Coming-of-age novel about two boys who fall in love in a writing class—one from a progressive family and the other from a conservative religious community.
Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.
But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.
It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.
* Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo write both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together have produced nine New York Times bestselling novels, including Beautiful Bastard and Sweet Filthy Boy. * Tanner's voice is humorous, compelling, and just snarky enough to make him insanely compelling. Teens will relate to his charm and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude, as well as his insecurities and vulnerability. * While Autoboyography isn't exactly a coming out story, it is about Tanner checking and understanding his privilege as a gay kid from a progressive family in Provo, Utah. Tanner slowly comes to see the world is far more complicated than he realized—even when he grew up with the evidence of it right in front of his face. * This book has moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity, but it also tackles serious topics important to teens—young gay teens in particular—making for a perfect, balanced read.
This book surpassed the hype I built up for it in my mind, and left my heart on the verge of bursting!
Pro: Tanner had the most awesome family ever. They were able to be open and honest and it was quite a lovely thing to see. #FamilyGoals
Pro: Tanner is awesome. I totally fell in love with him myself. He was funny, witty, and intelligent. This made for some great banter in this book, and also made the time spent inside his head quite enjoyable.
Pro: This book is not just about sexual identity. It's about identity in general, being your true self and doing things that are fulfilling and make you happy. I think a wide audience would be able to relate to this story on that level.
Pro: The authors did such a fantastic job making me understand Sebastian's inner struggle. My heart physically ached for him. Shoot! I am getting a little misty just thinking about it right now.
Con: I could have done without the Autumn-Tanner thing. It wasn't the worst, but it frustrated me. Obviously, it wasn't a deal breaker, as I still gave this book 5-stars, but I just didn't care for it.
Pro: I am always a little scared to read books that feature religion, because religious people are often demonized in books, but Christina Lauren presented the LDS church from many sides. They showed good things about the church, and how some progress has been made regarding homosexuality, but they also acknowledged that more progress is necessary. They had characters who had left the church, and present their grievances with the church, but they also showed current members, who were more progressive and did not follow every last tenant to the T. It was a fair and balanced treatment of the church and I appreciated getting the various viewpoints.
Pro: I adored watching the romance between Tanner and Sebastian blossom. It totally put a stupid grin on my face.
Pro: To all those authors out there, who have disappointed me with their endings - listen up! This is how you do an epilogue. I got closure, and that is all I ever ask for.
Overall: A beautiful and poignant love story packed with feels, which left me so warm, happy, and hopeful.
