
Reach for this book when your teenager is navigating the friction between their personal identity and the expectations of their community, particularly regarding faith or sexuality. It is a powerful resource for older teens who feel they must lead a double life to maintain peace within their family or social circle. The story follows Tanner, a bisexual teen who has moved to a conservative town and falls for the son of a prominent LDS bishop. It explores the heavy weight of secrecy, the beauty of first love, and the painful reality of institutional rejection. Parents might choose this title to foster empathy for those in restrictive environments or to open a safe dialogue about honesty, religious trauma, and the courage it takes to live authentically. It is most appropriate for high schoolers due to its mature exploration of romance and systemic exclusion.
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Sign in to write a reviewFrequent use of profanity throughout the dialogue.
Deals with religious trauma, institutional homophobia, and the pain of being closeted.
Characters struggle with the ethics of lying to protect their safety and relationships.
The book deals directly with LGBTQ+ identity and religious exclusion. The approach to Mormonism is nuanced but critical of institutional homophobia. The resolution is realistic and bittersweet: while it offers hope for the protagonist, it does not provide a magical fix for the religious conflict.
A 16 or 17-year-old who feels like an outsider in their own town or church. It is perfect for a student who uses creative writing to process their own life but feels hesitant to share their true story.
Parents should be aware of a few scenes of intense emotional distress and teenage sexual discovery (handled with care). It is helpful to understand the basic tenets of the LDS faith regarding family and marriage to provide context. A parent might notice their teen becoming unusually private about a new 'friendship' or expressing sudden, sharp frustration with local community or church standards.
Younger teens (14) will focus on the 'forbidden love' trope and the school setting. Older teens (17-18) will more deeply internalize the themes of systemic rejection and the difficulty of choosing oneself over tradition.
Unlike many queer romances, this book focuses heavily on the 'why' of the conflict, giving significant space to the religious doctrines that create the barrier, making it feel grounded and urgent rather than a generic trope.
Tanner Scott is a bisexual teen who moved from California to Provo, Utah. To blend in, he stays in the closet. When his best friend Autumn dares him to take a prestigious seminar where students write a book in four months, he meets Sebastian Brother, the Mormon golden boy who already sold his book and now mentors the class. Tanner falls hard, and Sebastian feels it too, but Sebastian is the son of a Bishop in a faith that does not accept their love. The story follows their secret relationship and the fallout when their worlds collide.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.