When Everything Is Blue

De: Laura Lascarso

Narrado por: Michael Mola

Sometimes the people we need most aren’t bonded by blood but by something deeper.

When they were kids, golden boy Chris Mitcham rescued dweeby Theo Wooten from the neighborhood bullies and taught him how to “be cool.” Now, years later, Theo’s developed romantic feelings for his best friend that “arise” at the most inopportune times. Theo hates lying to Chris, but in coming out, he might lose the one person who understands him best, a risk he’s not willing to take.

When a relationship with another young man goes south, Theo is forced to confront his own sexuality along with his growing attraction to Chris and the stunted, tenuous relationship Theo has with his father. Will Chris abandon Theo when he learns the truth, or will he stand by him in this tumultuous season of self-discovery?

In this quirky coming-of-age romance, Theo’s path to manhood is fraught with several awkward firsts, a few haters, but also the tender comfort of an unexpected lover.

©2018 Laura Lascarso (P)2018 Dreamspinner Press

sweet predictable coming out story

although the story was completely predictable, it was charming and delightful. If you're looking for escape to your youth and first love, it's a great way to spend a few hours lost in memories of what happened or should have happened. the narrator added to the experience although the almost Latinx accent was sometimes odd. generally, the narration was an asset, however.

Wonderful Coming of Age

I’m very picky about my YA reads, so I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I felt for Theo. I felt instantly for him and couldn’t stop the audiobook.

This book shocked me. I got pulled in and binged it until the end. Theo had so much going on in his life. The ups and downs pull at every emotion. I laughed, cried, and stressed with and for Theo. His emotions go through the ringer with teenage angst.

This is a new to me author and narrator. Michael Mola was very good, he kept me intrigued while bringing the characters to life. He was good at separating the character voices and Theo’s emotions. I very much would listen to Michael Mola again.

*Listener Note: I received a free copy of this audiobook through Gay Romance Reviews (GRR) and this is my honest review.

Easy listen

I listened to this book three times already. I love the story and characters and their connections. well done

Great Listen

I enjoyed it a lot. Beautifully written coming of age story with a bit of an edge. All the characters were very interesting especially Theo and it was entertaining following his character development as well as all the relationship dynamics going on throughout the story. I am not usually in a mood for a YA story, but I really liked this one and glad I gave it a try. Narrator did a good job telling this story, but I didn’t love the voice he chose for Theo. Overall this was a great listening experience.

When Everything is Blue

5 Stars – Book & Narration
(If I could give more stars I would)

I am not normally a big fan of YA books or early age guys coming into their own… I usually go for the older and more mature stories. But holy smokes am I glad I picked this book up in audio. It was freaking outstanding. This is literally the perfect example of when a fabulously written story meets an amazing, talented narrator who is absolutely perfect for the characters in the book. This book and narration are everything.

Michael Mola gives us a great performance. His character voicing was spot on for the entire duration of the audiobook, so I felt like I was living this story right along with the characters. I was impressed within the first few minutes and more in love with the book and characters as the story went on. This is the best book I have heard in a while; it just hit every note with me. It was just so sweet and lighthearted, you could fall in love with these characters and their lives so easily. You will feel all the emotions during this book, and I think I appreciated the storyline even more getting to listen to it, rather than via just reading the book. Michael is one of my new favorite narrators to keep an eye on for future books.

Chris and Theo - god I just loved these guys. Everything about them was great. Their personalities were really fun, they were sweet and snarky and strong, not letting their insecurities shape who they ultimately became. I was a little worried when I saw the book started out with them in high school, aged 16yo or so, but it gave us a great background story of how they grew up and how they turned out in life, and dealing with coming out and being in love. They had the best connection and bond together, starting out from being friends in middle school all the way up to their time together in high school. Friends who ended up becoming so much more to each other.

I think I connected to Theo the most, mainly because it brought me back in time a bit, growing up in the era and community of skating and surfing. These guys could really have been some of my friends back in school.

Theo is terrified of anyone finding out that he’s gay, especially his best friend, Chris. He is just so worried about what people will think, and how he will be perceived. I mean they’re in high school, and that’s hard enough to deal with without adding an extra layer if it’s not needed, so you can totally get where he’s coming from with his feelings. Theo’s twin sister comes off as kind of a spoiled brat, but she’s a teenage girl (not making excuses but…) a good portion of teenage girls are selfish, thoughtless jerks, who only think about themselves and how things will affect them, and Theo’s sister is the perfect example of that. When things go down with “D-bag Dave”, Theo’s sister really doesn’t think before she acts. I was literally fuming and crying for Theo at that point. How anyone could do something so horrible to another person is beyond me. I just couldn’t get past that, and I really hope that Dave looks back on what he did and that he learned his lesson and becomes a better version of his horrible self. That just really floored me, I had to take a break/pause in the narration to get my emotions about that event in check. It was that bad, and I did not see it coming at all; it was totally out of left field.

