Queer coming-of-age stories for young adults are not my go-to genre but the synopsis intrigued me so I thought I’d give this debut novel a try. I am so glad I did! I don’t think I’ve rooted so much for two people to get together since reading Heartstopper last year. This is not just a love story though. It’s a story about friendship first and foremost. It’s a story about identity and so much more than you would at first expect from what looks like a fun, light-hearted read. I loved it!

Three words to describe it. Funny. Heart-warming. Colourful.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s super cute.

Have I read any other books by the same author? Not yet.

I am OBSESSED with this book.

This is the sort of book that, once you’ve picked it up, you can’t put it down. I was desperate to know what happened, willing myself to read faster so I could find out the ending but also trying to savour every second.

The Freaky Friday-style premise was so much fun, and such a cool concept. Yes, there were a couple of structural stumbles, but I didn’t even care, I was enjoying the book that much! Max’s joy is infectious, and that 18-year-old mix of confident bravado and innocence was incredibly endearing.

What I loved the most about this book is how it explored how queer identity affects more than just who you’re attracted to, or how you identify. It affects your relationship with your family, with your friends, with your wider community, and – most importantly – how you perceive yourself. This book was such a good way of exploring that idea. For example, Max finds out that the bravery he had when he came out inspired his dad to change careers. It was a great spin on the ‘body swap’ concept, and worked well alongside the usual themes of seeing your life from an external perspective.

This book was a joy from start to finish, and I’m sure it will stay with me for a long time!

I received a free copy as part of the Write Reads tour. All opinions are my own.

We love a good queer contemporary book on this blog, and Straight Expectations was no exception. With it being UKYA and a fun-sounding book with a very slight supernatural twist, I just knew I had to check this one out. I was on the tour for this one with The Write Reads Tours, so thanks for allowing me to participate in this.

In this book, we follow Max, a gay teenage boy who’s usually so focused on boys and his nail polish that he doesn’t always think to check his privilege. After having a massive fight with his friends one night, he wishes he could have the ‘easy’ life that straight kids enjoy. When he wakes up in the morning, it’s the day before, and he discovers that he really has become straight and that his best friend, Dean is nowhere to be found. As his new life starts taking turns that he never expected, he has to find a way to return to his real life before he messes up the new one too badly.

It did take me a little while to get into this book. It was an easy read, but it took a little longer to get to the wishing than expected. I understand why this was done, so you can see his real life. Still, once I reached the life swap, I was much more interested and managed to read around 250 pages of the book in one night. So that’s pretty good going.

I liked that this book had Max learning how he is privileged and then trying to improve himself once he has. He’s not a bad kid, but in some ways, he clearly does have advantages over his other friends. It’s not until he has to live like those he thought had it so much easier than him that he realised the differences. There’s a brief discussion on The Handmaid’s Tale, and I kinda wish that Max had gone on to read more of it, as Oliver suggested some of what he could learn. But he did learn those lessons in other ways. So that’s good.

The romance itself was pretty sweet. At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d like him and Oliver, but in the end, I really did. Oliver was a lovely guy, and we love a book nerd. Once Max stopped seeing him as someone to be idolised and actually just started to spend time with him, you really got to learn about the character. So I actually like that I wasn’t sure at first, but he grew on me. It felt like McSwiggan did an excellent job showing the differences between who Max thought Oliver was and who he actually was.

This was definitely a fun read, so if you’re looking to support more UKYA, especially queer UKYA, then check this one out!

This is such a great book! One would think all the queer ya stories have been told, but here comes Straight Expectations! Not only is it fast-paced and fun, it also makes you think about the deep stuff: what defines you, everybody's life has ups and downs, there is no "right" or easy way to be. Absolutely recommended!

Straight Expectations is such a fun read and I loved it! It’s an interesting take on the ‘careful what you wish for’ trope.
17 year old Max has everything in life, except a romance. He has fantastic best friends, his mum is supportive and he is a proud and out gay. After an attempt to ask out his dream date goes wrong, Max makes a wish that turns his life upside down. Is life really easier and better straight?
My favourite thing about Straight Expectations is that is shows how teen life can be difficult regardless of sexuality and how much difference the right people around you can make in life. Although there are some instances of homophobia in the book and conversations around suppression and rights, on the whole – it celebrates the LGBQTIA+ community and I would love to think it shows people who are struggling to come out the love, support and positivity that is out there (I know this is not the experience of everyone).
Max is a fun character. He is 17, very spoiled and supported and generally has all the angst of a typical teen. However, he is unaware of hardship and difficulties due to how spoiled and supported he is. I enjoyed seeing him mature and come to some realisations during the alternate timeline and that he works towards accepting how privileged his life was.
I loved the character of Dean; talented, the best friend you could ask for and a little more aware of struggle and not belonging than Max. Often the voice of reason and I missed him when he wasn’t around. Alicia is also a fabulous friend and ally and I loved how supportive she was. Everyone needs an Alicia and Dean in their lives!
Straight Expectations is a cute and light romance with some serious themes scattered on. It’s a story of friendship, love and captures the teen angst but also teen attitudes so well.
A very enjoyable young adult, gay romance that I had a lot of fun reading.

