Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: It Could Happen
AUTHOR: Mia Kerick
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2017
BLURB:
Three misfits, mismatched in every way—Henry Perkins, Brody Decker, and Danny Denisco—have been friends throughout high school. Now in their senior year, the boys realize their relationship is changing, that they’re falling in love. But they face opposition at every turn—from outside and from within themselves. Moving to the next level will take all the courage, understanding, and commitment they can muster. But it could happen.
Henry is a star athlete and the son of religious parents who have little concern for the future he wants. Brody is a quirky dreamer and adrenaline junkie, and Danny is an emo artist and the target of bullies. Despite their differences, they’ve always had each other’s backs, and with each of them facing a new and unique set of challenges, that support is more important than ever. Is it worth risking the friendship they all depend on for the physical and romantic relationship they all desire?
In this unconventional new adult romance, three gay teens brave societal backlash—as well as the chance that they might lose their treasured friendship—to embark on a committed polyamorous relationship.
REVIEW:
I’m a lover of ménage stories, and Mia Kerick is one of the only authors who explores that sort of relationship using teenage characters. I’m also a lover of young adult stories, so you can see how this combination would work for me.
And first and foremost, you have to understand that this is a young adult story. I’m assuming the fact that there are sex scenes is the reason this book was tagged as new adult and sold through Dreamspinner Press rather than their young adult imprint, Harmony Ink, but the sex scenes are non-explicit and largely off page. The characters are seventeen and eighteen and their behavior reflects that. And the main setting for the story is a high school. So, yeah, definitely more young adult than new adult, in my opinion anyway.
The story is told from the perspective of all three boys, although we only hear from Danny through the poetry that he writes. There’s no denying that the poems were actually brilliant. I assume that the author wrote them herself, and she has a definite talent for poetry. Danny’s feelings and insecurities were successfully conveyed simply using these verses, however, and I hate adding this however because I truly enjoyed the poems, I didn’t feel that I knew Danny the same way I knew the other two boys. I understood his feelings, but not the thoughts behind them. Or rather, I had to be told his thoughts because otherwise I had no idea what was going on in his brain. Brody, on the other hand was an in-your-face hold nothing back character that I loved from the moment he began his story. Brody was the most interesting to me. While Danny and Henry knew they were gay, Brody initially agrees to try a threesome because he doesn’t want to be the friend who isn’t included. From his later thoughts I figure he’s pansexual, but I loved his chilled approach to the whole idea. Well, after his freak out is over. I think that even if readers of this story don’t know anyone like Brody, he’s the sort of character who still feels familiar.
While much of this story had a sweet feel to it, the moments when the boys are together are all kinds of heartwarming, there was an underlying tension that everyone, myself and the characters, were just waiting for things to go wrong. Because there is so much potential for pain and heartbreak here. And that potential is recognized a few times, but one in particular that I’ll admit had me choked up and teary.
The characters are fairly true to life teenagers, which means you can expect some rather immature dramatics, but I honestly prefer that to fictional teens who are mature far beyond their years. These main characters were all a well balanced blend of teen angst, absolute love, and their own personal demons that were unique to each boy.
If you’re a fan of stories featuring teenage MCs then you should give one a go. Mia Kerick is recognized as one of the major players in this young adult/new adult genre for good reason, and as I already mentioned – she’s one of the only authors daring enough to tackle young adult ménages.
RATING:
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