Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson + Make it a Gift

Posted March 18, 2015 by shooting in Uncategorized / 11 Comments

Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson


Review by Lauren


source: publisher/netgalley; all opinions are my own


Official Summary: With his college graduation gown expertly pitched into the trash, Justin
Akron is ready for the road trip he planned with his best friend
Landry— and ready for one last summer of escape from his mother’s
controlling grip. Climbing into the Winnebago his father left him, they
set out across America in search of the sites his father had captured
through the lens of his Nikon.

As an aspiring photographer,
Justin can think of no better way to honor his father’s memory than to
scatter his ashes at the sites he held sacred. And there’s no one Justin
would rather share the experience with more than Landry.

But
Justin knows he can’t escape forever. Eventually he’ll have to return
home and join his mother’s Senate campaign. Nor can he escape the truth
of who he is, and the fact that he’s in love with his out-and-proud
travel companion.

Admitting what he wants could hurt his mother’s
conservative political career. But with every click of his shutter and
every sprinkle of ash, Justin can’t resist Landry’s pull. And when the
truth comes into focus, neither is prepared for the secrets the other is
hiding.

Review:  Trust the Focus was a really enjoyable book about friends, Justin and Landry. Justin’s dad has passed away and in honor of him, he plans a road trip where he can take pictures at all the places his dad had visited for a calendar he shot. Traveling with him is his best friend Landry, who he feels a bit disconnected from. The two of them are growing up and apart, even though Justin has been hiding the huge secret that not only is he gay too, he’s also in love with Landry. He’s been so used to hiding his secret that he’s not sure how to be honest with himself, let alone anyone else.

Justin’s mother is planning to run for the Senate and when Justin is finished with his road trip, he is expected to stand by his mom’s side and help her win. The only problem is that his mom is a very conservative candidate and Justin is sure if he comes out, he’ll ruin his mom’s career. It’s obvious from the beginning that Justin has a lot he’s dealing with, but it’s nice to get to know Landry through the book and realize that he’s hiding his own secrets too.

Landry is talkative and fun, but he’s also sensitive. Justin is a good friend, with a wonderful eye for detail, but he keeps things hidden so much that he often explodes in anger. These two guys don’t seem to work, but you know when everything is out and in the open, that it can be okay. And you definitely want things to work out for these two. Who doesn’t like a friends to lovers story? Starting out as friends offers so much back story and emotion to the overall novel that insta-love tries to achieve and almost always fails at.

I’m definitely curious to read more by this author in the future!

Make it a Gift

I haven’t had one of these in my reviews in awhile, so in case you don’t know, Make it a Gift is where I think of an item that suits the novel. This way, you can buy a copy of this book and the item and voila, you’ve made it a gift!

Throughout Trust the Focus, Justin is taking photos of the same locations his dad did, except this time, he places his dad’s urn in the photo. This idea made me think of the book Dear Photograph where people hold an old photo over the location it was taken, so it ends up showing the old and the new together. You can get Dear Photograph on Amazon now.

11 responses to “Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson + Make it a Gift

  1. You're making me discover the book with your review. It sounds emotional, I confess that I don't real a lot of books like that but I should…

  2. I love books that involve road trips and best friends, they are just so much fun. I am glad you enjoyed this, although it sounds like an emotional read.

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