Starred Review Hunter and Vanilla have been boyfriends since middle school, but, now 17, their relationship has begun to fray. Ostensibly this is because Hunter is ready for sex, while Vanilla is not. But perhaps there's something deeper here that the reader will learn along with the two boys. Merrell's first novel verse, of course, Merrell being an accomplished poet a sometimes melancholy exercise exploring the enigmatic face of love and its various meanings. The two boys, though alike at first in their love, are two different people nilla being a shy introvert, Hunter an outgoing though sensitive poet. Their story is told in alternating first-person voices, although in the book's second half, a third voice is added to swell the duet to a chorus: that of a flamboyantly gay boy named Clown, who is, at first, Vanilla's bête noire, teasing and making fun of him. But, like Vanilla and Hunter, he changes. A strength of Merrell's thoughtful book is how he dramatizes the many changes the boys go through in terms of their fluid relationships and growing maturity. An important part of this is their evolving sexuality, a process not without surprises and satisfactions. The book is, in sum, a feast for those hungry for character-driven literary fiction.

This verse novel follows boyfriends Vanilla and Hunter's sometimes conflicted relationship from seventh grade into high school as Vanilla realizes he's asexual. The thoughtful if sometimes overly sentimental poetry--in the voices of both boys and a genderqueer friend--shows adolescent sexuality and emotion from a variety of angles, with the foibles of still-maturing teens in full view.

Falling in love was the easy part for Hunter and Vanilla…staying together's the challenge."You two have been married / since the seventh grade," says their in-your-face queer classmate Clown. Hunter and Vanilla progressed slowly from being friends to being a couple, and now, at 17, everyone thinks of the two white boys as inseparable. Clown and another aggressively gay classmate regularly throw sexually charged, all-male parties for The Gang. The boys don't usually attend though Hunter seems to want to. He's ready to take their relationship beyond kissing and petting; Vanilla is not. Merrell's debut novel for young adults explores the rocky relationship of the duo in minute emotional detail from both boys' perspectives as well as from the outside through Clown's eyes—which gives readers a more nuanced view of gender-fluid Clown as well. Different typefaces indicate the point-of-view character for each free-verse poem as they remember the early days of their relationship and coming out and as they fumble through first romance and new sexual-identity issues. The verse is at times beautiful, touching, and though-provoking but at other times feels merely like prose broken into short lines. It presents a mature and frank (though not explicit) picture of a relationship struggling to survive. Tighter construction might have added more punch to the poetry, but teens will identify with the quest for identity and ground in that most groundless of times. (Verse fiction. 14-18)

Boyfriends Hunter and Vanilla have known, and loved, each other for years, but their relationship is showing stress fractures in high school: Hunter is ready (beyond ready) to have sex, and Vanilla is very much not. Writing in free verse, first-time novelist Merrell (coauthor of The Full Spectrum) alternates between the boys- voices, painting their longings and differing views in sharp relief. -I knew this would happen/ eventually,- Vanilla acknowledges. -One of us-him specifically-/ would change/ and we-d both know why-/ specifically me.- Additional pressure comes in the form of -the Gang,- a group of out, sex-focused guys at school; Merrell incorporates poems from their ringleader, genderfluid Clown, as Vanilla and Hunter-s relationship becomes further strained. -At least Clown/ sees me as sexual,/ can imagine me/ on top of someone,- thinks Hunter. Keeping track of who-s narrating takes some work once three voices get involved (the speakers aren-t labeled, though the fonts are differentiated), but it-s well worth it as Merrell poignantly shows these queer teens reckoning with individual fears and desires, as well as powerful external pressures. Ages 14-up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Oct.)

Gr 10 Up- novel in verse depicting three gay teens as they navigate life and love. Hunter and Vanilla have dated since middle school. Hunter really wants to have sex with Vanilla, who is less-than-excited at the prospect. The couple breaks up over Vanilla's unwillingness; they then have to learn how to navigate a friendship after a relationship. Angel, aka Clown, also narrates some of the chapters in this book, but serves only as a bystander and observer of Vanilla and Hunter's relationship. Vanilla is a romantic asexual, and once he understands this, he is relieved that he is not weird or wrong for not wanting to have sex. While the diversity of characters in this book is to be celebrated, its treatment of consent and asexuality is not. Hunter frequently states things like: "I think of Vanilla and how vanilla he is,/ and I want to hold him and tell him/ it's okay if he says he isn't ready,/ even if I don't believe him/or that if he isn't ready,/ it's for all the wrong reasons." Hunter and many of the secondary characters continually pressure Vanilla to have sex even when he clearly isn't interested, and the message that there could be "wrong reasons" not to have sex is disturbing and potentially damaging. The acephobia throughout as well as issues with consent make this a difficult purchase to recommend. VERDICT Purchase Kathryn Ormsbee's Tash Hearts Tolstoy instead for solid asexual characterization.Jenni Frencham, Columbus Public Library, WI

This verse novel explores shifting romantic relationships and friendships among three teens, differentiating their voices by font. Hunter is a poet, and has known his boyfriend, “Vanilla,” since second grade. Like many teen boys, Hunter is eager for sex and gets intensely frustrated with Vanilla never feeling “ready.” Does Vanilla not trust him? Vanilla, however, is just as frustrated by his own lack of desire and wishes Hunter would not press him. Is love only about sex? Angel, gender fluid, at first yearns for Hunter, and then develops a deeper friendship with Vanilla as his relationship with Hunter crumbles. Can all three emerge with a greater understanding of themselves and each other and the nature of love? With too few books addressing asexuality and gender fluidity, this is a welcome addition to the field. Helping readers understand such identities and feelings, the lyrical, realistic, and heartfelt poems give direct access to the teens’ thoughts. While those thoughts realistically include porn, masturbation, penises, and lube, they do not explicitly describe sexual acts. The format may make readers work harder at comprehension, and some may feel occasional confusion about characters’ actions or feelings. Vanilla’s extended ignorance about the concept of asexuality may frustrate readers as they plow through many iterations of the boys’ conflicting desires. In addition, Hunter’s laser focus on sex can send a dispiriting message to asexuals about romantic possibilities, despite the hopeful ending. Hand this book to fans of complex relationship stories offering no simple answers.—Rebecca Moore.

Monninger, Joseph. Game Change. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. 240p. $17.99. 978-0-544-53122-2. 4Q 4P J S R Zeb Holloway is in total shock when his team’s all-star quarterback, T.T. Monroe, is injured during the last game before the state championship; as second string quarterback, Zeb will now have to carry his team to victory. As someone who prefers to stay out of the spotlight and live the simple life hunting with his uncle and hanging out with his best friend Hawny, being the big man on campus is a shock for Zeb. Not only is he now getting attention from his coaches, the boosters, and other classmates, but he is also on the radar of every girl in his school. Will Zeb be able to keep his head on straight and lead his team to victory? Monninger has crafted a straightforward and readable novel about the pressures of living in a small town where football reigns supreme. Zeb never thought about leaving his backwoods town in New Hampshire, but now that he is the starting quarterback for his school and playing in the state championship game, doors that he never knew existed have started to open for him. Zeb struggles with continuing to uphold the values he has been raised with, which in some cases directly conflict with his new status. Monninger touches on all these themes in a way that is not cheap or too obvious; readers will appreciate the real struggles with which Zeb is dealing. There is some romance in this novel, but it will appeal to fans of realistic fiction as well as readers that enjoy a solid sports novel. This is recommended for all libraries serving young adults, especially those where sports fiction is well received.—Loryn Aman.