This was a fun, alternate universe comedy about friendship, identity and what it really means to be gay. It did what it set out to do and looked at identity in a comedic way.

I enjoyed it mostly but it felt a little out of touch in parts? At one point the main character said that there wasn't really a fight for gay rights anymore. I understand that publishing takes a while and this may have been written before all the recent turmoil, but the trans fight has never stopped and it's still illegal t be gay in many countries. I could forgive it if it was just cis white gay privilege (which the character certainly has in abundance) but as nothing was said to combat the statement, I can't really figure it out.

The characters were fun. There were definitely a lot of stereotypes, but they seemed like young boys trying to explore their identities and there was some exploration of that in the text and they seemed like well rounded characters as well. I loved how they looked at gender non-conforming fashion so much both as part of the characters and part of the plots as well. There was also a beautiful emphasis on friendship between the main trio of characters and that was beautiful to see.

All in all, I'm a bit conflicted about this book. I think if they take out the line about not having to fight anymore, I could say I enjoyed it, but as it stands, I'm just uncomfortable.

Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true! In Straight Expectations, the debut novel from YouTuber, blogger, and online radio presenter Calum McSwiggan, seventeen-year-old Max ends up learning the truth of this old adage the hard way.

After being left on read by Oliver, the boy of his dreams, Max says he wishes he had never been born gay. But he gets more than he bargained for when he wakes up the following morning with a considerably less exciting wardrobe and a room filled with posters of scantily-clad ladies. More importantly, his lifelong best friend Dean seems to have completely vanished from their school, boy-of-his-dreams Oliver is just another teammate, and Max finds himself eyeing up his friend Alicia in a distinctly 'more-than-just-good-friends' way.

Yet the more he gets to know 'Straight Max', the more that Max realises that there are more than a few similarities between his former self and this new identity. And as he finds out more about the world of 'Straight Max' - and why Dean isn't in it - he finds himself questioning his own privilege and learning that, whilst being out and proud is an important part of being Max, maybe it isn't everything.

Straight Expectations is a cute and fun read that has a decent level of depth underneath the apparently light surface. Max's voice comes across really well on the page which allowed me to sympathise with him and understand his perspective, even when he was acting like an obnoxious teenager! His friendship with Dean is absolutely delightful and I loved that, even though the book has a romance element, the core of the story is centred around friendship and self-discovery (although the romance, when it does happen, is very cute too and handled with just the right levels of teenage angst and giddiness).

There were one or two moments when some of the characters slip into stereotypes but, for the most part, the book plays with expectations in interesting ways, especially once Max has entered the parallel world of 'Straight Max'. I also really enjoyed the way that Max - who starts the novel very aware of other people's privileges and bias (and unafraid of calling them out on it) - becomes gradually aware that he still has his own privileges and assumptions.

Overall, Straight Expectations is a fun and heart-warming read that, although unafraid of tackling more serious issues, remains light-hearted and sweet throughout. This is one of those novels that would make a fantastic film or TV series because it's really easy to picture the characters - they leap off the page - and 'see' the action as you read. Offering both heart and humour, Straight Expectations is an enjoyable and uplifting YA read with thought-provoking and informative undertones.

A sweet and charming YA romance perfect for fans of Freaky Friday meets What If It's US (Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera)

Review:
Straight Expectations is a deliciously sweet and charming debut novel from LGBTQ advocate Calum McSwiggan. The story develops slowly in the beginning as it maps out Max's story and accelerates at an unputdownable pace.
Max is a bubbly high school teen who is out and proud with supportive family and best friends with the loveable Dean, but he feels dissatisfied and, in an outburst, wishes he'd never been born gay. Incredibly, he wakes to discover his wish has come true - he is heterosexual, his friend has disappeared, his family support network has gone, and life as he knows it has turned on its head. The old adage: Be careful what you wish for! - couldn't be more accurate.
This is a wonderful story of friendship, family, romance, and most importantly, a journey of self-discovery - back to the life Max took so badly for granted. It is fun, heartwarming and will make you laugh at times, but touches on deeper issues.
#straightexpectations #calummcswiggan #netgalley

Today is my stop on the tour for Straight Expectations by Calum McSwiggan! I received an e-arc for free in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much to Penguin Platform & The Write Reads for having me on the tour!

