REVIEWED BY Micky Barnard
Autoboyography by Christina LaurenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
AUTOBOYOGRAPHY was a subtle blow-me-away kind of book. It got its hooks into me so quickly and I didn't want to let go at the end; I'm still mulling it over. This is a book that is completely character-driven, it focuses on friendships, identity, rejection, acceptance and faith.
Tanner is an 18 year old bi guy who is completely at ease with who he is. The concept of love, to him, is about the person, not their gender. Sebastian is a devout LDS guy who doesn't know who he is. There's also a complex but wonderful friendship between Tanner and Autumn threading throughout the read. I don't normally re-synopsis in books, but I can't seem to review this one without some explanation.
"I panic in a burst because I got my hair cut and put on my best clothes and what if instead of looking passably Mormon, I look super gay?"
Tanner and Sebastian in addition to their burgeoning attraction and different religious stances, are also student and mentor. Tanner's writing of his book in this semester, his autoboyography, is bittersweet, full of angst and full of emotion that is real and raw.
The emotions flowed over me whilst I read and I experienced some serious heartache and brimming tears. The pain of not being able to just be who you are was a mighty gut punch that left me needing to close the book and just breathe for a minute on a couple of occasions. Tanner was a man I respected immensely, caring, with occasional stupid decision-making abilities but with an adorable nature. Sebastian was such a gentle young man, full of love, guilt, denial and wanting to please the church and his parents. It was a car crash waiting to happen, but their connection could not be denied.
"I've been pulled out of my own body, and it's like watching this from across the trail. We're sitting on a rock, side by side, arms touching, and I know this moment will be seared into my history forever."
AUTOBOYOGRAPHY has made me see these issues more deeply, I felt the rejection, the pain of just needing to be who you are. The writing flows beautifully and therefore, the reader is lost in the story, in Sebastian and tannbannthankyouman. There's some light humour, mainly in the character of who Tanner is but mostly this is a fairly serious read with chemistry that cannot be denied. Go forth and read the heck out of this book.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Edelweiss in return for a honest review.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
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