The Youth & Young Loves of Oliver Wade: Stories

by Ben Monopoli

What makes us who we are? Is it life's big milestones that propel us from childhood to adulthood? Or are we made of all the little memories that have a way of standing in for so much more? A friend's itchy chin might be how you remember him. A pair of worn corduroys might be what you remember of your first love. A green-eyed boy on a subway platform might be how you remember a breakthrough. A coffee cup in a blizzard might be how you remember your best friend. The sound of a dial-up modem connecting. The wet stems of lily pads in your dad's hands. A spiral of hairs on a cheek. The outline of keys in a pocket. Blue paint under fingernails. Fireworks on a summer night. These details are like pulses, like heartbeat spikes on the cardiac line of memory. In the twelve stories in THE YOUTH & YOUNG LOVES OF OLIVER WADE, Ben Monopoli shows us these pulses in the life of our narrator Ollie as he grows from age thirteen to twenty-eight. Pulses that define who Ollie is, and ultimately who he'll become. A stand-alone companion to THE PAINTING OF PORCUPINE CITY and THE CRANBERRY HUSH.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Coming Of Age, Gay, Young Adult, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2015

About the author

Ben Monopoli lives in Boston with his husband, Chris. His newest book is Mateo Was Here: A Novella.

Reviews

[wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's this particular line in the book which talked about having these big moments in life where no amount of words would be enough to give them justice. I think conjuring that particular line is a good way to start my review because I just had a big moment myself after reading this book. And words would not be enough to show how this book really means to me. But for the author, I sure am willing to try.

If you've read The Painting of Porcupine City or The Cranberry Hush, you'd know that Ben Monopoli's work is somewhat unconventional. But I don't say that as a kind of warning or disclaimer. In fact, I'd climb mountains to convince people to try his work. Because as non-typical as his stories may be, Ben Monopoli for me, is one of the most consistent authors in the GLBT / M/M genre today. You can't ever doubt that his work will shortchange you; they will always be good, if not the best.

With that being said, if you're just about to start reading, prepare your highlighters (literally and figuratively) because Ben will be giving you a lot of wordgasms (and yes I'm not kidding) as you go through Ollie's life. Better prepare a backup as well because there are so much words, phrases, and sentences that will make you pause and wonder.

Ben welcomes you to a world of similes and metaphors as words are vividly brought to life. It's funny because I always find his work having a tinge of melancholy to them but they only offer me more comfort and joy than sadness. It's placating to find that his characters' voice are very conversant, as if always to confirm, "It's not just me who's feeling like this, right? You had a similar experience too, right?"

Which brings me to a stark realization that while this book is Ollie's life being bared in twelve amazing stories, it's mine too and other gay guys as well. It's not just Ollie's coming-of-age story; it's everyone's experience of youth and young loves. It may not be a hundred percent like Ollie's as we have our own unique stories to tell, but all of the emotions involved -- like hurt, unrequited love, confusion, fear of not belonging, fear of ending up alone? These are real emotions that all of us have felt one way or another in our own tale of youth and young loves. And with that, I think Ben Monopoli did a successful job of being able to engage and connect with his readers in a whole new level. This is a book of life lessons that I know I could have put to good use if I'd read this when I was younger (or maybe I still need it now even if I'm a bit older). This book is about life, more than love. It's packed with so many good lessons in the form of people Ollie has met as he comes of age; they actually reach your soul.

And if you've read The Painting of Porcupine City, then you already know that Ollie is going to have his happy ending even before reading this book. But Ben really has a way of surprising you in the moments you least expect it. Never in a million years would I be able to predict the short but impact-ful surprise in the end. So you better hurry and read so that you'll be left speechless as well.

Excellently done, Ben. I know it feels wrong to express what I feel for what you've done in a word or two seeing as it can't really be described as just excellent or wonderful or magnificent, and you've obviously poured your heart out in bringing Ollie to life. But if I'm going to go with a phrase to encapsulate this big moment, then it's fucking excellent for me. I sure do hope to read more of your work which always leave me feeling like I had the biggest moment in my life.

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

✰ 3.75 stars ✰

​

“I had the tingles, I had the desperation, the butterflies, the lust, the happiness. I had the fuck-up, I had the miscommunication, I had the fallout, and I had the broken heart.”

Ben Monopoli's writing carries a certain wistfulness that captures the nostalgic feeling of longing for moments ​and relationships never to return. ⏳​ Even as we transport our way through the years with vignettes that portray The Youth Young Love of Oliver Wade, it's those early high school years, as his heart floods with the burning of a first love - unrequited, or uninvited - that resonated the loudest.​ 😢

Those early stages of IM, where emotions were easier to speak with words unspoken aloud​. 🥺 I felt like crying for how much it reminded me of my own one memorable conversation with my unrequited crush; which I even printed out and re-read time and time again, until I realized how pitiful and pathetic that was of me to pine for him for so long, and threw it away. No judgment, please. ✋ I ask myself why for all the days of my life. 😔

“I knew what the scariest part of this new lying life would be: that it had a flip side. That if I could lie, I could also someday tell the truth.”

I also loved how his father treated his coming out. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹​ How he took his son's hesitancy and fear and changed it into something so positive and precious for the two of them. If all parents had the courage and kindness to be as warm and accepting, how much easier would it be for kids to know not to be afraid.​ 🫂

​Although, I ​will have to side with his parents for Ollie's rather selfish, if not self-centered decision regarding his DNA. I get it is ​HIS​, and all, but, they do deserve to feel hurt and betrayed by his rather callous choice​; especially since they've always been so supportive of him.​ 🙍🏻‍♀️

“This was the tragedy of growing up a closeted gay boy: you’ve had no practice when it matters.”

​Ollie's narration was au natural, genuine, and even, at times, problematic, but still, relatable. His twenties had a bit of a stagnant lull, as he struggled to find his path in life, while experimenting with love in various ways. To settle old affairs, or light up a fleeting passion with finesse or kinky flair - just to know what it feels like to be wanted by someone else,​ how these intimate connections help him shape him into the person he feels content to be.​ 💕

I'm still on the fence of whether ​I want to read Fletcher's story; even if he and ​Ollie w​ere end game, and Mateo mysteriously and magically also crossed paths with​ Ollie once upon a lifetime, I'm not sure ​I can read his love story with someone else that's not his soulmate. ​Idk, we'll see.

I hope the author will consider revisiting some of these characters again. I'd love to know what happened to the one that got away, the one maybe too afraid to voice the unexplainable misunderstood feeling in his heart that had him let go of the best part of his life he never realized until perhaps it was gone...​ 😔

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fiction, but it doesn’t feel like fiction. It feels like a memoir. Ben Monopoli’s narrative of the shifting drama of Oliver Wade’s life is gently, insistently powerful, exposing every awkward, painful, and beautiful milestone in the maturing of a young gay man.

Monopoli has arranged the book ostensibly as a series of short stories; but as I read it, it seemed increasingly seamless in its layered presentation of Ollie’s life. With each move forward, references to earlier episodes knit the chapters together. Most interestingly, at the very end Monopoli brings in his last fascinating book, “The Painting of Porcupine City,” and weaves a tantalizing bit of that complex tale into the fabric of this one.

Although I’m a generation younger than Monopoli, his book has that strange quality of much LGBT biographical fiction that transcends historical time. Nothing in this book coincides exactly with any incident or moment of my personal experience. And yet, every one of these individual chapters, which ultimately cohere into a single, beautifully crafted whole, resonated with my life.

Oliver Wade’s experiences constantly conjured up personal memories and all-but-forgotten fragments of my own past. In spite of the increasing acceptance of gay lives into the mainstream of American society in the forty years since I came out, there continues to be a shared trauma that this book expresses with aching accuracy.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for this heart-tugging coming of age story

I devoured this book in less than a day. After finishing Painting the Porcupine City this morning, I had to find out Ollie's story. And … wow … I gave 5 stars to Porcupine City but this was even better.

This story spans 15 years, following Ollie from his early teenage years to age 28. It's a book that's made up of 12 stories -- a cohesive montage of some of the defining moments of Ollie's life: his closeted teen years and his unrequited love for his best friend, coming out to his parents, first sexual experiences, friendships, new relationships, the brief encounters that have a lasting impact on him, and finally to his first encounters with Fletcher.

