And they lived...

Title:

And they lived...

Author:

Summary:

Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he's plagued with the belief that he's not enough for anyone: he's recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can't quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester. Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in a close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love--and be enough for--himself, while discovering what it means to truly live. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 14+. Bloomsbury Children's Books.

Grades 10-12. Bloomsbury Children's Books.

Physical Description:

374 pages ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Romance fiction.

Subject Term:

College freshmen -- Fiction.

Gender identity -- Fiction.

Gay teenagers -- Fiction.

First loves -- Fiction.

Body dysmorphic disorder -- Fiction.

Eating disorders -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Bloomsbury,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9781547608195

Publication Information:

New York : Bloomsbury, 2022.

Call Number:

YA SALVATORE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003562785	Young Adult	SALVATORE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

From the author of Can't Take That Away comes a sex-positive, fairytale-inspired YA novel that celebrates first love and self-acceptance, perfect for fans of What If It's Us .

"My heart didn't stand a chance. I loved it from once upon a time all the way to its joyfully complex ever after ." - New York Times bestselling author Becky Albertalli

"A jolt of lightning to my soul. The characters are so bright, the emotion is so vibrant, and the love is exquisitely electric." - Jason June, author of Jay's Gay Agenda

Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he's plagued with the belief that he's not enough for anyone: he's recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can't quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.

Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love--and be enough for--himself, while discovering what it means to truly live .

Author Notes

Steven Salvatore is a gay, genderqueer author, writing professor, Mariah Carey lamb, and Star Wars fanatic with an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. They are the founder and CEO of Queerative Writers, a virtual creative workshop series for LGBTQ+ aspiring writers. They are the author of AND THEY LIVED..., CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY, and NO PERFECT PLACES: A Novel , and are represented by Jess Regel of Helm Literary Agency. As a native New Yorker, their heart belongs to the Adirondacks.
stevensalvatore.com
Twitter: @StevenSSWrites
Instagram: @StevenSalvatoreBooks

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 10 Up-- After his gay stop-motion videos of Disney characters went viral during his senior year of high school, Chase, a queer nonbinary artist, is living his happily ever after as he starts freshman year in a prestigious animation program. But the reality of figuring out his gender identity, dealing with family trauma, fighting a bitter rivalry with a former best friend, and beginning a secret romance that has him questioning his self-worth is hardly the stuff of fairy tales. This novel is complicated, full of messy, flawed humans discovering themselves, their art, and how they want to live as brand new adults. Salvatore handles Chase's body dysmorphia and eating disorder recovery with sensitive realism, acknowledging how it affects every aspect of his life, without letting the disorder become his defining characteristic. Chase and most of the main characters are white, with some diversity in secondary characters. VERDICT A sex-positive, LGBTQIA+ romp through an artist's freshman year of college, with quick, witty dialogue and sure pacing that makes it a perfect crossover title for older teens and college students in the vein of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl and Margot Wood's Fresh.--Molly Saunders

Publisher's Weekly Review

As viral film sensation and self-described "uncoordinated queer AF Disnerd Chase Arthur," who is white, starts college, there's a lot on his mind: avoiding his ex-best-friend on campus, becoming an animator for Disney, maybe falling in love, navigating body dysmorphia and disordered eating, and figuring out his gender identity and "the whole pronoun question." He quickly befriends his roommate, "pure gay chaos" Italian American Benny and suitemate Xavier, Black and also gay, then meets adorably masc, white student Jack Reid, who's as passionate about writing as Chase is about animation. Though Chase can't tell whether Jack's queer or into him, he can't help making the lead characters in his tropey fairy tale animation project resemble the two of them. Salvatore (Can't Take That Away) renders Chase's experiences sympathetically, uses the animation project to create a romantic story-within-a-story, and fills the book with funny, pop-inflected dialogue. Taking on coming out, the challenges of art-making, the importance of mentors who get where one is coming from, and the joys and terrors of romance, Salvatore sweeps readers off their feet. Ages 14--up. Agent: Jessica Regel, Foundry Literary. (Mar.)