Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Closeted journalist Sam and stoner basketballer Charlie were best friends since the age of nine, but just months before Charlie's mom died of leukemia, the two parted ways and haven't spoken since. Neither knows why one dropped the other; they simply stopped talking. Just over a year later, the two reunite at night in a park near their neighborhood. Sam's just botched his first date with a guy named Justin, and Charlie's licking the wounds of a pot-smoking habit gone to the dogs. It's obvious their lives are parallel: Each has the parent the other is missing, and each one needs something the other has to give. Their relationship unfolds in the empty spaces left behind in the other's memory, and it's the weight of their troubles that brings them back together. Adult author Ryan's tightly wrought YA debut moves fast, and each boy's voice is ragged, distinct and desperate enough to wrangle the hearts of most teen readers, both guys and girls. Nothing wraps up neatly, but both boys discover that broaching the impasse they never claimed may be easier than solving the more complicated problems of their everyday life. A broody story of platonic friendship lost and found. (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

School Library Journal
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Gr 9 Up-This story of estranged best friends Sam and Charlie, both 16, unfolds in alternating chapters that gradually expose each character's growing set of problems. Charlie has lost his mom to leukemia, and the grieving process seems to have stalled out in dysfunction as his dad leans on alcohol and the teen finds himself owing big bucks to an increasingly surly dealer for all the weed he's been smoking. Sam's father recently left his mom to live with a man, his mother is dating a homophobic boor, and Sam is struggling to come to terms with the realization that, apparently, he and his father are both gay. Readers won't know exactly what drove the young men apart until late in the story when their lives accidentally reconnect on a fateful evening-just as their respective crises peak and they need each other's support the most. Ryan scores big points for largely avoiding the oversimplifications, stereotypes, and preachiness that sink lesser novels. Instead he's pulled off an admirable balancing act, crafting a story about the importance of male friendships that is appropriately sensitive while seasoned with just the right amount of authentic teenage testosterone.-Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

"*Starred Review* Teens Charlie and Sam were best friends, until Sam stopped speaking to Charlie. In his first book for young people, Ryan (Send Me, 2006) slowly reveals the cause of the rift in chapters that alternate between the two boys' viewpoints. Over a Florida summer, each boy wrestles alone with problems. Following his mother's death, Charlie worries about his shut-in dad, who drinks too much. He escapes by smoking pot, a habit that's put him into deep debt to a threatening dealer. Sam's dad lives with his male lover, and Sam, who has been hiding his own male attractions, worries if he is gay, too. When each boy reaches a crisis point, he finally turns to the other. In a less-gifted author's hands, this novel could have felt crowded. But Ryan offers complex views of family lives, realistic language (including some anti-gay slurs), and convincing characters in Sam and Charlie. Sam's new romance with another guy is a buoyant subplot; just as welcome is the sensitive story of two teen boys forging a close, honest friendship."--"Engberg, Gillian" Copyright 2007 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
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Adult novelist Ryan (Send Me) makes his young adult debut with this honest perspective on coming to terms with one's identity. The story centers around two ex-best friends-17-year-olds Sam and Charlie-supposedly in their high school prime. Sam's father has moved out in order to "research his book" (but really to stay with his "friend" David abroad), and his mother's fill-in boyfriend, Teddy, is blatantly homophobic. Sam is attracted to his new gay friend, Justin, but denies these feelings to himself and others. That his father is apparently gay only fuels Sam's angst ("Can't you just hear the talk? Sam Findley's dad's a homo, and he's turned Sam into one, too"). Meanwhile, Charlie has his hands full caring for his father, an alcoholic widower, and he smokes pot as an escape. Charlie's girlfriend dumps him after finding out about his drug habit, and he owes his increasingly threatening dealer $500-money that he doesn't have. In a surprisingly believable reconciliation, the boys finally confide in each other, learn how wrong assumptions can be and slowly begin to rebuild their friendship. Teens will find both boys' storylines (and narrative voices) thoroughly compelling right through to the end, which leaves many ends rightfully untied, underscoring the lingering effects of life's messier moments. Ages 12-up. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved