Wanted Boys by S.E. McPherson is the first in a dystopian series that is fundamentally a queer coming-of-age story. It’s also an MM romance, with a sort of YA vibe, especially in the beginning. I went into this book totally blind after the publisher gave me an ARC, and I had no idea what to expect with this story.
In this dark, dystopian world, Logan Cardot was born illegally, to unlicensed parents. He’s spent his life in hiding, never able to leave the house, in fear of being caught by the authoritarian government.
When the authorities storm in and arrest his parents, Logan is sent to a home for unwanted boys. There, he meets Jace Evans, the ringleader of the older boys, and a charismatic risk taker who brings Logan out of his shell.
The two revel in rebelling against authority. They want to make a difference, to reform the systems that damaged them so deeply, and with their shared mission, they start to develop feelings. The kind of feelings that would put them in mortal peril.
In an authoritarian world where danger lurks in every whispered rumor and sideways glance, their love is a treacherous thing, one that could change the course of their lives forever.
Poor, sweet Logan is such a sympathetic character. I just want to protect him at all costs. He’s the perfect foil for Jace, who gives Peter Pan energy in a world of lost boys.
Wanted Boys is undeniably engaging, with a plot that draws the reader in and characters you want to root for with your whole soul. That said, there are some choices the author made here that made this a difficult read.
There is spice in this story, and I found myself, a woman of thirty, a little uncomfortable with that. The reader meets Logan when he is a lost and scared seventeen-year-old boy, and while he turns eighteen before the sex occurs, he’s still in high school, and these are still teenagers.
The sex scenes were detailed and graphic, which I love in books featuring adults, but under these circumstances, it felt icky. There is a definite ick factor here. It wouldn’t have bothered me if I had picked up this book at eighteen, but for a fully certified grown-up, I didn’t love that aspect of this story.
While I loved the general story of Wanted Boys and its characters, I don’t know if I would recommend this to anyone. For adult readers, it just felt wrong. The ending was heartbreaking, moving, and powerful, but the choice the author made regarding the character’s ages and the spice level was just too much for me.
Wanted Boys hits shelves on June 23.
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