Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Unicorns and Rainbow Poop
SERIES: Vocal Growth #2
AUTHOR: Sam Kadence
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink Press
LENGTH: 260 Pages
BLURB:
Ex-boyband member Dane Karlson is struggling to overcome an eating disorder and a body dismorphic disorder. His fall through a glass table puts him in rehab and on the road to recovery. Then a friend dies. When depression causes him to lose ground, he calls for the only person he trusts—former bandmate Tommy. But Tommy doesn’t know how to help. He begs his friend Sebastian “Bas” Axelrod to aid them through the emotional struggle.
Bas, an openly gay high school student who’s recently lost his grandmother, is trying to survive his last few months of school before escaping to Stanford. Having just lost the only person in his family to care for him, he is victim to the cruelty of the others. His younger brother bullies him, and his parents are suing him for his gran’s inheritance. When Tommy calls, Bas can’t help but run to his side.
Together Dane and Bas find a middle ground, supporting each other through the lows, dancing together during the highs. They build friendships and plan for the prom and graduation, thinking positively as long as they are together.
REVIEW:
I’m a huge believer in the importance of titles. Titles and book covers both actually and I’m more than happy to confess that the instant I read the title of this book I was convinced that Sam Kadence is a genius. Seriously. The Best Title Ever Award just got handed over to this author. I really love the cover too but the title is what instantly sold me on this story.
So I intended to read this story before I even looked at the blurb, but once I did…Holy Crap. A second Vocal Growth book!!! (And yes, that really is deserving of multiple exclamation marks.) Everyone reading this review raise your hand if you love boy bands. Okay, all you people with your hands up – sorry, Vocal Growth has split up! This YA/NA series by Sam Kadence explores how the former world famous teenage pop stars deal with life after the band. The first book in the series is On The Right Track and I’d label that one as definitely YA whereas this second book could possibly be considered more NA. Now I’m not whining about whatever they’re actually labeled as, to be honest I haven’t even checked, I just mean that the first book is much more happy, cute and light (mostly). It’s not necessary to read On the Right Track before picking up Unicorns and Rainbow Poop but I would recommend it. Many of the characters from the first book are also in this second book and I think it was best to go into the second one already having an idea about how the teens functioned as a friend group. Dane is only briefly mentioned but Bas plays an important secondary character and much about his personality and past is already revealed.
When I said the first book was lighter, I really wasn’t joking. Despite the cute cover and fluffy title this book is rather dark and depressing in many places but the author manages to balance that perfectly with the hope that things can get better and the willingness of these friends to help each other. The book doesn’t pull any punches, beginning with both main characters suffering right from the word go. Chapter one starts with Dane staring at the blank walls of his “cell” in a rehab clinic where he has been staying since nearly killing himself. He’s been completely lost since the band dissolved two months previous, has an eating disorder that has been taking hold since childhood and has a vague notion that he may be gay which he’s been taught is evil and wrong. Embarrassed to have his friends and former band mates discover his secrets he has shut everyone out of his life but the death of another patient convinces him to finally reach out for help.
Chapter two switches over to Bas who is preparing for the funeral of his Grandma, the only family member to still love and support him after he came out as gay. Although Bas shows a confident and happy face to the world we know from the first book that Bas has suffered extreme violence at the hands of school bullies and has previously attempted suicide but was saved both times.
Tommy, the oldest member of Vocal Growth, is the link that brings these two suffering characters together in the hope that Bas can help Dane in the same way he helped himself.
If you read this book for the romance then you may be disappointed. Actually, I take that back. I don’t think it’s possible to be disappointed with this book but honestly, romance is not a big part of this story. Yes, Bas and Dane do end up together but the book focuses more on them healing and being brave enough to simply live than “hooking up”. They start off as instant enemies, but quickly grow into friends while the romance between them is very slow to build. But while there is no romantic relationship for the majority of the book there is always a sort of acknowledgment that there is something between them. I was happy that the author didn’t simply put them together and magic their problems away. This is much more realistic while at the same time it was so terribly sad. And again, when I say it’s terribly sad, I’m not joking. I was lying on the couch when I read the scene where Bas and his younger brother confront each other. By the end of it I had cried so much that I had to stop reading and try to clean the makeup off the couch. I was an absolute mess.
The epilogue left me yelling at my iPad in the hope that the author would somehow hear me and start writing the next book faster because while Bas and Dane may have fought their way to a happier place there is still one member of Vocal Growth who is left spiraling out of control.
I know everybody has genre preferences and genres that they avoid. I know that many adults don’t tend to like YA stories but this book is one that I wish I could convince everyone to read. This is going onto my shelf of “absolute favourites” and I checked, I haven’t added anything to that shelf in over six months.
I decided that the best way to end my review is with an excerpt from the book. This is taken from Bas and Dane’s first meeting.
“So you’re Dane. Nice to meet you. I’m Sebastian. Everyone calls me Bas.” He held out his hand.
Dane took it for a moment without doing more than briefly touching it and pulling away. No wonder Ru had no room for him in his life. He was surrounded by these beautiful people. Everything about Bas said confidence, and Dane instantly hated him for being everything he could never be.
“You’re queer too? Did you turn Tommy queer? Are all you Minnesota boys gay?”
Bas lowered his hand, his expression becoming a mask. “Tommy and I are just friends. I thought the two of you were friends as well, but seeing as how you don’t know him at all, I wonder if he should be made aware of his mistake.”
“Fuck you,” Dane swore. “I’ve known him for almost seven years. What do you know? You’re just some fag who wants in my friend’s pants.”
“I know that boy is straight but doesn’t care who any of his friends fall for. I know he’s worried sick about you, is terrified his presence is somehow damaging you, which is why he called me. Yes, I’m the gay boy all the homophobic idiots warn you against. I like makeup, ballroom dancing, chick flicks, and I have the funny lisp when I talk. Unintentional, I assure you, but there it is. You have a body dysmorphic disorder, severe depression, and anorexia. When you were admitted you weighed less than one hundred thirty pounds and are listed as so unstable you’ve been on suicide watch for months. Who do you think has more problems? The queer studying psychology or the ex-boybander who can’t eat and tries to exercise himself to death?”
Dane flinched. “Get out. I don’t need some queen telling me how to live my life.”
“Fabulous. That just means I got an all-expenses-paid trip to California over spring break for nothing.”
“Fuck you, using Tommy like that. He doesn’t need hangers- on like you.”
“And you can kiss my royal white ass, Mr. Soon-To-Be-Six- Feet-Under. I’m out.” The man turned and left without another word.
Fuck. Dane glared at the door, feeling tears sting his eyes again. He really was the more fucked up of the two of them, wasn’t he?
RATING: 
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