I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young man must navigate life as a Black teen while growing up with two dads and questions about his heritage in author Vincent Traughber Meis’s “Colton’s Terrible Wonderful Year”.
The Synopsis
Colton is on a quest to meet his surrogate mom who might help him navigate being a Black teenager in today’s America. The woman who gave birth to him is Black. His dads are not. His diverse community of family and friends includes lots of LGBTQ+ people, though his first love is a girl of mixed race like him.
Colton’s dads reluctantly introduce him to his birth mother, but she doesn’t turn out to be person he hoped for. On his journey of falling in love, nearly losing one of his dads, and confronting a racist cousin, he learns about love, non-traditional families, community, and what is important in life. The biggest challenge of all is something he discovers about his birth, causing friction with his dads. But like every difficulty in his life, the love of his dads ultimately carries him along and lifts him up.
The Review
This was a powerful and well-written LGBTQ+ YA Drama. The author did an incredible job of layering the narrative with heart and thoughtful plot points that touched upon many of the issues still facing our society today. The rich descriptive nature of the scenes not only brought the reader into the settings perfectly but made the story feel alive on the page as if reading a script for a play at times as the narrative played out.
The heart of this narrative was definitely the thought-provoking themes and passionate character development that went into the story. The struggles that this cast of characters endured all showcased the unique hardships that certain groups of people still face in a prejudiced society, from the protagonist’s struggles to understand his heritage and how to live life as a black man, to the struggles of LGBTQ+ parents who try to navigate these difficult paths with their children and so much more. The dynamics of the characters as they struggled through these events felt realistic and captivating to behold, heightening the drama and emotions that the reader felt.
The Verdict
Heartfelt, emotionally driven, and thought-provoking, author Vincent Traughber Meis’s “Colton’s Terrible Wonderful Year” is a must-read LGBTQ+ YA Drama that readers won’t be able to put down. The shocking struggles these characters must endure and the all too familiar relatability of the issues that these characters face will resonate with many readers, and the captivating scenes that showcase the protagonist’s evolution over time will make this one story readers won’t be able to forget. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
In the 1980s and 90s Vincent Meis published a number of pieces, mostly travel articles, but also a few poems and book reviews, in publications such as, The Advocate, LA Weekly, In Style, and Our World. His travels have inspired his five novels, all set at least partially in foreign countries: Eddie’s Desert Rose (2011), Tio Jorge (2012), and Down in Cuba (2013), Deluge (2016) and Four Calling Burds (2019). Tio Jorge received a Rainbow Award in the category of Bisexual Fiction in 2012. Down in Cuba received two Rainbow Awards in 2013. Recently stories have been published in two collections: WITH:New Gay Fiction and Best Gay Erotica 2015.
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