As far as you'll take me

Seventeen-year-old Marty, who is out only to his Bible-thumping parents and two best friends, is desperate to leave his small hometown of Avery, Kentucky. So he lies to his parents, telling them that he's been accepted to study at London's Knightsbridge Academy of Music. Marty's soon off to England with a one-way ticket in his pocket, for though his parents don't know it, he plans to move to London permanently. Once there, he moves in with his cousin Shane, who is also gay and actually a student at the academy. In short order, Marty meets Shane's friends, most notably handsome Pierce, on whom he develops an instant crush. Though Marty's warned that Pierce is a user, love is blind--and complicated, don't you know--and so he is deaf to the warnings. Meanwhile he quickly proves he's a brilliant oboist, but how is he going to make a living? Despite being an overachiever by nature, Marty is hampered by panic attacks and his sometimes-strained relationship with Pierce. Stamper (The Gravity of Us, 2020) does a beautiful job with his characters and their intricate relationships, and he's no slouch when it comes to plotting, either. On top of this, he writes believably about music, which is--don't tell Marty's parents--his religion; and a beautiful one it is. Amen.

Seventeen-year-old Marty Pierce is a rule follower who googles everything in advance to avoid surprises. He's also "pretty good at lying"--first to keep his sexuality a secret from his religious, homophobic parents, and now to craft an elaborate escape plan from his "suffocating" life in Kentucky. His folks think he's headed to a summer music program in London, but he's actually planning to use the three months to secure a professional oboe gig. A chronic worrier, Marty has a lot to cope with in London, even without constant fear that his lies will be found out: he's busking to make ends meet, stressing about his body image, and navigating relationships, including a diverse new friend group, his domineering best friend back home, and a possible first boyfriend. Stamper (The Gravity of Us) alternates the plot with sections of the diary that Marty kept on an earlier, mishap-filled trip. Stamper piles problems on Marty both in London and at home, but the book's real strength is Marty's complexity: even when his anxiety flares up, he finds ways to maintain his mental health and cope with the things that threaten his dreams. Ages 13--up. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Feb.)

Gr 9 Up--Seventeen-year-old Marty has plenty to be feel concerned about. When he came out as gay to his parents, they were not supportive; his Kentucky church refuses to accept him; he is in a dysfunctional relationship with his best friend, Megan; and he has an anxiety disorder to boot. Lying to his parents about a supposed acceptance into a musical program in the UK, Marty finds the courage to fly to London, planning to find a job and never return. In London he is broke and unemployed but also meets a welcoming group of friends for the first time and becomes involved with a charismatic yet unreliable teen. Marty's summer proves to be full of self-discovery and honest reflection. Michael Crouch voices the character-driven book in the first person, adeptly expressing Marty's angst along with his love for music. Thanks to Crouch's insightful narration, listeners experience Marty's overwhelming anxiety right along with him. Marty's friends are from all over Europe, and Crouch does a credible job with all the required accents. VERDICT Listeners interested in the wide complexity of LGBTQIA+ experiences or mental health issues will want this one.--Julie Paladino

*Starred Review* Seventeen-year-old Marty, who is out only to his Bible-thumping parents and two best friends, is desperate to leave his small hometown of Avery, Kentucky. So he lies to his parents, telling them that he's been accepted to study at London's Knightsbridge Academy of Music. Marty's soon off to England with a one-way ticket in his pocket, for though his parents don't know it, he plans to move to London permanently. Once there, he moves in with his cousin Shane, who is also gay and actually a student at the academy. In short order, Marty meets Shane's friends, most notably handsome Pierce, on whom he develops an instant crush. Though Marty's warned that Pierce is a user, love is blind—and complicated, don't you know—and so he is deaf to the warnings. Meanwhile he quickly proves he's a brilliant oboist, but how is he going to make a living? Despite being an overachiever by nature, Marty is hampered by panic attacks and his sometimes-strained relationship with Pierce. Stamper (The Gravity of Us, 2020) does a beautiful job with his characters and their intricate relationships, and he's no slouch when it comes to plotting, either. On top of this, he writes believably about music, which is—don't tell Marty's parents—his religion; and a beautiful one it is. Amen. Grades 9-12. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Seventeen-year-old Marty Pierce is a rule follower who googles everything in advance to avoid surprises. He's also "pretty good at lying"—first to keep his sexuality a secret from his religious, homophobic parents, and now to craft an elaborate escape plan from his "suffocating" life in Kentucky. His folks think he's headed to a summer music program in London, but he's actually planning to use the three months to secure a professional oboe gig. A chronic worrier, Marty has a lot to cope with in London, even without constant fear that his lies will be found out: he's busking to make ends meet, stressing about his body image, and navigating relationships, including a diverse new friend group, his domineering best friend back home, and a possible first boyfriend. Stamper (The Gravity of Us) alternates the plot with sections of the diary that Marty kept on an earlier, mishap-filled trip. Stamper piles problems on Marty both in London and at home, but the book's real strength is Marty's complexity: even when his anxiety flares up, he finds ways to maintain his mental health and cope with the things that threaten his dreams. Ages 13–up. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Feb.)

Gr 8 Up—Eighteen-year-old Marty experiences anxiety that leaves him vulnerable to a variety of troubled relationships: with his nearly lifelong best friend, his mother, his potential new boyfriend, and the genuinely caring new friends he begins to make now that he's left his fundamentalist Christian Kentucky home behind to follow his musical passion in London. Stamper offers readers a realistic and sympathetic antihero on the cusp of taking control of his own life. The novel is heavily character-driven, showing Marty's social and psychological development across one summer through scenes that range from busking with his oboe to starving himself in order to lose weight. The emotional hues of each event, rather than dramatic detail, are the focus. Marty is insightful and introspective in a variety of relationships through which he develops recognition of his own and others' weaknesses and potential strengths. Opportunities for growth steadily present themselves, and it's the kind of emotional abundance older teens may experience as they emerge from the relative pliability of childhood into independence. Main characters' races aren't specified, and one secondary character has an Indian given name. VERDICT Anxious and introspective teens will recognize themselves in Marty, whether they too share specific life attributes, such as sexual orientation or musicality. Recommended.—Francisca Goldsmith, Lib. Ronin, Worcester, MA