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Wrestling with Desire (Wrestling #1)

by D.H. Starr (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 358 ratings · 47 reviews

Derek Thompson is a senior, a wrestler, and has a secret. He's gay. Scott Thayer is a new student who has just moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts from Iowa. On the first day of school Derek and Scott meet and their lives change in an instant. As Derek and Scott discover the things they have in common, they enter into one of the closest and most loving relationships either o...more

Kindle Edition, 300 pages

Published October 20th 2010 by Featherweight Publishing (first published October 19th 2010)

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Maybe With a Chance of Certainty by John Goode

Best Gay Romance Featuring Characters Attending High School/College

40th out of 313 books — 501 voters

Best Gay Athletes

18th out of 152 books — 308 voters

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Jan 06, 2013 Gwenith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: lovable-re-reads

5 stars Sweetness!

Discovery~

Innocent

Gosh, New Love Written So Well, I Loved It, This Was Such a Sweet, Sweet, Read!

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Dec 07, 2012 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rainbow-gay, glbt, contemporary, romance

A very cute story about two high school students falling in love for the first time. Derek is gay, he's only out to his best friend Rebecca, and he tries to not attract attention. He is a good athlete and wrestling and music are his only passions. Scott is the new guy in school and Derek - who's immediately attracted to him - helps him during the first days in school and they soon become friends. They share their love for wrestling and slowly it becomes clear their friendship is turning into som...more

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May 27, 2011 Jennifer Labelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wrestling With Desire is an amazing coming of age story about two young men learning how to deal with everyday stresses and keeping the secret of their preferred sexuality from those around them.

Derek is an everyday popular jock in his high school,but he does everything he can to stay out of the spotlight. Less attention means less questions as far as his personal life is concerned. The only person he's able to confide in is his energetic, outspoken, caring and very dramatic friend, Beck. That...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Cryselle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, ya

3.5 at my website

High school -- if offered the choice between eating a bug or reliving any one day of high school, I'd ask how big the bug is. This YA coming of age story illustrates the bittersweet reasons for the dilemma.

Growing up is hard enough, trying to complete senior year as an outsider coming into a stable group, as newcomer Scott has to do, makes it even harder. Fortunately, Derek, quiet, unassuming but still fairly popular, and also gay, is willing to befriend him. They find a lot of...more 3.5 at my website

High school -- if offered the choice between eating a bug or reliving any one day of high school, I'd ask how big the bug is. This YA coming of age story illustrates the bittersweet reasons for the dilemma.

Growing up is hard enough, trying to complete senior year as an outsider coming into a stable group, as newcomer Scott has to do, makes it even harder. Fortunately, Derek, quiet, unassuming but still fairly popular, and also gay, is willing to befriend him. They find a lot of shared interests in academics, sports, music, and eventually, each other. We see the journey from Derek's POV, and if he sounds a lot more mature than his years sometimes, he can be both wise and clueless, in true late teen fashion.

Both boys wrestle, a high prestige sport in their school, which provides the backdrop to some of their most important instances of growing up -- they worry about making the team and being accepted, they win, fail, and teach each other new skills. If the technical descriptions of wrestling moves glazed my eyes over, I still think I got the important messages. Wrestling, with it's close physical contact, seems like a hard sport for a gay youth who'd like to stay in the closet, but also a really good life lesson in maintaining focus. I cheered for Scott, Derek, and their team when they won and grieved when they lost, caught up in their success if not the sport.

There's conflict with family, too, and NOT -- thankyouDHStarrletmemakeyoubrowniesfordoingitthisway -- over being gay, but over academics and power within the family, and this more than anything drives the last half of the book. It also renders this YA read more universally appealing, these are conflicts any teen will recognize. One scene did seem to push the YA standard re sex on the page, but we didn't have to hear every groan or feel every stroke to know that these are healthy, horny teenagers who are really into each other.

The line editing and presentation were unfortunately intrusive enough to affect the reading experience. I found myself responding sarcastically to sentences where meaning changed from the intended because of punctuation, or lack of it. Font size changed periodically, sometimes in the middle of a word, so swats to the publisher for not presenting the work more carefully.

The product placement was also intrusive; while the type of car Derek drove says something about him and his family and their values, mentioning "Cymbalta" instead of "antidepressant" or "Best Buy" instead of "electronics store" did not, and there were a lot of these kinds of things. I read books to get away from commercials.

The story is uplifting and positive, but could certainly have benefited from a stronger editorial hand -- some spots ramble or repeat, not truly moving the story forward, and the already mentioned issues took their toll. Still, I'm glad to have read it, and look forward to the other books from this author in my TBR pile.
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Jan 22, 2011 Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interviews and More added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Derek Thompson is a rather self-effacing, reserved teenager, living in Cambridge Massachusetts. Although he already has come to the realization that he’s gay, he hasn’t yet come out to anyone. He is a gifted high-school wrestler, quite popular amongst his peers, and he is also passionate about his hobby of mixing music. He has a female best friend named Beck (Rebecca) to whom he has confided his sexual orientation.

Scott Thayer is a transfer student, originally from Iowa. He appears to be quite s...more Derek Thompson is a rather self-effacing, reserved teenager, living in Cambridge Massachusetts. Although he already has come to the realization that he’s gay, he hasn’t yet come out to anyone. He is a gifted high-school wrestler, quite popular amongst his peers, and he is also passionate about his hobby of mixing music. He has a female best friend named Beck (Rebecca) to whom he has confided his sexual orientation.

Scott Thayer is a transfer student, originally from Iowa. He appears to be quite self-confident and outgoing, and his extroverted personality makes it easy for him to adapt to a new school in his senior year. Scott quickly becomes friends with Derek and Beck, and the trio becomes a threesome.

As the friendship develops between Derek and Scott, Derek finds himself beset with anxiety. Derek desperately wants to come out to his new friend, but he fears rejection. As Derek begins to spend more one-on-one time with Scott, he ultimately realizes that he must take a chance. When finally he bites the bullet and confesses his true feelings, Scott responds with a passionate kiss. A romance ensues.

The 300-page novel chronicles the senior-year romance of these two high school jocks. Interwoven in the plot are the sidebar relationships they have with their parents and with their best friend Beck. A forced separation interrupts the romance, which adds a degree of edge-of-your-seat angst, and finally a resolution is realized when the climax of the story culminates at a championship wrestling match.

Without a doubt, this is a very touching coming-of-age gay love story. The moodiness and anxiety experienced by the teenage protagonists were realistically presented, and the development of the love story itself was quite moving. The secondary character Beck added drama and humor to the story. She appeared a bit overblown, but it seemed intentional, and I have little doubt that she was annoying at times because the author wanted her to appear as such.

The reservations that I have about this story center upon two specific criticisms. Firstly, the plot was excruciatingly slow-paced. I didn’t get the feeling that there was anything in particular driving the story forward. It was basically just a “slice of life”. Often a plot like this, when presented the right way, can be very satisfying, but in this particular case I just didn’t connect with the central characters. Perhaps my perception speaks more of my own limitations than it does of the quality of the story.

Secondly, I was taken aback by the extremely formal dialogue of the teenage characters. Even the parental voices within the story sounded stiff, almost as if the characters were reading from a dictionary. There were few contractions used, and no abbreviated verbs or slang.

The story was written entirely in third person from the POV of Derek. I applaud the author for so painstakingly adhering to literary rules by his avoidance of head-hopping, but I also yearned to get into Scott’s head as well. In this particular story, I think an alternating point-of-view may have been helpful.

The story was void of sexual intimacy, with the exception of one scene in which the couple mutually experienced orgasm though no oral or anal penetration was involved. There were numerous veiled references and quite a bit of foreshadowing which indicated that intimacy had occurred or would be occurring off-screen, and the author did use some language typically reserved for erotica.

Young adult is one of my favorite genres, and I do not regret my time spent with this novel. I sincerely enjoyed the story and found the romance to be very sweet and heartwarming. The theme and messaging within the story are timely and significant, and I consider this book to be a welcome addition to my YA library.

Review by Jeff (less)

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Jan 11, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it

Due to the publisher, the Young Adult line of MLR Press, and the author, who is writing for both targets, Young Adult and Adult, my expectation for this novel was to be a good compromise, meaning that a good love story, with enough “sexy” details to make it enticing, but not too much for being x-rated. And I’m glad to say that my expectations were completely met.

Derek is a senior high school student, gay but a little in the closet; it’s not that he is afraid, or scared, to come out, it’s only t...more Due to the publisher, the Young Adult line of MLR Press, and the author, who is writing for both targets, Young Adult and Adult, my expectation for this novel was to be a good compromise, meaning that a good love story, with enough “sexy” details to make it enticing, but not too much for being x-rated. And I’m glad to say that my expectations were completely met.

Derek is a senior high school student, gay but a little in the closet; it’s not that he is afraid, or scared, to come out, it’s only that, first of all there are really no reason to do that, and second he doesn’t like to “stand out”. A good student, a good athlete (he is in the wrestling time), pretty enough to be above the average, Derek has all the basis to be considered an high school sweetheart, but he doesn’t like to be on the center stage; when he was offered the captain position of his wrestling team, he refused; when he is invited to a party, he prefers to being the D.J., rather than to mix with other guys and girls. For once, Derek is not one of those characters who “would like to”, but has not the characteristics “to be”, he is someone who wants to be a wallpaper boy.

All of that changes when he meets Scott, the new guy arriving at his high school. Scott is cute and kind, and he needs a friend being new in town; he has also the same love for wrestling that Derek has, they love the same music, they have similar expectations in life. They are the perfect couple, the only problem seems to be that both of them are too shy to make the first move. But as I said, this novel is a good mix between a true Young Adult, that usually tends to be full of angst, and a Romance, that has a more pink glasses perspective on life.

Derek and Scott will manage to have their high school romance, even if it will not always be a bed of roses. But the issues they will have to face are plenty manageable by two teenagers, and it’s not something so dramatic to completely upturning their life and changing their future. Moreover, the author will compare two possible family experiences, one supporting and the other not so much, but being gay will be not their main issue, and so, in the end, their relationship trouble will be pretty much similar to any other teenager couple.

The sex will arrive to something more of an heavy petting even if it will not move to the final stage; in this way this novel remains on a level that is still acceptable for a Young Adult reader (maybe a little more near the Adult edge than the Young one) but that can appeal also an older reader.

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Dec 15, 2010 Kassa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wrestling with Desire is a young adult coming of age story featuring sensitive, emotional teenagers exploring their sexuality. Now by this I mean the emotional and psychological impact of a first real relationship with raging hormones but not so much on screen sex. Considering their age and the genre, this isn’t too surprising and the two boys mostly kiss with a little groping and crotch shifting thrown in occasionally. This keeps the focus on the teenagers in their daily routines, which is both...more Wrestling with Desire is a young adult coming of age story featuring sensitive, emotional teenagers exploring their sexuality. Now by this I mean the emotional and psychological impact of a first real relationship with raging hormones but not so much on screen sex. Considering their age and the genre, this isn’t too surprising and the two boys mostly kiss with a little groping and crotch shifting thrown in occasionally. This keeps the focus on the teenagers in their daily routines, which is both the strength and weakness of this novel.

The story revolves around Derek, boyfriend Scott, and to a lesser extent Derek’s best friend Beck, as they go about their daily lives. The timeline is their senior year in high school and there are numerous scenes of the teens going to school, wrestling, hanging out after school, meeting up and mostly chatting about Derek and Scott’s relationship, parents, and basic events that happen in their lives. There is nothing progressing the story other than the characters and their repetitive lives – such is the life of a high school teen – so many of the scenes are the same. This helps give the characters a sense of normalcy, that these are genuine, regular teens that some readers may recognize and identify with.

At the same time it lacks any inherent tension and driving purpose. The scenes meander from one to another as the trio go to class, gossip, obsess about their relationships, wrestle, obsess about their relationships, sneak off to make out, obsess about their relationships, talk to their parents, deal with classes and so on. Although the characters argue, fight, and even break up there’s no real question that they’ll work it out pretty soon so that takes away any dramatic tension. Instead it’s just a matter of when the resolution happens and usually sooner rather than later. While I expect a happy ending since the story is a romance, the predictable tone to the arguments and resolutions are pretty obvious and not surprising.

The story does a commendable job introducing and depicting average teenagers with raging hormones. Of course young men with their first brush of true desire are going to be horny and sneak off to make out as much as possible. The fact that there are two dicks in the equation means they twitch twice as much. Some of this I admit is pretty humorous yet some of the prose choices were unfortunate. Repeated phrases such as “the tangled mess in his pants” just give the wrong imagery.

There are also some technical errors and pronoun confusion. The writing isn’t always clear which “he” the story is referring to. This is sometimes compounded by the slight POV switching. The story is mostly told from Derek’s third person perspective but every once in a while a paragraph will flip to Scott’s POV and then flip back to Derek in the next paragraph. Additionally the writing will sometimes infer some reason or thought process to explain Scott’s actions when Derek wouldn’t necessarily know that. A lot of this is covered in the pseudo therapy sessions between Derek and his female best friend Beck or between Derek and his mother. These conversations are incredibly adult, more insightful than I’d give teenagers credit for, and very formal. The prose used is often very exact and reminiscent of much more mature, articulate speakers than these particular teenagers.

Wrestling with Desire is a very sweet, romantic tale of first love. The teenagers are emotional, often prone to crying jags, giggling, and ball jokes but they’re also young and rather sheltered for the most part. The story shows the exploration of a first relationship in a safe environment with only a minimum of negative influences. Young adults looking for a story that will depict young gay men as athletes and not high school extremes, neither the popular kids nor the picked on, that they can identify with may like this quite a bit. I think the lack of tension and rather typical, repetitive high school scenes may not appeal to some older readers. Even though I enjoy the YA genre quite a bit this particular offering didn’t work so well for me. It’s decent and easy enough to read but lacks the driving force that compels you to read and want to know more. Every reader’s different though so choose for yourself.(less)

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Dec 23, 2011 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-romance, coming-of-age

What a wonderful read! I hadn't planned to read this all in one sitting, but once I had started I found it very difficult to put down. Wrestling with Desire was such a sweet, moving, and down-right wonderful story about first love - and I enjoyed every single page. The story is very much tailored for young adults, with much of the sex left to the imagination. That suited me fine, and I was happy to read about Derek and Scott's lives and the developments and changes they experienced through their...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Sheila rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Derek, a popular student involved with wrestling, is gay. Only his best friend, Beck, knows. When Scott Thayer moves to town Derek is instantly attracted. They become good friends but Derek can't determine if Scott is gay or not. He's afraid to ask in case he's rebuffed.

I enjoyed Wrestling With Desire. I liked Derek and his caution. I liked how he and Scott are able to open up to each other. I loved Beck. She is a scream. Derek's parents are cool. Scott's parents are very different from Derek's...more

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Aug 10, 2012 John Ames rated it 4 of 5 stars

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4 Stars

Wrestling with Desire is a very touching and emotional coming of age novel that is probably one of the most realistic I read so far. The story revolves around Derek Thompson, a very reserved teenager. On the first day of classes of his senior year, he meets Scott Thayer who recently moved to his hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Derek, who is secretly gay, is intrigued by Scott’s charming good looks and the fact they both wrestle. There is an in...more http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...

4 Stars

Wrestling with Desire is a very touching and emotional coming of age novel that is probably one of the most realistic I read so far. The story revolves around Derek Thompson, a very reserved teenager. On the first day of classes of his senior year, he meets Scott Thayer who recently moved to his hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Derek, who is secretly gay, is intrigued by Scott’s charming good looks and the fact they both wrestle. There is an instant connection between the two that they can’t deny. Soon, they become friends and allies in the sport that they love. At first, Derek was unsure of Scott’s sexual orientation, but he soon sees a new side of him that he loves. Without giving away too much of the plot, they fall in love and their struggles begins.

I loved Derek. He was smart, funny, sensitive, caring and compassionate. I absolutely adored his relationship with his best friend, Beck (Rebecca). Their friendship is everlasting and they are there for each other when they need someone to cry on. Scott was a dream. He was tall, charming and the perfect guy. His relationship with his parents is not the best in the world because they move a lot and that puts a strain on their relationship. The secondary characters are very intriguing and in no way overshadow the main cast. I also loved the fact that in this story, no one found out about their secret love affair. I found that to be new and fresh since on many other YA novels, that is a main issue. I also loved that the novel was real and raw. It did not have any bizarre scenarios or fake plots. It was simply and clean.

