THE YOU I SEE

Two 13-year-old boys discover love and sexuality in this debut YA romance.

Set in late-1980s Houston, Freeman’s novel opens with the electric chemistry between the protagonist and narrator, Alex Kennedy, and Brandon Marshall. The teens meet at the Bissonet Avenue Church of Christ, where Brandon’s father is the preacher. Brandon is a jock with “incredibly fair brown hair” who talks fast and cracks crude jokes that keep the more reserved, intellectual Alex on his toes. But from their first encounter, Alex realizes he can’t imagine a life without his new friend, who looks “like he just stepped out of a magazine.” At group retreats and sleepovers, Alex discovers the world of fundamental Christianity. Brandon’s menacing father lords Scripture over his family in contrast to Alex’s loving, open-minded parents, who put his happiness and safety above all else. That does not stop the boys from discovering each other’s bodies—and their mutual admiration for the Adonis-like high schooler Joel Thompson. Small physical affections quickly escalate to a deeply felt yet necessarily secret romance. But homophobic attacks, local politics, and the bigotry of Brandon’s own family all brew in the background, threatening to separate the teens as they start to come to terms with their confusing feelings. Through Alex’s wise-beyond-his-years voice, Freeman perfectly captures the uncertainty and intensity of a friendship on the verge of a queer romance, and the contradictorily cosmopolitan and conservative Houston is a perfectly rendered setting. Unwavering support from Alex’s parents right from the start produces a few very moving moments, but it also deflates the dramatic tension. (Their frank discussions with the boys can also feel more like a progressive parenting manual than realistic conversations.) The plot often seems on the verge of something darker and more complex—like Alex’s borderline inappropriate sleepovers with the much older Joel—but the author consistently returns to the simpler, sweeter, and more classic beats of love triumphing over all.

A queer romance that offers an uplifting, if somewhat predictable, tale of first love.