Social Skills
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4.2 • 9 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Music is the only form of communication Connor Owens controls. No matter how badly he wishes to fit in, friendly banter and casual conversations have never been his thing. College is yet another social universe he has no clue how to navigate—until he meets Jared, a football player with chestnut eyes and a cocky grin that holds the power to shatter his self-imposed prison.
Jared's attention opens Connor up to a new realm of emotional and physical intimacy. But as Connor's self-confidence grows, so does his fear that everything will fall apart. Because in this socially stratified world, how long can a relationship between an introverted violinist and a closeted football player really last?
Customer Reviews
Coming of Age and Coming Out.
This not a happy book. It deals with the painful and probably real account of a first year college student who has to live with his lack of social skills and who panics when he can’t find the words he needs when interacting with people. He notices a football jock and can’t keep his eyes off him. When he is asked to tutor students who need extra help, he is shocked when Jared, the object of his desire, walks into the tutoring room. Slowly, he begins to feel somewhat comfortable in Jared’s presence and is overjoyed when Jared shows interest in him. A relationship begins, but it’s not an easy path.
This could be a great first love, coming out story but so far it has been mostly gloomy with Connor’s stress levels in the forefront regarding his lack of social skills and getting upset when he questions how serious Jared is about their relationship.
This reads like real life, where people can be unaware of the needs of someone like Connor and the uncertainty of first love. But this is fiction and I wanted more from the author. Every story has to have some light and dark but this story just has so much dark teenage pain in it. It had me wanting some joy in Connor’s life. Eventually, some things begin to make sense and there is an improvement in Connor and Jared’s relationship, but this only happens at the very end of the book. I just wish the writing had been more balanced.
2 stars.