Set in my Hometown

Don't Let Me Go by J. H. Trumble

I decided to read this book because it was written by a new friend of mine. I was working in a library, and she mentioned having written a few books while teaching a lesson to an English class. Intrigued, I came home and looked her books up on Amazon.

Just to be upfront, this is an LGBT, young adult book. Not something I would normally seek out, but not something I am opposed to either. Nothing was terribly graphic, which is something I appreciate whether the characters are gay OR straight. There was some language, but as someone who spends all of her waking hours with teenagers, it was nothing I don't hear on a regular basis in the halls at the school where I teach.

Another thing I liked about this is that it obviously takes place around here. In fact, the movie theater where my son works is mentioned by name. The references to music and bands was a nice touch too.

Now to the story...Nate is about to be a senior in high school. He has been out for about a year. He is madly in love with Adam, who is heading to New York to perform in an off-Broadway play. When I say Nate is madly in love, I mean he doesn't think he can exist without Adam, yet he won't let Adam throw away this opportunity.

Several months prior, some asshole football player and his friends assaulted Nate at a New Year's Eve party. Nate took a while to heal, but Adam was by his side through it all. This is part of why Nate is so co-dependent.

When Nate Skypes Adam, Adam always seems distracted, and his roommate, Justin, is doing everything he can to come between the two of them. He succeeds for a while, and Nate has to find his way without Adam. He makes a new friend, Danial, and even becomes romantically involved with a younger guy named Luke.

I am not going to say more about the story than that.

There are a lot of flashbacks, which I liked, and I just really liked the characters. I felt like I knew them when I was reading the book, and that is one of the things I like most about reading.

So, check this one out.