Hot Boy Summer

Gr 10 Up–In this unapologetic celebration of teen gay boy pride, Jiménez explores how social dynamics can influence our identities. Mac Acosta has just finished his junior year and looks forward to spending the summer with his best friend Cam when a chance encounter with two other queer boys in his English class leads to a whirlwind friendship with them. From the beginning, sparks fly between Mac and Mikey, but negative vibes fester between Cam and the rest of the group. Mac wants to stay friends with Cam and pursue these new relationships, but can he stay friends with someone who seems determined to put him and his new friends down? As Mac wrestles with whether being gay means having to dress or act a certain way, he also must figure out whether a seemingly toxic friendship is worth saving. Although the book relies heavily on references to Ariana Grande songs and RuPaul’s Drag Race episodes, which might become confusing to those not familiar with the pop culture references, it does a fantastic job of presenting a young boy as his true, authentic self as he determines which relationships are worth saving, and which are not.