Blurb: One moment changes everything.
Xander Morales is close to getting his big ticket out of his crappy life. All he needs to do is continue his therapy sessions, control his anger issues, and pretend that he's not hearing his dead sister's voice.
Should be easy, right?
Not when he finds himself drawn to the town’s golden boy Olympic gold Medalist snowboarder, Wade Wilson. Wade is gay and comes complete with his own entourage of nosey followers, domineering mother, and handful of rich friends. The guy sends Xander’s emotions into a nosedive.
But Xander’s not gay.
Nope.
Except Wade makes him feel things he's never felt before and Xander finds himself leaning in for a kiss. That kiss. The kiss that would change everything he's ever believed about himself. And he does what he’s been doing all his life. He runs. Because facing the truth of his feelings means giving Wade the broken pieces of his heart and it might just cost Xander everything.
Review: Xander Morales' family is ripped from him in a tragic car accident, and he struggles to keep his life together. He lives with his aunt and goes to therapy, but he can't seem to control his anger. When Xander falls for gorgeous Olympic gold medalist snowboarder, Wade Wilson, he struggles with his same sex attraction and being gay. Wade has his own issues too, and his family want to make them Xander's. One kiss and Xander runs, but Wade isn't willing to let him go so easily. Yet can Xander risk what's left of his heart and let himself love again?
This is a wonderfully written YA LGBTQ+ romance. It captures not only the sweet turmoil of teen romance, but the darkness of PTSD and being a trauma survivor. My heart went out immediately to Xander, but he doesn't make himself easy to love or even like sometimes. That's part of him trying to survive. It was a great coping mechanism to have him hear his sister's voice in his head, since she was the person he had been the closest to before she died. Yet he starts to slowly let people in, and then Wade comes into his life. Wade seems all about confidence, but he has his own fears. They complement each other very well, despite all the drama. A great exploration of a journey of healing for Xander with a few unexpected twists.