Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley
Review by Lauren
Source: copy from publisher; all opinions are my own
Official Summary (add to Goodreads): For sixteen years, Nate was the perfect son—the product of a no-nonsense upbringing and deep spiritual faith. Then he met Cam, who pushed him to break rules, dream, and accept himself. Conflicted, Nate began to push back. With each push, the boys became more entangled in each others’ worlds…but they also spiraled closer to their breaking points. And now all of it has fallen apart after a fistfight-turned-near-fatal-incident—one that’s left Nate with a stab wound and Cam in jail.
Now Nate is being ordered to give a statement, under oath, that will send his best friend to prison. The problem is, the real story of what happened between them isn’t as simple as anyone thinks. With all eyes on him, Nate must make his confessions about what led up to that night with Cam…and in doing so, risk tearing both of their lives apart.
Review: First off, I have to say that this was a five star read for me. It’s just so good. The book follows Nate’s point of view as he gives his deposition, aka the process of giving sworn evidence. There are moments when the reader is in the room with Nate and Cam and their families and lawyers. However, most of the book reads like a straight-forward novel, with Nate’s first person point of view of his friendship with Cam.
You see, Nate is a goody two-shoes. He has a nice girlfriend, but they haven’t gone too far. He gets good grades and listens to his dad and aunt (his mom passed away when he was younger). He’s also very religious; he genuinely likes going to church on Sundays. It’s a place that he can find peace. I don’t usually gravitate toward religious books, but I wouldn’t say that Deposing Nathan is one. Rather, the characters within the book have different views of religion and what that means for their personal, everyday lives. I thought it was handled really well, for those that are religious and those that are not.
The Truth Will Come Out...Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley (a 5-star read!); book review #ontheblog #bookbloggers Share on XSo – Nate was a good kid…until Cam moves to town and they become best friends. I don’t actually think Cam is that bad of an influence on Nate. Instead, he pushes him out of his comfort zone and gets him to think about things beyond “do this, do that.” Obviously Nate’s aunt doesn’t like this, and as she’s the main disciplinarian in the family, it’s tough for Nate to be Cam’s friend. It’s obvious from the start that Nate’s aunt is pretty rough, and this is shown throughout the book. I really felt bad for Nate because he was obviously stuck and getting in trouble for being Cam’s friend made him blame Cam more than his aunt. As for Cam, he’s a really smart guy, but he doesn’t have a lot of friends, and he has his own issues to deal with – including, essentially, a photographic memory. When certain days of the year come around, Cam has vivid memories of those times and they aren’t always good memories, so it’s rough for him.
I really liked that the book went back and forth between Nate giving his deposition and the past story of Nate and Cam’s friendship. It helps readers stay invested in the overall outcome – why would Cam stab his best friend? I liked that during the deposition, the reader does get to hear a bit from Cam, so it’s obvious there is more to the story than Nate lets on at first.
Be prepared for some surprises and twists and turns! I did not see the end coming, but I think it worked really well. Parts of it made me really sad, but it felt realistic, and I think it was the best choice for the book. I know this review has gone on for awhile, so I’ll just stop here with: Read this book, ASAP!
Oooh!! Adding to my TBR!
Sounds interesting for sure!
This sounds like an interesting read. It doesn’t look like one I would normally read, but it’s one I need to look into.
I love it when I read a super enjoyable book that makes me feel all the emotions and still surprises me in the end!
Oh my goodness, this sounds truly fascinating! I usually steer clear of books with religious overtones but the way you described I think it would be okay for me. Glad you shared this one!
Intriguing! I love when characters have such complexity. Sounds like a great read!
I love a good courtroom drama, and this one sounds like it has the perfect makings of one!
Great review! I’m adding it to my list. I love unexpected twists and turns
I love a book with surprises along the way. When you don’t guess the ending and there is a twist it makes the book more memorable in my opinion.
This sounds twisty!
This sounds like it has some really interesting themes and characters. the fact that it had some twists and turns and an ending you didn’t see coming, a bonus in my opinion.
This sounds like a good intrigue story and I love books like this! It reminds me of something Jodi Picoult would write. I am definitely adding it to my to-read list!
wonderful review, i’m glad that the relationship between these two played such a major part and made it so much wonderful!
Oh! This sounds so interesting.
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Wow! This one sounds really good! I’ll have to put it on my TBR for sure. Great review!
This sounds soo good — you have me so excited/ curious abt their relationship & what happened between them.
You’ve totally got me intrigued now, Lauren! I want to know what happened between them, although from what you wrote it does sound like their relationship is a pretty tumultuous one. I really hope that everything turned out okay, or at least okay as they could be! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this one. So glad you liked it, lovely 🙂