Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - The Boy from the Mish

Easy and enjoyable queer teen story, I listened to the audiobook and it was a delight! It handles the complexities of queer first nations Australian identity beautifully. Highly recommend!

Content Warnings

thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition

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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

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wetdirtreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

The Boy from the Mish is a gorgeous queer, Blak, YA romance – a coming-of-age story from the heart. While I wish all us queer mob had this book in our youth, my longing is outweighed by the gratitude that I feel knowing it’s in the hands of our young ones now, and will be for generations to come.

Gary’s storytelling is infectious. From start to finish, I was deeply invested in Jackson’s story. I whizzed through the book in a couple of days because I so desperately wanted to know what was next for Jackson and Tomas. I found myself saying I’d just read a chapter over my lunch break, and end up completely engulfed in the book for hours. (Whoops 🤪)

The book perfectly balances accessibility and complexity. Gary clearly and thoughtfully articulates the link between queerness, mobhood, and colonial violence (particularly regarding police and prisons) without sacrificing any nuance. Through this craftsmanship, he has produced a light-hearted, feel-good read that also manages to tackle distressing topics in a way that is neither reductive nor traumatising.

The Boy from the Mish is a carefully and beautifully crafted text that speaks to the importance of cultural empowerment and community care in mob healing. It combines magical storytelling, lived experience, and a rich cultural strength to create a powerful, honest, and healing expression of queer Blak joy.

If you haven’t already read this book, I hope you do very soon. It will make you giggle, it will make you giddy, and it will fill your body with excited anticipation. It will gently break your heart juuuust enough, and then mend it whole, sending a warm, cosy goodness rushing through your body.

(Review originally posted on instagram)

Content Warnings

pey333's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

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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.

Content Warnings

lena_and_her_books's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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