"Four young men, one life-changing summer, and a whole lot of friendship and soul-searching"
Golden Boys is another heartfelt dream of a YA novel from Phil Stamper (we loved his previous novels, The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me), an author who’s fast made a name for himself as a compassionate creator of young gay characters navigating the often tricky transition from teenager to young adult.
Golden Boys delivers beams of hope and exhilaration as four gay friends from small-town Ohio embark on the potential summer-of-a-lifetime ahead of starting their senior year at high school. It’s the first summer they’ll be spending apart, and the first time what they do during the break might count towards their future lives.
To show how important this is, the author provides an earnest, extended exposition of their hopes and fears ahead of their journeys, with all four boys keenly conscious of the significance of their plans. Anxious Gabe is volunteering with Save the Trees Foundation in Boston, while Sal has landed his dream internship with a senator in Washington DC.
Artistic Reese jets to Paris to study graphic design, and less-privileged Heath heads to Florida to work in his aunt’s amusement arcade to make much longed-for family connections.
New experiences throw up new possibilities and questions relating to all areas of the boys’ lives. Sal, for example, winds up being overworked and having doubts about college, while Reese realises his passion might lie in fashion design. Add to that the rollercoaster of new friendships, possible romance, and long-held connections that might turn out to be more.
and you have a compelling story of identity that leaves readers longing to know how the Golden Boys’ senior year plays out, and what paths they take further down the line.
Gabriel, Reese, Sal and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades and their big dreams. But now it's the summer before their last year of high school, and each of them is going on a huge new adventure. Reese has a design internship in Paris, Gabriel is going to Boston for an internship with a charity organisation and Sal is volunteering on Capitol Hill for a senator - while Heath is stuck going to Florida to help his aunt's business.
| Reading age: | 12+ |
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
| Other Genres: |
Gabriel, Reese, Sal and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades and their big dreams. But now it's the summer before their last year of high school, and each of them is going on a huge new adventure.
Golden Boys is aimed at readers aged 12 and over.
Golden Boys features in the following genres: Young Adult Fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Relationship stories, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: LGBTQ+, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: First / new experiences and growing up / coming of age, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Diversity, equality and inclusion, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: Personal and social topics
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Golden Boys was written by Phil Stamper and published by Bloomsbury YA an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Golden Boys has 372 pages
Yes it is part of Golden Boys series
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
