Review by Booklist Review
Mack is an openly gay teenager whose father is a renowned filmmaker. He has privilege in his wealth, but he still experiences the ups and downs of high school--he's not sure whether his close groups of friends are using him for his material wealth, and though he has a decent relationship with his father, he's never met his deceased mother's family. After he finally snags his dream guy, K, Mack is surprised to learn that his father is uprooting them for three months to shoot a film in Glasgow, Scotland. Mack's relationship with K seems fragile, and he is worried that this sudden move will add more strain to their relationship. Further complicating Mack's situation is meeting movie star and trans activist Finlay while on the shoot. Stonewall winner Atta's novel in verse is an exquisite and detailed look at friendship, compromises, family, and love, deftly capturing Mack's insecurities in a voice authentic to the high-school experience. Readers will easily relate to Mack's complex feelings about his plight while empathizing with his friends and family as they try to negotiate their own relationships. Text exchanges included in the novel reveal even more vulnerability in the characters. While most of Mack's conflicts are interpersonal, Atta also seamlessly examines intersectionality as the teen explores English, Scottish, and Yoruba cultures throughout his travels. The vivid, multifaceted depiction of teenage emotions makes this highly recommended.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In an emotional free verse novel, Atta (The Black Flamingo) follows the tumultuous love life of a gay Londoner of Nigerian Yoruba descent. Nearly 16 and self-conscious about the fatphobia he experiences, narrator Mackintosh "Mack" Fadayomi is shocked when his schoolmate, Black British basketball star Karim, of Egyptian descent, expresses romantic interest in Mack. Karim is closeted, preferring "to do things quietly," and his inconsistent attention confuses Mack. Just as they start finding a balance, Mack's film director father announces a temporary move for the family, to Glasgow. There, Mack meets the white Scottish star of his dad's project, transmasculine teen Finlay, whose flirting (in a voice conveyed in Scottish dialect) excites him. While Mack and Karim struggle to make their way forward, Mack justifies a growing emotional affair with Fin, until forced to make a decision. Prose-like verse traces a slow-burn love triangle that avoids excusing Mack's actions, centering a protagonist whose emotional arc unpacks themes of young love and self-acceptance alongside intersections of body image, gender identity, race, and sexuality. Ages 14--up. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
This novel in verse follows the first romantic relationship experiences of a Black, queer, fat teenage boy learning to find love and acceptance within himself. Mack lives in London with his movie director father, whom he rarely sees. His loneliness lifts when he begins a romance with his longtime crush, male classmate K, who is not out; Mack reluctantly agrees to keep the relationship secret but wishes their time together included more than handholding and kissing. When Mack and his father move to Glasgow for two months to film a documentary about Fin, a social media-famous transgender teen, Mack struggles with long-distance intimacy and with his newly developing feelings for Fin. Short stanzas break up the lengthy text, easing readability. Mack's romantic struggles and insecurities are relatable to a broad audience, and the characters are varied enough in race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity that many teens will recognize themselves. Russell Reece July/August 2022 p.111(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Friendship, family, and film collide in this queer love triangle. Life in London is star-studded for 16-year-old Mack, a Black British boy of Nigerian Yoruba descent, son of film director Tejumola Fadayomi. Mack gets asked on the red carpet about his rumored relationship with Finlay, the leading actor in his father's latest film. The book then moves back in time 18 months to when Mack gets to know Maz, a girl at school. They become fast friends, bonding over food and the shared loss of their mums to cancer. Mack sees this as an opportunity to get close to Maz's cousin Karim, a popular athlete of Egyptian descent. They start dating but are forced to hide their relationship; K isn't out to his basketball team. Mack's poetry, text messages, and intimate conversations give insight into his insecurities, from wearing makeup in public to being the subject of fat jokes in the press: This raw beauty and honesty are the verse novel's greatest strengths. When Mack and his dad temporarily move to Scotland to shoot a movie, he can only see K on the weekends. Their relationship is further tested when Mack actually begins to fall for Scottish Fin, who is White, trans, and has 2 million social media followers. Once this central tension is set, the novel, that includes diverse cultural influences in the dialogue, builds slowly and ends abruptly. (This review has been updated for factual accuracy.) Emotionally frank scenes from a romance and the cutting-room floor. (Verse novel. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
