String Boys

God, Seth and Kelly. The scene when Seth sees Kelly as a potential lover and not a childhood friend is breathtaking and their innocent exploration of love as teenagers will remind you of your own younger days. I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t say more, but dear god, the painful parts will break your heart. If you’ve ever done the long distance thing, their code—“Do I need to walk away?” —resonates deep within your soul.

This book has all the feels. It leaves you with an achy sweet book hangover for at least a week!

By the end of the story, Seth and Kelly will be real to you and you’ll want to ship them off to gay-topia to live happily forever after.

And, for lovers of the Fish series, there’s a cameo by a baby Jackson Rivers and, later in the timeline, by both Jackson and Ellery!

Amy Lane is a genius and I love her work. She’s a preorder, one click author and she hasn’t let me down yet. She battered my soul with this one. So of course I immediately flipped to the front and started again.

This is one of those books where the storyline is so angsty and heartfelt that you want to give it 5 stars. String Boys is a novel about the evolution of the love story between Seth and Kelly from childhood to adulthood. They are neighbors and Kelly's big brother Matty is Seth's best friend. As the boys grow up and figure out who they are and who they love, their families become intertwined. The love between Seth, a violin prodigy, and Kelly, a natural caretaker, seems to be destined, but boy does Ms. Lane throw in obstacle after heart-breaking obstacle. 

And, that's why I couldn't give this book 5 stars. The obstacles, separations and difficulties were so frustrating as a reader and oftentimes hard to read. The things that happen to these beautiful souls who only want to love each other and their families are simply heart-breaking. I found myself getting distracted and wanting to read ahead to just get past the hardships. But, the hardships last to literally the next-to-last chapter.

Ms. Lane does write some very engaging, interesting characters in Seth, Matty, Kelly and their families. I really loved the girls in Matty and Kelly's family. And the themes of found family, perseverance, and forgiveness were truly inspiring. 

I am a huge Amy Lane fan; two of my all-time favorites are hers (Beneath the Stain and the Johnnies series). I know she can write angst and tragedy like no other. I think unlike her other books, she wrote such pure souls in this book with little flaws, which made the hurts hurt worse...

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

It gets more and more difficult to review Amy Lane’s books because it seems as if each drama-filled, angst-ridden one rips my heart apart, and then puts it back together in a whole new way. The difficulty lies in not repeating my words of praise, of enthusiasm, and my love of her written words. In ‘String Boys’ the author weaves a tale of boys and young men, of hope and loss, of disappointment, sadness, joy, love, and the pain of growing up. It’s the story of more than two young men falling in love. It’s the story of life in all of its beauty, ugliness, and potential.

“Kelly had always said Seth was meant to walk among the stars… but that had only seemed possible when Kelly was there.” ~ Seth Arnold

Kelly always refers to Seth as his “dreamy boy” and it’s probably the most apt description for him. You know how some people dance to the beat of their own drum? Well, Seth’s is a violin and it’s not a beat, it’s a pure tone that hangs in the air and brings tears to your eyes. Seth’s mother was killed in a car accident when he was young and he and his father had a bad year when his dad liked the bottle and his fists more than his son. But the Cruzs helped get Craig into rehab and meetings, and slowly dad and son got back to where they’d been. But that time made an indelible impression on Seth and he learned that if he didn’t draw attention to himself then he was safe. He was in fourth grade when he found his muse and it wasn’t long before everyone knew Seth was going to go far with his talent.

“But Seth was crying again, and so was Kelly, and they didn’t have words. It would take them years before they found words again. This moment right here, Seth holding Kelly’s hand around the little comfort object, them rubbing their salty cheeks together, crying, would be one big howl in their chests for long goddamned years.”

Kelly is wiser than his age and has loved Seth for as long as he can remember – even before Kelly knew he was gay. Life in the Cruz household is idyllic, at least once his daddy goes to rehab and gets himself on the straight and narrow. They don’t have much but they have each other, laughter, and love. Until they don’t. Until Matty, his older brother, falls for a girl with a fundamentalist preacher for a father and a love of a religion that doesn’t tolerate difference. Until something unthinkable happens to Kelly and his foundation is rocked. Until Matty and his wife become addicts and bring a baby girl into the world who spent too much time with drugs in the womb. Until Kelly’s dad is killed and all the hopes and dreams that Kelly and Seth had for their future life together are dashed because Kelly needs to stay at home to help his mom with bills and his little sisters. Until the realities of life smash through the world Kelly had hoped to have with Seth.

“Even the dream of you is better than no you at all.” ~ Kelly Cruz

‘String Boys’ is more than I had hoped it could be. Seth and Kelly get their happy ever after but not before they endure all the levels of Dante’s Inferno. That’s all I’m going to say other than I loved it and it’s worth every single stab of pain I suffered through with them.

