Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez is a coming-of-age novel about three teenage boys navigating their sexuality in an intolerant world.
Jason Carrillo is a popular jock with a steady girlfriend. However, he can’t stop thinking about being intimate with other men. Kyle Meeks is a swimmer on the swim team who has won many awards for his athleticism. He doesn’t “look” gay, but he is, and he is terrified of his parents or school classmates finding out. Nelson Glassman has proudly admitted his sexuality to the entire world, but he is afraid of confessing his feelings to the boy he loves.
I thought the book was an enjoyable read. I liked that the book ended on a positive and hopeful note. I was expecting one of the characters to have an unfortunate ending. While I did enjoy the novel, I had a hard time liking Nelson. While he was brash and fun, I didn’t like that he could be quite abrasive. I especially didn’t like how he would try to get people to admit things before they were comfortable or how forceful he could be with Kyle when trying to express his interest.
While the book is a straightforward read with no twists and some dated slang, it did help pave the way for more queer stories to be told. That is one of the reasons I enjoyed it a bit more, as it was a trailblazer in its own way.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author.
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