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A review by ssuprnova
The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
4.0
theres something about this book that i really liked and something about it that i really didnt and i really havent been able to pinpoint either? its a lil confusing to me
fundamentally, this is one of these very gay, very lightearted stories with a lesson at the end. you know, just about my favorite thing to read. in general, i liked it -the main character was a fun dude, the friend group was fine, the love interest is absolutely adorable, and theres even a lil twist, a lil subversion from the typical plot, which i love.
i have a couple issues with it, though. first of all, the characters sometimes felt inconsistent or acted irrationally? lied when it was literally not necessary to, when no person on planet earth would lie, just to furthen the plot, for example. keep a whole ass relationship hidden from their best friend for no reason, just for shock value. its so... strange.
also, the mystery of the whole book could have been a literal crime mystery thing, like, something to solve, and instead they told us straight up who the hell had perpetrated the crime and then found proof to confirm it, no surprise whatsoever. which IN THEORY could have been cool, but in the real sense, it just made the reading feel inconsequential because we already had all the answers from the get go.
also, the narration itself is a little hard to get used to because its so informal. it feels very personal and thats a good thing, but it gets old and a bit repetitive, using the same colloquial expressions over and over until they stop being effective. some mannerisms sky has are never explained even though a side character points them out, which left me more than a little puzzled.
my qualms arent huge, though. i liked the idea of it, i liked the characters, more or less. the romance was there but not overwhelming, despite the original premise, because the story is in fact not about the promposal at all, thats just the catalyst. at its core, the story is about coming into your own, and pride, and standing up, and found family, and being open to the possibilities, and THAT i can get behind. its finny at times, its sweet. it didnt make me, like, SQUEAL, but thats totally fine. its very pure, love the representation, love the concept.
if anything, its a little too idealist, kind of in a red, white and royal blue sense (remember how you thought "thatd NEVER happen in real life"?), but you know what? we need that sometimes.
fundamentally, this is one of these very gay, very lightearted stories with a lesson at the end. you know, just about my favorite thing to read. in general, i liked it -the main character was a fun dude, the friend group was fine, the love interest is absolutely adorable, and theres even a lil twist, a lil subversion from the typical plot, which i love.
i have a couple issues with it, though. first of all, the characters sometimes felt inconsistent or acted irrationally? lied when it was literally not necessary to, when no person on planet earth would lie, just to furthen the plot, for example. keep a whole ass relationship hidden from their best friend for no reason, just for shock value. its so... strange.
also, the mystery of the whole book could have been a literal crime mystery thing, like, something to solve, and instead they told us straight up who the hell had perpetrated the crime and then found proof to confirm it, no surprise whatsoever. which IN THEORY could have been cool, but in the real sense, it just made the reading feel inconsequential because we already had all the answers from the get go.
also, the narration itself is a little hard to get used to because its so informal. it feels very personal and thats a good thing, but it gets old and a bit repetitive, using the same colloquial expressions over and over until they stop being effective. some mannerisms sky has are never explained even though a side character points them out, which left me more than a little puzzled.
my qualms arent huge, though. i liked the idea of it, i liked the characters, more or less. the romance was there but not overwhelming, despite the original premise, because the story is in fact not about the promposal at all, thats just the catalyst. at its core, the story is about coming into your own, and pride, and standing up, and found family, and being open to the possibilities, and THAT i can get behind. its finny at times, its sweet. it didnt make me, like, SQUEAL, but thats totally fine. its very pure, love the representation, love the concept.
if anything, its a little too idealist, kind of in a red, white and royal blue sense (remember how you thought "thatd NEVER happen in real life"?), but you know what? we need that sometimes.