Boyfriends with Girlfriends

Publishers Weekly

When Lance starts dating bisexual Sergio, he is not quite sure he believes someone can be "turned on by both guys and chicks" as Sergio claims to be. Meanwhile, Lance's best friend, Allie, starts to question her own sexuality when she is attracted to Sergio's lesbian best friend, Kimiko. Moving between the protagonists' alternating perspectives, Sanchez (Bait) carefully spells out the teens' struggles with different aspects of their sexual identities: Kimiko's mother wishes she would dress and act more feminine, Allie worries that kissing Kimiko would ruin their friendship, and Lance gets upset when Sergio refuses to commit to being a couple ("I guess I'd like to know who my competition is," he says, after watching Sergio dance with both a guy and a girl at the homecoming dance). Readers will appreciate a book that delves into the fraught topic of bisexuality, but they may tire of the characters' constant relationship and identity anxieties, which basically define them. The book's subject matter is more memorable than the stories it tells or the characters who tell them. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

* "Sanchez [has] written another innovative, important book that explores, with empathy and sympathy, largely ignored aspects of teen sexual identity. While lip service is routinely given to these aspects in the acronym GLBTQ, there have been only a handful of novels that so plausibly and dramatically bring the nature of bisexuality and sexual questioning to life. Sanchez does both, and in the process establishes welcome possibilities for other authors to explore."—Booklist, starred review

"Readers will appreciate a book that delves into the fraught topic of bisexuality."—Publishers Weekly

"I would highly recommend Boyfriends with Girlfriends to teens, parents, teachers, school counselors, LGBT centers and therapists who work with the teen population. Librarians and bookstores take note!"—The Examiner

“I want readers to find themselves in this novel, to see their own potential for greatness, authenticity, to understand that they are not their mistakes and that others do not have the power to define them unless we give them that power, and to see that there is great power in time and perseverance.”

- Lambda Literary, November 30, 2011

VOYA - Timothy Capehart

Seventeen-year-old Lance is exclusively gay, and he is fresh from a horrible "relationship" with closeted Darrell. Sergio is bisexual and just had his heart broken by Zelda. The boys attend adjacent high schools, meet online, and take their best friends (both girls) to their first meeting. Allie, Lance's BFF, is straight but becoming bored with her boyfriend, Chip. Kimiko, Sergio's BFF, is a butch lesbian poet who has never had a relationship, partially out of fear of shaming her family. The boys hit it off despite their nervousness, but the much more experienced Sergio is afraid to commit, and Lance thinks bisexuals are afraid to admit they are gay. While they struggle with trust issues and work on their friendship, the girls, who already share a love of manga, find their friendship growing (and hinting at something more). As the title suggests, the main focus of Sanchez's latest slightly soapy gay teen tale is coming to an understanding of bisexuality. The characters talk through the topic in much the same way the boys explored Christianity's relationship to homosexuality in The God Box (Simon & Schuster, 2007/VOYA October 2007). Everything (except dating) is a bit too easy for all involved—parents too accepting, lack of bullies and haters—but LGBTQ students will likely find that to be a comforting glimpse of what could be. Sexual content bumps age higher than the publisher's stated target, but this is a solid choice for public library young adult collections and most high school libraries. Reviewer: Timothy Capehart

Children's Literature - Jody Little

This edgy, young adult novel focuses on the lives of four high school students struggling to come to terms with their sexuality. Lance has always known he is gay, but he has yet to have a serious relationship with a boy. He hopes that will change when he meets Sergio. Allie, Lance's best friend, has always dated boys, but when she meets Kimiko, her feelings begin to change. Sergio is handsome, confident and very much at ease with his bisexuality. After breaking up with his girlfriend, he is attracted to Lance. Kimiko, Sergio's best friend, has known she is a lesbian her whole life. Kimiko likes Allie the instant she meets her, but thinks that Allie is out of her league, and would never be interested in a relationship with her. So begins the love connections between Lance and Sergio and Allie and Kimiko. Driven almost entirely by dialog, the plot reads as a series of intimate conversations between the four characters as they deal with their feelings of attraction, rejection, and jealousy. While the author does not write detailed sex scenes, he also does not hold back on revealing the characters' promiscuity. This is not a novel for the mainstream, but teens who have questioned their sexuality may find some comfort in reading the stories of these four characters. The author bravely and gracefully handles the questions and skepticism that swirl around the topic of bisexuality. Reviewer: Jody Little

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Lance is gay but has never had a successful relationship. Sergio, a new guy Lance met online, is bisexual, but his only relationship was with a girl. When they set up a "f2f" at the mall, they decide to bring along their best friends, Allie and Kimiko, for support. At the meeting, not only do sparks fly for Lance and Sergio; Allie, who has been dating a guy for two years, and Kimiko, a closeted lesbian, also make an instant connection. The usual relationship issues follow: Lance fears Sergio's bisexuality and lack of commitment; Allie ponders her sexuality and breaks up with her all-too-understanding boyfriend; Kimiko can't comprehend why a "straight," popular girl is attracted to her but gets invested enough to come out to her strict Japanese parents; all works out in the end with no repercussions. Give Sanchez credit for tackling the bisexuality issue; there is a dearth of YA fiction on this topic. However, the plotline is too predictable, with most of the characters living in an all-too-perfect-world of acceptance.—Betty S. Evans, Missouri State University, Springfield

Kirkus Reviews

A breezy romantic comedy starring two pairs of LGBTQ teens stays pleasantly upbeat but hits a few false notes. Lance has a date to meet Sergio. Lance brings his friend Allie. Sergio brings his friend Kimiko, and two sets of crushes ignite. Lance is anxious about Sergio's being bi. Sergio worries that Lance is too clingy. Kimiko fears that Allie is out of her league. Allie has a boyfriend but wonders if she might be bi... and falling for Kimiko. The third-person narrator switches perspectives with a dizzying briskness, as the four teens flirt, gossip and brood in occasionally cringeworthy teenspeak ("putting the make," "You did a hella thing" and an enthusiastic, "Like,yeah!"). Amid the giddy energy a few serious issues arise. Lance comes to understand his own biphobia; two teens struggle with homophobic parents; the boys (but not the girls) work to decide and agree upon how fast to move sexually. The portrayal of Kimiko and her family is marred by the use of Asian stereotypes: She and Sergio call her rigid and intolerant mother a "Dragon Lady" and refer to her "Samurai face," and Allie's "Japan-geek" fascination with Kimiko's ethnicity is never problematized. Still, readers who can overlook the stereotypes and clunky slang will enthusiastically root for both couples. (Fiction. 12 & up)