We Are the Ants

Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars. This was recommended to me as one of the best YA GLBTQ novels of the past 20+ years, but it was a bit of a disappointment. I know many YA books feature a down-on-their-luck, outcast MC, but Henry was so downtrodden and miserable that it was hard to see why Diego was so into him, and there was way too much kissing/immediate withdrawing. I lost track of the number of times Henry was beaten up, often by other characters who claimed to care about him. Another thing that threw me out of the story was the author's use of present tense at certain points in the story without any apparent logic.

On the positive side, the secondary characters were vividly and realistically depicted as neither hero nor villain, just confused people trying to figure out life. And the alien abduction plot was just bizarre and mysterious enough to keep me guessing.

Overall this was a worthwhile look at overcoming grief and depression, and learning to believe in yourself and the small wondrous moments that can make up a worthwhile life. It wasn't the heartwarming romance I was hoping for (although there is a nice HFN ending) but it was an interesting read.