Straight Expectations was a very cute and enjoyable read! The concept of Max wishing to have what the straight kids have come true was very interesting and I read this so quickly, I didn't want to put it down!

I loved the friendship between Max & Dean! Although part of the focus is over Max not being able to find a relationship, the true highlight of this story is the amazing friendships he has and I also really enjoyed the flashbacks of how they all became friends too!

I really liked how it had similar vibes to one of my favourite films It's A Wonderful Life and we get to see what Max's life would have been like should his wish of being straight actually came true. I really liked how the story showcases that we don't know the positive effects we have on the world around us just by being ourselves!

Straight Expectations is a very heart warming & fast paced read that highlights great friendships and the importance of being yourself!

This is such a good read, a really fun book with poignant parts too. I'm giving it five out of five and will hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!

It is a delightful story which allows the reader to step into the shoes of the main character, Max, and understand how it feels to be male, young and gay. Max and his friends were enchanting characters, and I was rooting for each and every one of them.

It has been written for a young adult audience but there is plenty in this novel to keep an adult readership entertained. It is rapidly paced, humourous and highly entertaining. I think we have all experienced the power of a teenage crush in our lives which made it easy to identify with Max.

However, this book is largely about friendship and the bonds that form with those closest to us. It also looks at diversity, not just within the context of Max's sexuality but also the 'white male privilege', that he experiences but his friends do not.

I was granted complimentary eARC access to Straight Expectations as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with TheWriteReads. Thank you to all involved! I do want to acknowledge the simultaneous truths that 1. I was already familiar with Calum through other platforms (mainly his appearances on Roly’s YouTube channel) and I’m a fan, but also 2. I hadn’t made the connection to this upcoming title until I was invited to join the tour. As always, my thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Straight Expectations is a wild ride of an LGBTQIA+ awkward teen finds romance story that takes a Freaky Friday flavoured twist. When Max, a white gay boy who easily passes as a cis-het white boy when he chooses to wipe off the nail polish and dress down, has a blow-out fight with his best friends, he wakes up in a parallel universe where he’s straight, his female best friend is his girlfriend, and his male best friend is nowhere to be found. Max then spends about 2 weeks in this alternate universe where his loud-and-proud best friend Dean hadn’t touched his life or the lives of his family, their other friends, or their school, and absolutely nothing is as it should be. But what does Max need to do to set it right and get back to his own reality?

I liked the set-up and I LOVED the time spent in the alternate reality. The character building and growth Max goes through are so layered and honest. There’s a lot of maturing and a lot of understanding and fixing relationships, which one would expect of a YA romance, but there’s also a lot of discourse on LGBTQIA+ oppression and rights. I can definitely see this book being very important to a lot of people, and it’s definitely something I’ll encourage my own kid to read when she’s old enough for it. I would love to see this adapted to film, and I think it’s well primed to perform in adaptation.

The reason this is a 4 for me instead of a 5, despite how much fun I had with this book and despite how much of a must-read this title truly is, is because it’s about 15% too long. That’s isn’t to say that the literal page count is excessive because I’ll happily read 900 page books in any genre. What I mean is that the narrative kept going and tied up strings I didn’t need tied. The best books with this sort of twist and very rewarding payoff end shortly after that payoff, with or without a chapter’s length summary of what happens next, and leave the reader wanting more. This book gave about 60 pages of what happens next and I found myself wishing it was already over. To be vague for spoiler purposes, I liked seeing Max spend some special time with a certain character upon returning to reality. I liked the check in with the parents. I liked the general atmosphere of “all was back to normal Max was changed for the better.” (That’s not a spoiler if you’ve watched or read anything that does the Freaky Friday twist.) I didn’t like being walked through the major beats of the rest of the school year. In short, the payoff is at about 80% completion, and it should have been at 90-95%.

Bringing it back to praise for the book, Straight Expectations is amazing. Truly! I think there’s a lot here to appreciate, and I expect I’d find even more to love on a re-read. I absolutely think this is a must-read and it gets my sincere recommendation. Congratulations to Calum for an excellent debut into the world of fiction!

A bit freaky fridayish, a bit 13 going on 30.

There was a good switcheroo and it helped to put across a few different messages.

I guess I'd describe it as a coming of age/coming out story.

Light-hearted enough but with a solid bit of moral purpose to it as well.

