Timmy's 5★ Review of John Goode's "Edge of Glory," Bk 2 in the Fadeaway Series!

I’m back with another review of a Goode book! Yay! Does it seem most of my reviews are on John Goode’s books these days? They are! All the Goode books are being passed my way and I am a very happy little fanboy! I’d like to thank Michael Thompson for this awesome book! 

If you have a book you would like me to review please don’t hesitate to let me know. Request a review here!

Edge of Glory is book two in the Fadeaway Series. If you have not read Going the Distance, the first book in the series, please stop reading this and bookmark it to return to after you have read the first book! You can find my review of Going the Distance here. (Hint: I have never read a bad Goode book!)

I would like to thank John Goode for writing this book, but I would also want to thank all the people who helped with his GoFundMe so that this book could be published. I really wish I was able to help because I am a big fan, but I’m hoping that people will read my review and go buy the book! That will help John write more books!

When I read the first book in the series, I really liked it. This book I loved. I’ma try my best to explain this without giving away spoilers. LOL So Hard!

Timmy's Review of Lost Tales From Foster High by John Goode!

At first I was worried about reviewing this book because I thought it wasn’t going to be published. But have no worries! Mr. Goode assures me it will be published. Even better, maybe today! Yay! It’s always awesome to hear there is a new Goode book out! (Ha! See what I did there? It’s a gift!) Because this book is actually an anthology, it makes it harder to review. So here’s how I’ma do this. I will review the whole book as one, then I will go through and do a very small review for each story. By the end, you will be totally jealous that I have read it already, and you wait endless days until Mr. Goode has it for sale (which I hear is in a week or so. But it will feel endless to the hardcore Foster High fans!)

Lost Tales from Foster High overall review:

Lost Tales from Foster High is one of the best anthologies I have read. Some of that is because I love the whole Foster High cast, and some of that is due to the author. I have not met a character in this series who I didn’t want to know more about. Even the “bad guys” have a story to tell. So it was neat to hear a few stories or updates on characters you didn’t think you’d hear about again. I also really liked that each and every story had an introduction, because that helped me see where we were in the books and, in some cases, what we missed due to editing. Without those small intros, I would have been confused. So thanks for that, Mr. Goode!

The book I received is not the finished edited version, but I was informed that all the stories would remain the same. I also promised Mr. Goode that I would not pick on any proofing typos that would be caught in edits. So I will hold to that. But for those of you who got this version, I bet the small errors didn’t even matter. Right? I was able to enjoy every story, and any errors there were did not take away from the truly awesome writing in these stories. And because this was a complaint in my last Goode review, I would like to thank the author for not making me yell the first few words in a new chapter! (In the last book, the first few words of each chapter were all caps. Just threw me off a bit, but didn’t ruin the story in the least.) There is only one complaint I have in the book in general and I hope by saying something, Mr. Goode may try not to do this in future books (‘cause it really does throw me off). In the stories, it is not always clear who is talking. A question is asked and answered in the same paragraph by two different characters and is not always clear who is speaking. I’m going to give an example, and I found one that does not give away spoilers.

Timmy's Review of John Goode's "What About Everything?", Book 9 in the Foster High Series!

Hi y’all! I’ve missed you guys! Ok! I’m back with a review that makes me happy to write! Do you know why? BECAUSE the book is from John Goode! Anyone who follows my reviews knows I love everything Goode! The Foster High Books are among my very fave books written, and John Goode is in my top 5 fave authors. So YAYAY!

This book has a few things that I want to talk about. First, as always Mr. Goode has written an awesome book, with awesome characters. None of the characters are new, so if you have been following the series you will know all the peeps! If not, go read the other books! One of the things I love best about Mr. Goode’s books is that the characters are so real! They are funny and full of heart, and a bit messed up! There is not a full-on HEA in this book, but there is REAL LIFE! I like that! That is not to say his characters don’t have HEA or HUNB (Happy Until Next Book), but they feel so real! They are messed up, they do stupid things, they say funny inappropriate things, and they cry! Most of all, they love. I truly love reading a love story about normal messed up people!

Timmy's 5★ Review of When I Grow Up, Book 8 in the Foster High Series

This is a hard book to review. I have had this trouble with all of Mr. Goode’s books and the same problem with Cody Kennedy’s books. You see, I don’t write spoilers, but these guys don’t write books that have down time in them. They are constantly moving at rapid pace, so everything in the book is a spoiler. Sigh… Way to make my job harder, guys. Thanks.

There are many different ideas on what a reviewer is, and what their goals should be, so let me tell you mine. My goal in every review is to be forthright in a way that is not hurtful, but will give readers and authors my honest opinions. I have heard it said that a reviewer doesn’t have the right to tell an author anything and the reviews are not supposed to be for the authors, but that’s bullcrap. I bought their book, or they have asked me to read their book, so I have not only the right, but the obligation to give them my honest opinion. If they are writing books for young gay kids, who is better to tell them if they have hit the mark but someone like me, a young gay kid? But I also write reviews to help promote books I like. Because word of mouth will sell just about anything. So, I take my job seriously. When I say a book is good, I don’t say that because I feel I have to, I don’t say that because someone asked me to, I say it because it is true. So with that in mind, here goes….

John Goode did it again. I don’t know how he keeps doing this to me. It’s like he reaches in and pulls out my heart and rips it to shreds, then uses tissue paper to wrap it up and put it back where he found it. I know, “drama much?,” but damn, I’m hurting right now. This book was like the worst and best rollercoaster in the world. You go up, up, up, up, and all the tension builds and builds, and when you think it can’t possibly go any higher, it does! Finally, we reach the top of the ride and start to speed down at full speed. You scream and cry and laugh, it’s like watching yourself go down and being unable to stop it. Then when you hit the bottom, he throws you into a loop and you see the ride is not over yet. God! I wish I was a great author, a god of words, because I can’t seem to explain in words how I feel about this book and that kills me. I will say, please don’t read this book before reading the others. The emotions, the story, these boys’ lives will not mean as much to you if you haven’t first read everything they have been through together. You will waste both Mr. Goode’s talent and your time. I wish the right person would read these books and make them into movies. That would be awesome.

We see everyone in this book! We hear from most of them, and a few new characters who add to the drama of the Foster High Series. I really liked how this story was told. It wasn’t in the usual way Mr. Goode tells the stories. I liked that. It changed things up a little. I loved how we heard from everyone. That really snagged me in this story. I have grown attached to every character he has written and in this series. I got to be inside each of their heads. It was great. So… Like always, some big shit goes down in this book, and like always, I can’t tell you what it is. LOL But please don’t let that stop you from reading it!

The way the story ended is not what I expected, and I’m on the fence on whether I’m feeling ok about it or not. But the ending is exactly the way it needed to happen given the reasons in the story. It takes a strong person to do what Mr. Goode did with these books. He wrote about real life. Real life is not a happy thing unless you really work at it. It can have happy moments, but it’s not generally a happy thing. Most of the happy things people find in life come with strings attached. They aren't obvious or clear strings, they are hard to see, and easy to pretend they don’t exist. Every time I think I have found a happy thing, someone or something always pulls on one of those strings and tells me it’s time to pay up. This is sometimes the way I feel real life is. This is just how it goes, but not many people are brave enough to actually write about that. Most authors want to give the readers what they want. They want to make money. But a real author, and good author writes what no one wants to face but is real. And, on top of that, they make us believe this is what we WANTED to read in the first place, when we all know we were looking for a fairytale! So, I would like to thank John Goode for being brave, and telling these guys’ stories without warping it to make it what readers think they want.

I do have to be honest and say, though I like how you ended the book, you didn’t give us enough of an ending. I was very disappointed in that because I have never had that problem with your books. I would like the next book please. I promise to be a good reader and not dismember you, if you promise to hurry with the next book!

I give this book 5 Marbles and the series 5 marbles. Please don’t let these books sit at the bottom of your TBR list. That would be a mistake, and when you finally got to them, you would kick yourself for waiting so long to read them.~Timmy

When I Grow Up is available 

in eBook at Dreamspinner Press and Amazon,

and in Nook & paperback from Barnes & Noble

About When I Grow Up

After graduation, Kyle Stilleno and Brad Graymark move to California to pursue their dreams. But high school sweethearts are called that for a reason, and their love rarely stands up to the test of time. As money, school, sex, and jealousy test their relationship to the breaking point, Kyle and Brad fight to hold on to the love that brought them together.

But when a frantic phone call sends them back to Texas, they discover love and understanding might not be enough this time.

To Wish for Impossible Things 

(a lost tale from The Tales from Foster High) 

Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press

Dear God 

(a lost chapter from The End of Innocence)

Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press

Find John Goode on Goodreads, his Goodreads blog, 

on Facebook, on Twitter @FosterHigh, and on Tumblr

Timmy's Review of Going the Distance by John Goode

Please read my reviews of books one, two, three, and four in this series, Tales from Foster High, End of Innocence, Taking Chances, and 151 Days. 

It's important to note that though this is book five of the Tales from Foster High Series, it is also book one of the Fadeaway Series.