There are two things that I didn’t like. One was the fact that the story was too long. I think that it could have been shorter. I also disliked the wrestling scenarios. I am not a fan of the sport, so I found them to be dull and boring, but if you are a fan, you will love them. Those scenes did not set well with me.

Overall, this novel was an amazing read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys wrestling and wants to read a sweet love story of two boys, as they become aware of who they are and what they want in life.(less)

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Mar 07, 2013 Hans Hirschi rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a cute story and I quite liked it.

I don't know what I did expect from a story set in High school, other than some faded distant memories coming alive again, but somehow our T&F meets were different and our coach was different, and being closeted, I never even got close to what is described in this book.

It was a light read, not too much drama, but still enough to keep me engaged, wanting to read on. At times I found the dialogue a little bit too adult, given that we're talking about...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an official review from The Romance Reviews

I would have to say that this is the best coming of age story I have ever read. It shows the true angst of high school and teenage years. This story is about two senior high school students, Derek Thompson and Scott Thayer. Scott had moved to Cambridge Massachusetts from Iowa. Derek volunteered to show Scott around the school on the first day of class. Their friendship blossomed from the very start. Can you say love at first sight? Both being w...more This is an official review from The Romance Reviews

I would have to say that this is the best coming of age story I have ever read. It shows the true angst of high school and teenage years. This story is about two senior high school students, Derek Thompson and Scott Thayer. Scott had moved to Cambridge Massachusetts from Iowa. Derek volunteered to show Scott around the school on the first day of class. Their friendship blossomed from the very start. Can you say love at first sight? Both being wrestlers they had that in common and they were rarely apart. Beck (Rebecca) is Derek's best friend. She pulls no punches and very much speaks her mind on matters. She loves to threaten great devastating harm to various male body parts when she's displeased. She was truly entertaining. But she was also a very important part of the book.

I felt this story was very well written. It was sensitive to the issue of being gay and the fear of discovery. The friendship between Derek and Scott was very sweet. It was interesting to watch each boy try to figure out if the other had the same sexual preferences. Each of them were afraid to broach the topic with the other. This was the first time for both of them to have any sort of relationship. I was rooting for them the entire way. I actually found myself telling each boy, as I was reading, “ask him already”. I was really drawn into this book.

At one point the boys are forced apart and it was devastating for both of them. And I will admit it brought out my motherly instincts. I wanted to go right into that book and shake some sense into Scott's parents. His father was never around, but he wanted absolute perfection from his son. When he didn't get what he thought was necessary he would pose impossible restrictions on Scott. It just about broke the boys apart for good. And Scott's mother would not stand up to him so things got a little tense. It was just so sad and I cried in frustration right along with them. The boys mothers were very concerned about them. They were both so sullen and depressed and they knew something had to be done. So when the boys mothers got together for a private talk, Scott's mother realized she needed to become more assertive and she lifted Scott's restrictions. It was so wonderful to see the boys back together again. When Scott showed up at Derek's house they weren't the only ones in tears.

This book has a great ending. It was a very sweet romance. I didn't read anything about a possible sequel, but should that happen I would be first in line to buy it. This is the first book by D.H. Starr that I have ever read and he did a wonderful job. I will definitely be looking at his other books. (less)

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Aug 12, 2011 Stephen Osborne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked the writer's style, but too many things about this book bothered me. Derek and Scott moon all over each other and NO ONE at their school notices! Wow! That's SOME high school! They also don't talk much like athletes. I know a lot of gay wrestlers and athletes, and like their straight counterparts they talk a lot of smack and do a lot of posturing. None of that from Derek and Scott, which disappointed me. They talked more like members of the glee club than wrestlers. The author also has t...more

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May 11, 2011 ManOhMan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Reviewed by Kerri: The premise of boy meets boy in high school is a pretty common one in gay YA. I've read a few others and often they seem to follow the same worn out storyline. This isn't the case here.

Scott is troubled, his life hasn't been prefect. He meets Derek and they become fast friends, their relationship developing into much more. I'm not one for spoilers, so I will leave it at that.

