A surprisingly wholesome coming-of-age novel about fighting for your right to exist
Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours and Matthew Hubbard for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary copy and media kit!
Book Information
Publishing Date: April 30, 2023
A queer coming-of-age debut about three teenage boys in small town Alabama who set out to get revenge on their ex-boyfriends and end up starting a student rebellion.
Ezra Hayes has always felt like a background character compared to BFFs Lucas and Finley. He would do anything to be seen as a romantic lead, even if it means keeping a secret summer boyfriend, Presley. But when he discovers that Presley is a lying cheater, and his best friends are having boy problems of their own, they want revenge.
Their plans to get even involve sabotaging the largest party of the year, entering a drag competition, and having Ezra run against his ex for Winter Formal King. Then the school district starts to actively censor queer voices with their Watch What You Say initiative. Taking to TikTok to vent frustrations, Ezra begins “The Last Boyfriends Student Rebellion.”
Between ex-boyfriend drama and navigating viral TikTok fame, Ezra realizes this rebellion is about something more important than revenge. It’s a battle cry to fight back against outdated opinions and redefine what it means to be queer in a small town.
Content Warning: homophobia, fatphobia, relationship abuse
Book Links
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198705880
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Boyfriends-Rules-Revenge/dp/0593707176/
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-boyfriends-rules-for-revenge-matthew-hubbard/1144040377
- IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-last-boyfriends-rules-for-revenge-matthew-hubbard/20589555
About the Author
Matthew Hubbard writes stories he wished he could’ve read as a teen in small town Alabama: stories with strong, queer protagonists finding their place to belong in this world. He grew up on a mountaintop farm and knows more than he is willing to admit about small towns. He studied marketing, English, and psychology in college and has spent a majority of his life speaking up to make a difference for nonprofit organizations. When he isn’t writing, Matthew can be found on a hike to witness breathtaking views, reading as many books as he can get his hands on, and cheering for his favorite hockey team. He lives in Chattanooga with his husband and their two dogs (Frito Layla and Phillip) and cat (Jay Gatsby).
Author Links:
- Website: https://www.matthewhubbardwrites.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewhubbard
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewhubbard
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22867376
Review (no spoilers)
If you’d like to follow along with the rest of the tour, you can find the tour schedule here.
I’m going to say something that’s going to sound really stupid. You know how people say, “don’t judge a book by its cover?” At first glance, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book—not because if its cover, but because of its title. The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge sounds kind of like a random collection of words thrown together, but it’s actually just missing an apostrophe lol.
The book follows a group of queer teenage boys who have been burned by love for the last time. In order to get back at those that hurt them, they start a TikTok account called “The Last Boyfriends” along with a list of “rules for revenge” for them to follow. When their account unexpectedly goes viral, they suddenly find themselves at the center of a student-lead rebellion, fighting for their rights to exist in a school that is desperate to keep them hidden.
Although the plot of this novel deals with some very hard issues, including queerphobia and toxic relationships, it was surprisingly incredibly wholesome. While our main characters deal with a plethora of obstacles, they remained a pretty solid united front in the face of adversity. There are no unnecessary relationship tears (romantic and platonic alike), and there were enough supportive characters present that the villains of the story never really felt like they had that much power. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a book about queer disruption/activism without the intense anxiety that often comes with those stories.
Jenjenreviews 