Chris is awesome, he is the ultimate surfer boy in comparison to Theo’s skater personality. He is super laid back and would literally and figuratively do anything for Theo. He is just so clueless at times it makes him super endearing and sweet. I loved that once they finally, at long last, had the conversation about Theo being gay after the fiasco with Dave, it all comes out. They finally get all their misunderstandings cleared up, and can finally move forward together.

Chris’s personality and strength really shine through when he stands by Theo’s side and is his rock after everything that happens. Theo’s dad is a homophobic jerk, which adds a little more character depth to the storyline, and I was OK with that. Not OK with him being a jerk per se, but with his failure in being a good parent and being a decent human being getting added to the story. I really hope that his wife and new kids run far and fast from his hate.

Overall this book was really great, I would highly recommend it to everyone. Even if you don’t normally read YA books, I would still say to give this one a try. I really think you will be pleasantly impressed with this book (especially the audio version).

Good story but questionable accents...

AUDIO REVIEW

3.5 stars

I think the narrator is good. He did have emotion in his delivery and I would listen to him again. My only issue with him is some of the voices he chose for the characters. I guess he was trying to give Theo, an American born half Puerto Rican, a Spanish accent to show he was Latino. It was not a very good one and it was odd sounding 🤔 I have to be honest I was offended by the narrators choice. I could go on a whole rant about my issue with his faux accent but I won't. I'll just say I didn't appreciate it and leave it at that.

His voice for a$$hole Dave was also weird. Dave's supposed to be from Charlotte but sounded more like a 1940's mob boss instead of 16 year old teenager. The narrator just needs to make better decisions when choosing the voices of his characters.

STORY REVIEW

3.75 stars

Theo is in love with his best friend and fears losing him if he finds out. He has kept his feeling to himself and even begins a relationship in secret with a new kid at school. However, his feelings for his best friend, Chris, are too strong.

There is an incident where Theo is exposed and can no longer hide his truth. This changes things for him and Chris.

It was an enjoyable read. I do, however, dislike Dave with a passion so deep. What he did was beyond wrong. He deserved more than and a$$ kicking. I am happy about all the Theo and Chris love. Biffles forever!

Enjoyed!

When Everything is Blue is a YA best friends to so much more story.
I really enjoyed the connection and dynamics between these two guys.
Both are totally invested in the friendship and their for each other. As feelings change and grow into an unexpected love things only become stronger between them.
Of course the road to love is never easily paved and these two have obstacles and more to overcome.
But together they create something wonderful.
Michael Mola does a terrific job of bringing this story to life.

Well done YA romance with a great narrator

Young Adult romance is really not my genre of choice so When Everything is Blue never appeared on my radar. However, I’d recently discovered narrator, Michael Mola, and when I was looking for more of his narrated works, this book and cover snagged my attention. Based on the reviews, I decided to give it a try and am really happy I did. When Everything is Blue is a bit like a coming of age novel following high school student Theo as he acknowledges his sexuality and comes out to friends and family, while also detailing a relationship gone wrong and young love gone right.

The pacing, tone, and dialogue of When Everything is Blue fit perfectly with the genre without feeling overly juvenile or immature. I really liked the range of primary and secondary characters included in the novel and thought they provided a really well-rounded storyline. I also liked that the plot tackled hard truths in a realistic way, yet maintained a sense of optimism in the tone. Though this was my first book by the author, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from her, even when the novels fall outside of those genres I typically prefer.

As for the narration, Mr. Mola did a fantastic job. His cadence made for an enjoyable listen and his voices made it easy to differentiate between characters. Best of all, his delivery fit with the youthful characters and made the When Everything is Blue audiobook a definite win for me.

*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*

Very Enjoyable!

When Everything is Blue is a wonderfully written coming of age, sweet friends to lovers story about Theo and his best friend and neighbor Chris. This book is told entirely from Theo's POV. Theo struggles with his sexuality and his more than friendly feelings for Chris. Chris himself seems to be unsure whether or not to share his own feelings for Theo. I love that Chris is so protective of Theo but also lets him make his own mistakes. Chris is also so supportive of Theo and really encourages him with his skateboarding. Though Theo is unsure how to tell his dad about his relationship with Chris, he needs to live his own truth with or without his dad's acceptance of him. I love Theo and Chris's dynamic as they discover how to be friends and boyfriends. I would love to see more of them in future books. Definitely recommend. 
Narrator Michael Mola does a fabulous job and was a joy to listen to.

BFF 2 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

Lovely low angst young adult romance. Young adult contemporary romance has not been my thing but I loved the way Laura wrote this book which includes the realistic sexy times of young people w/o it being creepy to read/listen too. The performance by Michael Mola, a new to me narrator, was great. He brought each character to life that perfectly fit each character.