Go Your Own Way, no. 1

March 16, 2015
High school romance is complicated by homophobia and trust issues in Riley’s adequate debut contemporary. Lennox McAvoy comes unwillingly to the small town of Leon, Va., dumped by grandparents who dislike his gayness and are sick of dealing with the ankle monitor he wears as a teenage delinquent. Will Osborne, the only openly gay kid in Leon, has been keeping his head down, but Lennox’s brash flirtations excite and annoy him in equal measure. Riley’s decent characterization and believable high school atmosphere don’t make up for an overall lack of plot, nor for the way some of Lennox’s flirtations skirt the line between sincere attention and sexual harassment. The romance is believable, but not necessarily in a good way.