Playing by the Book

really enjoyed it . it began as a 3.5 and came to be a 4.5 in the end ^_^

My thoughts

??????I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me?????? excerpt 2nd cor. 12: 7-10

As the saying goes , ??????every family has its cross to bear??????. As does the Powell family. One of the crosses looms above Jake Powell. The pk; preacher kid. He has a drive for Journalism but his career choice is already determined, to be a preacher. Playing by the book is about Jake accepting himself and personal growth. At least he does IMO.

Religion and to be precise, the Christian faith is of importance in this book. I did not find it preachy but you may. So be wary of that. I grew up in a Christian household and I now when it gets preachy. I hate the bigoted way that my family members/former church goers are of opinion that homosexuality is a ???sin??? or a ???choice???. If you???re a BIGOT stay away from it.

THINGS WORTH MENTIONING:

(+) It gave me a peek at how living at a dorm maybe. I???ll be going to the university this fall and will not be staying at a dorm because there aren???t any. * exited but also scared to go to uni* #HistoryDepartment

(+) It is nice to see the pov of a gay Christian. This is an oxymoron to some. I???m all for people that want to be closer to God. But ??????curing?????? gayness is a criminal act to your true self. And I???m happy that Mr. Shirley did not chastise Jake. A life without romantic love or any love for that matter is a sad and lonely one. Can???t people not see that gay love is not ,just about sex and lust.

(+) Jake???s story felt realistic. Jake could be a real person whereas the characters from girlfriends with boyfriends by Alex sanches were not. Sanches??? characters were bare bones if you would ask me. Playing by the book has a more flamboyant male that is only seen once or twice. I???m bringing this up because even though we know little of the more flamboyant character, he???s did not feel like the token flamboyant guy.

(-) Mr. Shirley stop using Brah. I glossed over the dialogue or used bro in its place every time Sam Horowitz, love interest used it. JEEZ

(+/-) It was tough for me to read about the self-hate (of which I have to a degree and gladly has lessened), suicidal thoughts and suicide attempt ( I???m thankful never happened) and coming out process I really had to put down the e-reader/phone at times because it got to emotional.

(+/-) I feel like sam was less developed than Jake and wished it was not so. But besides that a good loveable character none the less.

In conclusion I truly love this book and fell in love with the characters. I hope that if people read that they will feel the same. And that my furure coming out will not be a train wreck. It is unlikely. Top reason; the bigotry in the church and my peeps being part of the church