Mini Reviews: It Could Happen + Straight Expectations

Posted June 6, 2017 by shooting in Book Review / 20 Comments

It Could Happen by Mia Kerick

Review by Lauren

source: copy from Dreamspinner press; all opinions are my own

Official SummaryThree misfits, mismatched in every way—Henry Perkins, Brody Decker, and Danny Denisco—have been friends throughout high school. Now in their senior year, the boys realize their relationship is changing, that they’re falling in love. But they face opposition at every turn—from outside and from within themselves. Moving to the next level will take all the courage, understanding, and commitment they can muster. But it could happen.

Henry is a star athlete and the son of religious parents who have little concern for the future he wants. Brody is a quirky dreamer and adrenaline junkie, and Danny is an emo artist and the target of bullies. Despite their differences they’ve always had each other’s backs, and with each of them facing a new and unique set of challenges, that support is more important than ever. Is it worth risking the friendship they all depend on for the physical and romantic relationship they all desire?

Review: When reviewing this on Goodreads, I couldn’t really rate this book because it was more of a 3.5 than a 3 or a 4. It’s a good read. I liked the relationship between the three guys and how they became each other’s family. I thought the adults in the book spoke in a weird, sort of stilted manner though. It didn’t feel entirely realistic. All in all, it was a good story though. It was interesting to see how the three guys made their relationship work while still in high school.

It Could Happen by Mia Kerick - Three Best Friends in High School All Fall in Love... Click To Tweet

Straight Expectations: The Story of a Family in Transition by Peggy Cryden

Review by Lauren

source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own

Official SummaryEver since they were young, Peggy Cryden noticed her children’s gender expression did not correspond with society’s expectations of their biological gender. In this moving and honest memoir, Peggy details the experiences and challenges of raising both a gay son and a gay, transgender son and shares her family’s journey of adversity and growth, which has helped inform her work as a psychotherapist.

Review: I’m glad to have been given the chance to read this book. It was a very well done memoir. The writing style was easy to read and follow. It’s almost conversational. In the beginning, it does focus a lot on Cryden’s own life growing up, and while this was interesting, I still found myself more eager to hear about her sons. After all, that was the aspect of the book that made me most interested in reading Straight Expectations!

Straight Expectations by Peggy Cryden - a memoir about her two LGBT+ sons #bookreview Click To Tweet

It was heartbreaking to hear about all that her two sons had to endure growing up, but it was also great to see how they grew and become wonderful young men. The book focuses on a transgender son, a gay son, a son with OCD and a eating disorder, and more. The author doesn’t shy away from these topics. She’s open and honest. This is a good book to read whether you know a lot about LGBT+ youth already or not.

20 responses to “Mini Reviews: It Could Happen + Straight Expectations

  1. Jen

    Mini reviews are a nice way to get out your thoughts. I seem to ramble and ramble, even when doing “quickies”

    I am new to your blog, visiting with #getsocial17 event.

  2. I am really into memoirs right now. Straight Expectations might be a book that I would consider picking up to read. I find the topic very fascinating. My best friend was gay and he said he knew almost immediately that he was born different but because it wasn’t a widely accepted thing at the time, he was so confused….
    Thank you so much for sharing this!

  3. I really like the sound of Straight Expectations. How you say the author doesn’t stray away from the tricky topics! I wish there was more of that around.

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