I completely related to Ollie and his story, likely because many of the themes were so universal. At times there was heartbreak, and my heart was breaking along with Ollie's, but there were also some pretty wonderful moments too. Just like real life.

If you like good writing and coming of age stories, I would highly recommend this. It does make some sense to read Painting the Porcupine City first, but it's definitely not necessary to the enjoyment of this story.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been eleven years since my last Monopoli.

I'm a bit shocked by that number. Back in 2012 I fully intended to read his other books. The Cranberry Hush was authentic, moving, and magnificently written novel. But the thing was, the root of the main character's problem was something he was doing, something I also used to do, and though I thought very highly of the book, reading it took me back to a part of my life I didn't feel I had the strength to revisit.

So in the years since, I bought most of the author's other books as they came out, but I never quite made time to read them. The reasons for my hesitation varied from book to book, but the result was the same. Then, randomly, a week or two ago he crossed my goodreads feed. And it occurred to me I've been feeling more resilient these days, maybe I was ready for another.

Of all his (sadly few) books, this one, The Youth & Young Loves of Oliver Wade, by chance the only one I didn't own, felt like the safest option. I knew technically this ties in with and comes after The Painting of Porcupine City, but I've never been bothered much about spoilers and decided this was the one.

The writing is, once again, superb. But first couple stories did have me wondering if I'd bitten off more than I could chew. However, once it reaches Ollie's college years the stories stopped echoing my own life quite so much and I could appreciate them more comfortably. They're still quite deeply relatable, and moving, more so than I'd probably seek out. I generally prefer more moderate inputs, perhaps because I'm not so great at moderating. Being "in the mood" for "a good cry", makes no more sense to me than horror aficionados "enjoying" being scared. If I didn't already know I was wired a bit differently, those two concepts would constitute sufficient proof.

I really loved this though. There are some very sad moments along the way, but happy ones too, and the ending (happy) both makes me want to read, and make me think I can handle reading The Painting of Porcupine City next.

The only thing I want to add is that despite the "stories" label on the cover, I do think this stands as a sort of coming-of-age novel, dipping, as it does, into various significant points along one character's life, between 13 and 28 years of age.

Highly recommended, and I do hope the author's still writing.

[Iuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This was the tragedy of growing up a closeted gay boy: you've had no practice when it matters."

If I will ever be sure a story feels too close home to me, it'll be this one. I started reading M/M romance because I needed to relate to the characters. To follow their stories as they go through paths similar to mine. Half of this book I was "OMG this is me" and the other half was "OMG this could really be me". So I should say Ollie Wade is the character that got as close to me as any could. And I loved him for this.

Just for some context, this book is a follow-up/prequel sort of thing to the amazing The Painting of Porcupine City. Fletcher, the MC on that book meets Ollie in his story, and here we have Ollie's POV on this encounter. But this is not what the book is about - In Youth and Young Loves, Fletcher comes only on the last chapter. This book is all about Ollie. Growing up. Knowing himself. Learning how to be a man. And his loves, of course.

Ollie starts as most of us: a kid who knows he likes boys and also knows he's a sinner, the only one, and will always be alone. As I grew up and started accepting myself, I kind of forgot how it was to feel like this. So the first chapters on the book were like pouring a vat full of iced water over my head. "You will grow to always be alone" is such a strong statement, any kid would be devastated thinking this about themselves. So this was Ollie: keeping it to himself, being foolish while dealing with girls and expectations, falling in love with his childhood best friend. I was Ollie once. If you are gay, you probably were too.

Then he grew up and started to understand that he was not alone. That he could eventually fall in love with someone that would love him back. How liberating is that! Until you learn that oops, it's not that easy and nobody taught you what to do.

Coming out to his parents was hard - and their reactions unexpected. Having his first kiss, and first sex, was awkard as hell and so very wrong. I felt horrible for him. I wanted to hug him and tell him it doesn't need to be like that. It was abusive and agressive. I hated it with all my forces (which means the author is a genius - making us feel so strongly about a character only means the author is a master on how to describe feelings).

All through the book I felt like that. Happy. Angry. Sad. Crushed. Hopeful. Ollie's feelings were my feelings. Sometimes he was me. Sometimes he was a dear friend I wanted to help. Sometimes he was helping me. No reserves here: Oliver Wade was the most real character I've ever read.

I'm not gonna spoil every chapter, I'm just gonna advice you to read this if you haven't yet. Believe me, it's worth it.

Oh, it's also very quotable:

"And I knew that just becausa a guy's Family doesn't interrupt your dinner doesn't mean they are not sitting in your booth." --- SO TRUE.

"I saw his face in random faces. I smelled his smell when I passed certain basement Windows puffing air sweetened with a certain fabric softener. For a long time I waited for the call or the email or the IM that would say he was wrong, he was sorry for abandoning me, for cutting me off and leaving me on my own. But it didn't happen. The fact that I was still waiting to be taken back was proof, to me, that he was still waiting, too. " --- This has me written all over it. I could tottally have written this when my previous boyfriend broke up with me. That was a tough one.

The one complaint I have, is bringing the "Paint day" thing back. This bit of fantasy in such a real story still feels very wrong to me (which probably means I'm a bit short-minded myself). But, to be fair, it was beautiful having the little heart coming back and discovering who did it so many years before... Always so heartful :')

So I loved the book. I think it is a masterpiece and every single chapter, even the ones I didn't like that much, were absolutely incredible. You'll find the most lovable characters (Wesley & Angel FYI), awkward dates, dear friends and all things that makes a romance story good. If I'm being a bit repetitive here, sorry. But this book is good. GOOD good. G-O-O-D. Really good. Seriously, read it.


Now who do I have to sleep with to be able to give this book four of five full sets of five stars?


*BTW, thank you to my dear friend Wesley for doing a giveaway of this book (which I won yay), and to Mr. Ben Monopoli, for writing such beautiful stories, for being so nice following me as I was reading his book and for always showing love and support to my country. Vem pra cá que eu te pago um salgado, seu lindo ♥

[Onyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

You should read this book if you remember what it’s like to be young.

So the author made a book trailer and it’s kind of perfect. And writing this review I asked myself, why should anyone read The Youth and Young Loves of Oliver Wade?

The answer is because it’s real. It is achingly authentic to life. Our big moments growing up aren’t necessarily the milestones we celebrate, like senior prom, high school graduation, getting a college degree, getting married…

The real moments happen in between, in the patchwork of everyday life, when we – and Ollie – learn the most about our truer selves. And these uncelebrated quotidian experiences are brought to life in Monopoli’s book with magical detail, with melancholy hues and fantastical sounds.

Because who wouldn’t sigh at the sight of a Honeymoon for Knights?
Who wouldn’t believe in the Rainbow Subway?
Who wouldn’t cherish those Lumberjack Slams and Hurricane Swirls?

If you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be young, you should read it.

Over the course of 8th grade dances and midnight AIMs, discovering his namesake and his first true friend, Ollie grows from child to teenager and from adolescent to adult. And it’s not the cliché experiences of young adulthood, it’s the unrequited love, the fear of being alone, and the anger… and it’s that one smile from a stranger that can renew your faith in the world.

It’s experiencing a timeless love affair and knowing the first one never really dies yet still finding your place to belong, your one set of keys you’ll never lose.

It’s everything that hurts and everything that’s beautiful about being young.

Read this book if you still remember your first love. Read it if your first love broke your heart.

Ultimately, like all of Monopoli’s work, this is a love story. While we meet Ollie in the Painting of Porcupine City I never really liked him as much as the main characters Mateo and Fletcher. (To be fair, my heart didn’t have room for much else towards the end of that book.) The Youth and Young Loves of Oliver Wade fleshes out this minor, yet vital character, and the tie-in to their story is so exquisitely perfect, it reinvigorates the magic of Paint Day and all the secrets I won’t share because The Painting of Porcupine City will make this book one thousand times more everything.

You should read this book if you like supporting self-published writers.

Ben Monopoli is an amazingly talented author. The worlds and characters he creates are beautifully realized and full of charm and wonder. I love how the Cranberry Hush made a little appearance. I loved that Ollie became exactly who he was supposed to be, and the tender, happy love that blossomed in his life. And the … fate … that bittersweet sense of fate that ultimately made it possible.

This, I think, is one of the most romantic things I’ve ever read.

Did I cry? Obviously. But like every other book of his, The Youth and Young Loves of Oliver Wade left me utterly, completely happy, and slightly more in love with the world than before I picked it up. There’s a little bit of Ollie in everyone, I think.

And that is why I hope everyone will read this.

Ben, never stop telling stories.

My reviews for
The Painting of Porcupine City
The Cranberry Hush
Homo Action Love Story: A Tall Tale.

[LenaRibka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I.HAVE.NO.WORDS.

This book is a small jewel.

I love it so much, soooooooooooooooo much!




The only thing I cannot understand is WHY it has not yet literally showered with LITERARY awards and nominations.

--> You are acquainted with Ben Monopoli’s works and like them? You MUST read it.

--> You read already one of the author’s books but did not particularly enjoy it. You HAVE to give this book a chance. You’ll change your opinion.

--> You’ve never read anything by Ben Monopoli? REALLY?! It is the right book to start with.

This book is extremely good written, highly emotional(be prepared!), melancholic, in a good way, wise and very creative. It's probably one of the best coming of age books I have ever read.
I think the chapters say everything:

1.(Age 13) Stag
2.(Age 15) Rainbow Subway
3.(Age 16-17) Dial Up
4. (Age 13)The Weight Lifter
5.(Age 18) So Long Eucalyptus
6.(Age 18) The First Time
7.(Age 20)The Six Months Between Then & Now
8.(Age 22)Honeymoon for Knights
9.(Age 24)Abbey’s Mohawk
10.(Age 25)Lumberjack Slams & Hurricane Swirls
11.(Age 26)The Key-Touching Guys
12.(Age 27-28)We All Go Back to Where We Belong

There are so many beautiful and emotional reviews for this book. You can read all of them.

Please read Wesley's review, he nailed it.

I can’t recommend highly enough!



Full review to come....maybe...if I'll manage to find the right words...

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book with a great ending.

[Roger Kean · Rating 5 out of 5]

In as much as this lays out vital moments in the discovery of Oliver Wade's nature from age 13 to 28, it is in essence a "coming of age" novel, but that is not how it comes across. There are none of the usual high-school tropes (bullying jocks vs. nerds; the footballer who turns out to have a secret, etc., indeed, only the first few sections are set at school age). The structure of the title suggests a collection of short stories, and I suppose that's how the book was conceived, but don't be put off if you dislike shorts because the book is really a journey in episodes, all connecting perfectly to form a satisfying whole.

Ben Monopoli doesn't put a foot wrong in bringing to life the first-person events: the scariness of early adolescence at a school dance; the extraordinary wonder of a wordless connection made with another boy made through the sound-proofed window of a commuter train (echoed on the cover image); to the heartbreaks and triumphs that inevitably make up the tapestry of any life. I wish I'd written it.

[Marq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another home run! I tried to read as slowly as possible to make it last as long as possible. Like other Monopoli's books, this one was just too damn good to hurry!

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

Price drop to $0.99 at Amazon US, 3/31/16!

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

Ben is a good friend of mine, so I'm always a bit scared when I start one of his books, because how awkward would it be if I didn't like one? I'm glad to say that I enjoyed yet another one of his works.

This was a really cute and creative short story collection that I flew right through. Another thing I loved was the OCD representation! Ben doesn't have OCD himself, but someone close to him does and you can definitely tell that he did a lot of research and really cared about the representation. I also love that it wasn't really even mentioned and that it was just a back-piece of the story, and he didn't make it a big deal.

I don't really have much to say besides that, but I HIGHLY recommend you pick this one up, and I cannot wait to get my hands on more of Ben's work!

1. Stag: This was a good intro to Oliver's life, I felt really bad for his date though, and I'm really hoping he gets nicer... - 4/5
2. Rainbow Subway: He better get nicer... - 4/5
3. Dial Up: I really liked seeing the older technology, but I had trouble getting into it because of the format. - 3.5/5
4. The Weight Lifter: This was cute, that's really all I have to say haha. - 4/5
5. So Long Eucalyptus: Soo sad, but I really loved how this story wasn't totally romance based! - 5/5
6. The First Time: #relatable, that's all I'm willing to say on a public site lol. - 4/5
7. The Six Months Between Now and Then: I don't usually like stories that jump back and forth through time, but I think that both time slots were different enough to where I wasn't confused. I also thought that Ben's writing really shined through in this story. - 5/5
8. Honeymoon for Knights: I really like that this connected with a past character, but I unfortantly wasn't able to connect with this one as much. - 3/5
9. Abbey's Mohawk: I've never read something about this subject (which I'll keep hidden for spoilers), so I thought that it was a interesting take and I loved seeing how it effected people that weren't directly involved. - 4/5
10. Lumberjack slams and hurricane swirls - This was so cute but sad it's over!!! - 5/5
11. The Key-Touching Guys: I really enjoyed that this connected with a older family member of Ollie's. -4/5
12. We All Go Back to Where We Belong: I think that this was a really cute wrap-up to Ollie's life, and I already miss him!

[Jeffrey Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you tell a story that spans fifteen years? The obvious choice would be to concoct a sprawling narrative, with multiple points of views and layers and layers of detail. But there's nothing obvious about the The Youth & Young Loves of Oliver Wade: Stories. Instead of sprawl, we get glimpses-little meta moments. You know the ones I'm talking about; they end up shaping who we are as a person. That first unrequited (worse still, undeclared) love, fumbling through sex, the friend who mattered. These are all accounted for in Ollie's stories. But there are also less obvious ones that are uniquely Ollie; just like mine are uniquely my own. And yours belong to you. Telling the story through these moments allows us to focus on Ollie. I's remain undotted. T's don't get crossed. Did Harriet finish her play? What became of Angel? It's inconsequential. It doesn't matter; they matter, but the details don't.

More than anything this structure plays to all of Ben Monopoli's strengths. He is so good with language and creating a scene. If he struggles, and struggles is too strong, it's with endings, as if he doesn't know how to resolve things. How to say goodbye to the reader. Here he doesn't have to, and it works brilliantly. I had put off reading this book, because I was trying to finish my own book which also uses the passing of time as framework. I was afraid of losing my own way if I followed Ben's way. Or worse yet appropriating Ben's way. I'm glad I waited, because now I can truly appreciate the level of effort required to string together seemingly disparate moments into something cohesive and beautiful.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

"This was the tragedy of growing up a closeted gay boy: you've had no practice when it matters."

We meet Ollie near the end of Paintings of Porcupine City, so we don't really get to know him that well when he and Fletcher hook up. These books have always been more gay lit than M/M, so I was only disappointed that we didn't get to know Ollie better. This collection of short stories fixes that. It chronicles Ollie's life from his first school dance to his meeting and first date with Fletcher.

The stories are often insightful, and the ones focusing of his teen years are especially angsty. One of the college years stories includes dub-con, so be aware of that. What is fascinating in all the stories is how Ollie learns to be honest with himself and others, how he figures out what being gay means, and how he fumbles as he tries time and again to find true love - until that true love finds him.

I still don't know what to make of Paint Day. It's a weird fantastical element in books otherwise firmly rooted in reality, but a bit of mystical reality never hurt anyone I suppose. :D

[Pablito · Rating 5 out of 5]

These short stories about growing into one's self as a gay boy, teen, college student, and young man weave the bitter with the sweet, as they describe one Ollie Wade reaching, always reaching, whether its in an aol chat room, on the subway looking out to a boy on the platform, apartment hunting with a future roommate's gay cousin, or on a blanket at the Esplanade on the Fourth of July.

As a reader I feel comfortable and protected, exactly what Ollie wants from a relationship.

Even when I hurt for him, for Ollie, I know in this writer's hands, he'll end up on his feet, and so, dear reader, will you.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely blissful

I was sitting in a geography classroom 5 minutes from the last bell. A Friday. The class was going absolutely wild. And I was nearing the end of the book. The screaming, like the fireworks for Ollie and Fletcher, felt silent to me. And as a hush fell over the room, and the teacher yelled at the class, I got to the last page. And the teacher stopped yelling. And the room was truly silent. And as I read those last two words, the bell rang. And I was just happy.
You know?

[Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a special place in my heart for books that really capture the experience of being gay and adjusting to that. There are people that assume that it's a flipped switch, that one day you're suddenly okay with the way that you are, but also with how you've been.

