Things We Couldn't Say

Written by Jay Coles

Narrated by Sheldon Best

From one of the brightest and most acclaimed new lights in YA fiction, a fantastic new novel about a bi Black boy finding firstlove . . . and facing the return of the mother who abandoned his preacher family when he was nine.

There's always been a hole in Gio's life. Not because he's into both guys and girls. Not because his father has some drinkingissues. Not because his friends are always bringing him their drama. No, the hole in Gio's life takes the shape of his birth mom,who left Gio, his brother, and his father when Gio was nine years old. For eight years, he never heard a word from her . . . andnow, just as he's started to get his life together, she's back.It's hard for Gio to know what to do. Can he forgive her like she wants to be forgiven? Or should he tell her she lost her chanceto be in his life? Complicating things further, Gio's started to hang out with David, a new guy on the basketball team. Are theyfriends? More than friends? At first, Gio's not sure . . . especially because he's not sure what he wants from anyone right now.There are no easy answers to love -- whether it's family love or friend love or romantic love. In Things We Couldn't Say, Jay Coles,acclaimed author of Tyler Johnson Was Here, shows us a guy trying to navigate love in all its ambiguity -- hoping at the other endhe'll be able to figure out who is and who he should be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781338781137

Reviews for Things We Couldn't Say

[Corinne Percy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had high hopes for this book, not only based on the stunning cover art, but by the similarities I have to the protagonist; I have never read a book with a Black bi Paramore stan as a main character, and the beginning of the novel was off to a strong start as well. Unfortunately, this book fell a bit flat for me for a multitude of reasons. Despite the fact that this novel primarily follows the complex relationships Gio has with important people in his life, these characters felt incredibly one-dimensional, to the point where their actions and decisions had little impact on the storyline. At one point in the story, a funeral is held for a side character who is cherished by the members of Gio’s community, and despite the emotional heartache the main character is described to be going through, the deceased character was never fleshed out enough for their death to resonate with the reader the same way it resonated with Gio. Secondly, the romance between Gio and David lacked chemistry, in my opinion. They went from reluctant acquaintances to romantic partners way too fast with no tangible evidence of their love for each other; why does Gio even like David? The whole thing felt incredibly rushed. Lastly, the author briefly touched on a plethora of different social issues, but I feel as if an interesting topic point could’ve been how Gio’s coming of age as a bi son of a pastor impacted his life and perception of himself. Despite these comments, I actually liked some of the tender depictions of parental abandonment and the occasional Paramore reference within the book; it just needed a bit more character and plot dimension for me.

[Cody S · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book??????. Didn’t think it would be that great, most definitely need a book to follow