Trust Me

I am 15 years old and having my own feelings about my sexuality. This book was phenomenal to me. This book captured so many of my feelings, my lusts, my dreams. It's unreal. I reccomend this book to anyone. Its powerful. Love filled. Fantastic job Jeff Erno. You inspire me to read, and I struggle A LOT with finding the motivation to do so.

Jeff has done it again, a book where I literally fell in love with both characters and later moved on to crying like a baby. I might be biased but I think Jeff is one of the best, his books always manages to touch something in me, and Trust Me was no different. Imagine the worst possible scenario for a young gay boy; imagine the worst possible scenario for a young boy. This book had it all, the questions of self-identity, the stereotypes and all the love. Moreover, the hot topic of homosexuality and Christianity. Shawn Graham is your average teenager, he worries about fitting in and getting along with his peers. The unique thing about Shawn is that he is a devout Christian, a truly good person who loves god. Thing is Shawn is a little on the effeminate side, and that seems to drive people to bully him, and adults telling him he is not man enough. Combine everything with being just your average teenager; this is a lot for Shawn to handle. He questions his sexuality; his self worth, and if he is queer can he still be a man devoted to god or does god hate him now. Bobby Wilder is your typical teenage bad boy, with problems at home and doing what he wants when he wants to. Only thing is Bobby seems to be attracted to other boys, and no self-respecting bad boy has those feelings. He does the only thing he can and that is to ignore his feelings. When situations leads him to live with his father, these feelings come back and they come hard, because Shawn Graham is everything he wants, and everything he should not have. From the very beginning, this book hit me hard; there was an intense scene that had my heart breaking and the tears flowing. Mr Erno manages to embody all the teenage angst and struggles within this book and it sure is effin believable. The writing is edgy and truthful, makes no apologies about the content and gives a big “WHY NOT”. As a gay man, why can’t I love god and have him love me back; why not live, be happy, and comfortable with who I am. Why not just love. I loved Bobby and Shawn together, their innocence and growing affection for each other was written wonderfully. I felt like a part of them, I got to watch them grow, cry and most of all fall in love and it was beautiful. Through hardships ( man it was hardships), and I read this at a time where so many young beautiful innocent lives were lost and it made me cry so much more. Being a teen is bad enough, a time of questioning and self-hatred, and to bring bullying into the mix, and not feeling acceptance, it can be rough. This book walked that line effortlessly, and made me celebrate the small victories. I am in love with these characters, I am in love with this book and I guarantee that Bobby and Shawn will bring a little joy into your life. Loved it!

This book was absolutely amazing! The plot, the feels, the secrets and characters...SOOOO GOOOD! At times I was squirming around because of the ultimate cuteness, other times I was screaming with frustration. If you haven't read yet...Read. This. NOW!!