I liked this novel. It was sweet, and I liked the way the two boys interacted with each other. If you l...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Brad Brown rated it 2 of 5 stars

Okay. Obviously, you come to a book like Wrestling with Desire with certain expectations. It's going to be light and fluffy, maybe a little sensual, mostly giving its audience what they want. Even by that criteria, Wrestling with Desire has problems. The first half of the book feels empty, and the novel as a whole lacks a clear sense of direction. The second half of it is better with some actual conflicts developing between Derek and Scott and Scott and his father, but until that point, things a...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2013, gay-reads, teen-reads

Derek is a smart young high school senior who's grown comfortable flying under the radar. Though he's passionate about wrestling, a good student, and makes friends easily he prefers to go unnoticed when he can. He is particularly careful to ensure that his sexual preference goes unnoticed. With Rebecca, a great diva of a best friend that's relatively easy.

That is until Iowa boy Scott Thayer moves into town. Scott is a somewhat bigger, somewhat bolder, version of Derek right down to his enthusia...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Wendy (wluvsbooks) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: theme-friends2lovers, app-kindle, career-sports, theme-coming-of-age, series, sex-partner-mm, loaned

This was a really cute and sweet story of first love and coming of age that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story itself was fairly ordinary, nothing unusual, but the way that it was told lent a feeling of authenticity to the characters, their lives, their struggles and their emotions.

Derek and Scott were great guys. It was nice to see athletes portrayed as respectable young men, helping one another out, not into trouble, and having friends who acted the same way. Speaking of friends, I adored Derek’...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Edina Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fav-re-read, college-high-school, coming-of-age

Real good coming of age novel.

The heroes are adorable, the story is very romantic. I would like to read a sequel: 5 or 10 years later when they have finished university and started a career etc. I would like to know how Scott's relationship with his dad evolves. Scott is describe as very confident, strong and with great morals, honour, he is very bright and likeable. He seems like a great guy. But we just see glimpses of that great character because he is still growing, slowly becoming his own...more Real good coming of age novel.

The heroes are adorable, the story is very romantic. I would like to read a sequel: 5 or 10 years later when they have finished university and started a career etc. I would like to know how Scott's relationship with his dad evolves. Scott is describe as very confident, strong and with great morals, honour, he is very bright and likeable. He seems like a great guy. But we just see glimpses of that great character because he is still growing, slowly becoming his own man. I liked how resilient he was after being moved from town to town most of his life. I liked what a good son he was, being angry with his dad but still loving him and being respectful. He could function with very little attention, support, friends and anchors. I was impressed. I want to know how he grows, and how he will probably stand up to his dad.

Derek was also a great character. A bit more sensitive than Scott, and that is what made him so scared of being hurt that he always put a wall between himself and the world. He was smart, the creative type but the sporty type as well. He was very popular and a good student, friend and son. But, OH MY, how modest he was!

I would like to see where he went with all his artistic creativity, how his beautiful family carried on supporting him in his life choices, how he will keep his relationship with Scott growing. He looks to me like a nurturer because he comes from a nurturing and stable family. I want to see how if he will build his life around those values he grew up with and how it will benefit someone like Scott who never had it really.

Both guys are great wrestler and I liked reading about this sport. Before reading this book I knew nothing about wrestling, and now I absolutely want to learn more about it. I, myself like running and it is not only a physical, but it is also a spiritual experience for me. I liked how Scott and Derek experienced wrestling as more than just something physical.

Another thing I liked about this book is how Derek liked being overpowered by Scott, how Scott was the more dominant in the relationship, and still, their relationship was not defined by that division of roles. It was just a small aspect of an equal relationship. They supported each other and had equal influence over each other. I really liked the dynamics.

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Apr 12, 2011 Nerine Petros rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Wrestling with Desire is set against the backdrop of high school, where the absolute last thing you want to be is yourself. The story starts at the beginning of the school year, and D.H. uses this well as a way of dating events and circumstances as they occur throughout the novel, finishing the story at the end of senior year.

Derek is definitely someone who hides his light under a bushel, and despite being a part of the wrestling team, lives the majority of his high school life striving to fade...more Wrestling with Desire is set against the backdrop of high school, where the absolute last thing you want to be is yourself. The story starts at the beginning of the school year, and D.H. uses this well as a way of dating events and circumstances as they occur throughout the novel, finishing the story at the end of senior year.

