Meet Ollie and Will – a summer romance over with the knowledge that they may never see each other again. Numbers swapped, tears shed, memories mused over.
But then unexpectedly, Ollie’s family needs to relocate to the same suburb as Will and with little notice, Ollie is the last person Will expects to see at his school.
Ollie is one of the most lovable protagonists I have read along with for a while. He is so genuine and real, feeling all of the feels and thinking all of the thoughts. But with Will on the scene, Ollie turns to mush and can’t get him off his mind.
Will is not who Ollie knew on summer break. He is popular, an ace basketball player and the class clown. He is a totally different person Ollie fell in love with and when Ollie meets him again at his new high school Will , at first, wants nothing to do with him.
Ollie is open about his sexuality, but Will is not and thinks that coming out will not be easily accepted by his peers or his family – an all too often told story of many young people who grapple with the idea of being seen as different.
This story is heartfelt. Full of teenage angst, social cliques, peer pressure and the want to fit in. It is full of happiness, joy and jealousy. But amongst all of that, so much love.
You’ll love the quirkiness of this story, the humour that Ollie carries with him throughout the story with many lines relating to modern music, celebrities and TV shows.
Teens will relate to the want that Ollie has to fit in, to be loved by someone and the need to feel safe and secure – whoever and whereve they are.
Like Grease, there is a happy ending but the road is a lot more bumpy than what there was for Sandy and Danny but the ending is just so much better!
Check out more here: https://www.hachette.com.au/sophie-gonzales/only-mostly-devastated
