This was such a special, refreshing, thought-provoking and entertaining book about what it’s like to be a queer member of a boy band. There were so many meaningful discussions and insights on homophobia, racism, bottom-shaming, and expectations put upon queer celebrities from the queer community as well, but it was also such an adorable coming-of-age story with lovable characters.

Kiss & Tell follows seventeen-year-old Hunter Drake, who is an out and proud gay member of an international sensation Canadian boy band, who has recently broken up with his long-term boyfriend Aidan Nightingale. Aidan is also the twin brother of the bandmate, Ashton Nightingale, which makes things extra complicated. Especially as Hunter starts to get feelings for the drummer in the opener band, Iranian-American Kaivan Parvani. When a jealous Aidan leaks some sexting tweets between him and Hunter, Hunter will learn the hard way the limits to what level of queerness that is respectable to heterosexual fans and media, but also the homophobia and pressure to be masculine even in the queer community and bottom shaming. As damage control, the record label set Hunter and Kaivan up for some public fake dates that might not be as fake as the label thinks though…

I really loved the coming-of-age parts and the way Hunter had to grow as a character to break free from the expectations put upon him from both the label and fans and not the least the queer community, to find a balance between the public persona forced upon him and trying to live his life authentically. Hunter was such a lovable character, who truly wanted to make a positive difference to the LGBTQ+ community, and who had to struggle not to lose himself despite constantly being told how to act and how to dress, then criticized by the public for every little thing. He was a little ignorant and selfish at time, not understanding that his band members also had struggles on their own with racisms, but I rooted so much for him from the very start.

I also really enjoyed the extra content with tweets, interviews and news articles, which added to the understanding of what Hunter had to deal with in the form of media, fan opinions and the record label’s cynicism.

The romance part of this book was not as strong as I’d hoped for and I basically think this book is more of a coming-of-age story than a YA romance. I never fully trusted Kaivan and couldn’t fully invest in his and Hunter’s relationship, which felt lukewarm all the time to be honest. I also had some problem relating to the other band members, who weren’t as fleshed out as they could have been. Especially since there were a lot of potential in their culturally diverse backstories as well. But I truly enjoyed the aspect of the story where Hunter realized that he was not the only one struggling, but that his bandmates were also facing bigotry and discrimination.

All in all, this was a thought-provoking, yet sweet and adorable, read about finding out who you are in the spotlight! I adored the main character and appreciated the way Adib Khorram addressed issues like bottom shaming and how Hunter felt the pressure to conceal his identity even after coming out, in order not to be “too queer” and how not only conservative fans and media but also the queer community put expectations upon him. Highly recommended!

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Adib Khorram

This was such a sweet and adorkable YA story about dealing with depression and a feeling of not belonging as well as learning to accept who you are and finding your place in the world.

Darius is a biracial Persian/American teenager (or a “Fractional Persian” as he calls himself) with a mother who was born and raised in Iran and an American dad. In school he’s a bullied outcast and, even though he and his dad share the love for Star Trek, Darius feels like he’s constantly a big disappointment to his athletic and successful dad (“Teutonic Übermensch” as Darius describes him) who can’t understand why Darius doesn’t just stand up for himself in school. When the family takes a trip to Iran to visit his terminally ill grandfather, the feeling of being lost and outside and like he doesn’t truly belong anywhere gets even stronger. On top of that, Darius suffers from clinical depression. But when Darius meets Sohrab, the teenage neighbor of his grandparents, he finally gets a true friend and everything changes.

I really enjoyed the exploration of Persian/Iranian culture and the authentic and careful description of Darius’ depression. I also adored the tender friendship between Darius and Sohrab, but I had perhaps expected it to be a little bit more romantic since this book is labelled as a LGBTQ story. But it was more like it was softly hinted that Darius might be queer than it being fully addressed, or the friendship with Sohrab ever going further than being a truly trusting relationship where they could be themselves.

At first, I also really loved the special writing style, since it was truly giving Darius a unique and quirky voice (for example he never referred to the water boiler as that, but giving it names like “Smaug, the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities” or “Smaug, the Irrepressibly Finicky”), but after a while it got a little too repetitive and took focus from some of the important feelings and events happening.

But all in all, this was a gripping coming-of-age story dealing with depression and teenage awkwardness in a sweet and quiet way. Adib Khorram truly has a talented and unique voice and I can’t wait to read more of his work.

Rating:
4 stars

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

​Author info:
Adib Khorram