REVIEW BY BRANDY! FINDING OUR WAY BY JAYSON JAMES (@JaysonJamesbook)

BLURB:

Justin Parker and Derrick Wilson have been the best of friends since meeting back in middle school. Both of them are now in their junior year at Chandler High School, and are living the good life as teenagers. They have great girlfriends, plenty of close friends, their own cars, and parents who are well off. As nice as things might look to an outsider, something is missing from both of their lives.

Justin has become the invisible son in the midst of his parents failing marriage. In an effort to get his parent’s attention, Justin keeps getting into trouble. So far he has been able to get away with anything without facing any repercussions, while Derrick is feeling distant and tired of what he feels is a too “perfect family”. He just wants to have a normal social life and spend time with his friends without the pressures from his family to spend time with them.

Beyond individual family dilemmas, Justin and Derrick both have felt for quite some time something was missing from each of their lives. Now these two best friends blurred the lines of friendship in the process to discover what has been missing from their lives and who they really are.

What happens when two best friends cross the boundaries of friendship? Will they able to be happy together? Will they keep their secret from their friends? Will they be able to hide their relationship from their parents?

Justin and Derrick both take turns narrating the story of their junior year in high school and all of the events that take place in each of their lives. Being a teenager can be tough. Being gay can be tougher. For Derrick and Justin they are both, and life can’t get any more complicated.

The story will bring you into the minds and lives of Derrick and Justin, who are caught up in life and how they work together finding their way.

“You tell it from your perspective. Then I will tell it from mine.”

REVIEW:

I was given a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.  A love story is a love story no matter who the characters are.  Justin and Derrick are your typical successful teenagers until a kiss changes things.  Who knew something that was so basic could change so much and define your life in such a fundamental way?

I am an open-minded person and will read anything.  I have no boundaries on my passion for feeding my literary hunger.  Jayson James managed to create something that was different from what I am used to.  I am not talking about the same-sex relationship.  In this day and age that is not a big deal.  I was enthralled with the layers of complexity he created in the relationship.  How often do we see that anymore?  This was a book that seemed so real, I felt like I could call up these young men to see how they were doing.

I cried at the pain you knew they were feeling.  I know a lot of people who have struggled to come out to their friends and family and this is the first time that a story has seemed so mesmerizing and real.  You can feel the emotion ripple off the page.  I am thrilled to discover this author and hope you all check him out!

Rated 4 Kisses