Book Review: I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

 

I Wish You All the Best      

Author: Mason Deaver

Publisher: Push

American release date: May 14, 2019

Format/Genre/Length: Hardback/Teen & YA LGBTQ+ Romance/336 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Coming out to his parents as non-binary, that is. Being honest  with them about who they really were. But for Ben de Backer, the truth quickly turns ugly when his horrified parents arbitrarily kick them out of their house. They have nowhere to go and nowhere else to turn except to Hannah, the older sister they haven’t spoken with in ten years, now married and living an hour away, in Raleigh (at least according to her Facebook).  Surprised to hear from her brother, she agrees to pick Ben up and take them to her home.

Ben tells Hannah the reason for what happened, and she is surprisingly supportive. Ben meets his brother-in-law, Thomas, who teaches chemistry at the local high school. Hannah rallies behind her brother, telling them they can stay with her and she’ll help him out with their needs – such as enrolling in school, buying new clothes (they left with only what they were wearing), as well as therapy. Ben isn’t sure about the last, but they agree to try. While waiting in the office on their first day of school, Ben meets a nice-looking affable fellow student named Nathan. Is it Karma that Nathan is assigned to show Ben around the school? They become fast friends. Maybe life will be better here…it certainly can’t get worse.

Or can it? As Ben’s feelings for Nathan grow, they’re afraid to say anything, afraid to lose him. Nathan is certainly supportive of everything Ben does, including their art, and encourages Ben to display his work at the student art show. How will Nathan feel when he sees the portrait Ben drew of him? Will they ever be accepted for who they are?

I really enjoyed reading this book, and loved Ben so much! I felt for him when he was kicked out by his parents, knowing how that feels, and was thrilled when Hannah stepped in to anchor his world. There are some wonderful characters, including Ben and Nathan, Meleika and Sophie, Hannah and Thomas, Mariam, and more. Ben’s fear of not being accepted for who they are is understandable, and only goes to show that we must all work hard to erase the negativity surrounding those who are not what others consider to be “normal”. In other words, a new “normal” needs to be established where pre-conceived notions of gender and sexual identity need to be rearranged. I think this book will go a long way toward doing that.

Kudos to Mason Deaver for writing such a beautiful and meaningful book. I look forward to reading more of their writings.