on April 6, 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 328
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The blues are bluer up here.
Sky Baker is openly gay. In a small, insular town like Rock Ledge, Michigan, it’s hard for him to be himself. He swings his hips less, carries his books loosely against his upper thigh (not against his hips), and conceals certain things from the world. Like the fact that his homophobic mom kicked him out of the house, and he’s living in his best friend Bree’s basement. Like his love for To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Like his plan to prompose to his crush, Ali Rashid. A secret so big that he’s only told his best friend Bree (and not his other best friend Marshall).
Sky has felt distanced from Marshall because his friend has grown increasingly “heterosexual.” He’s been hanging out more and more with his straight friends from track, he can’t stop talking about his new girlfriend, and now he’s started inviting his friend, Teddy, to their hangouts. Teddy, who seems to be crushing on Bree. Then there’s the new kid, Dan, who Sky suspects is secretly gay, but who doesn’t seem interested in talking to anyone.
Sky has set the date to prompose at his high school’s annual beach bum party in thirty days. But then an anonymous hacker leaks his secret promposal plans to the entire school in a homophobic e-blast that goes viral. Devastated, Sky is ready to drop out of school. He’s unprepared for the amount of support he receives from friends, classmates, and strangers. Determined not to let the hacker ruin his senior year, Sky and his friends decide to fight back and expose the perpetrator.
The story is written cinematically, with realistic dialogue and poetic descriptions, like “this deteriorating town, with its endless rows of cracked concrete driveways” (54). With this one phrase, I could not only picture the streets, but also how Sky views Rock Ledge and its inhabitants. Located in an insular community, the school has a handful of POC students, and Sky is the only openly gay student. The story also explores different forms of blues and dreams, and what they mean to Sky.
Sky’s feelings of confusion are relatable. I think we’ve all experienced, to some extent, changing relationships as our friends, and we ourselves, change. Over the course of the novel, Sky learns that there is more to his friends than their outside appearances and the assumptions he’s made. Bree, Marshall, Teddy, Dan, and Ali have dreams, interests, and fears that Sky didn’t know—can’t know until they entrust them to him. This story is about the people that we think we know and the people that they really are on the inside. It is about the journey to discovering who we are and how we fit together with other people, who are also discovering their place in the world.
I felt like one of the lucky ones.
The Sky Blues is Sky’s story of self-discovery, as he learns about himself and to be comfortable with himself. Part of this story is coming to accept that some people, including those we expect to be closest to us View Spoiler », will never accept him because of his sexuality. That some forms of love, View Spoiler », come with conditions. But also that there are unexpected sides and history to family. View Spoiler » Another part is embracing his bonds, and the unconditional love, that come from the ones who truly care about him.
The Sky Blues is cute, funny, and filled with teenage angst. It is about embracing and learning to be ourselves, it is about the people that we are on the inside (compared to what others see on the outside), and it is about found family.
Things to Know
- Lake Michigan, movies/pop culture references, openly gay MC, romantic interest is Iraqi, students standing up for human rights and freedom of speech, “franch fries”
- Representation: gay (main character, side characters); Black, Iraqi, trans, autistic (side characters)
Content Warning
View Spoiler »Let’s Chat
Have you read The Sky Blues or have plans to read it? What are your thoughts?
What would you do if someone leaked your big plans and it went viral?
Joyousreads says
I have this on my June TBR, so I’m excited to learn that you loved it.