“You know what? I wish I could have what you have, Alicia. I wish I could be one of the normal kids.”
“Oh, grow up, Max,” Dean says. He actually looks at me with disgust.
“You know what,” I say, grabbing the friendship bracelet on my wrist and pulling with all my strength. “I wish we were never even friends.”
I look Dean dead in the eye as I say it, and, as the bracelet snaps, I feel something snap inside me too.
“Straight Expectations”, by Calum McSwiggan
I’m delighted to join the blog tour of “Straight Expectations” by Calum McSwiggan. Many thanks to TheWriteReads, the publishers Penguin, and of course the author for organising the tour and gifting me a copy of the eBook.
The story:
When Max and best friend Dean joke about what they would wish for from a genie, the usual options come up — riches, world peace, and perhaps unlimited handsome men… But when Max’s wish to just blend in like the straight kids comes true overnight, he gets a taste of what he thought he wanted. But not only is he not gay, Dean is no longer in his life. With his home and school life crumbling, Max is forced to look at who he is and what’s really important if he’s going to find his way back to friendship, and possibly romance…
My thoughts:
I was delighted to have the opportunity to take part in the blog tour for “Straight Expectations”, organised by TheWriteReads — the debut novel from author, presenter and LGBTQ+ advocate Calum McSwiggan. I don’t read a huge number of young adult books, but I really enjoyed this fun, sparkling and also thought-provoking book.
Main character 17-year-old Max is in many ways leading a privileged life — he’s queer, proud, has supportive parents, and great friends in Dean (also gay, an amazing performer, and fundamental in supporting Max over the years) and Alicia (straight, a talented artist, and a great ally to the queer community at their school). But at the start of the book he is also struggling with the things he hasn’t got — namely, a romantic relationship, and limited opportunities to find one. He does, however, have a crush, in the form of Oliver Cheng; but after a year of Oliver transferring to Woodside Academy, he’s barely plucked up the courage to speak to him, let alone ask him out.
When Dean and Alicia push him into messaging Oliver, only to be snubbed, Max is triggered into making a wish to have the easy high school experience he sees the straight kids around him having. And that’s where things take a Freaky Friday-esque turn! Max wakes up to find he’s received just what he wished for — he is now straight, dating a girl (Alicia!), and best friend Dean has vanished from his life altogether.
The story is fast-paced, funny and packed with entertainment, but also touching and thought-provoking as Max struggles with his new life and exactly what his identity means. Of course, as Max realises, there is no one right way to express an identity, and although romance might be great, finding friends that support you for who you are, and supporting them back, is so important.
Overall this was an enjoyable and uplifting read and I’d recommend it whether you’re a usual YA reader or not, for its great characters, positivity and touching friendships.
Pages: 336
Published: 4th May 2023
Rating: 🐈🐈🐈🐈/5
Purchase link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ordinary-Boy-Calum-McSwiggan/dp/0241551145
About the author
Calum McSwiggan is an author, presenter, and LGBTQ+ advocate. He’s worked for Attitude magazine, written for the Metro, Gay Times and PinkNews, and was recently placed in the Guardian’s list of the 50 most influential LGBTQ+ figures.
Putting LGBTQ+ stories at the heart of everything he does, he’s produced award-winning films that have been showcased at film festivals around the world and racked up over 10 million views on his online videos.
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