When Sandy Nixon’s conservative Catholic parents discover he’s had sex before marriage, they are furious. But when he blurts out he’s bisexual, they go ballistic. After they threaten him with conversion therapy, Sandy does what many queer kids long to do—leaves his homophobic parents in the dust. He moves in with his Uncle Phineas and Phineas’s partner Cody in Portland, Oregon, and is finally safe to be himself. Sandy misses his siblings, though, and decides to visit his former home in Rockford for Thanksgiving. On the train, he runs into Jade Byrne.
As the only out gay kid in their Catholic high school, Jade has stared down homophobes while being fabulous in the school musicals. He’s crushed on Sandy for years. But he’s made sure never to show it, even after they had a onetime hookup, because Sandy’s the good Catholic kid, the altar boy, and the apparently straight athlete—all the things Jade isn’t. Traveling back to Rockford together sees the start of a month of adventures, a blossoming attraction, and a chance for Sandy to learn what it means to have a family that hurts and to choose a family that heals.
As the only out gay kid in their Catholic high school, Jade has stared down homophobes while being fabulous in the school musicals. He’s crushed on Sandy for years. But he’s made sure never to show it, even after they had a onetime hookup, because Sandy’s the good Catholic kid, the altar boy, and the apparently straight athlete—all the things Jade isn’t. Traveling back to Rockford together sees the start of a month of adventures, a blossoming attraction, and a chance for Sandy to learn what it means to have a family that hurts and to choose a family that heals.
My Rating - 3.5 Stars!
CJ Elliott's Sand-Man's Family is a sweet coming of age romance. The third book in the Wild and Precious series, I read it as a standalone, but I'm now curious about the previous books and plan to read them soon. I can tell a whole lot of background and build up is in those stories.
We all know that covers are an important tool when trying to sell a book. This cover certainly doesn't scream "buy me," but the story is nice. So try to overlook the cover.
Sandy's a teen with a messy past. He's on a ride home to visit his religious, homophobic family when he gets a second chance with Jade, a friend with whom he has a complicated past. Oh, how I adore Jade. He's fabulous, colorful, and outgoing.
A whole lot of time is spent on Sandy's reationship with Dare though, as Dare is the one who helped Sandy confirm that he's bi-sexual. As much as this is interesting, I would have enjoyed more of Sandy and Jade together.
This is a tale with attempted conversion therapy, a whole lot of hate, and homelessness. Run far away if you aren't in the mood for these type of events. It's a tale with a family holiday and a slew of family issues. Basically, be prepared for some emotional moments.
The writing is good, but it's definitely a quick read; not too descriptive. The characters are lovely, but this is more of a coming of age tale than a romance. It focuses on living one's life for themselves and finding their way.
Sand-Man's Family is a sweet and tender YA tale in which CJ Elliott will delight you with a wonderful, happy ending. The main theme is that family is who you make it to be, which is always an uplifting message.
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