ARC, 355 pages
Release Date: June 17, 2014Published by: Katherine Tegen BooksStand-aloneSource: Around the World ARC ToursFor fans of: Contemporary, GLBTQ, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Sparkly Covers, YAWhen the picture tells the story…Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.
As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?
This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.
*MY THOUGHTS*
“It’s not about being gay or straight. It’s about finding an ally in a sea of bullies, finding love in a storm of hatred.“
pg. 71 (ARC)
I loved the characters in this story the most. Jamie is such a sweet boy and all he ever wanted to be accepted. Through out the entire story he was so scared that his peers (especially a certain one) wouldn’t accept the fact that he was gay so he kept it hidden from them. That is until someone outed him to be hurtful. Just thinking about it again makes me cringe. It was done so maliciously and I can’t imagine people to actually do something like that. I also liked Mason. He was so sweet! I could tell the outcome from early on, but it didn’t make it any less cute.
“I feel the goosebumps on my arms again and ask, ‘I’m the heart breaker?’ ‘Huh?’ Eden asks, I tell her what Challis said. ‘I think the only heart you’re breaking is your own.“
pg. 136 (ARC)
Then there was the way fan art was incorporated into it. It was a comic about a couple that was drawn because that person was a fan of that fake couple. I’m not sure how to explain it more without spoiling, but that’s the gist of it. It was basically fan art of a “ship.” I really liked this idea, because it wasn’t something that just everyone was ok with. I liked it even more because the actual comic was in the book! And that was just in the ARC. I can’t wait to see how they look in the actual finished copies.
“Maybe losing someone close to you isn’t the end of everything. Maybe it makes you stronger.“
pg. 325 (ARC)
As for the romance, I wasn’t impressed. For this to be a contemporary romance, I was expecting to see them being together more. I mean they spent so much time fighting FOR each other and so much time fighting to be together, you would think you would see more of that. But we don’t get to see that much. I want to say the last 20 pages are about them finally being together. I wanted to see more about them being happy, because let’s be honest, they deserved it.
“No more fan art for real people.“
pg. 349 (ARC)
Overall, this was an interesting read. I loved that it was centered on fan art, something that I love, and it features a non-traditional love. This book features amazing characters that overcome a huge obstacle to be with the one they belong with. It’s a really heart-warming story that everyone should read!
