Title: Social Intercourse
Author: Greg Howard
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Simon & Schuster in exchange for my honest review.
Beckett is an out gay teen living with his single dad, desperate to have some relationship experience before he graduates high school. Jaxon is the golden high school quarterback, raised by two moms, one of whom has started dating Beckett’s dad. Both Jaxon and Beckett are unhappy with the situation, so they devise a plan to get each of their respective parents back with their original partner. But a different romance starts to brew as the two work on their plans–one that neither of them suspected.
This was such a fun read! A lot of the scenes throughout the novel reminded me of Parent Trap at times, as Beckett and Jaxon concoct this scheme in order to actually stop their parents from dating each other. The story itself is also different than a lot of LGBTQ books I’ve read; instead of focusing on Beckett and Jaxon’s coming out stories, the core conflict is focused on something complete different, and I found that really refreshing.
Despite the refreshing story line, there were some problematic moments throughout the book as well. There were some stereotypes that were perpetuated, specifically with Jaxon and his moms, though Beckett also embodies the typically feminine gay stereotype. There also aren’t a lot of female characters throughout the story, which can be fine, but the ones that are presented are generally flat. If they were more complex, it wouldn’t have bugged me so much.
Though there are some problematic aspects within the story, it was still an overall fun read, though probably not one that I’ll revisit again. If you’re looking for a fun, LGBTQ romance for the summer, this one is worth picking up!
3/5 stars