A very funny, fast paced, wholesome Freaky-Friday-esque story with a wonderful, diverse group of characters!
I really enjoyed this and think young adult readers will love it as it explores gender and sexuality with so much humour .. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did seeing as I'm not the target age group but it made me laugh and the characters were brilliant.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy!

The story:
When Max and best friend Dean joke about what they would wish for from a genie, the usual options come up — riches, world peace, and perhaps unlimited handsome men… But when Max’s wish to just blend in like the straight kids comes true overnight, he gets a taste of what he thought he wanted. But not only is he not gay, Dean is no longer in his life. With his home and school life crumbling, Max is forced to look at who he is and what’s really important if he’s going to find his way back to friendship, and possibly romance…

My thoughts:
I was delighted to have the opportunity to take part in the blog tour for “Straight Expectations”, organised by TheWriteReads — the debut novel from author, presenter and LGBTQ+ advocate Calum McSwiggan. I don’t read a huge number of young adult books, but I really enjoyed this fun, sparkling and also thought-provoking book.

Main character 17-year-old Max is in many ways leading a privileged life — he’s queer, proud, has supportive parents, and great friends in Dean (also gay, an amazing performer, and fundamental in supporting Max over the years) and Alicia (straight, a talented artist, and a great ally to the queer community at their school). But at the start of the book he is also struggling with the things he hasn’t got — namely, a romantic relationship, and limited opportunities to find one. He does, however, have a crush, in the form of Oliver Cheng; but after a year of Oliver transferring to Woodside Academy, he’s barely plucked up the courage to speak to him, let alone ask him out.

When Dean and Alicia push him into messaging Oliver, only to be snubbed, Max is triggered into making a wish to have the easy high school experience he sees the straight kids around him having. And that’s where things take a Freaky Friday-esque turn! Max wakes up to find he’s received just what he wished for — he is now straight, dating a girl (Alicia!), and best friend Dean has vanished from his life altogether.

The story is fast-paced, funny and packed with entertainment, but also touching and thought-provoking as Max struggles with his new life and exactly what his identity means. Of course, as Max realises, there is no one right way to express an identity, and although romance might be great, finding friends that support you for who you are, and supporting them back, is so important.

Overall this was an enjoyable and uplifting read and I’d recommend it whether you’re a usual YA reader or not, for its great characters, positivity and touching friendships.

Having been familiar with some of McSwiggan's content on YouTube, as well as generally being intrigued by the concept of wishes going wrong stories, this was one of the books that I was highly anticipating from 2023.

I did find that the story took longer than I was expecting to get to the point where the protag's wish is granted but I also think that was important for setting up who the character was and the aspects of his life that he takes for granted.

The execution of the core concept of our main character suddenly waking up as straight was well-executed as it did a really good job of the only thing that really changed about him was his sexuality i.e. he wasn't suddenly a football superstar because he was now straight.

What I didn't realise going into this book was that this book was a bit deeper than just acceptance of self for your sexuality (although I will say that it was refreshing to have so many queer characters who are comfortable in their queerness), this book deals with intersectionality and privilege. Our main character is white and comes from a financially comfortable situation whilst those around him and doesn't really have a concept of just how much privilege those two things afford him. I really appreciated that this book took the time to look at that angle and was very considerate to acknowledge that just because someone might be marginalised, they may also hold a large amount of privilege.

“I really must have caught a bad case of heterosexualitis. A pandemic that has plagued humanity since the very dawn of time and yet for which, shockingly, there’s still no known cure.”

Straight Expectations was an easy to read YA romance where, for most of the book, our main character just can’t fancy his love interest.
I thought it was a really interesting way to examine Max’s white gay privilege. He is surrounded by people who constantly call him out on it, but he doesn’t notice it until it’s not there. It makes him realise what he takes for granted, and also what he can do to support everyone else.
There was a host of really interesting characters in this - I particularly loved the side characters.
Straight Expectations was a fun YA romance, that makes you realise how big an impact just the little actions can have on a community.

This had so much potential but just didn't work for me, and seemed to be all about the stereotypes. Cliché and annoying at times, Struggled to reach the end.

This was great fun, ideal for fans of Freaky Friday. The body swap is never really explained, and thank everything that is good it wasn’t a dream sequence, but I was willing to suspend disbelief for this book. This is the calling card for be careful what you wish for. Loved it.

Wow what a book, I just adored everything about it and really felt for Max when his wish came true my heart literally broke for him. I just couldn’t put this down and would have happily continued reading the story, there isn’t a character I didn’t like and it definitely gave me freaky Friday vibes.