A review by maxines_obsessions
Deeply Gravely Quite Anxiously Concerned by Peter Medeiros

4.0

Well I'm going to be honest and say I didn't expect that.
I think I need to go and compose myself and maybe shed a tear or five.

I've had a couple of days to compose myself.
I won this through Goodreads First Reads giveaways. This may be less of a review and more me fan girl rambling, with some SPOILERS.

Julian is cruising through school and life, just biding his time until he can leave and head for New York. He has wonderful friends and a loving family. His mum is remarrying and Julian is very much against it. He wants better for his mum. Julian is gay, he has always known who he is, he is comfortable and proud.
Then along comes Duncan, a jock, a popular kid, a young man finally beginning to understand who he is and trying to come to terms with it. Duncan isn't comfortable, Duncan is ashamed.
They literally bump into each other (insert eye roll) and things progress from there.

I've been looking forward to this book, I'm not sure why as its not a book I would normally pick up and I didn't expect much (my last goodreads win wasn't the best.)
But this OMG, if I knew how to put gifs into my reviews I would have fireworks, and fangirl dancing.
The writing is amazing, the characters are real and engaging and I was invested within a few pages. I thought Duncan and Julian were fucking adorable. Duncan's vulnerability and fear was spilling of the pages and I just wanted to hug him and tell him it was all going to be ok.

And holy cow, that ending!!!
"I turn and enter the church without looking back. The pain in my heart is gone. Inside, at the back of my mind, there are a thousand memories of Duncan: of looks, words, embraces, but they're locked up and it will be a long time before I can release them. I will release them, though. Someday. There will be a time when I want to think about this, know about him, wonder and remember. He's my story too."

This isn't a long story, its 158 pages. Normally I prefer longer books, but if this was any longer it would have just been filler. Although I was hoping for more about Echo, why she has an eating disorder and how she got to this point. *I went and checked out if Amanda had written any other books and what do you know there is one called Echo. I'll have to order it so I can get the answers I'm looking for.

All in all a great book, made even better by the fact it is signed and there were random sticker throughout. Winning all round. 4.5 stars