Felyx Lawson's “L.I.F.E.” is a sweetheart of a YA M/M love story. This is one of my favorite reads of 2021.
After his father's sudden death Cameron Walker's mother moves the two of them from New York City to her native Mississippi town to be near her mother in her unexpected widowhood.
Cameron had been the captain of his New York high school's basketball team. Starting a new school his senior year in the American South would be a challenge. But Cam is determined to not cause any waves for his mother in her time if grief, and to be strong like his father was, and to be as normal a teenager for her as he possibly could be.
Rider Williams is a petite dark-haired scholastic leader and high school newspaper reporter and comic book enthusiast and shy in-his-bedroom only guitar player and singer. He is a self-admitted geek and proud of it. He also is Gay but completely closeted. He’s had no romantic or sexual liaisons and told no one about his feelings.
The school principal assigns Rider to escort Cameron around on the boy’s first day at the new school. Cameron has an athletic build, blond hair and stunning blue eyes. Rider likes the showing-Cam-the-ropes assignment and soon realizes that he likes Cameron. Yes, “like like.”
Cameron is a kind and open soul. He had a girlfriend at his last school and has never had romantic or sexual feelings for a dude.
Cam might be a sports star but he’s also a comic boom geek and quickly comes to adore his new bestie, Rider.
But does Cam “like like” Rider? You’ll have to read this wonderful novel to find out.
Rider is outed at school by a weasely gossip. The basketball cheerleader captain, a bitch of a hottie girl, is on Rider’s case. Rider is assaulted by several homophobic basketball players, teammates of Cameron. I won’t reveal how Cameron reacts to this news.
Lawson has crafted an ensemble of darling characters. There’s Rider’s pal Jane and her boyfriend Sam. There is irresistible Lloyd who gives a hug to Rider every year as a birthday present. It is easy to care about these characters and be smitten by their many charms.
This is a coming out story at its heart. Rider is afraid how his parents will react to the news he is Gay. He’s nervous how his long-time friends will respond. He worries how the school will take it. He mostly frets how Cameron will respond.
As revealed, Cameron is admittedly not Gay. But Rider loves this thoughtful jock who has evolved into his closest friend.
Lawson looks at the issue of coming out from numerous sides. Any young adult who is weighing similar issues will cherish this book.
Lawson tells the story using different voices from chapter to chapter. He handles this skillfully, as every voice is distinct. One character only refers to people by their last names, and this reminds me of the variety of personality types in my high school.
This writer creates strong prose. The pacing is perfect, as is the balance of environmental description and action.
“L.I.F.E” should be your first read of 2022.
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- JiriReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2021
Nice young LGBT story
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