2022 Most Anticipated - Golden Boys

Another day, another book I am anticipating. This one features a group of friends embarking on summer adventures. These adventures are taking them in separate directions and features some travel elements to the story - queue the wanderlust. 

My next novel selection is Golden Boys by Phil Stamper. 

The Goodreads synopsis makes this feel like a perfect read for those who loved The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and also like a perfect read to chase away the winter blues.

National bestselling author Phil Stamper crafts the perfect summer friendship story, starring four queer boys with big hearts and even bigger dreams.

Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure. Reese is attending a design school in Paris. Gabriel is going to Boston to volunteer with a environmental nonprofit. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. And Heath is stuck going to Daytona Beach to help out at his aunt’s beachfront arcade.

What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them—and for their friendship? 

I love that each of them is embarking on an adventure on their own. I expect each of the boys will grow separately and that will reflect in their friendship and how they interact. It's going to be a great coming of age story through the lens of growing with your friends.

Phil has kindly taken the time to answer a few questions for this post

1 What gif do you feel best represents Golden Boys?

Though the title actually has nothing to do with Golden Girls, this group hug GIF of four best friends (with very different personalities!) is a perfect fit.

2 Your book is set during the summer. If someone designed a signature ice cream for your book what might be included?

What a fun question! I have a feeling each of the four main characters in Golden Boys would have their own ice cream preference. So for that reason, I think it would be vanilla ice cream with a mix of contrasting salty and sweet ingredients: caramel, pretzels, M&Ms, and potato chips. 3 What is one song that made your playlist while writing this book? I'm usually not someone who writes to music with lyrics, but I did find myself going back to the same songs for certain characters. Of the four characters, Heath is the one who fits in most in their rural Ohio town, plus he's calm and stable and seems to be the rock of this friend group, so I kept coming back to the song "Classic" by Cam. 4 What 2022 release are you most anticipating? Oh, so many! The ones that first come to mind are The Honeys by Ryan La Sala, Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters, and If You Change Your Mind by Robby Weber. So many great queer YA books are coming out next year—I can't wait!

That ice cream sounds amazing! I love a mix of salty and sweet. I also love the gif choice. It highlights that the friendship is going to take the main focus. 

Golden Boys releases February 8, 2022. It's a perfect release date as this feels like a book that will remind you of summer and help beat those winter blahs. The book is available to preorder from your favourite retailer.

Chapters // Amazon // Barnes and Noble // BAM

You can find out more about Phil and his books by following him on Twitter2.  You can also visit his website. You can find out more about his books on the publisher website.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to for the next book on my 2022 most anticipated list.