How (Not) to Conjure a Boyfriend by Jordon Greene: review

3/5 stars on Goodreads

How (Not) to Conjure a Boyfriend by Jordon Greene

This is a queer YA retelling of Sandra Bullock-Bill Pullman movie While You Were Sleeping from 1995, which I loved back in the day, but which probably isn’t well known among the YA target (unless they’re middle-aged women like me.) Knowing the plot, I read this mostly to find out how or if the story would differ from the original. There weren’t any surprises, but the story worked well.

Mackenzie is 17, nonbinary semi-orphan with a chronically depressed mother and a one-sided crush on Hayden, 18, a client at the café Kenzie works at. One night, Hayden slips, hits his head, and falls into coma. To get to see him in the hospital, Kenzie lies that they’re his enbyfirend, which the nurse tells to Hayden’s family. To Kenzie’s surprise, everyone is so delighted that Kenzie doesn’t want to reveal the truth. Especially when they’re invited into the kind of loving, warm family they don’t have at home.

The only person who doesn’t believe Kenzie is Zach, 17, Hayden’s equally gorgeous brother. He and Kenzie end up spending time together, and to their horror, Kenzie realises they’re falling for Zach. But instead of coming clean, they double down on the lie. All sorts of misunderstandings and missed opportunities to tell the truth take place, until Hayden wakes up, bringing an end to the lie.

This was a cute, feelgood queer romance, but it never rose to the level of the themes it introduced: gender identity, queerness, or mental health. All characters were understanding and sympathetic, no one was judgemental some misgendering notwithstanding, and no bad things happened. Kenzie’s mother roused from her depression to show some warmth, and even clearing up the lie went without complications. The ending was a bit abrupt, but conclusive and good.

Kenzie was a good character, with a lot going on in their life. I don’t know how well they represented an NB person, and they never reflect on their gender identity. We get more about them being a witch. Mostly they came across as a very typical YA heroine with their inner monologue—all their behaviour or self-expression was fairly feminine—or a Twinkie gay man. The narrative was from Kenzie’s POV, so side characters, Zach included, weren’t terribly well fleshed out. The bestie existed to show sympathy and support. Zach and Hayden’s parents were inspired by Bullock and Pullman. The witchy stuff was also inspired by Bullock’s Practical Magic (1998).

The plot followed the beats of the original. There was no conflict beyond the lie, so the mid-part of the book felt a bit long with filler events where Kenzie and Zach got to know each other. For a YA novel, school didn’t feature except for a couple of mentions, which was both refreshing and odd. All in all, this was an easy read that paid nice homage to the original without rising above it or introducing anything new.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Copper Script by KJ Charles: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Copper Script by KJ Charles

Copper Script is a stand-alone historical queer romance with a dab of mystery. It takes place in 1920s London and features Aaron Fowler, a detective sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, and Joel Wildsmith, a self-taught graphologist with an uncanny skill at understanding a person’s character through their handwriting. Both men are in their late twenties and veterans of the Great War, where Joel has lost his left, dominant, hand. Both are also gay at a time when that could land them in prison.

The two come in touch when Aaron’s cousin asks him to check Joel for fraud, having lost his fiancé because of Joel’s character assessment of him. Under a false name, armed with three letters, Aaron asks Joel to give assessments of each person. The results stun him, not least because one of the letters was written by him. Unable to leave be, he devices a blind test for Joel about an ongoing case. Not only does Joel call the perp, he tells that one of the writers is a very bad person. Unfortunately for Aaron, that letter was one of the control letters and belongs to a person he knows.

Joel is a graphologist because that’s the only way he’s able to support himself and work towards buying a better prosthetic hand than the government is willing to give him. He doesn’t trust the police—or Aaron—ecause a cop had tricked him into a sexual act, which had landed him in prison for two months. But when he reads Aaron’s letter, he’s instantly interested in the man, and aroused by him too. He knows he should push the other man away, but can’t help doing the opposite.

The mystery isn’t a typical whodunnit, and it doesn’t dominate the story. Aaron knows who; he doesn’t know the crime. He has a hunch though, as he tries to solve a death of a private investigator. The more he investigates, the greater the pressure on him to leave be becomes. But when the pressure lands on Joel too in the form of the biggest crime organisation in London, he knows he must do something. Problem is how to do it without ruining their reputations, landing them in prison—or losing their lives.

This was an excellent novella. It’s not long; sixteen chapters and a little over 200 pages on my e-reader. But it tells a complete, satisfying story of love that needs to be kept hidden, but which is so strong it’s worth the risks. Aaron and Joel were wonderful characters, with Aaron having a more complex backstory. Joel was more at ease with being gay, even though he had lost a lot because of it. He’s more emotional of the two, but with equally strong character as Aaron; a survivor willing to keep surviving. Aaron has had it easier in life to an extent, but he has maybe more to lose if they’re discovered.

Like always in KJ Charles’ books, the historical setting is well-researched and comes alive in small details. The solution to the men’s problems was maybe easily achieved, and mostly done behind the scenes, but it was satisfying. The ending isn’t necessarily a happily ever after, but it is a chance for the men to achieve it. All in all, a great small read.