We Could Be Something
Will Kostakis. Allen & Unwin, $15.99 paper (416p) ISBN 978-1-76118-017-0
Greek Australian teens Harvey and
Sotiris—who are pansexual and gay, respectively—experience the growing pains that accompany first love in this uneven novel by Kostakis (The Sidekicks). Harvey’s father Ba moves the duo from Perth to Sydney to live with distant family and work in their café following Ba’s decision to separate from Harvey’s dad. Heeding Dad’s advice, Harvey decides to “try east-coast life on for size.” He hooks up with Brad, a local whom he meets on Grindr. Harvey blocks him after their tryst, but following a failed attempt to kiss a barista at his family’s café, he reconsiders Brad. Meanwhile, 17-year-old published author Sotiris—who had his first kiss in a bathroom stall—finds himself attracted to bookstore clerk Jem. Though the pair’s budding relationship inspires Sotiris to come out to his mother, an unexpected bout of writer’s block prompts him to break up with Jem. While extended family drama sometimes mires the central romantic entanglements, this low-key alternating character study—which began as a “memoir project,” as described in an endnote—offers fleshed-out depictions of adolescent angst surrounding romance and impending adulthood. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)
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Reviewed on: 07/11/2024
Genre: Children's