And They Lived...

By: Steven Salvatore

Narrated by: Kirt Graves

Bloomsbury presents And They Lived . . . by Steven Salvatore, read by Kirt Graves.

From the author of Can’t Take That Away comes a sex-positive, fairytale-inspired YA novel that celebrates first love and self-acceptance, perfect for fans of What If It’s Us.

"My heart didn't stand a chance. I loved it from once upon a time all the way to its joyfully complex ever after." – New York Times bestselling author Becky Albertalli

"A jolt of lightning to my soul. The characters are so bright, the emotion is so vibrant, and the love is exquisitely electric." – Jason June, author of Jay's Gay Agenda

Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he’s plagued with the belief that he’s not enough for anyone: he’s recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can’t quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.

Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love—and be enough for—himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.

©2022 Steven Salvatore (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Intense

This is an intense read, be ready for some ups and down! The characters are flawed and perfect!

Absolutely hated ( it broke me so incredibly bad)

I finished the book in one day , I enjoyed the light that was brought upon to body dysmorphia , and EDs . It reminded me of my self , and things I still struggle with. Reminding me, I too am waiting for my adventure.

A very good experience with great LGBTQ characters

This is a great find for this genre. I loved it to the end. I will be thinking about it for a long time.

And they lived; was like looking in the mirror of my heart and thoughts.

I thought this book would be a cute story. I was wrong. It was adorable. The characters resonated and felt like friends. Sometimes, they felt like me. It felt like a real story about how I have felt, loved, dreamed, lost, and coped with everything. And they lived, captured my mind and heart. Often I would sit in my truck at my destination and listen because I didn't want to stop. This story made me want to live.

Aww Inspiring

This book has helped me in so many ways at this point in my life!

this is everything.

such an amazing and beautiful story, it helped me learn so much and i couldn’t put it down

Omg

This was beautiful! I lived, laughed, loved this so much!!! Put me through sooo many emotions and that’s what makes a story amazingggg!!!

Great tale; wrong voices

This is a wonderful love story about two guys trying to figure out love and life together and apart.
I felt that the voice - intonations actually - was not quite right for Jack. He sounded mucho macho.

A Must Read!

This is such a moving and thoughtful story, and a necessary voice in a culture struggling to understand gender awareness and the many shades of queer. Highly recommend for youth and adults ready to listen to an inside scoop of what it feels like to grapple with not just growing up, but coming of age while also trying to personally understand gender and orientation along with everything else.

This is the kind of read that promotes empathy and healing, while dealing with the truth the life is an ongoing challenge that gets a little more manageable when you accept that perfection and fairy-tale endings should never be the standard you measure by.

LOVE it. A must read for teenagers and grandmas. (And everyone in between.)

First book i’ve truly 100% related to

This book was so well written. I have read a lot of queer fiction, and I have never related to a book like i did with And They Lived… it was a masterpiece that truly resonated with me on all levels; dreaming of love, trying to find my gender identity, body dysmorphia, and so much more. this book has very quickly made its way to my #1 favorite book of all time.