An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys is a gritty, unapologetically honest queer coming-of-age novel. The story follows Toby, a flamboyant 17-year-old in backwoods Shelter Valley, who lives under the shadow of his mother’s promiscuous legacy and death by overdose and the weight of his brother Jimmy’s expectations. When he outs an ex and faces a brutal assault, he is rescued by an older man from his mother’s past, Gabe. Soon they form a bond, and he elopes to NYC with Gabe, where the world is much uglier than he envisioned.

The story is beautifully written, with raw, fresh prose brimming with emotional intensity. The story is told from the POV of protagonist Toby, who narrates his experiences with a stubborn tenacity that is equally infuriating, refreshing, and captivating. In many instances, he speaks directly to his dead mother and confides in her as if she’s listening and can offer him comfort and guidance—this makes the narrative even more compelling and powerful, especially given his mother’s sordid past and the shameful legacy she left Toby with. The interesting chapter titles reflect the situation or setting Toby finds himself in and are just as poetic as the thematic prose itself.

The characters are all flawed and multi-dimensional in this story. Toby is an unapologetically messy protagonist that readers will root for despite his brash, impulsive nature, which often leads him into trouble. Having lived with a shameful family legacy from his dead mother’s sexual promiscuity and drug overdose, he’s decided that he really has nothing left to lose and expresses himself authentically with no regrets. His mother’s horrific last moments have still scarred him, but being so young at the time, he doesn’t remember much about her or what she was like and wants answers. His tumultuous relationship with his brother, who has very different visions for Toby’s future, is a central focus of the narrative. Both brothers are broken in different ways, but there is an underlying love between them that transcends their differences and all their trauma and shame. Toby’s heated love affair with an older man, Gabe, has red flags written all over it from the get-go, and the grueling experiences later on that force him to accept that love is much different than he imagined are thought-provoking and engrossing!

The story has many powerful messages, including unexpectedly losing one’s innocence and accepting the brutal reality of the world. This is not a story for the faint of heart, but it’s one that will resonate with anyone who’s learned the difficult lessons of making unhealthy, impulsive choices that led to far-reaching consequences. Costello also cleverly explores the nuances of being queer, the dangers of untreated depression and addiction, family conflict, and long-buried grief—all through the multi-layered narrative.

The backwoods small-town setting is the perfect backdrop for the story—the judgment and gossip take us back to more backward times, but it’s also a stark reminder that these places still exist today—and being your authentic self in such places often makes you a target. This makes the allure of escape to big cities commonplace for queer youth, but it often comes with extreme challenges and a different form of isolation.

Overall, An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys is a gripping story delving into the complexities of family trauma, identity, grief, and accepting everything that can’t be controlled. In our current “ugly world,” stories like this one are more important than ever. Toby’s and his brother’s arcs show us that no matter how ugly someone’s circumstances and desperate they become, there’s always hope, and everyone is worthy of love. If you’re looking for your next powerful coming-of-age tale with profound messages and raw, relatable characters, then grab a copy of the book ASAP! You’ll find yourself unable to put this one down and desperate to find peace and resolution for the characters!