Right Where I Left You

Starred review from May 23, 2022
Winters (The Summer of Everything) presents two queer boys’ transformative summer navigating first love, evolving relationships, and fear-inspiring change in this bighearted friends-to-lovers romance. Gay, Black and Mexican comic book enthusiast Isaac Martin, 18, has grand plans for the summer before college separates him and his bisexual Puerto Rican gamer best friend, Diego Santoyo. Together, they’ll attend their first Pride and score tickets to an epic convention, Legends Con, to meet their favorite comics creators. But when con tickets sell out while Isaac is distracted by a former crush, bisexual Brazilian classmate Davi Lucas, their plans begin crumbling. Following an emotionally charged blowout with Diego, Isaac maneuvers unexplored feelings of love and abandonment, addresses tumultuous familial challenges, and learns to be brave. Script excerpts from Isaac’s comics artfully parallel the boys’ emotional journey (“This is the worst idea you’ve ever had. But I’m glad it’s you I’m stuck here with”). Isaac and Diego’s intimate connection, facilitated by healthy communication and individual vulnerability, is one to be cherished. Employing a winsome queer and racially diverse cast, compassionate prose, and a joyful tone, Winters skillfully explores myriad walks of LGBTQ life. Ages 12–up. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

Starred review from January 15, 2022
The summer after high school is full of uncertainty, but before Isaac and his BFF go in different directions, they make big plans that only a big crush can derail. As a nerdy, gay, Black Mexican kid growing up in the suburbs of Alpharetta, Georgia, Isaac struggles a bit to connect with people unless they're characters in his favorite comic books. Besides his mom and abuelito, Isaac is only truly comfortable around his bi, Puerto Rican, gamer best friend, Diego. So Diego's decision not to attend the University of Georgia with him in the fall makes Isaac nervous about what the future holds and puts a lot of pressure on their last summer together. The plan is to attend their first Teen Pride and get tickets to a comic convention, but when the latter is interrupted by Isaac's infatuation with bisexual Brazilian Davi, the former is almost ruined by the two besties' hurt feelings and eventual blowup. The boys' love triangle is thoughtfully executed. It's the sort of representation characters like Isaac--and innumerable readers--have been pining for: a queer, multicultural cast allowed to grow and kiss and learn about intimacy on their own terms, without the threat of death or tragedy. Those terms aren't necessarily easy, as the deterioration of his parents' marriage has left an obvious mark on Isaac's family and his understanding of relationships, but the journey is productive. An enthusiastically queer story of friendship, family, and romance and the ways they empower one another. (Fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from March 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Because 18-year-old Isaac, who is Black and gay, and Diego, who is Latinx and bi, have been best friends forever, Isaac is bummed that he will be going to college alone, as Diego is taking a gap year to design a video game. So, Isaac is determined to make the summer before college all about Diego, starting with their attending Atlanta's Teen Pride and, a day later, the Legends Con. But things don't go as planned. Distracted by hunky Davi (bi and Latinx), Isaac develops a killer crush and misses the deadline for getting tickets to the Con, dashing Diego's hopes of meeting a celebrated video game designer. Suddenly, Diego is remanded to the back seat of their relationship and, perhaps accordingly, he begins seeing a girl, making Isaac jealous as a result. Things go south pretty quickly, coming to a head at Pride, which results in what could be the end of Isaac and Diego's friendship. Winters (The Summer of Everything, 2020) has written a classic gay romance, which is enhanced by the all-too-rare fact that both heroes pursuing a happy ending are people of color. This is one summer romance that won't go out of season.

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