I think this book does an amazing job of showing how it really is, because there are always obstacles. It's an unfortunate truth of the world we live in. But in reading this book, reaching the end, there's hope that you can carve out a part of the world for yourself where you can truly belong.

I'd like to think that this book would be taught in an LGBT Literature class at a college or university someday; it's just that phenomenal, and you'd have to have a cold, dead heart to not be moved by Oliver Wade's story.

One note: I read this book before Ben Monopoli's other book, Painting of Porcupine City, not realizing that this book is a companion piece to that one. To avoid any confusion you might experience where the stories connect, I recommend reading Porcupine City first. Even without knowing all the nuances of where the stories intersect, the story is still incredible and worthy of five-stars, and makes me hopeful as I read his other three books and any books still to come.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really sweet coming of age story. There's the awkwardness of the teenage years, the angst of growing up, that feeling of not being prepared to be an adult... It's all beautifully written and I'm pretty sure most people will sympathize with Oliver. I'm a straight woman and while I was reading I had definitely the feeling of "this could've been me".
If you've read "The Painting of Porcupine City" you might think you know where this book is going. Until it doesn't and you're thrown out of the loop and all those feelings you had reading the first book come crashing down and it's just too much. And you have to go back to re-read chapters and you have to go back to Porcupine City. And it is TOO. FREAKING. MUCH. At first I thought Ben had written this to make up for that ending in The Painting (I'm still upset #NeverForget). Now I'm positive he just enjoys messing with our feelings. And he's freaking good at it.
So enjoy the ride of reading this book. At the end we'll be here if you need a support group to help you deal with all the emotions.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monopoli has once again shown an acute awareness of what it means to be a young, shy, gay man. Mirroring Ollie’s life and loves, we follow his growing pains, bitter rejections, his triumphs, his mistakes— the good, the bad, the ugly. Albums are dropped. Bodies grow and change. We meet people that mean so much to us, and then they leave. I think gay readers will especially appreciate the subtlety (and eroticism) with which Monopoli paints dilemmas we’ve all faced: the frustration of wanting something you can’t have, or that of getting it but not being ready for it; the constant reminders that your parents can love you without understanding you; desperately wanting to belong in a world that is simply not built for you.

This book is as much a collection of love stories as it is a love letter to life itself, with all its complications, joys, and heartbreaks.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning story told beautifully. A fantastic novel which I cannot recommend highly enough.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is difficult to express how much I love this book. Everything in this book felt very real. It was like I was buckled in next to Ollie, traveling with him on his journey from his teen years into his early adulthood. It was like being with a friend, and while I didn't approve of everything he did, I like Oliver Wade, and I was on his side rooting for him every step of the way. The Youth and Young Loves of Oliver Wade is now on my list of favorites, and I will definitely reread it again and again.

[Mark Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Monopli Just "Gets It"


After reading Cranberry Hush and seeing a crabby review of it, I decided to write a glowing review of my own. That still stands. Then I read Painting Porcupine City and felt just as overcome by it, but it had a sad, sort of open-ended ending that left me wanting more of Ben's writing, so I looked into this Oliver Wade story. Oliver gets introduced at the end of Porcupine, and I hoped reading about "Ollie" might give a clue about the end of
Porcupine. Oliver Wade is a series of coming-of-age vignettes that held me riveted to my reading place. After the first episode, "Stag," I tweeted Ben that it had been one of the most painful 20 minutes of reading in my life, because it SO captured my own awkward awakening to my sexuality. I don't cry, unfortunately. But I cried in Stag. I cried! As Ollie unfolds, depending on whether you are 20 or 70 (as I am), you will cry. You will cry tears of memory, tears of joy, tears of happiness and tears of sadness. And when you have finished Ollie, if you haven't read Cranberry Hush and Painting Porcupine City, you will download them and read them and then read them again. Ben Monopoli just gets it. I'm not sure where it comes from or how he pulls it all together, but you will be there with him every step of the way and you will feel things you've felt before and remember things you forgot years ago and you will cry. And it will touch your life in ways that you didn't suspect you could be touched. I promise you. Read these stories. Wallow in them a bit. Suck the life out of them into your own life, and then when you have exhausted Ben's repertoire, you will sit and stare into space for a time and hope--no, pray, if that's in your toolkit--that he is sitting at his heaven place and writing the next story you can't wait to get your hands on. Next stop: buy in paperback, hold them in my hands, and enjoy them all over again.

