Review: Sing Out: Boxset

Sing Out: Boxset by Hanna Dare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Life In A Nowhere Town
Conor lives a small life, after his mother's death he and his father and sister are barely getting by (can I just say I find it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that a family can be bankrupted by medical bills when in the UK medical treatment is free), he only has two friends at school and he has no idea what to do with his life when he leaves. Life in a small town can be inhibiting, especially if you are a young gay man.

Then Conor gets a chance to audition for the hit reality show Singing Sensation.

While Conor waits to see if he has made the cut he starts a very unusual relationship with the high school bully - what's that all about?

This short novella gave me all the feels, reminding me of how lonely you can feel as a teenager, how bleak your choices can feel and how people aren't always what they seem.

California Schemin'
Our young hero has made it to California and the reality TV show Singing Sensation. Feeling like a minnow in a sea of sharks Conor is a bit lost. He's not worldly wise, unlike some of his fellow contestants and he's caught the eye of one of the judges.

Can Conor sort out the users and the fakers?

I loved this book so much, very different from the novella that started this series but Conor managed to be both naïve and naturally astute. So often I thought I knew where the plot was taking Conor and yet Hanna Dare deftly confounded my expectations.

The Man Who Told The World
So, this book starts with Conor in the final top ten contestants in the reality tv talent show Singing Sensation, his issues with kai have been put behind him and he is developing a relationship with Jesse.

I don't want to spoil anything about the show, suffice it to say that soon the show ends and Conor is abruptly thrust back into life in a small town and returns to high school, the same faces and the same dramas. Although this time his two best friends aren't speaking to him, or each other, and Derek Folsom is in jail.

Can I just say that I love this series and I am very glad with the way it turned out. Over the trilogy I have seen Conor develop into a more confident young man, someone who finds himself worthy and I am happy that he has found his true love.

Enough said, if you love a tender love story then this is the one for you.

View all my reviews