This book is a must read for those feeling lost particularly in their 20s. A beautiful exploration of life and loss that was raw, open and vulnerable. I think this might be the most honest book I’ve ever read. The short chapters kept the pace moving as this was an intensive character driven story.

The book follows Cash, a man still grieving the loss of his mother and the departure of his father. He struggles with knowing he is looking for something and is unable to find it. We travel with him over a period of time meeting people old and new and falling in love with them all the same.

This book took time to read and digest and where I initially thought I could read in a sitting I ended up having to take a number of breaks to really sit with what I had read. I honestly cannot think of a book I can compare this to.

This also was a story of forgiveness, acknowledging everyone makes mistakes and whilst some may not be able to dismiss the anger and hurt there are always people full of forgiveness out there. I am known as someone who can really hold a grudge and yet the second half of the book had me embracing the forgiveness.

You can definitely feel Skogman’s background in poetry throughout this book and it made for such a gorgeous read. He really drives home the beauty of the mundane. This truly is a love story to small towns.

Thank you to netgalley and Unnamed Press for the ARC.

I want to start this review by thanking Netgalley and The Unnamed Press for giving me the opportunity to have an E-ARC of Blue Graffiti, but I also want to say that I DNF this novel and stopped reading around the half-way point. It was a really hard decision for me to give up on this book because it has so many redeemable and beautiful qualities but I just don't think it was for me. Blue Graffiti is a triumphant work when looking singularly at Skogman's writing style and ability to create breathtaking, nostalgic and classy prose. By no means is this book poorly written, if anything it is clearly the work of a poet which is why I ultimately decided to rate it 3 stars. At the end of the day this book really didn't work for me because I felt no true emotional connection to any of the characters or the setting, which feels like the whole point of the book--to long for Johnston's and a close, homey friendship with Cash, Prince, Leon and even Rose. I found myself reading this book as if it were a chore because I was truly not invested at all, every other chapter would make me bored and leave me craving so much more story wise. With that being said I do think that there are so many people out there who would love Blue Graffiti and by no means does it feel like a lost cause kind of book, I know in my heart that it will be truly loved by so many and that kind of love is why Skogman published in the first place. Blue Graffiti feels like the perfect book for people who want something with no true plot and just straight up chill, comforting vibes. Right now, that isn't the book for me which is why I stopped reading, but as a whole I still believe that this novel is a strong work.

I so badly wanted to love this more than I did, unfortunately. I think Calahan's writing is lyrically stunning and I like his approach to prose, it's unique and shines with his love for poetry. However, it also lent itself to being a little confusing in the first portion of the book, and it made following the story difficult at times. I also agree with several other reviewers that this does not fit the typical romance mold and would probably be better categorized as literary fiction. There is a sweetness to the relationship that blooms between Cash and Rose, yet the majority of the story feels like one-sided pining on behalf of our friend Cash.

Those things said, it is a beautiful description and ode to Midwestern life. As someone who has grown up and lived in Wisconsin her whole life, it feels just like reading about home. It is a book about the working middle class, blue collar American growing up in the Midwest. It is a love story to those who make their way through life by their faith and their family, and enduring the struggles that many of us face in our day-to-day. The plot is there, but in my opinion the book could have been a bit more polished.

I saw a Tumblr post that said “hometowns have a thousand little ghosts pushing up through the pavement that trip you up wherever you go” and I thought yes, this is what Calahan Skogman captures so beautifully in his debut novel Blue Graffiti.

Blue Graffiti is the story of Cash, a young man living in the small town of Johnston, Wisconsin. Cash has lived all his life in this small town where nothing ever seems to change. And this seemingly unremarkable place is witness to all the highs and lows he had ever experienced. Carrying grief and nostalgia with him, Cash is a lonely soul with a lot of love in his heart–love for his friends, for the Midwest, and for the only place he has ever called home. When a beautiful stranger rolls up, he is automatically smitten. It’s as if he has been searching for her without even realizing it. But Cash has to grapple with the ghosts of his past before he can have an honest answer to her question: “What do you want?”

Steeped in quiet moments and the romanticizing of small-town life, I couldn’t help but feel time slow down as I was reading. This book is beautifully written, so vivid, so poetic. The imagery Skogman conjures with his words paints such a beautiful picture of a quiet life in small-town America. I just know that if I had a physical copy of this book, it would be highlighted and annotated to death.

This book is labeled as romance, but I disagree because the romance isn’t the main thing in this book. It’s more about Cash’s journey. So much of what happens is interior: his thoughts and feelings, his changing perspectives, his relationships with his friends, his relationship with his past. So if you read this don’t expect a sweeping or dramatic love story. Skogman’s take on romance is a lot more subtle, but I find there’s something so sweet in the gentle assurance that develops between Cash and Rose.

The way the book is structured can also be a bit of a challenge. It took me a while to get used to the sometimes choppy transition from one chapter to the next. There is also the shift between the meandering pace when Cash is deep in his reflections versus the quick conversations he has with his friends. But I grew to appreciate these contrasts, especially in moments where Cash shares stories from his childhood which neatly flow back to the present.

