And They Lived...

By: Steven Salvatore

Narrated by: Kirt Graves

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

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

Critic reviews

"Sincerely funny and heart-achingly real.... Salvatore delivers the memorable queer fairy tale readers are craving!! (Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running With Lions)

"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 best-selling 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)

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.

An incredibly written story of love and acceptance

I started listening and was at first uncomfortable until I realized Chase's story was my own. I recall having the same body issues and reckoning with my sexuality pre-Will & Grace era. Steven's writing created a beautiful, realistic world with Chase, Jack and the others, I struggled to stop listening to it all a once. Kirt's superb reading of the story, breathed life into the characters and when I closed my eyes, I saw them all.

Yes, the story is a trope but as Chase works on his short film with it's intended goal of turning the trope on its head, so does this story. While there are many LGBT+ themed books now, Steven creates real characters that don't rely on cliche as they navigate their world.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a love story.

Amazing

OH MY GOSH this book was so good I llllllooooovvvvveeeeeddddd it I really felt connected to the characters and I felt like I could really feel their emotions that’s how good the author wrote the book once again an amazing book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a realistic vision of what it’s like to be a gay young adult in a world where not everyone is excepted.
SSSSSSSLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY

EXCELLENT story, WONDERFUL narration

I don't usually read YA/NA. It's not my thing. But, I wish I'd had this book when I was a teen. The story is so real and I adore Chase. The writing is top notch and I love when an author has to create poetry and creative writing for a character within a book. All in all I highly recommend.

Great story told by a great narrator

I really enjoyed this story a lot more than I thought I originally would. The characters are all great and many are complex and grounded. The story has many great relatable themes. The narrator is fantastic and really helps bring the story to life.

this is everything.

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

Aww Inspiring

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

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!!!

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.)