Last year I became a fan of this author, and her books never disappoint. So when I saw this available on Netgalley, I rushed to grab it not only because I love her work but because this is historical fiction at its finest. Ryan Hyde has told the story based around one of America’s darkest periods that follows the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Through Steven, we meet Suki, Nick, and Ollie. Each of them has a path to follow. Unfortunately, some of those paths include some tough decisions for such young men.
I love the representation. I love how the author told Steven’s story, how emotional that story became, and how wrapped up in his future I became through the storytelling. My heart broke for Suki and Ollie and for the life Nick was forced into. All the boys are so richly detailed, and their stories so endearing that this makes for a hard read at times. I appreciate the research that went into this story. Boy Underground is a stunningly beautiful read. Thank you, Lake Union Publishing, for this read!
Boy Underground is available for preorder on Amazon, Bookshop, and B&N, it releases December 7th.
Read this review on Goodreads and Bookbub.
About the Book:
1941. Steven Katz is the son of prosperous landowners in rural California. Although his parents don’t approve, he’s found true friends in Nick, Suki, and Ollie, sons of field workers. The group is inseparable. But Steven is in turmoil. He’s beginning to acknowledge that his feelings for Nick amount to more than friendship.
When the bombing of Pearl Harbor draws the US into World War II, Suki and his family are forced to leave their home for the internment camp at Manzanar. Ollie enlists in the army and ships out. And Nick must flee. Betrayed by his own father and accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he turns to Steven for help. Hiding Nick in a root cellar on his family’s farm, Steven acts as Nick’s protector and lifeline to the outside world.
As the war escalates, bonds deepen and the fear of being different falls away. But after Nick unexpectedly disappears one day, Steven’s life focus is to find him. On the way, Steven finds a place he belongs and a lesson about love that will last him his lifetime.
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