Reviewed by Wency
TITLE: Private Display of Affection
AUTHOR: Winter Sandberg
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink Press
LENGTH: 210 pages
BLURB:
Hugo Thorson knows he’s gay, but coming out during high school is not part of his plan. His parents are open-minded, but Hugo doesn’t want to add more stress for anybody, especially his dad, who is fighting terminal cancer.
At a summer job he meets and befriends Kevin Magnus, and before long, their friendship becomes something more. Kevin knows this will anger his overbearing father, so he decides to protect his secret by dating a girl at school.
Hugo plays along, but it’s still hard to watch the two of them together just to make Kevin’s homophobic father happy. And when Hugo’s father dies, he realizes he can’t go on living the lie. He comes clean to Kevin, who decides Hugo’s true feelings are more important than his father’s expectations.
One fact remains: Kevin and Hugo’s relationship must always be hidden behind friendship, lies, girlfriends, or secret kisses. Will they find a sanctuary big enough to hold their feelings?
Adapted as a Young Adult edition of the novel Spark by Posy Roberts, published by Dreamspinner Press, 2013
REVIEW:
Sweet and Enjoyable
Sometimes LGBT Young Adult books tend to be so emotionally depressing that’s why I try to limit my YA books to read. But this one in particular caught my attention.
There’s no really big coming out drama or bullying or bashing. It’s just about two boys who fall in love with each other in a town that’s not fully prepared to accept homosexuality so they kept their relationship in private.
It’s about these two boys who deals with everything life throws at them. One who come into terms of his sexuality on his own and the other trying meet the expectations of his overbearing father. That’s where I can pretty much relate to.
Hugo came into terms of his sexuality at an early age. He have to deal with it on his own when puberty hit because of his parents are always away doing therapy because his father has cancer. And that taught him how to be strong and forged a strong bond with her sister.
Kevin has a rich family. A mother who loves him and an overbearing father who pretty much mapped out his whole life. He have to do this and that, don’t do this and that or else… It can be pretty much suffocating. So he is longing to have someone who gets him, someone he can relax with and understands him. But his fears for what his father will do made him not standing up for his own.
So on the summer of their junior year they met. They became friends, turned to each other to unload their burden (mostly on Kevin’s part) and before long they started feeling something one shouldn’t be feeling towards a friend.
What I like about this book is that this is really realistic. This is what gay teens would go through in high school if they fall in love with another boy and they are not ready to come out. You would start planning your future. What you’ll do what you go to college. Or not look back because you feel like you didn’t belong in your town.
You can also relate to the main characters about their parents. I pretty much can see my parents on both of their parents.
The writing is good. It started slowly for me but became really interesting as I continue reading. The narration just kind of thrown me off a little. Why? Well sometimes it would tell you about the past and kind of linger there for a minute. And I’m not a fan of flashbacks. But other than that I find this really enjoyable.
I know I said that Young Adult can be so emotional but it can really make you feel good. It might be just watching two young boys falling in love or it might be just reliving your high school life. But nonetheless YA books has this charm that would make read them. And this one got me.
This is a Young Adult adaptation of Spark by Posy Roberts. So if you already read that you already know what the future holds for both of the main characters. I haven’t read the Spark yet but after reading the blurb this book made me really excited reading Spark.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Amazon