community.
Tomas and Jackson; I loved reading about them. Seeing their relationship grow, and Jackson's uncertainty as his feelings around his identity changed with it, was beautifully comforting.The fact that the book ends on a happy note despite Jackson and Tomas now being long-distance endeared me to it even more.
I would recommend this book to literally everyone. It's incredibly heartfelt and it's so clear how much passion Lonesborough had for these characters and the story, and it just makes the book even more enjoyable to read.
Lonesborough gives us an incredible look at life through the eyes of a queer Aboriginal teen coming to terms with his sexuality. Jackson's developing relationship with Tomas is so, so sweet, and you feel for his fears of
The relationship between Jackson and his family was incredibly heartwarming to read about -
The book can be a hard read - Jackson faces a lot of conflicting feelings in regards to his identity, along with systemic racism and homophobia in several places in the book - but in my opinion that makes it even more worth reading. Lonesborough writes Jackson's story while drawing from his own experiences, and it provides a unique understanding of the life of someone who belongs to these two intersecting identities. I've always found it easier to learn from fictional books rather than non-fiction, and I definitely appreciate the glimpses this book gives us into Aboriginal culture with Jackson and his community.
Tomas and Jackson; I loved reading about them. Seeing their relationship grow, and Jackson's uncertainty as his feelings around his identity changed with it, was beautifully comforting.
I would recommend this book to literally everyone. It's incredibly heartfelt and it's so clear how much passion Lonesborough had for these characters and the story, and it just makes the book even more enjoyable to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit