I Like Me Better, (Hardcover)

I Like Me Better follows Zack in the summer before Senior year. Zack is hoping to become captain of his soccer team. He looks up to the graduating captain, Ryan, and takes the blame for a stupid, insensitive prank that Ryan pulled, to prevent the whole team from getting into trouble. The consequence is community service which leads to him volunteering at a marine institute, after meeting Chip, a cute guy who is an intern there. As well as community service, Zack is also in charge of organizing soccer practices for his team, for a summer charity match. I Like Me Better focuses on Zack's character growth, as well as Zack and Chip's romance. Zack is a good-hearted guy, but he is immature and tends to be a people pleaser. As the summer and the relationship between Zack and Chip progresses, Zack discovers a lot about his values, being a good friend, boyfriend and teammate, coping with expectations and being true to himself. I like how there is a strong theme of ocean conservation and environmentalism throughout. It was refreshing to read a gay romance story with no homophobia. We know it is not the reality for young queer people (especially in Florida) but it is a world we should strive to create. I did find that the internships held by some of the students were unrealistic. It is almost impossible for college students to get summer placements such as these and a marine institute would never give building keys to a 10th grader, no matter how responsible he is. I Like Me Better is a fun swoony, heartwarming summer romance, which explores some important issues in a sundrenched, beach setting.