The Sky Blues

By: Robbie Couch

Narrated by: Michael Crouch

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sky’s small town turns absolutely claustrophobic when his secret promposal plans get leaked to the entire school in this witty, “earnest, heartfelt” (Becky Albertalli, New York Times best-selling author), and ultimately hopeful debut novel for fans of What if it’s Us? and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Sky Baker may be openly gay, but in his small, insular town, making sure he was invisible has always been easier than being himself. Determined not to let anything ruin his senior year, Sky decides to make a splash at his high school’s annual beach bum party by asking his crush, Ali, to prom - and he has thirty days to do it.

What better way to start living loud and proud than by pulling off the gayest promposal Rock Ledge, Michigan, has ever seen?

Then, Sky’s plans are leaked by an anonymous hacker in a deeply homophobic e-blast that quickly goes viral. He’s fully prepared to drop out and skip town altogether - until his classmates give him a reason to fight back by turning his thirty-day promposal countdown into a school-wide hunt to expose the e-blast perpetrator.

But what happens at the end of the thirty days? Will Sky get to keep his hard-won visibility? Or will his small-town blues stop him from being his true self?

©2021 Robbie Couch. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Beautiful. Authentic. Important.

I want to call this book perfect, but I don’t want to be perceived as being hyperbolic so I’ll let the title of the review stand. These characters will be so important to a generation of young readers and Sky’s story is so true to life in a small town, I often found myself quietly gasping in recognition of these high schoolers’ experiences. The narration is equal to the beauty of the book. Do yourself a favor and indulge in Sky’s story ... no matter what age you are.

Coming of age story...

There is a ton of stereotyping in this book, regarding "being a gay male" but it's contextual. Part of the main theme is the main character learning to accept himself and allowing himself to be... well, himself. The main character has excessive inner dialog (in my opinion) but it was a decent story, if a tad redundant. Cutest at the end.

So many smiles and a few tears!

I loved this book so much! I smiled pretty much the entire time while listening, only broken up by a few tears here and there.
I really enjoyed experiencing high school through Sky's eyes- the ups and downs, the good and the bad. He had such a wonderful group of friends to help him navigate all the trials and tribulations being a senior had to offer. Sky's a completely endearing character, you cannot help but fall in love with him.
The premise of this book was cute and fun, for the most part. The idea of the promposal, and all that went into it, was just so charming. I'm so glad things went the direction they did, when there was so much potential for things to go so wrong, which would have made for a lot of angst and drama! Not to say everything was rainbows and sunshine. There were a few scenes that tugged at my heart, causing a few tears to fall, and a few times my anger started to get the best of me- especially when it came to Sky's family. But luckily he had an amazing found family that loved him, proving blood isn't always family.

I am so hoping Robbie Couch has plans for a sequel- there's so much more I want to know about Sky, he's got a lot of story left to tell!

Michael Crouch is hands-down my favorite YA narrator- he honestly can do no wrong. He's so good at making me feel all the emotions the characters are going through, bringing out the laughs, the tears, the heartache, and anger. He did such a wonderful job of bringing Sky to life, I felt like I was right there with him in the story.

The blues are bluer up here - and in this book!

Robbie Couch constructs a beautiful story and cast of characters. Funny, introspective, and pure in its intent. Michael Crouch as the narrator continues to deliver a master performance, one of the best in the biz.

A Great Listen

This is a great modern coming out story. It shows the progress made in our society but also shows how much more needs to be done. I loved Sky and all his friends, I felt Sky's character development was relatable and genuine. I wanted more at the end, like an epilogue to see where everyone landed after graduation. This is a must read for all.

Feel-Good, but Familiar

This was a nice listen! Characters were likable enough, thought a bit cliched. A lot of queer YA tropes throughout. I also found myself able to predict a lot of what was going to happen. Definitely for younger audiences, but again, I did enjoy the premise. Michael Crouch did a nice job narrating, as always!

An Exceptional & Fun Tale!

Super fast listen - the time flew by. So enjoyable & modern with twists! wow!

Fun and moving story

Absolutely love this story, although I'm not in the target group. It's a romcom and a crime mystery and a self help book rolled into one.

Love the supporting characters!

The Sky Blues was an interesting read. I struggled to like the main character for 60% of the book, but grew to like them in the last 40%. The supporting characters though — very engaging and I lovable! Overall though, it was a good read once the story got going several chapters in. The performance was nice as well.

Unrealistic Story and Confusing Timeline

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The actor's performance was great.

Pros: Well-written and almost pulls it all together. Love the accuracy of personalities and personality types. Creative characters. Does well to describe the struggles that so many have.

Cons: The story is unrealistic. Ending feels rushed. The timeline becomes a bit confusing. There are too many characters. Final love interest feels shoehorned.

Good book

After the first kinda part it annoyed me that they mention sky was fay when it didn't seem necessary to say that. Apart from that I loved to book all of the twists and sweet characters.

Wasn't sure how to rate this.

I decided on giving it a 3.5.
I was stuck between 3 and 4,
The story is a fun read, but nothing new and I wasn't blown away by the story.
BUT I am a big fan of the narrator, Michael Crouch and as usual, is performance didn't disappoint.