Ashley
Written on Dec 14, 2013
Fan Art was adorable!
Even though I've never been in his situation, I totally connected with Jamie! He's 'out' to his parents, but can't come out to Mason because he's afraid that it will change their friendship (for the worse). I completely understood his reasons and his hesitation. I felt the full weight of the decision coming down on him! If I were in his shoes, I think I would have been equally terrified to come out to my best friend. For some reason, parents seem like an easier hurdle.
I also liked Jamie's interaction with his art friends, like Eden. She was a great character and I loved how comfortable she was in her skin.
I think there are two things I wasn't crazy about in Fan Art. First, I felt it lull a bit in the 45-70% mark. There wasn't a ton going on other than Jamie just struggling with the same decision over and over again. I completely felt for him, I did, but I couldn't help but get a little bored when nothing new was happening. And secondly, I think I wish we saw a tad more of Mason. We only got a couple moments of Mason and Jamie together. Sometimes it felt like Eden, Jamie's friend, had a bigger role than Mason did.
But the end... The end was SO SWEET! I won't spoil it, but I promise you will love it! It melted my heart a little.
I think Fan Art is a really unique book in the world of YA. There aren't a lot of LGBT books in the YA world, but this is one, and I think it's really sweet and empowering. One of the best parts was how supportive Jamie's parents were. I love how they were so proud of Jamie and always encouraged him. We don't get enough awesome, supportive parents like this in YA! Huge props, Sarah Tregay!
Fan Art is not only an interesting read, but I think it also has the potential to empower teenagers struggling with the same thing Jamie is. This would be such an amazing book to read for anyone struggling with their sexual identity or coming out to their parents/friends/neighbours/etc.