Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

Fan Art by Sarah Tregay
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books on June 17, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 256
Source: Edelweiss
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Rating: ★★★★

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.

Fan Art was adorable!

Even though I’ve never been in his situation, I totally connected with Jamie! He’s ‘out’ to his parents, but can’t come out to Mason because he’s afraid that it will change their friendship (for the worse). I completely understood his reasons and his hesitation. I felt the full weight of the decision coming down on him! If I were in his shoes, I think I would have been equally terrified to come out to my best friend. For some reason, parents seem like an easier hurdle.

I also liked Jamie’s interaction with his art friends, like Eden. She was a great character and I loved how comfortable she was in her skin.

I think there are two things I wasn’t crazy about in Fan Art. First, I felt it lull a bit in the 45-70% mark. There wasn’t a ton going on other than Jamie just struggling with the same decision over and over again. I completely felt for him, I did, but I couldn’t help but get a little bored when nothing new was happening. And secondly, I think I wish we saw a tad more of Mason. We only got a couple moments of Mason and Jamie together. Sometimes it felt like Eden, Jamie’s friend, had a bigger role than Mason did.

But the end… The end was SO SWEET! I won’t spoil it, but I promise you will love it! It melted my heart a little.

I think Fan Art is a really unique book in the world of YA. There aren’t a lot of LGBT books in the YA world, but this is one, and I think it’s really sweet and empowering. One of the best parts was how supportive Jamie’s parents were. I love how they were so proud of Jamie and always encouraged him. We don’t get enough awesome, supportive parents like this in YA! Huge props, Sarah Tregay!

Fan Art is not only an interesting read, but I think it also has the potential to empower teenagers struggling with the same thing Jamie is. This would be such an amazing book to read for anyone struggling with their sexual identity or coming out to their parents/friends/neighbours/etc.

The Verdict