Review — Rainbow High (Book 2)
One of my favorite books in recent years is Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez, the story of three gay teenagers who come to terms with their sexuality during their senior year of high school and come to learn more about each other than they imagined possible. If Rainbow Boys had been the complete story of Jason, Kyle, and Nelson, I would have been satisfied, but having two more books in this trilogy made me so happy, I can’t tell you.
Rainbow High is just as compulsive a read as Rainbow Boys, with the story picking up right where it left off, with questions like, is Nelson HIV-positive? Where’s Kyle going to go to college? Will Jason finally admit to his friends and the school that he’s gay, and that he’s dating Kyle?
All these questions are answered, and even more questions are posed, as we move toward the final book of the trilogy, Rainbow Road. It baffles my mind that Rainbow High only has a handful of ratings on Amazon as all three of these books are simply essential YA reads for people both gay and straight. I’m in love with these books because I see a part of myself in all three of these characters, but there’s something in these stories for everyone.
Rainbow High doesn’t feel so much like a sequel as it does a continuation of the first book. The writing is so simple and engaging, and the characters so three-dimensional and smart, that I wish the story of Nelson, Kyle, and Jason went on for ten books. In Rainbow High, Nelson tries to deal with a relationship with a boy who’s HIV-positive, when he may or may not be; Kyle tries to figure out if he wants to go to Princeton, without Jason, or Tech, with Jason; and Jason, the jock on the basketball team, has to decide whether to come out of the closet or stay inside. The novel ends at the prom, where secrets are revealed, and the impossible suddenly becomes possible. I can’t wait to see how Alex Sanchez wraps up this story.
If you haven’t checked out these books, I highly recommend you give them a try. You won’t be disappointed!
brianrowebooks.com 