Title: Abroad: Book Two

Author: Liz Jacobs

Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, Queer, Coming of age

Release Date: 2 Jan 2018

Add on Goodreads

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4.5 stars

Nick Melnikov has finally done it — he’s come out.

To himself. To his sister. And to Dex, who listens, hears him, and understands. To Dex, who kisses him and shows him all that they could be, if Nick could only find the courage. It’s one thing to let yourself be open thousands of miles away from your family, but exchange student Nick is uncomfortably aware that his time with Dex is running out. Who will he be when he goes home again?

Dex Cartwell is as happy with Nick as he’s ever been, but he can’t ignore the shadow of Nick’s inevitable departure from London, back to his life in Michigan. Is it worth it for Dex to expose his heart to another doomed relationship with a predetermined expiration date? What does Dex really want for the beginning of the next chapter in his life, post-graduation?

Dex wants to turn to his best friend in the struggle to find a way forward, but Izzy Jones has her own problems. She’s got one friend in love with her, and when she turns to another for help things get twice as complicated. Izzy never wanted complicated, but life just keeps getting in the way — and sweeping her off her feet.

Then Nick’s mom and sister come for a visit, and he is forced to decide between living his truth and protecting himself from fear and change. It’s going to take a lot of courage and a few leaps in the dark if Nick, Dex, and Izzy are to find a way to live and love on their own terms.

Abroad: Book One was a stunning debut and one of my favourite reads of 2017. It's sequel completes the story of Nick and Dex and Izzy and the rest of the gang and it's an equally emotional and powerfully told tale of identity and (pro)claiming your true self.

I admit I was hesitant about the choice of two main romantic arcs, (Nick and Dex', and Izzy's) and it didn't quite work for me in the first 30% of the story. I loved reading about Nick and Dex and how they come together as a couple and I also loved following Izzy's journey through figuring out her own sexuality but I felt those two plotlines didn't really mix and were happening independently of one another.

Everything clicked into place for me when we saw all the characters interacting again. The author gave us a slice of life that is diverse and multi-layered and we got to see how difficult it is for young people to navigate through it. I really appreciated seeing life issues as they are, intersectional by nature. The relationships between the characters bring into focus all the different aspects of one's self and how they affect one and another and make us how we are. We see issues of race, religion, being queer, being an immigrant, being a young person on the verge of graduation and having to choose/figure out a direction in life all mixed together. They were all deftly explored by the author and presented with understanding and compassion.

This story stands out with the depth of human relationships presented - between lovers, among friends, within the family, with the world at large. There is no sugarcoating of the characters' struggles. Nick's anxiety felt palpable, as was Dex' anger and fear and hurt. I really liked how characters, even minor ones stood on their own and felt like real people not cardboard stereotypes (Dex' little brother and his parents, Nick's mother and sister).

This is a very emotional duology and there were aspects of that I could relate to on a personal level. It's brilliantly written, rich and heartfelt. Abroad is one of the best queer NA series I have read and I highly recommend it. 

Nick Melnikov doesn’t know where he belongs. He was just a kid when his Russian-Jewish family immigrated to Michigan. Now he’s in London for university, overwhelmed by unexpected memories. Socially anxious, intensely private, and closeted, Nick doesn’t expect to fall in so quickly with a tight-knit group of students from his college, and it’s both exhilarating and scary. Hanging out with them is a roller coaster of serious awkward and incredible longing, especially when the most intimidating of the group, Dex, looks his way.

Dex Cartwell knows exactly who he is: a black queer guy who doesn’t give a toss what anybody thinks of him. He is absolutely, one-hundred-percent, totally in control of his life. Apart, maybe, from the stress of his family’s abrupt move to an affluent, largely white town. And worrying about his younger brother feeling increasingly isolated as a result. And the persistent broken heart he’s been nursing for a while . . .

When Nick and Dex meet, both find themselves intrigued. Countless late-night conversations only sharpen their attraction. But the last thing Nick wants is to face his deepest secret, and the last thing Dex needs is another heartache. Dex has had to fight too hard for his right to be where he is. Nick isn’t even sure where he’s from. So how can either of them tell where this is going?

What a powerful, memorable debut! This a quiet and understated, yet unforgettable coming-of-age story of finding yourself and your place in the world.

We have three main characters in this story and an array of their friends who equally interesting and compelling to read. We have Nick, a Jewish Russian immigrant on study abroad in London coming to terms with being gay while falling in love with Dex, a Black British openly gay and broody chemistry student. Then there is Izzy, who brings everyone together and who has her own sexual awakening to deal with. She is like the glue that holds together this circle of friends with different sexualities, backgrounds and life experiences whose lives we follow in the book.

I'd describe this as chatty kind of story, especially at the beginning when Nick meets everyone and is completely overwhelmed by them. As a reader I felt in a similar position, so many new characters introduced almost at the same time was a bit confusing but it didn't last long. They all had unique, distinctive voices I could hear in my head while reading.

I loved how the author made all her characters feel like real people one could meet on the street. I really, really liked everyone of them and very much like I would have wanted desperately to be their friends while also worrying I'm not good enough for them. Nick's anxiety, his fears and doubts, as well as his hopes and dreams, and his youthful confusion and indecisiveness were presented with such tenderness and understanding, made vivid and real, something I could relate on a personal level. Even though my life couldn't have been more different from any of the characters' I could identify with bits and pieces of them all through the story and I find this connection truly magical. This is what I love the most about reading fiction - finding pieces of me in character who are nothing like me on the surface.

While i loved Izzy, (who wouldn't love her?), I also felt distracted by her at times. We got two parallel stories going on at the same time and it made me wonder why this choice as made. I think she deserves the spotlight of her own book. This is just a minor quibble I have and in no way it deducts from the amazing gorgeousness of this nuanced, rich book.

This is a slow-building romance, there is some angst and secrets and confusion and a very tentative HFN at the end. We also get to experience the stress of being in your final year in university, navigating school, family, while finding your own place in the world. learning to take care of yourself but also how to be with someone, how to love and be loved, building friendships and romantic relationships.

Highly recommended read and I can't tell you how excited I'm to read more about Nick and Dex and Izzy and the rest of gang in the next book.