2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: rock by Anyta Sunday

[reviews_and_ramblings]

rock by Anyta Sunday
Gay Young Adult
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; First Edition edition (September 30, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1502542072
ISBN-13: 978-1502542076
Amazon: rock
Amazon Kindle: rock

Igneous. When Cooper’s parents divorce, he finds himself landed in Week About—one week with his mum and one week with his dad. Only, it’s not just his dad he has to live with. There’s Lila, too: The other woman, the one who stole the rock-solid foundation of his life. And then . . . There’s Jace. Lila’s son. Lila’s smug, regurgitated-fish-scale-blue eyed son. All Cooper wants is to have his family back the way it once was, but there’s something about this boy that promises things will never be the same again. Sedimentary. Resisting the realities of his new life, Cooper and Jace get off to a rocky start. But rocky start or not, after hundreds of shared memories together, they forge something new. A close . . . friendship. Because friendship is all they can have. Although it’s not like they are real brothers. . . Metamorphic. But how does that friendship evolve under the pressures of life? Under pressures of the heart?


Perfect! Brilliant book I didn't expect to love this much. The plot was superfine - it had pacing, angst, pathos. Settings were beautiful, especially the glowworm cave. Characters were so perfectly alive. I felt for Cooper on every page. His love was so perfect yet hopeless for such a long time. For a time I hated Jace, for what he was doing to Cooper, though I understood his flight. The writing style is just masterful. The perfect voice speaking to the reader. This book had me in tears a lot of the time, but the ending made it worthwhile. I knew Anyta was a good writer; this shows she has total control of her art.

Rock was an emotional story that stayed with me for a long time.  A poignant story that had me smiling and crying and rooting for Cooper and Jace.