[Dhen Dhen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my good Lord.
I can't...I think I'm gonna cry.
I'm so glad to be alive and read this. T.T


================================

I didn't expect that I'll be reading this again soon. I felt bad about the review I gave the last time: it didn't give it much justice. Then again, no amount of words can give this book what it deserves. So here I am trying to give The Youth and Young Loves of Oliver Wade a proper review.

I appreciate this book. It is in present tense because I know the appreciation won't stop even if I get older. There are books that I like but don't appreciate. This book made me thankful to be alive and reading it.

The chapters are different stories from our protagonist Ollie's journey to adulthood as a gay man. I love that in every chapter Ollie's age was stated because it felt more real. ‎

The writing style is almost lyrical, not too much for it to be sugarcoated and pretentious. But still, there are so many beautiful sentences here that if I highlighted all of them, I'm afraid my copy will get dirty.‎‎

I guess what really made this book hit home magnificently for me is the reading experience. It's nostalgic, honest, and effing relatable. THIS BOOK DEFINES ME in more ways you can't probably imagine. 

I especially love the scene in Rainbow Subway where Ollie flirted innocently with this cute little boy. There was a line that afftected me so much: there were others. The comfort that line brought me almost  left me out of breath. I've always known there were others, but this book made me see it differently. It's the first time I've realized that I was not alone, that being gay is not something alien to this world, that one day I'll find someone special among those others as well. I can't tell you how much hope that little line shone for me.
‎
So yeah, this book and Ollie have a special place in my heart now. And I can't wait to read the other works of Ben Monopoli

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a little disingenuous to label Ben Monopoli's new novel as m/m. It's not about romance, really, it's more in the tradition of queer coming of age stories and it instantly found a place among my favorites. Oliver Wade is something of an everyman, and I'm sure every gay man reading this story will find moments of familiarity in his experiences. Homosexuality is something of a shared experience. Everyone has a story of coming out, some more painful, some easier than others, but it's always there. Falling in love with your straight/maybe-not-straight best friend, realizing that you are not the only one out there that's feels wrong or different, that jumble of emotions of your first time, we all have our stories, and this is Oliver's, and it's frustrating and joyful and often times hits too close to home. And Oliver grows up in surprising and poignant ways. Responsibility often creeps up in ways we don't expect, and our actions often create ripples as unforeseen consequences. But these stories give us a clear picture of Ollie, who he was, how he was shaped, how he shaped others, the good and the bad. There's a little bit of Ollie in me, and it's a nice little gift from the author.

[Diverse · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you review a Ben Monopoli book? By accepting the fact that no matter how hard you try to sing it's praises you won't do it justice. I accept that. But, I will still do my very best. Like all of Ben's books The Youth & Young Loves of Oliver Wade is utterly unique! It's a colorful rainbow in a bleak black and white world. I don't know how he reaches inside so deeply and pulls out every feel there is. He makes you relate to the characters. I found myself understanding Oliver Wade. I understood the stories and was able to draw parallels from my own life. That made it so very real. Like all of his books, I was left feeling raw, vulnerable, and hungover. He is an unconventional writer, one of the best I've ever had the honor of reading. Every story in this book is like looking through a kaleidoscope. Keep turning it, find the light, see the whole picture, the work of art. Everyone will see it and feel it differently but each will agree with it's beauty. Read this book. Read all his books!

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story from Ben

I love being part of the world Ben has created with his books. The characters and events feel so real and accessible and relatable. And always provide insight to life.

[Ballebook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is the Ben Monopoli fandom?
All his books are beautifully written and so relatable.
Would definitely recommend this to anyone.

Note:
By the way it's not necessary to have read porcupine city previously. I didn't .

[Iuri]

Totally forgot to review as mark this one as red (sorry Ben x.x)

I'll upload my review as soon as I have the time, but I loved this book so so freking much and I'm still stuck with that R.E.M. playlist.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and brilliantly written. It had me crying over and over. It's also interwoven with at least two of the author's other books, which are also well worth reading: