Name: The Straight Crimes
ISBN: 9781493513253

Matt Juhl

After their home in Louisiana was tragically demolished by fire, sharp-tongued Harper Jones and her troubled mom, Mindi, return to the picturesque town of Silver Shores along the western coast of Michigan to stay with Aunt Faye. Feeling lonesome in her new surroundings, Harper desperately craves companionship—discovering that and so much more in the hunky and compassionate Nik Roberts. Instantly, Harper and Nik are drawn to one another. Existing in a world where love between men and women is almost forbidden and certainly not widely accepted, the magnetism of their unspoken desire is paralyzing—which scares Harper to death.Then Harper befriends entrepreneur and socialite Traci Galva, whose immeasurable kindness is surpassed only by her ambition. After facing eviction because of her mom's drug habits, Harper seeks refuge with Traci. Shortly after, everyone is stunned when Faye's house violently erupts in flames and Mindi mysteriously vanishes. With only Nik and Traci to depend on, Harper's world is turned upside down. What first seems like an accident becomes classified as a case of arson when police discover Faye's mangled body in the ashes.With fingers pointing in every direction, Harper and Nik find themselves tangled in a web of lies, passion, and murder as they fight for their lives and love.

The Straight Crimes

** spoiler alert **
           Where do I begin, this story was a tear jerker. The author presents us with a narrative about two teens where heterosexual marriage is taboo and is frowned upon in the community. Forbidden love has always been one of my favorite tropes, but this is more than that.. the depiction of the struggles held by the main characters are what the LGBTQ+ community has struggled for so many years (completely heartbreaking and unfair). It was truly inspiring to see the roles in reverse. Think of this world as an UNO reverse card of the world we live in, straight love is a crime and there is little to no hope for those that are heterosexual. 

Nik and Harper are two teens fighting for the right to love whomever their heart desires. The world is slowly built with some aspects of the society we live in today set in an alternate universe in which certain choices are strictly forbidden. I am not usually one to be pulled into a romance/thriller genre, but this will have you binging immediately. Nik is such a sweetheart, I thought he was compatible with Harper from the moment I started reading their dynamic. They both have struggled with so much in life, it’s amazing to see their bond grow stronger as the story unravels, especially with the loss of Harper’s family. 

There are so many relevant topics in this book that we see in society today, such as drug addiction and psychological abuse. It’s so important to bring these to light in order to educate ourselves. I enjoyed the flow of the story, the pace was perfect to follow. The author breaks our hearts and leaves us tearing up (in my case sobbing) for certain events in the book. I like when an author takes leaps and isn’t afraid to change things drastically in a plot as long as it fits in with the evolution of the story, which in this case it went perfectly.

Thank you so much to the author for gifting me a copy of The Straight Crimes, looking forward to reading more!

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

The Straight Crimes is as far from my comfort zone as it can be. I usually prefer to read fantasy novels, and getting swept up in worlds that are as far from our own as possible. Yet, this book held an allure to me from the very first moment I read its synopsis. It’s a crime book with an important romantic element, featuring an America that is a perfect snapshot of the country we know and love (and sometimes hate), but flipped. In fact, the singularity about this book is that homosexuality is the norm, and straight romances are met with disdain and hate.

Does that sound familiar? Unfortunately, it sounds very familiar to me. Though I consider myself an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, this book was a real eye-opener in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

The protagonists of this story are Harper and Nik, two teenagers who meet and fall in love the way so many of us do. Reading this book as a straight woman, there is nothing that feels more natural to me than the instant connection these two characters share. And yet Harper and Nik are forced to question every moment of their relationship. Every glance, touch and stolen moment is one they need to fight for, facing all manners of obstacles and prejudices. 

As I was binge-reading this book, I couldn’t stop thinking about the injustice of it. The moment I put it down, I couldn’t help comparing with our reality, which really shows the power of the subversion in this book. Harper and Nik could be any one of us, or any of our friends and loved ones. Even today, in 2020, there is a Harper or a Nik who feels judged and afraid, all because they love another Harper or another Nik. This book is a clear message to our society—to the straight people in our society most of all—to be better, to fight harder. Love is love, and our world won’t reach its full potential until we all believe it.

Apart from the romance, which clearly thrummed on all my heartstrings, I also really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book. I admit, I’m no detective. I can survive on endless reruns of Murder, She Wrote, and yet still question how Jessica Fletcher manages to remember all the clues throughout an episode. However, this doesn’t stop me from getting swept into a good mystery, and this book was no different! Lovers of mystery and crime will definitely enjoy the one in this book.

So to wrap it up, I really enjoyed this read, despite it not being in my comfort zone. I definitely recommend it to lovers of romance and crime, but I extend the invitation to read this eye-opener to everyone. There is so much we, as a society, need to learn, and I do believe the author did a great job at making things very simple for us in his novel.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

The Straight Crimes is a contemporary romance/crime book, which isn’t my usual cup of tea. Yet even as someone who reads a ton of Fantasy, I enjoyed reading this book so much. The setting of the novel is America as we know it, except that same sex couples are “the norm”, and straight people are often met with ignorant slurs and prejudice. 

The story follows Harper and Nik, two teenagers who meet when Harper comes into town. The two discover they have much in common and, as they grow closer, they inevitably fall in love despite what people think and the obstacles they’re forced to face. The subversion of reality was done wonderfully, and as a straight woman reading the book, I really felt as if Harper’s worries were my own. What would people think? Should I hold his hand? Am I standing too close or smiling too much? To think that same sex couples really go through all this emotional stress even now that we’re in 2020 is very disheartening. There’s still so much that we, as a society, must improve.

Alongside the romance, there was the murder aspect of this book that really intrigued me. Mystery is one of my favorite things, and I enjoyed trying to gather clues from what I knew about the characters to understand who the culprit was. 

There were moments that made me very emotional. I might have shed a tear…Okay yes, I cried. The author really knew how to pull at my heartstrings. 

In my opinion, The Straight Crimes is a book that should be read and talked about because of its underlying educational message and beautiful story.

The Straight Crimes

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