Derek is definitely someone who hides his light under a bushel, and despite being a part of the wrestling team, lives the majority of his high school life striving to fade into the background. Lack of attention means lack of problems as far as Derek is concerned. The story is written from Derek's point of view and I enjoyed learning with him as his view changes. Although a fairly selfless character to begin with, Derek soon realises, with the help of Beck, that he has taken a lot, such as his parents' support, for granted. He quickly takes steps to remedy his self-seeking behaviour, which imparts adult wisdom in a teenage drama.

Beck, Derek's best of best friends, is a bit of a drama queen and wants to be in the spotlight. This only feeds into Derek's need to stay hidden as he is only too happy to leave Beck the limelight. This little diva has a no-nonsense attitude and a lack of tolerance for BS. Apart from the ongoing and spine-tingling ways of abolishing a male's genitals, Beck is a fun, quirky character with an ability to lay the cards on the table in a way these boys can connect with.

Meeting Scott may be the best thing that's happened to Derek, but as the story evolves, it becomes uncertain whether Scott can say the same. Apart from starting his senior year in a whole new school, Scott is also dealing with a heap of issues at home with unrealistic expectations the least of his troubles. Connecting with Derek seems to help at the beginning, but Scott is another who hides his true self away.

Since neither wishes to deal with the realities of being 'outed' in high school, and as most teenagers lack the greatest of communication skills, the insecurities start building and the one person each thought they could be honest with now becomes the one person to guard the hardest against.

Wrestling with Desire also uses the metaphor of wrestling as a way of life, where two opponents may fight it out in individual battles, but it is for the greater benefit of the team. For the age group this novel is aimed at, I found this to be a strong, yet subtly imparted message. D.H. has also managed to write about many issues faced by teenagers in an enlightening and informed way, educating the reader unknowingly writing coping mechanisms and communication strategies within the text. A thoroughly enjoyable novel, I would recommend this humorous, romantic drama to anyone. Nx

Note: Review written for Queer Magazine Online.(less)

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Feb 25, 2012 Jeff Erno rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-themed-young-adult, gay-romance, gay-coming-out

Derek Thompson is a rather self-effacing, reserved teenager, living in Cambridge Massachusetts. Although he already has come to the realization that he’s gay, he hasn’t yet come out to anyone. He is a gifted high-school wrestler, quite popular amongst his peers, and he is also passionate about his hobby of mixing music. He has a female best friend named Beck (Rebecca) to whom he has confided his sexual orientation.

Scott Thayer is a transfer student, originally from Iowa. He appears to be quite s...more Derek Thompson is a rather self-effacing, reserved teenager, living in Cambridge Massachusetts. Although he already has come to the realization that he’s gay, he hasn’t yet come out to anyone. He is a gifted high-school wrestler, quite popular amongst his peers, and he is also passionate about his hobby of mixing music. He has a female best friend named Beck (Rebecca) to whom he has confided his sexual orientation.

Scott Thayer is a transfer student, originally from Iowa. He appears to be quite self-confident and outgoing, and his extroverted personality makes it easy for him to adapt to a new school in his senior year. Scott quickly becomes friends with Derek and Beck, and the trio becomes a threesome.

As the friendship develops between Derek and Scott, Derek finds himself beset with anxiety. Derek desperately wants to come out to his new friend, but he fears rejection. As Derek begins to spend more one-on-one time with Scott, he ultimately realizes that he must take a chance. When finally he bites the bullet and confesses his true feelings, Scott responds with a passionate kiss. A romance ensues.

The 300-page novel chronicles the senior-year romance of these two high school jocks. Interwoven in the plot are the sidebar relationships they have with their parents and with their best friend Beck. A forced separation interrupts the romance, which adds a degree of edge-of-your-seat angst, and finally a resolution is realized when the climax of the story culminates at a championship wrestling match.

Without a doubt, this is a very touching coming-of-age gay love story. The moodiness and anxiety experienced by the teenage protagonists were realistically presented, and the development of the love story itself was quite moving. The secondary character Beck added drama and humor to the story. She appeared a bit overblown, but it seemed intentional, and I have little doubt that she was annoying at times because the author wanted her to appear as such.

The reservations that I have about this story center upon two specific criticisms. Firstly, the plot was excruciatingly slow-paced. I didn’t get the feeling that there was anything in particular driving the story forward. It was basically just a “slice of life”. Often a plot like this, when presented the right way, can be very satisfying, but in this particular case I just didn’t connect with the central characters. Perhaps my perception speaks more of my own limitations than it does of the quality of the story.

