Reviewed by Cheryl

TITLE: Burn That Bridge

AUTHOR: J.R. Gray

PUBLISHER: Gray Books

LENGTH: 284 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 29, 2021

BLURB:

Turns out trading a spot on the cheerleading squad for a fresh fade and all-new pronouns was more of a recipe for disaster than happiness. Coming out as trans in rural Alabama, where football rules and cheer is life, might have been the worst way to start my senior year.

There are no safety nets for people like me in places like this.

But sometimes, hope shows itself in the most unexpected places. New friends help us survive —and maybe— thrive. But falling for Sebastian was not part of the plan.

Embracing my identity put my happiness at odds with my safety. I’m terrified. Terrified to be me. Terrified to be happy. Terrified to love him.

Welcome to senior year.

Try to make it out alive.

REVIEW:

Sometimes a book comes along that really makes you think, that puts you in the shoes of someone completely different to yourself and shows you life through their perspective and really opens your eyes. This is one of those books. Told through the first person perspectives of DJ (formerly Darcy) and Sebastian who fell for Darcy and loved DJ.

Apart from DJ and Sebastian, the supporting cast of Sebastian’s friends, Emery and Smith, and mean girl Kim are bright and vivid. They all have very individual voices and stay true to themselves throughout, even though I believe there were a few small slips, especially with Emery.

Clearly coming out as trans on the first day of seniour year is never going to be easy. DJ didn’t expect it to, but it turns out that it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be because nerdy Sebastian turned out to be a knight in shining armour and so much more than DJ had ever imagined. Together, he and his friends get DJ through some dark times, although none of them truly believed he was in any real danger.

The story slowly builds in tension as DJ becomes more and more certain that something bad is just around the corner. At first, Sebastian doesn’t believe it and keeps reassuring DJ that they are coming closer and closer to the finishing gate and things would be okay when they got there. Then the whispers started about death threats, that got louder and louder until prom night, when Tim, the bully, finally makes his move. Surprisingly, it was the person who DJ had thought was his worst enemy who steps up and leaves him seeing things in a whole new light.

The book was amazing. I absolutely loved it. The contents could have been dark, and they were in places, but the general tone was light and hopeful. I believe that a young trans person reading it would come away with the feeling that, okay things might be bad for a while, but there’s hope at the end for a better, truer life.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon