Watermarsh Tales: Book One Is it possible to have it all–even for a boy from a dying town of old cranberry bogs? Even for the son of religious zealots who will never accept his being gay? Even if his closeted boyfriend will never acknowledge their relationship and dates girls to distract people? Sixteen-year-old cross-country runner Zeph hopes so, because he isn’t giving up on his happily ever … giving up on his happily ever after. He has big plans for life after high school and for his relationship with Connor… even if Connor insists they keep it secret.
Then Bronson, an old friend of Zeph’s, returns to Watermarsh after being kicked out of boarding school with secrets of his own in tow. But they keep their eyes on the prize and start a blog to impress colleges who often dismiss small-town students like them.
But not even Zeph can run from everything as his home life implodes and the love triangle he’s stuck in with Bronson and Connor begins to crumble. He’ll do whatever it takes to hold on to hope–even if it means a covert trip to Bronson’s old prep school.
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Sixteen-year-old Zeph’s junior year of high school isn’t the greatest. Yes, he’s on the cross-country team with his friend Connor, and yes, they “hook up” any time they can, but those are things on the surface. Much deeper down, things aren’t quite so rosy, especially when his religious zealot parents find out he’s gay, and when his best friend Bronson returns from boarding school.
Watermarsh is a small town once renowned for its cranberry bogs, but now, it’s just a small town with not a lot going for it except secrets—a lot of secrets. Zeph’s father runs a road-repair business and his mother is heavily into her church—the kind of church where you don’t have gay sons. When Zeph comes out to his parents, they refuse to accept that. So they reach an agreement with Zeph. He doesn’t have to attend church (which he hates) as long as he doesn’t come out to anyone else and embarrass his mother. Their uncomfortable agreement lasts for a while. What they don’t know is that Zeph’s friend and teammate, Connor, and Zeph meet quite often, and not for team sports.
But Connor isn’t okay with being out. Not like Zeph. Zeph is his dirty little secret. Then Zeph’s old friend Bronson comes back from boarding school and Zeph discovers what life could be like if he wasn’t someone’s secret. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
This was a story full of the usual teen angst plus the added issues of being gay or bi, religious zealots, small town gossips, and suicide (a very small part of the story but it’s talked about as in the past). The author does a decent job of showing us Zeph’s issues and how he handles things. And there’s a definite HEA that satisfies completely.
One thing I absolutely loved – and laughed over—was the author’s use of non-swearing swear words for the coach (get your aspirin over here!). It’s a shame that only lasted for a page. The humor was a nice break from all the angst.
One thing that didn’t work for me… was that it was a little slow to get into, but once I did, this was a decent story that came out right in the end. Nicely done.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book—and not just to teens. The characters are well-constructed and believable, the setting works, and the issues are definitely handled well and in a way that makes you believe it could have happened that way. It’s a realistic look into teen life and all the things that can go wrong—or right.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Veronica –
When we first meet Zeph (great name), his life seems pretty good. His best friend Connor is his secret boyfriend, he is on the track team, he is well liked, he has solid parents (even if they are religious zealots), and a really cool attic hangout in his dad’s factory.
It doesn’t take long before Zeph’s life starts to become complicated. He’d rather things with Connor not be secret. And are you really boyfriends if your secret boyfriend is getting it on with girls? Then Bronson returns to school having been gone for several years. He his openly gay and interested in Zeph, and Zeph finds being with Bronson so much easier than being with Connor. Add in issues with his parents, issues with being in the closest, general teenage angst, and suddenly Zeph’s easy life is anything but and things get quite serious.
I was fascinated by Zeph. He is a good guy but there were times when he didn’t stand up for himself or speak up when I thought he should have, and it frustrated me. But it interested me too. He was intelligent, why did he seem so tongue tied at times? I wanted to learn more about Zeph and the further into the book we got, the more I understood him.
There are some very difficult scenes in this story and also some uplifting ones. Zeph’s journey sucked me right in and I even cancelled plans I had made so that I could stay inside and keep reading. Cranberry Boys is an excellent young adult novel that is about more than just the romance, it is about growing up and it is really well done. A solid four stars from me.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Cranberry Boys (Watermarsh Tales #1) by Scudder James Jr. to read and review.