Reviewed by Erin for Diverse Reader

Like so many of you, early on in my reading of LGBTQ focused books (before then, I happily admit I was a fanfiction addict … along with some mainstream fiction), I discovered Amy Lane. The Locker Room to be specific. To this day, that book remains in my top five, all-time favorite books, of any book, ever. Since then, I’ve devoured every book Amy has ever written. Paranormal, fluffy, angst and pain laden; it doesn’t matter which world or what topic she focuses on, she never lets me down and her newest book, String Boys, didn’t either. If you’ve read The Locker Room, and if you haven’t I’m not sure we can be friends, String Boys is very reminiscent of that book. The same love, the same hope and joy, the same pain and turmoil … just in a very different way. I read String Boys in one sitting; I literally could not stop reading. And yes, I cried, many times as a matter of fact. But oh my, was the payoff ever worth it!
String Boys begins when Kelly Cruz and Seth Arnold are just young boys in the fourth grade and follows them through ups and many, MANY downs. This is an Amy Lane book we’re talking about here people, and yeah, this one hurts, and the angst is high. These boys endure SO MUCH—from homophobia, to bullies, to numerous separations, to religious zealots, to violence (that mostly takes place off page, thank goodness!)—that my heart wept, and my need for continuous Kleenex was at an all-time high. I never once worried that Seth and Kelly wouldn’t make it; their love for one another was just too powerful for that to ever happen, but boy did Amy make them work for it (and us readers, too, because damn.)
The only thing Seth loves almost as much as he loves Kelly is his violin and the way Amy uses the music to allow Seth to grow and make his place in the world is nothing short of beautiful. I was moved so much by Seth’s thoughts and feelings about his music and the ability to transport him, and those that hear him play, into another world. It’s magical, no lie. And dear sweet, lovable Kelly is simply wonderful. I’m not going to spoil the story for you, the blurb gives you a great idea what you’re in for and really, String Boys is a journey. It’s a journey that takes you from the innocence of youth, to the harsh realities of the world around us. It’s a story that centers on family and acceptance and love. The love of music and the importance of finding that one thing that makes your soul fill with joy and gives you a sense of peace. The love of family that gives you the safety and acceptance you need to figure out who you are. And most importantly, the power of first love that turns into that once in a lifetime love that can weather any storm.
Be prepared, y’all. This book will hit you in ALL your feels. There’s tragedy and loss, pain and suffering, and the fact that life is not always fair or easy. But there is so much hope and joy and love that it makes every tear and every bit of heartache worth it. Don’t miss String Boys, this book is special, and I can’t recommend it enough.

I have liked Amy’s stories, as with “Clear Water.” And I have loved her stories, as with “Sidecar.” And I have adored Amy’s stories, as with “Keeping Promise Rock.” But I have never disliked anything I’ve read by her. With “String Boys,” we have another winner. And any time a cover blurb says something like, “Seth Arnold learned at an early age that two things in life could make his soul soar—his violin and Kelly Cruz,” I knew I am was in for some heart-soaring myself.

Amy is one of those women who “gets it” when it comes to gay men. I read her and think there must be something akin to reincarnation and she was a gay man a dozen or so previous lives. She isn’t writing women with penises. She is writing men who love men. Men love differently than women. We’re unique and she “gets” us.

I fell in love with Seth from the get go. And Kelly! OMG! Totally. And as with “Keeping Promise Rock,” Amy makes us wait painfully and with much angst for the Happily Ever After. But I never doubt (although sometimes I have to stop and close my eyes and take a deep breath and remind myself, “It’s okay! It’s okay! We will get a happy ending) that she will give me an ending that will make my “soul soar.” And as with “Keeping Promise Rock,” there was some pain to get through and some periods where the lovers are kept apart—and, Aaarrgghhh!—but of course, this wouldn’t be Amy Lane if it wasn’t worth the wait of the lover’s finally getting what they long for. That’s no spoiler, this is Romance after all!

There were some parts where I had to put the book down and go watch some episodes of “Friends” or “Fraiser” to lighten me. But I had to do the same thing every time I watched an episode of “Chernobyl” this week! I am not a fast reader and thankfully an injury at work gave me time off to be able to just sit and read. I do like rom coms and light-hearted books, but they don’t feed me. This book fed me. And the characters came to feel like family and I know in a year or so, I’ll want to return to this family again.

Amy Lane is not only one of my favorite MM writers, but also one of my favorite authors period. With “String Boys,” she stays on my list. Thank you, Amy! Even though you killed me too!