Cash reminded me of Dostoyevsky’s narrator in White Nights (another book I loved) because of how they feel so deeply and how they both appreciate the connection they have with the place where they live. And if you were moved by Dostoyevsky’s little dreamer, then you will also fall i love with how Cash–and by extension Skogman–describes the world.

As a “slow/quiet/pensive book” enthusiast, I loved reading Blue Graffiti. Many thanks to Net Galley and Unnamed Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Blue Graffiti hits the shelves on August 13.

With ‘Blue Graffiti’ Calahan Skogman paints a rhythmic portrait of the past, present and future–and all the threads that tie them together.

In Johnston, Wisconsin, Cash lives in what once was his parents’ house. The people are great and few, work takes up most of the time and the rest is spent at the pub.

Cash is in his late twenties and treading a path that many have walked before him. He always imagined he'd leave, but straying from the familiar is difficult when a pain passed down through generations is weighing on your soul.

Skogman is a storyteller who takes his time, and the reader is asked to do the same. ‘Blue Graffiti’ feels steady and warm, and with prose steeped in detail and lyricism, a nostalgia that’s sure to reach far beyond Johnston is unearthed.


Thank you to Unnamed Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

A couple of days ago I finished this novel and I must admit that I had to give myself these days to assimilate it. And curiously, despite not having 5 stars, it became one of my readings of the year, it is a super personal novel.

One of the highlights of this novel is its incredible prose. Cal makes clear his taste for poetry in it. At times he uses an exquisite paraphrase to feed the character's philosophy, using analogies during key moments that help us better understand the relationship and impact that each of the characters has with the protagonist.

I must admit that during the first third of the story, it was a bit confusing, I couldn't place the events well in the timeline, I even had a hard time identifying the age of the protagonist, until at one point he explains that he is approaching 30 and then he tells us that he is 29, and personally I feel that here age is relevant to empathize with certain thoughts of the protagonist. Another point that did not help to facilitate the reading of the first part was the length of the chapters, these were not very long, and there were some that I felt left me with the idea half-finished, I was even in the mode of "Hey, but what happened with that situation", something that does not last in the 2nd or 3rd part, I suppose that as Calahan progressed in the writing of his novel, his confidence in it also progressed.

Moving on to the characters, Cash, the great protagonist. The novel is narrated 100% from his perspective, so we always know his feelings. Cash is simply a 29-year-old boy, with friends and a girl he falls in love with. He works day by day, likes beer and has a deep love for his small town, but above all he has a strong feeling for his parents (it is that in the moments in which he talks about his mother, his tears easily come loose). This makes him a character with whom you get attached without problems and who could easily be another friend of your group.

On the other hand, we have Rose, Cash's romantic interest, she is one of my biggest buts. For the influence she has on the story, her participation in it left a lot to be desired. There were entire chapters in which she disappeared and we knew nothing about it. Something that did not happen to me with Leon and Prince, Cash's 2 best friends, the moments in which the 3 were there were my favorites.

Leon is the typical young man who settles down young, he has his job, his girlfriend and a trivial one. Prince, on the other hand, is more liberal, he has great expectations and brings out his creative ideas, which even managed to convince me. Both are those friends that we would all like to have, those who are there in good times and bad, regardless of whether they agree with you or not.

In conclusion, I started Blue Graffiti thinking that it would be a romance novel but no, it is a life novel, day to day, with which I identified quite a bit. I feel like this is a story that needs to be given a chance, and I really hope Cal continues to develop this passion for writing, so we can have more stories from him.
I am extremely grateful to Unnamed Press and Netgalley for sending me and allowing me to read the ARC.

Holden Caulfield meets Kerouac along with a romanticization of the American Midwest & much of the stereotype that lives there.
I do feel the copy needs a good clean edit as the author tends to get verbose but I happen to love where his mind and tangents are going so I didn't mind much. Overall, a beautiful reflection on what we are doing here and how we relate to each other, as well as the true meaning of forgiveness.

first i want to say thank you to net galley and calahan’s team for an arc copy of this book!!

2⭐️/dnf
i just don’t think that this was for me, i got 30% into it and i didn’t find myself reaching for it to finish, there really was no plot and i know that’s the whole point but i just feel like cash had no drive as a character and the love at first sight at the beginning felt very one sided to me, but i really did enjoy the idea of finding love for your hometown even though it’s not where you think you should be and the insights into male friendships was really sweet and great to see

I'll start this off by saying that this will not be a very nice review, and will not be a judgment of the entire book, considering I gave up about 80 pages in. The main character was probably the most boring and annoying perspective I have ever had in a book, and his whole infatuation with the girl (forgot her name) was just weird. Then all of his buddies only seem to be this flat facade of a cowboy which makes everything worse. I also have personal beef with whoever formatted this document and the editor who overlooked many spelling mistakes within the first 20% of the book. So, yeah. I hated everything about this, but hey, still love you Calahan. Keep doing the acting and the hot man stuff you know how to do!

