Publishers Weekly
04/04/2022
Playwright and podcaster Snipes’s debut—a tender romance with an engaging premise—is a sensitive portrayal of a Christian teenager grappling with his sexuality. Seventeen-year-old Milo Connolly’s first day of senior year is derailed by a giant sinkhole appearing in front of his Port Orange, Fla., high school; it’s further complicated when he realizes that 17-year-old Marcos Price, whom Milo crushed on at church camp three years before, has moved to town. Devout white Presbyterian Milo has spent their time apart trying to forget that summer, but when half-white, half-Cuban atheist Marcos reveals that he feels the same way, the boys attempt a tentative courtship that seems doomed from the start: Holding hands sparks a blackout, a day at the beach brings a hailstorm, and their first date ends with a meteor destroying Marco’s car. After a kiss publicly outs them to a crowded stadium and lightning strikes the arena, the boys must face their conservative families as well as Milo’s certainty that God is destroy-ing the world as Milo begins to reject his internalized homophobia. Snipes thoughtfully captures Milo’s internal turmoil on his jour-ney to self-acceptance, and the teens’ willingness to explore their relationship amid calamity offers an engaging image of headlong first love. Ages 13–up. Agent: Tanusri Prasanna, Foundry Literary + Media. (May)
From the Publisher
"A funny, sweet, and emotional navigation of faith and queerness." — Kirkus Reviews
"Snipes thoughtfully captures Milo’s internal turmoil on his journey to self-acceptance, and the teens’ willingness to explore their relationship amid calamity offers an engaging image of headlong first love." — Publishers Weekly
"Fans of the author’s podcast, The Two Princes, and those looking for a meaningful queer love story will delight in this high-stakes, energetically paced senior-year tale." — Booklist
"Queer teens who value their faith may find solace in Milo’s story, as he grows into himself and accepts his sexuality in tandem with his religious beliefs." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"A love story for the end of the world." — Mason Deaver, award-winning author of I Wish You All the Best and The Ghosts We Keep
“Wickedly funny and achingly honest, this queer love story moves heaven and earth—literally” — Jasper Sanchez, author of The (Un)Popular Vote
“Milo will win your heart as he risks incurring the literal wrath of God—and losing everything in the process—in order to own his identity and love himself as he is.” — Misa Sugiura, author of Love & Other Natural Disasters
"Snipes is somehow both a harbinger of doom and a herald of love and I am completely here for it! If the apocalypse ever does happen, I'm going to want a copy of this book with me!" — Jason June, author of Jay's Gay Agenda and Out of the Blue
“An absolute diamond of a debut! It humorously captures how queer boys falling in love for the first time can feel beautiful, strange, and literally earth-shattering all at once.” — Adam Sass, award-winning author of Surrender Your Sons
Mason Deaver
"A love story for the end of the world."
Jasper Sanchez
Wickedly funny and achingly honest, this queer love story moves heaven and earth—literally”
Adam Sass
An absolute diamond of a debut! It humorously captures how queer boys falling in love for the first time can feel beautiful, strange, and literally earth-shattering all at once.”
Jason June
"Snipes is somehow both a harbinger of doom and a herald of love and I am completely here for it! If the apocalypse ever does happen, I'm going to want a copy of this book with me!"
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"Queer teens who value their faith may find solace in Milo’s story, as he grows into himself and accepts his sexuality in tandem with his religious beliefs."
Booklist
"Fans of the author’s podcast, The Two Princes, and those looking for a meaningful queer love story will delight in this high-stakes, energetically paced senior-year tale."
Misa Sugiura
Milo will win your heart as he risks incurring the literal wrath of God—and losing everything in the process—in order to own his identity and love himself as he is.
School Library Journal
09/01/2022
Gr 7 Up—When Presbyterian teen Milo went to church camp three years ago with his best friend Van, he encountered the only stumbling block he has experienced in his faith: an unexpected crush on his aggressively atheist roommate, Marcos. Milo's years of successfully avoiding confronting his sexuality come to an end when Marcos moves to town, and it becomes clear that Milo's crush has not only persisted but is reciprocated. The two boys tentatively embark on a relationship, but each milestone is marked by a bizarre natural disaster that leaves Milo increasingly certain that his faith and sexuality can only exist in opposition to each other. His internalized homophobia, combined with anxiety about what this means for his faith, is matched with realistic fears of how his parents will react to learning their son is dating another boy. Although the central plot revolves around the conflict between faith and identity, religion is not portrayed as inherently negative, and the book notably does not end with Milo renouncing either his religion or his relationship with Marcos. Instead, readers are left with the promise that Milo, Marcos, and their families have started down a path that can incorporate all aspects of their identities. VERDICT A strong secondary purchase for school and public libraries where queer books are popular.—Austin Ferraro
Kirkus Reviews
2022-03-02
A teen boy figures out his true feelings in this heartfelt page-turner.
Milo Connolly is a “super-religious, super-shy nerd”—or at least that’s what his fellow seniors would say. Except for his agnostic soccer star best friend, Van, a girl he met at church, people in Port Orange, Florida, would be pressed to even remember him. All there seemingly is to Milo is being the son of adamantly Republican Presbyterian parents. It’s not completely untrue; he does appreciate the structure and clarity of church life, but there’s more to Milo than his timidity and anti-social inclinations. Like what happened at camp three years ago—or what almost happened, anyway—something he’d be happier burying forever. Except now, like a bad omen from the heavens, Marcos Price has come back into his life, and once they’re face to face, the earth literally moves. The more the boys explore their feelings for each other, the more the natural disasters pile up. Milo becomes convinced God is punishing him for being gay. Now he must decide whether being with Marcos is worth it if it means the world is going to end. Milo’s journey is sincere and moving, written in engaging prose and wrapped up in a satisfying conclusion. Characters are well-rounded and believable, and it’s impossible not to root for them to get their happy endings. Milo is White; Van is Puerto Rican, and Marcos is White and Cuban.
A funny, sweet, and emotional navigation of faith and queerness. (Fiction. 13-18)
