"Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.
As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better."- summary from Amazon
Why have I waited so long to read another A.S. King book?! I haven't read one since her debut, though I own the two books in between that and this one. I will need to get on them as soon as I can. Also? You know my review from the other day, about where I said I rarely read gay books so when I do, I have high expectations? This is how you write a gay book. Not that this is necessarily JUST a gay book or anything, but King writes Astrid and her questioning so well, and of course there is a lesbian romance (actually, two and a gay male one, so maybe this is mainly a gay book after all, lol), it's just simply fantastic and deserves mention.
But it's really more about Astrid feeling out of place in many other ways than just her sexuality. King writes a compelling voice that kept me hooked and flipping the pages. Astrid is a wonderful, sarcastic character and her friends are all great. The small-town setting was really brought to life too and made for the perfect backdrop.
I don't even know what else to say, except that this book is amazing and you all should read it (and King's other books). She's a wonderful author who deserves more mention and acclaim. I can't wait to go back and read the other two books I missed.
FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.
Posts
I think that's what makes it such a great gay book - Astrid is questioning, both her best friends are also queer, but the book isn't restricted to that. It's about Astrid as a human being, and her sexuality is a single facet of herself.
ReplyDelete