Review: Foxes by Suki Fleet
Note: This ebook was provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
“And I know you’re sad about Dashiel. I know you loved him. I’m not trying to take that away. I don’t expect you to feel the same. I could never—”“I miss him.”Micky nods, blinks tears, and for a completely awful second as I look at him, I sense I have the power to break his heart. I could snap it in two right now.“He was my friend. I loved him, I always will. But not like this, like you…,” I whisper. I want to say it so badly, tell him that it’s been him from the beginning, but words are making me dizzy. “You have my heart,” I whisper instead.
I love when a book is able to surprise me, and that's exactly what Foxes did. Prior to this young adult (YA) M/M romance, I had only read one other Suki Fleet novel that left me torn. But after having read the award-winning Foxes, there was no two ways about it--this was one of the most stirring YA books I've ever read. More than a year may have passed since the book was published by Dreamspinner Press, but one that's written as well as this is timeless and I'm highly recommending you add it to your to-be-read list if you haven't gotten around to reading it.
This is the story of Danny, an eighteen-year-old transient who lives in a shower room and spends his evenings hunting sharks, a term coined by his best friend Dashiel to describe predatory men who victimize the desperate and vulnerable. Danny knows one of these sharks killed Dashiel and so he observes behind the shadows, the perfect camouflage for someone like him--someone whose scars grab too much attention, and attention is something he has never tried to seek for himself. And then he meets a boy who has wholly captured his attention.
Micky is an American living in London and working as a prostitute. He has his own story to tell but it's one that he doesn't want to share. He keeps his secrets deep within him, and the make-up he wears is just one of the masks he dons, protecting him from the unknown and those he isn't prepared to trust. But there's something about the eighteen-year-old known as Loki that calls to him. Loki turns out to be Danny, and while Loki is the misunderstood antihero chasing sharks, Danny is the boy that makes Micky wish someone like him was worthy of being rescued.
Set in the streets of London, this was a coming-of-age tale, with both Danny and Micky learning to fend for themselves but leaning on each other once their paths intersect. Danny has social anxieties and his scars make him stand out when he would rather blend in. Someone like Micky, however, does stand out, but all he wants is to be accepted for who he is. It's with each other that they're gifted with friendship, trust, respect, acceptance, and ultimately, love. Danny had that once with Dashiel, so his dogged quest for justice for his best friends makes sense.
Danny and Micky have storied pasts and they need to overcome the personal challenges that are blocking their progress into better lives. They're surrounded by people who either stymie or support and these supporting characters play integral roles in Danny's and Micky's stories as individuals and later on, their tale as a couple. There are twists in the book, most of which caught me by surprise, which is always a good thing. Danny and Micky demanded and deserved my emotional investment and Suki Fleet made sure I was all in. Five-plus stars for Foxes. ♥
Date Read: 17 February 2017
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