7 Oct 2020

Audio #Review: I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST by Mason Deaver

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

Author: Mason Deaver
Series: N/A

Source: Purchased from Audible
Publisher: Push
Publication Date: May 14, 2019
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Summary:

When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.

But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

This was such a great story of family and finding yourself. I'm glad this wasn't super romance heavy because I think Ben's relationship with Hannah was more important than anything else we could have seen. I loved watching them come together as a family unit. But I did think this dragged a bit at times and I found myself not as into it as I would have hoped.

Ben was a fantastic main character and I liked seeing their journey. I appreciated getting a view into a life experience I've never had and I loved watching Ben come to terms with themself and the world around them. I loved being in Ben's mind and seeing how everything came together.

I liked the supporting cast of characters at the high school but thought that they were a little underdeveloped. Because this story focused so heavily on family, it meant the friendship part wasn't as developed. Sure, we saw a lot of Nathan (who was great!) but everyone else is a blur in my mind - and I just finished this book about 10 minutes ago.

I did really like it though, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a contemporary novel. But it is sadder than I anticipated it would be, and there is a lot of heavier stuff in this than you might anticipate from this. That doesn't mean there weren't shining moments and really great stuff! Just go into it knowing that you may be kinda sad while reading, even with the hope.