Felix Kurt reached out and sent me his book for an honest review, so that's what I'm bringing to the function. 

Overall, I liked some elements of this and I think it's a decent debut. It's a bit cheesy in a 2000s kind of way, and it has supernatural elements that add a bit of interest to a basic coming-of-age story. It was easy to read and fun, except when homophobia made an appearance cause that's never great, but it's an (unfortunately) real part of the gay experience. 

I agree with one reviewer who said that Felix still has to find his voice a bit more as a writer, though. While some of these characters' feelings and experiences are based on Felix's own, as he tells us in the acknowledgments, the writing lacks the depth I would expect from someone who has been in the shoes of the characters they write about or someone who has a better understanding than most. The writing just felt generic sometimes and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. So I hope Felix has more stories to tell so he can continue working on his craft, cause the potential is there. 

This is also YA and while I like YA, it's not always for me because I can't always connect with the stories. That said, I think this is a good book for 15 to 17-year-olds. I can see young men finding themselves in these pages. Especially if they're still in the closet or if they've grown up in a religious setting that values hypermasculinity and enforces gender roles. I can also see young people finding empathy for their gay peers who are met with bullying for being who they are, so that's valuable.