One Old, One New: YA First Love Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books, which feature first love.

Only Mostly Devastated
Sophie Gonzales
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA meets CLUELESS in this boy-meets-boy spin on Grease

Summer love...gone so fast.

Ollie and Will were meant to be a summer fling—casual, fun, and done. But when Ollie’s aunt's health takes a turn for the worse and his family decides to stay in North Carolina to take care of her, Ollie lets himself hope this fling can grow to something more. Dreams that are crushed when he sees Will at a school party and finds that the sweet and affectionate (and comfortably queer) guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High.

Will is more than a little shocked to see Ollie the evening of that first day of school. While his summer was spent being very much himself, back at school he’s simply known as one of the varsity basketball guys. Now Will is faced with the biggest challenge of his life: follow his heart and risk his friendships, or stay firmly in the closet and lose what he loves most.

They shared a summer frolicking by the lake, and thought they would never see each other again. However, when Ollie's family relocated in order to be closer to his aunt, who was battling cancer, Ollie found that he and his summer paramour were not only a short drive from each other, they attended the same school! However, it seemed, that Lake-Will and School-Will were two very different people, and now Ollie was left to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

I was promised Grease feels, and I definitely got them. Ollie's trio of female friends, those who wear the rose-gold rose, and Will's band of fellow basketball teammates were easy to spot as the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. And, the BIG re-meet cute reminded me of when Sandy and Danny were reunited, but I would say, after that, this became a wholly new and original romance.

Sophie Gonzales created some incredible characters for this story. Though they are credited as "side characters", each shined in their own way. They had personality, that POPPED off the page, and as an ensemble brought something really special to this tale.

But, alas, Ollie was the star of the book, and my star as well. He was sweet, adorable, and awkward. I absolutely adored him, and it wasn't just because of his whip smart commentary. He came across as a really lovely person. His family was dealing with his aunt's declining health, and he became an important resource for them. He stepped up to care for his cousins often, and was very attuned to the situations, knowing when he needed to tread lightly and often, putting his wants and needs on the back burner.

Although, if asked, I will gush about how super-cute and adorable this book was. However, there were also heavier moments, and there were tears. More often than not, I was smiling though, because this up-and-down romance delighted me. Interactions with friends and family, as well as watching Will and Ollie fall in love filled the pages with lots of warmth and happy feels, while injections of humor kept me audibly laughing.

This book combined so many elements I desire. It featured great characters, an adorable romance, family ties, and even grand gestures. It made me laugh, cry, rage, swoon, and in the end, left me in a very happy state.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

The Music of What Happens
Bill Konigsberg
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever.

Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.

Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites.

Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk -- to get the thing they want the most.

After a night he wanted to forget, Max stumbled upon a food truck owner having a meltdown, who happened to be the mother a his classmate, Jordan. In the blink of an eye, he found himself hired to work on the truck alongside Jordan. Though he knew nothing about the business, Max was determined to to use his love of food to make this thing work. They may have gotten off to a rocky start, but soon, a genuine friendship developed between the two, and things were looking up for their summer.

The root of this story was the friendship and eventual romantic relationship between Max and Jordan, but there was so much more packed into this fun and moving story. There are a mix of heavy and light topics, but what won me over was the romance, the friendship, the food truck, and the growth experienced by these young men.

Both boys were dealing with some weighty personal issues, and together, they were able to push through. By opening up and being vulnerable, they were able to face their problems head-on. Their upbringing was drastically different. Jordan had a dad, who accepted him for who he was, while Max's father reeked of toxic masculinity, and Max was conflicted with the messages sent by his father about who he should be and how he should be.

Over the course of the summer, both boys were forced to do a lot of growing up. They learned the art of self advocacy and were forced to make difficult choices. They learned to be honest with themselves and their loved ones. They learned they didn't have to carry their pain alone, and that it was ok to share the load with others. Their growth was tremendous, and I was happy they were able to push each other in the right direction.

The food truck was my second favorite thing in this book. I loved being on the truck with these two. It started out quite chaotic, but it was fantastic watching them get a handle on things, and I was cheering them on. It was a pleasure seeing Max use his secret culinary skills to propel the truck to success.

I saved the best for last - the romance. Wow! I loved Jordan and Max together. It was cute seeing them noticing each other, and getting to hear their thoughts, before the other had any clue there was a mutual attraction. They were so sweet and insecure, and it was fun waiting for them them act on their feelings. But, the most satisfying parts came, when they were really invested in each other. They shared a lot of beautiful and tender moments, which melted my heart.

This book had me feeling so many things - heartbreak, anger, sadness, disappointment, warmth, and joy, and I was thrilled to go through this range of emotions with Jordan and Max.

Yea or Nay: Food trucks?
Let us know in the comments!