As with all of John Goode’s books, this is a great book. The feelings and emotions that Danny has are all too real for a gay teenage boy coming to terms with himself. Though Danny was very frustrating for me, I completely understand his thoughts. It's easy to "arm-chair quarterback" as a reader and want to yell “do this!” or “do that!”, but I can admit from personal experience that it is hard to come to terms with your feelings and fear of disapproval from those you love. Trying to be the perfect child is very hard to do, and it takes a lot of control. Because we learn a little about Danny in 151 Days by John Goode, I have a pretty good idea of what will happen in Danny's future. I hope Mr. Goode is a speed writer because I WANT the other two books now! No doubt, the Fadeaway series will be as good as the Tales from Foster High series! I give this book 4 marbles.~Timmy

Going the Distance is available 

in eBook and paperback at Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press,

To Wish for Impossible Things 

(a lost tale from The Tales from Foster High) 

Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press

Dear God 

(a lost chapter from The End of Innocence)

Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press

About Going the Distance, 

Book One in the Fadeaway Series

Looking like the perfect all-American boy—tall, handsome, and athletic—makes it easy for Danny Monroe to blend in with the in-crowd of a new high school. It’s a trick he picked up moving with his father from one Marine base to the next. When you aren’t going to be around long, it’s better to give people what they want. And what they want are his quick hands and fast feet on the basketball court.

On court, he can be himself and ignore certain strange developing urges. Everyone knows you can’t like boys and be a jock, but for Danny his growing attraction is becoming overwhelming. At the thought of losing the only thing that matters, Danny starts to panic and realizes he has a choice to make: happiness or basketball.

Find John Goode on Goodreads, his Goodreads blog, 

on Facebook, on Twitter @FosterHigh, and on Tumblr

Timmy's Review of Tales from Foster High by John Goode

First, a little background to explain what John Goode’s books mean to me. A lot of you have read things I have written and things I have said on Facebook, and it is no surprise to you that I come from an abusive home. My life was bad. I was so scared to be me at home that I was a zombie person. I did what I was told, and that was all I did. The last few months before I moved to my new home were the worst. I was in an abusive home, and trying to be me just a little, and I got a boyfriend at school. A different story, and not a good one. That was my mindset when I first read this book. Anyway, my best friend’s mom told me there were a few stories I should read. One was Fairy by Cody Kennedy, and the others were Tales From Foster High and End of Innocence (the first two books in the Foster High series) by John Goode. All three were great reads, but they were also far more than that. They became my lifeline. They were that little strand of hope that told me I needed to hold on just a little longer. I look back now and wonder how I survived it. How is it that I am here now, happy and alive? So when I say these three stories saved my life, I’m not being a dramatic teen. I am stating a fact. I tell you all this because, in the interest of being honest and fair, I am biased when it comes to any of these books.

This story is about the absolute thrills and utter disappointments of teenage love when you’re growing up gay. I love the characters in this book. Kyle is my hero. He had a shit life, and he was still a genius, and funny as all get out! More than that, he was nice and kind. He was what I wanted to be. I didn’t want my past to rule my future. I wanted to be a good person, a loving person. Thank you, Kyle. You gave me the inspiration I needed to survive. More than that, you gave me hope. The very hope I needed to gather the courage I needed to be able to leave my abusive home.

Okay, so, to be fair there was a big-ish continuity error in the plot that I have to bring up. When Kyle and Brad get into an argument about Brad’s girlfriend, Kyle’s excuse is he wouldn’t know about their relationship because you need people to TALK to you in order to hear gossip. But later, when people were talking about him, he said he had long ago learned to eavesdrop. You can’t have it both ways. Either you hear gossip or you do not.

I loved this book. Ignore the continuity error. I hope every person who reads this not only devours the story as I did, but passes it on. All it took was someone passing it to me and look where I am now. I give this book 5 marbles. ~Timmy

Tales from Foster High is available 

in eBook at Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press and Amazon,

in paperback from Amazon,
in audiobook from iTunes, Audible, and Amazon.

and in Nook from Barnes & Noble

To Wish for Impossible Things 

(a lost tale from The Tales from Foster High) 

Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press

Dear God 

(a lost chapter from The End of Innocence)

Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press

About Tales from Foster High

Kyle Stilleno is the invisible student, toiling through high school in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. Brad Greymark is the baseball star of Foster High. When they bond over their mutual damage during a night of history tutoring, Kyle thinks maybe his life has changed for good. But the promise of fairy-tale love is a lie when you’re gay and falling for the most popular boy in school. A coming of age story in the same vein of John Hughes, Tales from Foster High shows an unflinching vision of the ups and downs of teenage love and what it is like to grow up gay.

Find John Goode on Goodreads, his Goodreads blog, 

on Facebook, on Twitter @FosterHigh, and on Tumblr