Hazel and Bell

Carter recently came out to his family and his friends that he is gay. His family was very supportive and basically knew before he did. Now that he is out, he is ready to meet other gay teens and “hook up” and explore his sexuality. He is very impulsive, head strong and likes to just enjoy life without having any strong set goals. That is until he meets Adrian.

Adrian, is a newly single , also gay teen. He is quite the opposite of Carter. Adrian is hardworking, high strung and motivated for the future. Unlike Carter, Adrian does not have the full support of his family. He feels a lot of pressure to be perfect and not disappoint his parents to the point he will go without sleep just to get extra study time in.

Carter tries many, many ways to woo Adrian. Most of these are epic failures.

The story brings us along the journey of these two very different boys finding them selves and finding each other, and making some new friends along the way.

This volume is beautifully illustrated and brings the story to life. I love how well the story shows the major differences in both Adrian and Carter and how they can bring out the best in each other. The raw truth and vulnerability will resonate with so many people who are still finding their way.

The side characters help move the story along too, you can really see how they are from two very different worlds but that even though they may not have the same friend groups or hobbies they aren’t so different after all. Its awesome to see a story where the main characters have good friends there not only to be there and help them but also call them out when they are doing something wrong.

Sex is mentioned and talked about openly, however aside from making out there isn’t anything illustrated that is to graphic for teen readers. I would personally not give this to a younger teen, but one who really does understand the more adult nature of relationships. (15/16+)

Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books | First Second for the Digital ARC for review.