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A review by xsarahsmilesx
Watching for Comets by Jordon Greene
3.0
f t c: The author reached out to me for a review and provided me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.
WATCHING FOR COMETS by Jordon Greene is a debut YA story about two boys - Aidan and Tyler - torn apart by the sudden, too-soon death of Tyler's boyfriend and Aidan's best friend Brayden. The two boys find themselves grieving together, and their former animosity grows into fondness and confusion as they ask themselves, "What if?"
Trigger warning for: Homophobia, death, religion/conversion therapy, sexual harassment/assault
If I had to give a star rating (which I have my own opinions on, but that's for a different post), this book is a solid 3.5/5. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites, but it was by no means horrible or even average. I think it depends on what you're looking for and what kind of reader you are.
I enjoyed this story a lot. The chapters are short, and while the subject matter is darker, I would still say it's more lighthearted than the books I tend to gravitate toward, and it's message of moving on and remembering and forgiveness certainly bring up the more somber elements. For people that want to add more queer authors/stories to their lists, this is a good one.
I didn't have super strong feelings about the style, but it was very stream-of-consciousness, and the dual POV was written well enough that you could distinguish who was talking without being told. I felt like some parts went over my head and were more like self-insert for the author to talk about things he was passionate about, but for those that like cars/Overwatch/astronomy, you might see these as fun additions.
However, I will make this disclaimer that one of the characters is a Latinx boy, and I cannot comment on the representation as I am not a member of this group.
What really sold me on this story was the ending - literally the last page. What my professors might call the "so what" of the book. This is not a bury-your-gays or angsty book. Queer people deserve happy endings, period, full stop. But it's a realistic story about taking chances, asking yourself "what if", wondering if you're being cautious or paranoid, and the truly awkward maze it is to navigate your friendships when you date within a friend group/when it goes sour.
WATCHING FOR COMETS by Jordon Greene is a debut YA story about two boys - Aidan and Tyler - torn apart by the sudden, too-soon death of Tyler's boyfriend and Aidan's best friend Brayden. The two boys find themselves grieving together, and their former animosity grows into fondness and confusion as they ask themselves, "What if?"
Trigger warning for: Homophobia, death, religion/conversion therapy, sexual harassment/assault
If I had to give a star rating (which I have my own opinions on, but that's for a different post), this book is a solid 3.5/5. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites, but it was by no means horrible or even average. I think it depends on what you're looking for and what kind of reader you are.
I enjoyed this story a lot. The chapters are short, and while the subject matter is darker, I would still say it's more lighthearted than the books I tend to gravitate toward, and it's message of moving on and remembering and forgiveness certainly bring up the more somber elements. For people that want to add more queer authors/stories to their lists, this is a good one.
I didn't have super strong feelings about the style, but it was very stream-of-consciousness, and the dual POV was written well enough that you could distinguish who was talking without being told. I felt like some parts went over my head and were more like self-insert for the author to talk about things he was passionate about, but for those that like cars/Overwatch/astronomy, you might see these as fun additions.
However, I will make this disclaimer that one of the characters is a Latinx boy, and I cannot comment on the representation as I am not a member of this group.
What really sold me on this story was the ending - literally the last page. What my professors might call the "so what" of the book. This is not a bury-your-gays or angsty book. Queer people deserve happy endings, period, full stop. But it's a realistic story about taking chances, asking yourself "what if", wondering if you're being cautious or paranoid, and the truly awkward maze it is to navigate your friendships when you date within a friend group/when it goes sour.