Review: The History of Us by Nyrae Dawn
SYNOPSIS:
Sometimes it’s not about coming out, it’s about settling in.
Eighteen-year-old Bradley Collins came out a year ago and hasn’t looked back since. Who cares if he doesn’t know any other queer people? Bradley has friends and basketball—that’s all he needs. Even if that means always sitting on the sidelines when the guys go out looking for girls.
When cute film-boy TJ tries to flirt with Bradley, he freaks. Yeah, he’s gay, but he’s never had the opportunity to go out with a boy before. He’s never had to worry about how his friends will react to seeing him with a guy.
But there’s something about TJ that Bradley connects with and when TJ tells him about his upcoming road trip, to film a documentary on the LGBTQ+ community, Bradley feels a draw to go. In each city they visit, they meet with people from different walks of life, and Bradley learns there’s a whole lot more to being honest about himself than just coming out. He still has to figure out who he really is, and learn to be okay with what he discovers.
REVIEW:
Bold statement time, this is one of the best YA novels I have ever read, in fact I would go so far to say that Nyrae Dawn’s YA novels are understated gems that deserve so much praise. This book moved me, much the way that Turn the World Upside Down did. I discovered The History of Us earlier this year, and was putting it off, knowing I had to wait for the right moment to dive in, and it was everything I wanted and so much more.
The story has an effortless flow, centered around self-discovery and learning to live your truth. When we initially meet Bradley, well I will be honest, he was kind of a d*ck and I had my reservations about him. But over the course of the story, his character arc does a 180. He goes from living his sheltered, narrow-minded life to really finding a way to accept who he is. But so much more than that, he finds love and learns so much about who he is and how he can give back. You learn this boy has endless depths of empathy and a tenderness that had my heart aching.
In a sharp contrast, TJ seems to have it all figured out but throughout the story, he starts to crack. His secrets are revealed and I was left reeling. These boys are so passionate, pure, and sweet, they had my heart and emotions all over the place. As they share their vulnerabilities, it was almost as if they were shedding their armor and trying to find self-acceptance. They find solace in each other but also discover they are so much more than a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The story line itself is moving enough, you learn about various people’s journeys in the LGBTQ+ community. Some of these stories filled my heart with joy while others gutted me. I have no doubt that the pain I felt reading these stories is only a glimpse of what these characters went through. If that wasn’t enough TJ and Bradley are learning who they are and what defines them. This combination made for a poignant coming of age novel where acceptance means having to accept yourself first.
I feel raw and my emotions are frayed, its the type of story that has you looking into your own heart and your own thoughts and wonder where you can improve, how you can be better. Much like TJ and Bradley, I want to do more and be more. The epilogue was everything I wanted and so much more. In truth, I could continue reading about these boys until the end of time but the story left my heart so very full and I will be swooning about these boys for days to come.
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