Title: Fan Art
Author: Sarah Tregay
Publication: June 17th 2014, Katherine Tegen Books
Format: ARC,
Source: From the author! Thank you Sarah!
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indie Bound | Kobo | iBooks | National Book Store / FullyBooked (PH)
SYNOPSIS:
Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.
Misfit Review:
* I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.
There are new possibilities whenever I read stories about guy on guy relationships. Jamie is gay, who has just come out to his family but can never do so in his school or community. Being gay as many would know, is subject to taunts and threats. Jamie would rather not go through that.
At night I dream we live in a David Levithan novel
a world set to music and lit like Broadway---
each moment deep, magical, and underscored by
the simple and profound, like a Beatle's
song.
I was never one to get away from a story such as Fan Art since I am a huge fan of David Levithan. Fan Art captures the struggles of bout and the joys of coming out in the simplest of ways. Jamie is not really an intriguing character to begin with for he laid it out in the first place for the readers to know who he was. He's sweet, caring and scared that changes to how he interacts with everyone will jeopardize his humanity and his friendship with Mason, whom he fell in love with.
I did not just check out my besfriend, did I?
Oh Mason, Darren Criss inspired Mason. He's adorable. You really can't tell much about him except that he's an amazingly kind friend. He has his flaws which grabbed me but I felt that Mason was not much of a character to grasp fully and cuddle forever.
Eden squeezes my hand back and says, "Sometimes I wish things weren't so complex."
"Like, so I wouldn't have to come out? Yeah."
"Like,if people didn't care if love was love."
"Love is love."
The real relationship I really had a connection to was Eden's and Jamie's. Having two people talk about their gender preference and their hesitation to fully let go of their walls, struck me. It was easy to just read everything. I felt like I was part of their conversations. It was humorous and sad at the same time. Eden with her bluntness and Jamie with his reservations made me think at times while reading that they were perfect for each other. "I WANT THEM TOGETHER SO BAD", was the thought that ran through my head as I read their parts. I laughed so hard too. Their relationship in the book brought a sunshine I wanted to be under in.
While there is the lightness in the theme, there was also the apparent negativity towards one of the major themes of the books which is "being openly gay". I wanted to smack the characters so badly but in the corner of my mind, I understood that the topic at hand was still so fragile even in a place like USA, which, as many believe is a liberated country. Queer people are subject to bullying and some of the characters like Lia and Nick are either disgusted or humored by the idea of someone being gay.
Sarah Tregay has touched a theme that is both intriguing and in so many ways, so familiar to others. The story is a lighter take on the theme since I've noticed that some protagonists either feel defeated and suicidal or just too desperate to be noticed. I enjoyed how it was not plot-twisty. It was plain and simple, straight to the point and I appreciated it. It wasn't boring at all and it didn't leave me hanging. There are times though that I had to pause every 10 pages to keep myself sane.
Tregay's writing style is pure and sweet and the incorporation of poems were absolutely raw and honest that every teenager who may stumble upon this novel will relate to it.
Fan Art is fluffy, honest and a small force that can uplift anyone's spirits. It is for everyone. Grab it. You will not regret it.
GIVEAWAY
Raised without television, Sarah started writing her own middle grade novels after she had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When she's not jotting down poems at stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters or stressing over performance classes at a model horse show.
She has both a Bachelors and Masters of Fine Art in graphic design, and her obsession with typography and layout naturally translates into formatting poetry on the page.
She lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots.
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