Autoboyography, the significantly less fun Book of Mormon

You might be wondering why I'd pick this up more or less immediately after reading a disappointing book from the same authors. The answer is, of course, the gays! Red, White & Royal Blue was one of my favourite books of 2019, so I jumped at the opportunity to read another same sex love story. Plus, this one had a twist - one of the boys in the couple is a Mormon!

I'd like to say that I'm an adult now and I've left my thirst for teenage and romantic drama behind, but by now you know I read a lot of Young Adult and romcoms, so there's no point in pretence. This being the case, seeing the potential for D.R.A.M.A. in this book had me busting out the popcorn and cashing in my Audible credit for this baby.

The book starts off just as you'd expect - best friends, a bisexual back in the closet, and some questionable insta-love. As I said, I picked up this novel specifically for the drama, so I was prepared for some high-school conflict. But I expected the Mormon angle to be handled with a humorous approach, much like I've heard The Book of Mormon has been. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the story quickly turned into a narrative of suffering which read more like an anti-Mormon propaganda than an interesting twist on YA romance.

Don't get me wrong, as an openly bisexual lady and an overall decent human being (or so I hope), I take a number of issues with the Mormon teachings. I just dislike having deep dives into controversial religious topics sprung on me under the guise of a lighthearted romcom. It makes the whole experience rather uncomfortable when I've come to the story for amusing high-school drama and some light romantic conflict.

And don't even get me started on Sebastian! When I finished the book, I was reluctant to discuss it with my friends because I wasn't sure how to summarise my feelings about it, and Sebastian in particular. On one hand this story has the same issue as the previous Christina Lauren book I reviewed (Roomies) - there's entirely too much suffering in it, and that's not the type of content I was after.

We see the Mormon church being horrible to gay people, we see Sebastian's family being horrible to him, and perhaps most harrowing, we see Sebastian being horrible to himself. I can't even imagine how horrible it must be growing up in a culture which shuns who you are, and worst still - growing up with beliefs which make you hate yourself. So on that front I feel sorry for Sebastian.

Alas, we also have the other side of Sebastian. Instead of dealing with his inner conflict in a healthy, or at least contained way, he lashes out - multiple times - at Tanner, taking him through a roller-coaster of 'will they, won't they' so toxic it can almost hold a candle to Ross and Rachel from Friends. Tanner is not your punching bag, boy! Either drop him for good or commit to being with him and suffer the consequence. Other people shouldn't be made to suffer because you can't sort yourself out!

Tanner, on the other hand, is only marginally more likeable. And the only reason I'm cutting him any slack is because we were all a bit foolish in high school. I understand the maturity and commitment involved in giving someone a second chance after they've hurt you. Giving someone multiple chances while they are consistently treating you like shit is another matter entirely, and I'm not here for it. Tan, you can do so much better my dude!

He's not entirely without blame in this story either. As well as keeping secrets from his incredibly supportive best friend Autumn he goes on to screw her over (literally and metaphorically), while knowing full well that she had feelings for him. We've all been Autumn. We all feel for Autumn. That's a bad thing you did Tanner!

Autumn is definitely the best character in this book. She's refreshingly different from most female characters in YA novels, she's a book nerd without being annoying about it and she's there for her best friend the whole time, from the lying to the selfishness and, of course, the self-destructive sulking. Some would say the story only has a happy ending because of Autumn. You go, Autumn!

To leave this on a somewhat positive note I'll close by saying that I did enjoy the slight meta elements of the story - if you think about it, Autoboyography is basically Tanner's book, with some added detail and points of view.

2.5/5 stars

(And I'll be taking a break from Christina Lauren books.)