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A review by dogoodwithbooks
If I Can Give You That by Michael Gray Bulla
4.0
CW: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, drug overdose, divorce, transmisia, emesis, bullying (recounted), outing (recounted), racism (recounted), death of a parent (recounted), infidelity (recounted)
If I Can Give You That was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, and after getting a copy from my local library, I can say that my expectations were met in [a:Michael Gray Bulla|18949805|Michael Gray Bulla|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1609280186p2/18949805.jpg]'s YA debut.
Bulla does a great job with exploring how trauma can impact someone as well as the joy of found family. As you can see in the content warnings I've listed above, Bulla addresses some very hard and sensitive topics that could be too much for some readers. Yet, at the same time, I feel that there are readers that can resonate with the struggles that Gael faces during the book and feel that they are not alone.
Of course, this is ultimately at your discretion and only you can decide, in consultation with the content warnings, if this is something you're interested in reading.
My only main critique of Bulla's If I Can Give You That is that he scatters unnecessary fillers in the book. For me, I didn't really felt like some of the fillers were really necessary for the plot or character motivations (though they do give some insight to the characters' backgrounds). I think this could have been better if it was a bit more organized and deciding which fillers are necessary for future books.
Now, for readers who are fans of [a:Kacen Callender|15809784|Kacen Callender|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1614630601p2/15809784.jpg], [a:Mason Deaver|17892034|Mason Deaver|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596224530p2/17892034.jpg], and/or [a:Edward Underhill|21786427|Edward Underhill|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1630713446p2/21786427.jpg] will want to keep an eye out for this title. I also would recommend If I Can Give You That for readers that want a YA novel featuring found family and friends-to-lovers tropes that also explores the impacts of one's upbringing, you might enjoy If I Can Give You That.
If I Can Give You That was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, and after getting a copy from my local library, I can say that my expectations were met in [a:Michael Gray Bulla|18949805|Michael Gray Bulla|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1609280186p2/18949805.jpg]'s YA debut.
Bulla does a great job with exploring how trauma can impact someone as well as the joy of found family. As you can see in the content warnings I've listed above, Bulla addresses some very hard and sensitive topics that could be too much for some readers. Yet, at the same time, I feel that there are readers that can resonate with the struggles that Gael faces during the book and feel that they are not alone.
Of course, this is ultimately at your discretion and only you can decide, in consultation with the content warnings, if this is something you're interested in reading.
My only main critique of Bulla's If I Can Give You That is that he scatters unnecessary fillers in the book. For me, I didn't really felt like some of the fillers were really necessary for the plot or character motivations (though they do give some insight to the characters' backgrounds). I think this could have been better if it was a bit more organized and deciding which fillers are necessary for future books.
Now, for readers who are fans of [a:Kacen Callender|15809784|Kacen Callender|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1614630601p2/15809784.jpg], [a:Mason Deaver|17892034|Mason Deaver|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596224530p2/17892034.jpg], and/or [a:Edward Underhill|21786427|Edward Underhill|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1630713446p2/21786427.jpg] will want to keep an eye out for this title. I also would recommend If I Can Give You That for readers that want a YA novel featuring found family and friends-to-lovers tropes that also explores the impacts of one's upbringing, you might enjoy If I Can Give You That.