DON’T LET ME GO by J.H. Trumble
Publication Date: December 27th 2011 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Rating: 
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Summary: Some people spend their whole lives looking for the right partner. Nate Schaper found his in high school. In the eight months since their cautious flirting became a real, honest, tell-the-parents relationship, Nate and Adam have been inseparable. Even when local kids take their homophobia to brutal levels, Nate is undaunted. He and Adam are rock solid. Two parts of a whole. Yin and yang.
But when Adam graduates and takes an Off-Broadway job in New York—at Nate’s insistence—that certainty begins to flicker. Nate starts a blog to vent his frustrations and becomes the center of a school controversy, drawing ire and support in equal amounts. But it is the attention of a new boy who is looking for more than guidance that forces him to confront who and what he really wants.
Book Review Overview:
- Heart-wrenching tale that will make you cry and laugh
- Perfectly flawed characters that are so realistic, so inspiring
- You don’t have to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or whatever to read this. Whatever your sexuality is, you will relate.
I didn’t believe the hype before I picked up this book. I needed one more book to read in 2011, and Brent urged me to pick up J.H. Trumble’s DON’T LET ME GO. I already knew that Brent was a massive fan of the book, and since I was in the mood for a contemporary novel, I asked Brent to Lend Me his ebook copy of the novel. I read this in less than 24 hours in two sittings. It’s one of those books where I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed.
Trumble is such a talented writer. I loved the alternation between past and present because it gave a lot of insight on how Nate and Adam’s relationship started and progressed. Furthermore, Trumble has that rare ability to make you cry in one paragraph and laugh out loud in the next. I urge you strongly not to read this in public; your reaction may cause other people to give you weird looks.
DON’T LET ME GO is relatable to everyone because the basis of the novel is the relationship between Nate and Adam. It doesn’t matter that the main characters are gay because the characters are so easy to relate to. Trumble puts you in Adam’s shoes and you feel his heart break. Like Nate, as much as I wanted to trust Adam, I just couldn’t do it. A million different scenarios ran in my mind about all the things that Adam could do to hurt Nate while he was in New York City. I didn’t want to think the worst of Adam, but Trumble made it so difficult not to. In addition to Adam, Nate is also so flawed which made him even more realistic. He’s not perfect either, but he works to make himself a better person. Nate has trust issues and he has to learn to accept that people won’t judge him based on his past. Trumble creates such realistic characters and brilliantly captures what it is like to be in a long distant relationship including the insecurities, trust issues, and the reunions.
Furthermore, DON’T LET ME GO reminded me on how lucky I was to live in a liberal area and have attended such a liberal school. It reminded me that there are teens out there who are not so lucky and who do not have the freedom to be who they want to be. Nate is such an inspiring character to read about because despite the fact that he was bullied and abused, it does not stop him from standing up for what he believes in. He’s inspiring not only to the teens in the novel but also to teens reading the novel. Nate made me want to do something to help gay teens who live in more conservative areas.
I’d highly recommend DON’T LET ME GO to those who are fans of David Levithan’s novels and bittersweet contemporaries. I highly urge you to support this fantastic author and buy this book.
Why I’m Biased: I was influenced by two reviews raving DON’T LET ME GO, written by Ecey and Brent!
Other Book Reviews:
Ece Red
The Naughty Book Kitties
About the AuthorJ.H. Trumble is a Texas native and graduate of Sam Houston State University. You can visit the author online at http://jhtrumble.com and on Facebook and Twitter. |
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Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: JH Trumble, Book: Don't Let Me Go, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Heartwarmer, Makes You Think, Must Buy, Publisher: Kensington, Tear-Jerker | 
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9 Responses to “Don’t Let Me Go by JH Trumble: Book Review”
The entire time I was reading this my brain was like, BOY MEETS BOY BOY MEETS BOY BOY MEETS BOY.
I MUST read this. Like now.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
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It’s a bit more serious than Boy Meets Boy because it is set in the real world rather than a utopian society, but yup, it did remind me of Boy Meets Boy a lot!
Hope you enjoy!
Randi M says: Oooh, I haven’t heard of this one before, but now I really want to read it! Excellent review, you sold me on it.
This sounds like it’s an incredible book. I want to read it so bad after reading your review!
- Action Packed
- Borrow It
- Hahaha Funny
- Keeps You Guessing
- Masterful World-Building
- Page-Turner
- Poetic Prose
- Romantic Read
Wow. I don’t know what to say, but thank you!!!