Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North

Posted November 30, 2015 by shooting in Uncategorized / 18 Comments

Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North


Review by Lauren


source: book from Netgalley; all opinions are my own


Official Summary: Connor
Graham is a city boy—a celebrated fashion photographer in New York.
When his uncle’s death drags him back to the family blueberry farm, all
he wants to do is sell it as quickly as he can. Until he meets his
uncle’s tenant farmer.  
Jed
Jones, shy and stammering, devout and dedicated, has always yearned for
land of his own and a man to share it with. Kept in the closet by his
church, family, and disastrous first love, he longs to be accepted for
who he is. But now, with his farm and his future in Connor’s careless
hands, he stands to lose even the little he has.
Neither man expects the connection between them. Jed sees Connor—appreciates his art and passion like no one else in this godforsaken town ever has. Connor hears
Jed—looks past his stutter to listen to the man inside. The time they
share is idyllic, but with the farm sale pending, even their sanctuary
is a source of tension. As work, family, and their town’s old-fashioned
attitudes pull them apart, they must find a way to reconcile commitments
to their careers and to each other.

Review: Blueberry Boys is a quick, enjoyable read! Connor used to live in a small town but he was always desperate to escape. Everyone always knew he was gay and it wasn’t something the town could really accept. So when he comes back years later, now a successful photographer, to help sell the farm his uncle used to own, he doesn’t expect to find any happiness. Then he meets Jed Jones, who is a tenant farmer on his uncle’s land.

I really loved both of these guys, separate and together. Connor had only his brother left in his family, but Scott is eleven years older and never seemed to understand Connor. Jed has a bigger family who he loves, but they don’t know he’s gay and he has a hard time reconciling his feelings and the fact that he feels like he’s lying to everyone. It isn’t until Jed meets Connor that he starts to understand that it’s okay he kept his sexuality a secret, but that he should come out if he really wants too.

One thing I loved about these guys is that both of them have their insecurities that they help each other with. Connor used to be the chubby kid, so he still feels out of place sometimes in his own body. As for Jed, he’s had a stutter his whole life and it gets worse when he’s nervous. He’s used to people talking for him or interrupting him when he can’t finish a sentence. It’s sweet how Connor learns to deal with this – waiting for Jed to speak, letting him text or write emails instead of talking over the phone or even in person. They accommodate each other and it’s nice to see!

Blueberry Boys does have some mature moments but nothing that overshadows the overall story. I would definitely recommend!

18 responses to “Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North

  1. I'm always delighted to discover 'less than perfect' people in novels so this is definitely a book I'll keep a look out for. That said why the 'used to be chubby/had a stutter'?

  2. This sounds like such a lovely read Lauren, I always enjoy realistic characters who have real flaws, they're just so much more genuine. I love that both guys are more than just a romance, that they're both individual characters as well. There's nothing worse than needy characters who revolve their lives around one another. Awesome review Lauren <3 really enjoyed it.

  3. This book sounds good! It sounds like the book has a nice message too with how it's okay to keep things a secret and okay to come out too. And it must be great to see these two help each other with their insecurities. Great review!

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