I was reminded somewhat of one of my favorite non-M/M novels, A Separate Peace, in the way the narrator (Seth, aka "Dawn") seemed to be telling us the story of Joel Summer, whom he has a crush on. When I say that, I simply mean that there was something in the feel of the story that reminded me (in a pleasant way) of Gene and Finney in the other novel. The comparison ends there. Joel is struggling with being gay and closeted and the fact that Seth is out to his friends and family makes it impossible for the two of them to be together, though they crush on each other for years. Eventually, of course, things come to a head. There were two things that made the story less enjoyable to me than it could have been: 1. I really felt as though the story lay in Joel's struggles more than Seth's and those were largely occurring off-screen. And 2. I would really have liked to have seen the story fleshed out more. Considering that it covers a period of three or four years, it could have been a bit longer than 23 pages.But I loved it and would like to see more in the same vein from the author. A really sweet short story from Sue Brown about an attraction that starts when our young protag Seth is 15 and his crush from afar - the captain of the football team Joel - is 18. It takes place over a period of three years and as it progresses and time passes Seth and Joel's relationship goes through different phases starting with secret heated glances and a realisation they are both gay but unable to act on it, to misunderstandings due to Joel's fear of coming out and finally being brought together because of adverse reactions when Joel finally admits he's gay! Again, considering its short length, there is no feeling of being short changed because from the word go this endearing story pulls you in and keeps your interest peaked as these two young men dance around each other once a year when they are brought together as they, and their relative gang of friends, migrate to the beach every summer. Over the three years they never really connect properly but they do have one heated moment together that proves how attracted to each other they really are. This really portrayed the feelings of a first crush and first love perfectly and best of all it ends exactly how you would want it to. Bittersweet in parts - but in a not too sad a way, this was a very enjoyable bedtime read. :D
What do You think about Summer's Dawn (2013)?
I started re-reading this as soon as I finished :)Want a sequel soooo badly, please Sue :)
—derek
