Autoboyography Review & Summary – Updated 2019 – By Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren’s young adult novel, Autoboyography, is a beautifully crafted piece, exploring a teenager’s journey of self-discovery. The story captures all the elements of coming-of-age and being bisexual in a conservative society. This novel is a must-read for those interested in the genre – you won’t be able to put it down.
The novel will touch every nerve in your body and open your eyes to the reality of the currently held views of bisexuality in the world society. You may come away with a new appreciation of the issues raised and be entertained by the range of emotions and experiences contained in Autoboyography. Some of the links on this page are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate we may earn a tiny amount from qualifying purchases if you end up buying something through one of them.
Please note: This review has not been written by Virginia Hodgson & therefore may not express or be an accurate portrayal of her thoughts on the matter. This review has been provided by a third party in an attempt to help educate potential readers as to what is available via other author’s books and the topics they explore.
Autoboyography Review & Summary
Tanner Scott, the protagonist in Autoboyography (you can click here to see it), is a bisexual senior in high school. He has a good life in California with a family that supports his choices and who encourage him to be himself. His sexuality does not bother anyone, and he is free to live his life.
Life as Tanner knows it changes suddenly when the family moved to Provo, Utah a few years later. His new community is filled with Mormons forming part of the church of the Latter-Day Saints. This conservative community is not accepting of bisexuality and Tanner is forced to keep his sexual choices under wraps.
He agrees with his parents to stay quiet until he finishes high school, when he plans to leave for college outside of Utah. It is not something that his parents ask of him lightly, especially since his mother has already been through the turmoil of a similar situation. His mother was also part of the Latter-Day Saints community but left her Mormon background when her sister was not welcomed after coming out.
Tanner agrees to keep quiet, but it is not easy to do and it feels like he has to hide his true self from the world. Tanner does not want any problems or to create a stir in the community so he even keeps his secret from his best friends, Autumn and Manny.
As senior year continues, Autumn challenges Tanner to enroll for The Seminar, a prestigious writing class, where students write a book in four months. This seems like more than enough time to write a book and Tanner is certain that it will be super easy.
All Tanner’s ideas of the class are thrown out the window as soon as he sets foot into the class. His attention is immediately drawn to Sebastian Brother, the mentor for the class and a Seminar success story.
Sebastian Brother is a college freshman that had resounding success in the previous year’s Seminar. His novel had been published and he is the perfect person to help with the class and he is focused on helping other writers achieve their writing dreams.
Tanner’s interactions with Sebastian accelerate when Tanner struggles to get started on his writing. Sebastian then has to help Tanner to get his novel going and the two quickly feel a spark of chemistry between them. The only problem is that Sebastian is part of the Mormon community and the son of an LSD bishop.
Emotions are cemented as time goes by and the two young men have an undeniable connection. Tanner experiences inner conflict as he wants to complete the novel but doing so will expose Sebastian. Uncertain of how it will affect the community, Tanner continues to hold back, even though his friends, Autumn and Manny, have come to accept him for his sexual preferences.
Autoboyography By Christina Lauren – What You Need To Know?
The journeys taken in Autoboyography are familiar to many people and become relatable to anyone reading the novel. All of us have struggled with contrasting emotions and uncertainty about other people’s expectations. These inner battles are captured with emotion and gut-wrenching truth in Autoboyography.
The novel has been released as a young adult fiction novel but many of the topics covered are more suited to a mature audience. Sexuality, LQBTQ and religion are all explored in this novel. These topics are relevant to society today, but some readers may not yet be prepared to face some of these issues.
Religious views in direct opposition with “controversial” sexual preferences is not something many authors will attempt in a young adult novel. Lauren captures these emotions and contrasting views in a true and real way. She lays it all bare and gives a harrowing account of how people on all sides experience the situation.
The truth and honesty of Autoboyography is what makes it a poignant novel. Tanner’s attempts to be himself in a world with opposing views is a gut-wrenching event. The high school senior constantly struggles with the conflict of being bisexual and pleasing the wider community.
At times the story will have you in tears, especially when Tanner is afraid that he has accidentally spilled the secret. His emotions become even more raw as he considers the consequences of outing Sebastian in the process. Learning to live with his choices and hiding who he is, becomes increasingly difficult for young Tanner.
As the story progresses, the bond between the two young men solidifies and it becomes clear that they will not be able to keep their secret forever. Shared moments, tears and unforgettable experiences draw them closer to each other and they soon realize that speaking out is the only way forward.
Autoboyography is direct and unforgiving. Society’s indiscretions and discrimination become clear in every part of the novel. The constant battle for acceptance and freedom underlines Tanner’s struggles during a reasonably good high school career. The happy senior undergoes emotions associated with more experienced people but takes it in stride.
Christina Lauren writes a book filled with humor, sadness and encouragement. The realms of friendships and relationships take on meaning and become reinforced through the choices made by all the characters.
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren is the must-read young adult book for the year. It is a novel that you just want to continue reading as every page captures your attention. Read this thought-provoking book today and prepare to have your mind opened to the possibilities. Relish in young love overcoming the boundaries of society. You can read the book here.
If you’re looking to discover great new romance novels, check out Virginia Hodgson’s books here. As an added bonus, many of them come with the Audiobook version included with them when you purchase them through the Kindle store.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.