A review by hbocking
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

dark emotional mysterious 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

In the immortal words of The Lonely Island: “It's okay when it's in a 3-way. It's not gay when it's in a 3-way.”

I somehow started reading this not realizing there was a supernatural element to it. I don't know, okay? Apparently I half read the synopsis and went sounds gay I'm in. 

The first hundred or so pages were a slog. Andrew is a disaster of a human. It's understandable given how grief stricken he is at the sudden loss of his best friend, but I still thought he was more of an asshole than necessary. Also I don't have much desire to read about 20-something dudes being typical idiotic 20-something dudes, and let me tell you, these are truly some dumb dude-bros. It's all beer and street racing and weed and punching out their feelings instead of talking. And to top it off there was all this paranormal stuff and none of the queerness I was promised. I was just about to give up when I decided to read the last few pages to see how it ended, and immediately I had to go back and figure out how we got there. And oh how this book won me over along the way. 

All the ghosty stuff, reckless driving, and drugs aside, this is a story about grief. It's about friendship, repression, and toxic masculinity. It's about dealing with loss and finding a way to let go of the past. 

The main trio, Andrew, Riley, and Sam, are deeply flawed and irresponsible and far from being 'good representation', but they care deeply for each other. I still want to smack them all upside the head and tell them to stop being idiots, but now it's because I care and want the best for them. 

Sometimes family is your dead best friend's roommate, his hot white trash cousin, and their gang of street racing hooligans.
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