I'll start this off by saying that this will not be a very nice review, and will not be a judgment of the entire book, considering I gave up about 80 pages in. The main character was probably the most boring and annoying perspective I have ever had in a book, and his whole infatuation with the girl (forgot her name) was just weird. Then all of his buddies only seem to be this flat facade of a cowboy which makes everything worse. I also have personal beef with whoever formatted this document and the editor who overlooked many spelling mistakes within the first 20% of the book. So, yeah. I hated everything about this, but hey, still love you Calahan. Keep doing the acting and the hot man stuff you know how to do!

As excited as I was for Blue Graffiti, I struggled to get into it at first. The novel is steeped in nostalgia and showcases the lives of regular folks, but it also meanders and feels aimless for a large portion of the story. It really took some time until I found that connection to the characters and started to care or figure out where the plot was even supposed to go.

In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I was the right reader for this story, but I saw parts of it that really resonated with me. It was truly at its strongest when the writing focused on the exploration of grief. Those chapters struck a nerve and maybe even had me shed a tear or two.

Despite my quarrels, it all came together quite beautifully in the end, but it feels like a novel you have to stick with to get to the "good" parts.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me, and I ended up DNFing it. The writing style felt boring to me, and I didn’t find any conversations engaging enough. 17 pages in, I already regretted requesting this book because it was not what I had been expecting but I continued hoping it would get better.

I wasn't emotionally invested in Cash, his buddies, or anyone in his small town. The main character came across as a bit whiny, and I got fed up with him very early on. The book is written in short chapters, which reminded me of one of my favorites, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, but it lacked Ari and Dante’s charm and depth.

I was going to push through, but my book expired, and I can’t seem to download it again. I take that as a sign from the universe.

***Thank you to NetGalley and Unnamed Press for my free arc!

What a beautiful book with a gorgeous sense of place. This is described as a love letter to the mid-west and that description fits it perfectly. The imagery was so vivid that I actually felt like I was in Wisconsin while reading. There isn't much of a plot but that doesn't matter because the book is about how 29-year-old Cash is coming to terms with his feelings and accepting his difficult childhood. I cannot stress enough how much I fell in love with Cash and the characters! I would have loved to have had the romance part fleshed out more, but that is just me. Also, the writing is so poetic!

I just don't understand the high praise for this one. Maybe it's a case of you know and love the person who wrote it so you love the work more? I just could not get into it, it felt so surface level.

Unfortunately I didn't like the writing nor the story. After about 100 pages I gave up on trying to reading it further. It felt like the story wasn't going anywhere and there was just a lot of white male whining with nothing really happening. Not a book for me nor would I recommend it to anyone.

Blue Graffiti by Calahan Skogman is beautifully written. It was difficult for me to get into in the beginning as the pacing and format felt choppy and didn’t flow, but as this is an ARC these things could potentially be corrected for the final published version. The writing was the standout aspect of this book, and it’s evident that Skogman has a background in poetry. As someone who grew up in a small town, I connected to Johnston and the relationships tied to the town. This book has been compared quite a bit to The Outsiders which I agree with. Any fan of that classic is sure to love this story!

Thank you NetGalley and Unnamed Press for this ARC!

“A love letter to Mid-West America!”

One of the BEST books I’ve read in a long time!! I’ve never felt so close to and understood by any fictional characters in a while. But the way Calahan writes, especially writes Cash, has me experiencing all the feelings I’ve sat with.

Just the emotions Cash goes through. Love, lust, longing, loss, heartbreak and more. While still staying a loyal friend and person to the people and the town he calls home.

This novel has a beautiful story and prose, from debut author Calahan Skogman! Reading it felt like reading poetry!

Thank you to Unnamed Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As far as summaries go, I don't really know where to start with this one. We spend the book with Cash, a 29-year-old man living in Johnston, WI. He's always been there. Most everyone has always been there. Things change, sure, but day after day rolls by and Cash finds himself in the same place and is content to remain that way. And then a woman walks into his local bar.

My favorite kind of fiction skews literary and is often about not a whole lot -- day-to-day life, the emotions we all deal with as it grinds by. Joy, fear, grief, love, anger, etc. That's what I thought 'Blue Graffiti' would be, but it was so much more. It felt like all of my favorite books about places -- Steinbeck writing love letters to the Salinas Valley, William Least Heat Moon weaving his way through an America that doesn't exist anymore along blue highways, lessons about the universe through motorcycle maintenance. I'm incredibly impressed by the utterly absorbing tone with which Skogman writes. It's poetry sandwiched between the ordinary exchanges of people who love and know each other, and it's a deep, romantic ode to the Midwest (transferrable to any place you've ever loved singularly, I'm just biased as a Midwest girl myself).

Though the narrative is in first person, the way Cash describes the people and places around him makes them stand on their own. I grew to care for his entire crew, for the places he visited in his mind and in the story, and I felt for them just as much as he did. The entire book just seeps with tenderness, a raw wound of nostalgia and searching for something, for purpose, love, for the answer, who knows.

I know that I'll be going back to reread and pull from this novel many times. It's one of those, folks!

4.5 stars.

what an amazing debut from callahan! I love his acting and his writing and prose are so beautiful. I am so grateful I got a copy of this book. Just a stunning small town love story.