Hello and welcome to my stop for “Anything but fine” by Tobias Madden. An huge thanks to Tbr and beyond tours for this chance and to the publisher for the earc!
Publishing date: January 25th, 2021
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All it takes is one missed step for your life to change forever.
Luca Mason knows exactly who he is and what he wants: In six months, he’s going to be accepted into the Australian Ballet School, leave his fancy private high school, and live his life as a star of the stage—at least that’s the plan until he falls down a flight of stairs and breaks his foot in a way he can never recover from.
With his dancing dreams dead on their feet, Luca loses his performing arts scholarship and transfers to the local public school, leaving behind all his ballet friends and his whole future on stage.
The only bright side is that he strikes up unlikely friendships with the nicest (and nerdiest) girl at his new school, Amina, and the gorgeous, popular, and (reportedly) straight school captain, Jordan Tanaka-Jones.
As Luca’s bond with Jordan grows stronger, he starts to wonder: who is he without ballet? And is he setting himself up for another heartbreak?
Thank you NetGalley, Page Street Publishing and Page Street Kids, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.
TW: homomisia, islamophobia, grief, parental death (previous)
Luca Mason has everything planned. He’s going to be accepted into the Australian Ballet School and leave his private high school behind to become a ballet star. But when he falls down a flight of stairs and breaks his foot everything changes. His doctor tells him he will never be able to dance again, he loses his scholarship, he’s forced to transfer to a public high school, leaving all his previous life, ballet and friends included, behind. The only bright side in his new school is the friendship with the brilliant and nerdy Amina and his new crush, the apparently very straight school captain, Jordan Tanaka-Jones. While their bond become more and more stronger, Luca starts to ask himself who is he now, without ballet and what he will be.
Tobias Madden wrote a brilliant and deeply relatable story about a young man whose dreams are shattered and his heartbreak, rage and strength in moving on, in finding a new dream and path. Luca’s life rotated around ballet. His dreams, his friends, his scholarship and when a life-changing injury changes everything he’s forced to upturn his whole life, reacting in a pretty relatable way. His pushes away his ballet friends, couldn’t bear to listen to them talking about dancing and his old school and traditions, his own father, his old dreams to become a dancer. In a very realistic way for a teenager, Luca lashes out, he makes mistakes, he pushes people, loved ones, away, he obsesses over people who could hurt him, like his crush on a straight boy. Luca’s life is turned upside down and now he has to adjust to a new school, new friends, new possible heartbreaks, bullies, studying, exams and so much more and the way the author wrote about him is realistic, heartwrenching and so beautiful.
It was both moving and inspiring reading how Luca faces everything, every changes in his life with righteous anger and pain, but also finding the strength into making new friends and moving on, picking up the pieces, forging new paths, strengthening relationships, cutting abusive and cruel ones. This book was really inspiring and strong, I loved the author’s writing style and how, through Luca’s voice, I was able to understand his suffering and determination, his curiosity and love. I loved his relationship with the witty and funny Amina, with Jordan and, later, with Grace too and his bond with his father was really well written and moving, I loved how they understand, support and love one other, realzing their mistakes, apologizing and moving on.
Definitely recommended it.
Originally from Ballarat, Tobias worked for ten years as a performer, touring Australia and New Zealand with musicals such as Mary Poppins, CATS, Singin’ in the Rain, and Guys and Dolls. In 2019, he edited and published UNDERDOG, the first #LoveOzYA short story anthology for previously unpublished Aussie young adult fiction writers. Also in 2019, he wrote the cabaret show Siblingship, which played to sold out audiences in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. Tobias is a passionate member of the #LoveOzYA and LGBTQ+ communities, and currently works in publishing as a Digital Marketing Executive and YA Publicist.
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Lu is lost in books 
Un pensiero riguardo “Anything but fine by Tobias Madden- Book Tour”