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

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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emily_mh's review against another edition

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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.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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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.

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ok7a's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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longlost's review against another edition

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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 of

being 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.

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traceyanderson's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring relaxing 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

The Boy From The Mish is Gary Lonesborough’s YA debut novel about an Aboriginal boys coming of age and acknowledging his sexuality. Things come to a head when he meets Tomas, a boy from the city newly released from juvenile lockup. While the novel shows all of the realities of life on the Mish (drug and alcohol abuse, racism, violence ) without kicking you in the face. it also demonstrates the good side of the life, like keeping close to the elders and learning about the culture and languages that were stolen from them by the whites. I wish I was better able to express how important I think this book is.

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xoodlebooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

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