Secondly, I was taken aback by the extremely formal dialogue of the teenage characters. Even the parental voices within the story sounded stiff, almost as if the characters were reading from a dictionary. There were few contractions used, and no abbreviated verbs or slang.

The story was written entirely in third person from the POV of Derek. I applaud the author for so painstakingly adhering to literary rules by his avoidance of head-hopping, but I also yearned to get into Scott’s head as well. In this particular story, I think an alternating point-of-view may have been helpful.

The story was void of sexual intimacy, with the exception of one scene in which the couple mutually experienced orgasm though no oral or anal penetration was involved. There were numerous veiled references and quite a bit of foreshadowing which indicated that intimacy had occurred or would be occurring off-screen, and the author did use some language typically reserved for erotica.

Young adult is one of my favorite genres, and I do not regret my time spent with this novel. I sincerely enjoyed the story and found the romance to be very sweet and heartwarming. The theme and messaging within the story are timely and significant, and I consider this book to be a welcome addition to my YA library.(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Tame rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: re-read-favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 14, 2011 Veronica / V rated it 3 of 5 stars

First of all let me tell you what I like about this book, it is a very beautiful story and I love Derek, Scott and that funny adorable girl Beck.
now..what I didn't like:

This book is around 234 pages (Kindle). I would much rather have read a 130 page story without all the wrestling details. Sorry, but when I read a story about, say, M/M basketball players, I don't have pages and pages describing the game to me .. I really don't care.
I would have rather read more about the passion between Derek...more

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Sep 02, 2011 ~♥I_Luv_2_Read♥~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

This was a really sweet read. I feel like it could have been shorter. Derick tended to drone on and there was a little to much minor stuff that wasn't pertinent. (Or maybe I just didn't care about paragraphs filled with what mom made for dinner, ect) I think cutting some of that out would have made the story better.

Over all though, the story was good and I will read the sequel.

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Feb 25, 2011 Duane Colwell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another coming of age story; a coming out gay story. As much as I enjoy these stories (and there are a lot of them), I found nothing special about this one. Not boring by any means, but not exciting either. Kind of run of the mill. I give it three and a half stars.

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Jan 12, 2011 Eden Winters rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

A solid 4.5, in my opinion. D.H. Starr managed to send someone who's a long way from teenage boy back to high school. The angst, insecurity, and joys of first love; I saw it all again through Derrick's eyes. Sometimes you need a fast-paced, edge of your seat thriller to get your blood pumping, but other times, a nice, leisurely stroll through a character's life is in order. Wrestling with Desire is like that, a contemporary coming of age story about finding who you are and making the decisions t...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Cheyanna Harrington added it

I didn't think I would like this book because I'm not into sports of any kind, but this book was amazing; I've read it multiple times.
Even if wrestling doesn't interest you, this book is brilliant.

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Jul 28, 2012 Lb rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

I didn't enjoy this book. At first i didn't know it was a young adult book and i was really disappointed in the writing. Then learning that it was, the writing then made sense. It is very teen speak. I don't mind reading about teens, and usually enjoy it but these guys were so unrealistic. Derek was able to explain exactly what he was feeling when ever he wanted even though he kept saying he couldn't. And then his friends were able to see exactly what was wrong no matter the situation. Did i hav...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Adriana marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, male-male, free-gift-prize-or-online, young-adult-or-new-adult

Ebook won at Young Love Week at Joyfully Jay.

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Apr 29, 2011 Penny rated it 3 of 5 stars

A good coming of age story. 3.5 Stars

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Aug 15, 2012 Danni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-love

This is a weird one for me. There is so much stuff about this book that I shouldn't like, but for some reason I just do.

The dialogue is bizarre. The characters sound like they are in a constant therapy session - "I feel as though...", "I understand that you're saying to me that you feel...", "I believe the reason I feel this way is...", especially Derek.

But Derek and Scott are just so cute together.

My head gives this story 3 stars, and my heart gives it 5 stars, so I'm settling on 4.

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Edits & typos to correct in the next edition	2	7	Jan 24, 2013 08:19am
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