Name: Anything But Fine
ISBN: 9781761042027

Tobias Madden

Luca is ready to audition for the Australian Ballet School. All it takes to crush his dreams is one missed step . . . and a broken foot. Jordan is the gorgeous rowing star and school captain of Luca's new school. Everyone says he's straight - but Luca's not so sure . . . As their unlikely bond grows stronger, Luca starts to wonder: who is he without ballet? And is he setting himself up for another heartbreak? 'Anything But Fine is everything wonderful I love in a book: characters so real they breathe, a rollercoaster of a story that made me laugh, cry, and swoon, and vivid, gorgeous writing. Brilliant.' JENNIFER NIVEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places.

Anything But Fine

After a decade of dedicated ballet practice, one missed step on a flight of stairs lands Luca in the hospital with a titanium plate screwed into his foot. Without ballet, he loses his friends, his school, and his perfect future. As Luca settles into his new life, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with the least popular (and nicest) girl in his new school, Amina, and the gorgeous, popular, and (allegedly) straight, Jordan Tanaka-Jones. With his dancing dreams dead on their feet, Luca has to figure out who he is without ballet. And to do that he’ll have to unlearn his prejudices about the school on the “bad” side of town, make friends who aren’t always competing against him, and figure out if love is worth being a skeleton in someone else’s closet.

Kaitee Tredway

This is such an uplifting and heart-warming read. Luca made me laugh so much, and it is honestly one of my favorite things about him. As a theater kid, I found all of his hopes and dreams about a future in ballet very relatable. Also totally related to how he completely lost hold of his identity when he couldn’t dance anymore. I’ve been there before.

Anything but Fine is a queer romance but it is not a coming out story for Luca. He is sure of his sexuality, just not sure of who he is outside of being a ballet dancer. In one fell swoop, Luca loses his future in ballet and his spot at a private high school. So he’s thrust into a new school, having to start over in so many ways.

Amina, his new friend, is one of my favorite characters. She is super smart and kind. She is also Muslim and wear a hijabi. Most importantly, she is a good and true friend. (Something Luca hasn’t had in a while…) and their friendship truly shines.

Then there’s Jordan, the supposedly straight captain of the rowing team. Watching him and Luca grow close was so sweet. I was rooting for them the entire time. Personally, I also love that the love interest is a biracial Japanese Australian boy.

I really appreciated how sex-positive this book is. And that’s not in a “Luca-has-tons-of-sex” way. But he’s a teenage boy and he thinks about sex and all that comes with it. Luca’s not ashamed, nor is it presented with any shame. It was honestly very refreshing.

I had a LOT of fun reading this book. It was a rollercoaster ride with Luca — all of the teenagers and their emotions are very believable — and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

CW: homophobia, outing, Islamaphobia, racism

Laura Mitchell Hutchinson

I had the privilege and pleasure to read an early manuscript of Anything But Fine, and it was a genuine five stars from me! The story was super easy to read and sucked me right in. I fell in love with Luca straight away, then Amina, then Jordan, but then I hated Jordan, and then I lOVED HIM AGAIN OMG so many big feelings and dramas . . . this was an emotional rollercoaster in the best way.

Overall, a really sweet and heartwarming story that I'd highly recommend. (Disclaimer: I'm only slightly biased because I'm working on the team bringing this book to life). #ya #ownvoices #lgbtiq+ #romance #comingofage #australian

Anything But Fine

Reviews

Highlights