As Far As You'll Take Me

As Far As You'll Take Me - Phil Stamper

Release Date: Expected Expected 9th February 2021

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / LGBT

Marty doesn't think he's the protagonist in anyones story. But now he's getting his own story. After months of meticulous planning, he's heading across the world to London to stay with his cousin under the guise of reauditioning at his dream music school ... but he isn't coming back. With an overly religious family who can't quite accept him, questionable friends and anxiety that is almost crippling him, there's nothing for him there.

After a deadly combination of jetlag and infatuation leaves him crushing on his cousins best friend within minutes of arriving, Marty is finally ready for adventure. He's got his Oboe, he's got a cute boy, a team of musicians who are slowly becoming friends ... and a glimmer of hope that might finally be in sight. But boys suck, families suck, and anxiety sucks, so it's not going to be easy.

'As Far As You'll Take Me' is told from two points of Marty's life - his current adventure and old journal entries from the last time he tried to follow his dreams - slowly filling out all the pieces of this wonderful character who was so very easy to fall for the more we got to know him. The story was slow in places and looking back, not very much happened but when reading I was so wrapped up in what Marty was thinking or planning next that I just didn't notice at all. There were so many things about this book that I saw coming, which to begin with kind of threw me out of the story - but this isn't a murder mystery, it's about life. And the way this was written made me feel like I was a friend, quietly watching Marty ignore countless red flags as people so often do and wait for him to wake up and see the truth.

This was a truly warming and uplifting tale about acceptance, love, and self-discovery in all it's forms with an ending that left me bursting with pride.

Sometimes, the best reinvention is finding yourself.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

TW: Homophobia / Anxiety / Eating Disorders

Thank you to Netgalley and Phil Stamper for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

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