What do you think?
The Paper Boy
They always say that today should be the first day of the rest of your life. This is true, unless today happens to be a Monday, in which case maybe wait until tomorrow.
The Paper Boy is a brand-new LGBTQ+ young adult novel following Fifteen-year-old Tim Johnson as he prepares for the start of the Greenwood Secondary summer holidays. Feeling that he is fading into the background, he draws up a ‘cool list’ in order to reinvent himselfbefore the new school year. Over the course of a week however, everything he touches somehow ends in disaster. Tim’s reinvention would be easier if he didn’t have to battle teenage awkwardness, confusing sexual feelings and a mum who seems to embarrass the family without even trying.
As he begins to think that there is no hope, a boy from Sweden enters his world and changes everything.
The Paper Boy is a brand-new LGBTQ+ young adult novel following Fifteen-year-old Tim Johnson as he prepares for the start of the Greenwood Secondary summer holidays. Feeling that he is fading into the background, he draws up a ‘cool list’ in order to reinvent himselfbefore the new school year. Over the course of a week however, everything he touches somehow ends in disaster. Tim’s reinvention would be easier if he didn’t have to battle teenage awkwardness, confusing sexual feelings and a mum who seems to embarrass the family without even trying.
As he begins to think that there is no hope, a boy from Sweden enters his world and changes everything.
190 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2022
About the author
James A. Lyons
6 books10 followersJames was born in Oxford, England and now resides in Bournemouth, writing young adult and adult fiction. He is represented by Intersaga Literary Agency.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 4, 2024
The paper boy, one of my favorite ones among all of the books I have read. Adorable, funny, and very entertaining, once you started you can't stop reading! I loved the details of the description, the narrative and the plot. The main character Tim, you're gonna want to protect him! We can see the importance of having a support system (family and friends) to make your journey easier, also learning that you don't need to change anything about yourself, just be yourself.
Don't have doubts about read it! You definitely have to read it! The ending! The ending was unexpected! you're going to scream and say what's next? Looking forward to the next part~
Don't have doubts about read it! You definitely have to read it! The ending! The ending was unexpected! you're going to scream and say what's next? Looking forward to the next part~
February 21, 2023
A journey to Self discovery
This Book allows one to see through the eyes of a young gay boy and his friends. Although many misadventures and miss steps happen to young Tim, it is through his Friends and family that he learns that the coolest person to be is himself. There are many memorable characters that you grow to love through this book.
This Book allows one to see through the eyes of a young gay boy and his friends. Although many misadventures and miss steps happen to young Tim, it is through his Friends and family that he learns that the coolest person to be is himself. There are many memorable characters that you grow to love through this book.
October 26, 2022
This was a fun read with a really lovely take on young gay love. The nerdiness of the MC was endearing and I quite enjoyed the plot which was quite a ride in places. Looking forward to the sequel!
July 24, 2023
A breakout novel from a clearly talented author, this book pulls together a sometimes-wacky plotline and a flawed main character into a charming LGBTQIA+ coming of age story, with characters that feel human, and are allowed to make mistakes.
The story and the pacing were fine, but the characters shine through. Tim is awkward but relatable, and his blossoming exploration of his whole self-identity through the lens of looking up to his brother is the highlight of the book, especially when Marty turns out to be a bloody good brother in the second half of the book!
Leo and Lydia are good friends and good foils to Tim, especially Leo, and their shared experience at the school dance ensures their friendship stands strong. Johann is a character who was not particularly fleshed out in this book and sometimes felt more like a plot point than a character, but I'm hoping he is fleshed out a little more in book 2.
There were some instances where too much information was given to us (the exact address down to the door number in chapter 1 in particular, felt like too much), but it felt like this balanced out by the end of the book. And while the dialogue was very strong in places, in others it felt a little on the rushed side. In particular the coming out scenes felt like they could have done with a little space to breathe, given the importance of the scenes to the story and also potentially to the readers.
It would have also been nice to have seen a little more of a lead-up to Tim's confession. It's understandable that we wouldn't have seen Leo's coming out coming, given he's not the lead character and effective narrator of the story, but we hear enough of Tim's thoughts throughout the book that the fact that it's not really even hinted that he's questioning his sexuality until he comes out to Leo feels a bit sudden and unlike him.
There is more than enough in this story to make me come back for part 2 whenever we get it, and I look forward to seeing what sort of trouble Tim gets into next!
The story and the pacing were fine, but the characters shine through. Tim is awkward but relatable, and his blossoming exploration of his whole self-identity through the lens of looking up to his brother is the highlight of the book, especially when Marty turns out to be a bloody good brother in the second half of the book!
Leo and Lydia are good friends and good foils to Tim, especially Leo, and their shared experience at the school dance ensures their friendship stands strong. Johann is a character who was not particularly fleshed out in this book and sometimes felt more like a plot point than a character, but I'm hoping he is fleshed out a little more in book 2.
There were some instances where too much information was given to us (the exact address down to the door number in chapter 1 in particular, felt like too much), but it felt like this balanced out by the end of the book. And while the dialogue was very strong in places, in others it felt a little on the rushed side. In particular the coming out scenes felt like they could have done with a little space to breathe, given the importance of the scenes to the story and also potentially to the readers.
It would have also been nice to have seen a little more of a lead-up to Tim's confession. It's understandable that we wouldn't have seen Leo's coming out coming, given he's not the lead character and effective narrator of the story, but we hear enough of Tim's thoughts throughout the book that the fact that it's not really even hinted that he's questioning his sexuality until he comes out to Leo feels a bit sudden and unlike him.
There is more than enough in this story to make me come back for part 2 whenever we get it, and I look forward to seeing what sort of trouble Tim gets into next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2022
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun, enjoyable and sweet read that I see bringing a lot of joy to young adult readers. The plot was ridiculous in the best way with lots of hijinks and twists I didn't expect. It was funny and entertaining, while still having a lot of heart. One of my favorite bits was at the end when Tim connected with a drag queen about his boy problems, and I thought that was a really nice touch. While some of the characters could have been fleshed out a little more, I did feel we got a really good sense of who Tim was and I enjoyed his interactions and relationships with the other characters in the book.
I did struggle a little with the pacing of the book. It took awhile for me to get more into the action of the story, but once we got into the main plot line, the story flowed easier. There was also quite a bit of info dumping/some unnecessary details that were present in the first chapter, but that did ease up as well.
Although the writing for me wasn't as strong as the story itself, I do think this is a story that LGBTQ+ youth will enjoy reading. It was nice to see a range of identities as well as a strong group of friends and supportive family members. Plus — the cover artwork is delightful!
This was a fun, enjoyable and sweet read that I see bringing a lot of joy to young adult readers. The plot was ridiculous in the best way with lots of hijinks and twists I didn't expect. It was funny and entertaining, while still having a lot of heart. One of my favorite bits was at the end when Tim connected with a drag queen about his boy problems, and I thought that was a really nice touch. While some of the characters could have been fleshed out a little more, I did feel we got a really good sense of who Tim was and I enjoyed his interactions and relationships with the other characters in the book.
I did struggle a little with the pacing of the book. It took awhile for me to get more into the action of the story, but once we got into the main plot line, the story flowed easier. There was also quite a bit of info dumping/some unnecessary details that were present in the first chapter, but that did ease up as well.
Although the writing for me wasn't as strong as the story itself, I do think this is a story that LGBTQ+ youth will enjoy reading. It was nice to see a range of identities as well as a strong group of friends and supportive family members. Plus — the cover artwork is delightful!
December 26, 2023
The paper boy, one of my favorite ones among all of the books I have read. Adorable, funny, and very entertaining, once you started you can't stop reading! I loved the details of the description, the narrative and the plot. The main character Tim, you're gonna want to protect him! We can see the importance of having a support system (family and friends) to make your journey easier, also learning that you don't need to change anything about yourself, just be yourself.
Don't have doubts about read it! You definitely have to read it! The ending! The ending was unexpected! you're going to scream and say what's next?
Looking forward to the next part~
Don't have doubts about read it! You definitely have to read it! The ending! The ending was unexpected! you're going to scream and say what's next?
Looking forward to the next part~
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews