Land On Me
by Matthew R. Corr

Grief is just love with nowhere to go.

Landon Griffin is a senior at Madison High in Madison, Texas, or “Mad High” as it’s called. He was the running back and co-captain of the school’s football team. He has had a girlfriend, who he has dated for over a year, and things were looking good for him to get a football scholarship. His dad is the superintendent of the high school and in his first year of campaigning to become Mayor of Madison, which packed on the pressure of being the golden boy.

One day he notices the back of someone in school. He is left wondering what he looks like from the front. And why does he even care? Giving the stranger the codename Mystery Boy, his simple life shatters when feelings spark for a guy he’s never met. Why is fate playing a cat and mouse game with his obsession with Mystery Boy? So, while trying to figure out where all this fits into the spectrum of his sexuality, his worries are compounded by what if people found out, everyone would treat him differently. It could even ruin his dad’s chances of getting the votes he needed for mayor.

It’s a beautiful coming of age story with a little confusion of sexuality mixed in. It’s respectfully and sweetly done. The gay stress the story invoked felt real. It filled me with a sense of dread, outrage, and sadness. The story does have some lighter notes from the 1980’s nostalgia the author throws in.

I didn’t want to stop reading because I didn’t want the book to be over, so I was stuck. I would put the book down knowing it was going to end soon but pick it back up again because I wanted to know how it ended.

The next book will come soon enough, even though I can’t wait.

LGBTQ+
Coming of Age
Romance

Walk With Me Into the Dark