The You I See follows Alex and Brandon from the ages of twelve to eighteen as they bond after a meeting at church and gradually develop a friendship that turns into a relationship and all of the challenges in between. The book is incredibly earnest and sweet, the friendship between Alex and Brandon is the beating heart of the book, but additionally, the relationship between Alex and his parents, as well as Brandon and Alex's parents made up some of the most impactful scenes of the novel.

This being said, it's hard not to feel like the book could have cut a solid hundred pages just by narrowing down some of the more mundane moments and details. There is a lot of meandering passages that just reaffirm what is already known or discussed between the characters that could have really been edited to create a more engaging read. The bigger moments stick out such as Alex coming out and Brandon's parents' discovery of his sexuality, but they also feel a little rote and there's a strange mix of both too much trauma and too much wish fulfillment in the novel. Everything gets wrapped up tightly in a bow at the end and while that is the ideal outcome, it doesn't feel entirely realistic despite the repeated attempts at realism in the book when it comes to the trauma that Alex and Brandon endure.

It feels rough to critique the book for these reasons because the subject matter is so important and heart wrenching, but a bit more editing could have made this book a lot more compelling.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised how much I truly enjoyed The You I See.
I think the author did a really job painting a picture of the way things are today.
The characters were realistic and really I enjoyed reading more about them.
Brandon and Alex, I loved these two boy's. They are very well portrayed.
Danny really did a great job here and I look forward to reading more of his work in TBE future.

Atmosphere Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Thank you, Athmosphere Press, for allowing me to read The You I See early.

Although I read a lot of queer YA titles, I hadn't heard of this story before. I love YA books set in the late eighties and early nineties, and I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading The You I See. The author immediately drew me into the story. I loved how the friendship between Alex and Brandon developed into something more and that Alex had such supportive parents back then. This book was so much more than I expected beforehand. I’d love to read more by Danny Freeman in the future!

I received this from Netgalley.com, this did not influence my review.

Some books are just incredibly sincere, earnest, and genuine. This was one of those books. The author deftly captures so much of the drama and uncertainty of growing up gay and the drastic highs and lows of first love; the uncertain line between close friendship and something more and the terrible apprehension of voicing that longing. There are definitely some elements of fantasy and escapism however, Alex and Brandon's relationship is almost cinema perfect at times and Alex's parents are understanding and kind almost to a perhaps unrealistic ideal. Yet even these elements have their place in the story and serve to enhance the book over all, (e.g. showing what a positive influence supportive parents can and should be).

There were a few things I felt got in the book's way, the writing at times seemed predictable and the dialogue sometimes didn't seem genuine. But, these few shortcomings are easily overlooked and the novel's depth, earnestness, and central themes of maturity, acceptance, and love win out easily. As a whole this book was a fantastic read that drew me in from start to finish, made me care about the characters, and provoke some very strong emotions. I was invested very early on and read most of it in one sitting, I would be interested to see what else this author creates.

This is technically an historical fiction (set 1980’s - early 1990’s) of two boys meeting and figuring out that they are in love. Cute romance with themes of religious bigotry.