Title: Fan Art
Author: Sarah Tregay
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary, LGBT
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads








When the picture tells the story…

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.


When I went into this book, I had no idea what to expect. I am one of these readers that really doesn't read synopsis' and I honestly think it allows me to go into a book with no expectations, and I love that. So with Fan Art I honestly had no idea that the book was about Jamie, a boy struggling with his sexuality in the sense of not being "out" in school but being "out" to his family. I was surprised but also extremely happy that this book was about him, because we don't get much of LGBT fiction in YA, and I have to say that this story was a great one to read.

Fan Art is not only about Jamie, but also about art, and its impact on not only Jamie but also those around him. The art in this book is centered around a comic strip that pretty much defines Jamie's crush on his best friend Mason. at first Jamie is shocked, and when he is asked by a friend to put it into hi schools magazine, he knows it will not go over well. And he was right. I loved that the author depicted many different types of characters, there were those that embraced homosexuality (there were many characters that were themselves homosexual), and then there were those that were hopelessly against it. And when those characters that were against it came forward, I loved that Jamie character kind of came to life, and discovered how much he cares, not only about hos own personal struggle but those of his friends around him.

Jamie was such a great character to read because although he was flawed and a little hidden behind his secrets, he was a genuinely nice guy, and really there was nothing about him I did not like. I related to him more than I thought i would, there are many different types if secrets, and revealing them to the one person you care about most is hard. And even though his secret is nowhere near anything I could think of, it does not mean it is any less intense. And his bravery throughout the book was commending and I loved reading it.

The end for me gave me mixed feeling. I loved a HEA as much as the next person and I loved that I got to read a good ending for Jamie, but honestly I thought it was too good to be true. I understand the end, but I just thought that it was too easy and a little unbelievable. But like I said I loved it anyway. Happy endings are like love triangles , although its not something you want all the time, they're addicting to read.