Friday 23 November 2012

REVIEW, The Decisions we Make by RJ Scott

deets
The Decisions We Make
Series: love is….
Pub:  2012 Love Lane Books
Author: RJ Scott
Genre: Romance
Format: iBook; 174p w/ 24 chapters
Whose: Jamie & Daniel
Age Range: YA

                        Synopsis
Daniel Keyes is an orphan, fostered by the Walkers. The product of a lonely childhood, he is thrown into the chaos of the Walker family and into the life of his new foster brother Jamie.

This story is the journey of Daniel and Jamie finding their place in the world. Through Jamie being a victim of hate crime to coming out to family and friends, there are many decisions the boys have to make before they become men

                   Thoughts
This one is going to run a little differently, mostly because I can’t seem to find it in my to review something under 200 words. I’m not sure why. But unless I just can’t stop my fingers I feel its too short to go up.
So as it is, under the review of this book, I’m going to talk a little about Scott’s YA series Love Is… which isn’t really where this book sits, it’s a standalone.

Anyway. This story is about two boys falling in love at the age of nine. Okay not really, but the connection they have when they first meet because Daniel is moving into their house after his mother died. It’s instant and they become best mates.
The whole story is about them. It flashes backwards and forwards showing things that needed and also moving the story along of how they hooked up.

There’s a valid part about gay bashing in it, but I felt, though it’s a good thing that it was there in the first place, not sugar coated when this book is designed around coming out. It wasn’t a high list of the book. The anxiety of that attack on Jamie was brushed aside, though knowingly, if that makes sense. When he thought about it, when it came up, Jamie would brush it aside, because he didn’t want Daniel seeing it and running—something the kids prone to do.

This book was very like The Throwaway Kid. Scott seemed to swing into that horrid past and pulling it out of your heart. You can’t help but sympathise. Get pissed off, and rant the hell out of the world for treating something like that.
The best part, about the whole gay bashing, is it was so…teenage. The chick wanted Jamie to be her first, he turned her down and, then went and made up a heap of bullshit about the man because she was hurt.
She was a messed up girl. The worse, she was…well, a friend at school.

I found that a bit in the middle was a little hushed over, and maybe could have gone into a bit deeper, or that having been a big thing, but all in all I love the story. I found, even the flashes back, that can piss me off, was well timed and was mostly there instead of them talking about it. You see it happen.

You fall in love with both Jamie and Daniel for very different reason.
But mostly it’s about a lost little boy who found a family and love. It’s sweet. It’s easy to read. And though it has an element of sex, it’s nothing to graphic, nor penetrating, and even though it’s there, there’s that first time scared that comes with something so big.
I loved it. Though I can’t say it’s my all-time favourite by Scott, it defiantly hit the top of the list.

After reading this, I found that I needed something more. So I went ahead and got the first three books in the Love Is… series, it’s her YA collection and is based on the relationship between Luck—a nerd and Cameron—a Jock.

We come into the series with Luke making a phone call on his brake. It’s something he does every Friday night. Make a request for a song, that coincides with Cameron’s life.
Love is in the Title, takes us on the short trip of the two boys as they become a couple. This is mostly them talking after Luck finish work.

I found it to be a little boring since the whole book was one giant conversation between them both, opening up to each other. Confessing shared love. But since it only has 43 pages on iBook, it made it easy to keep on reading; you knew it was going to end soon.

Love is in the Hallway comes straight off the last book, or at least, the next day as they are about to walk into school. It’s about backlash of the whole ‘King Jock is Gay’.
It’s kinda sad, and probably sadly true.
This book seems more about Cameron understanding the added stress and uncertainty in Luke’s school life.  (Again this is 42 pages)

Love is in the Message, is kinda hard to talk about without giving everything away. It’s a continuation, though there has been 3 months since the last book.
This one is the past for Luke
It’s sweeter, and it’s helpful and it’s got a great guy in the Principle at the school. It makes you wonder if there will be more, and when that more will be ready, because you can’t help it at this point. (This book was 34pages)

Series
Love is in the Title, Love is in the Hallway, Love is in the Message
The Decision we Make
☼☼☼

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