And They Lived… follows Chase Arthur who couldn’t be more excited to start his freshman year at a small arts college. A huge Disney fan and obsessed with true love, Chase wants to be an animator. While he’s searching for his very own love story, he’s struggling with a lot: body dysmorphia, just recovering from an eating disorder, and figuring out his gender identity. Not to mention his ex-best friend Leila showing up at his college and battling him for a prestigious mentorship.
To say that Chase’s life is complicated when he meets and falls head over heals for Jak Reid would be an understatement. But as his relationship with the poet who is still trying to figure out his own sexual identity progresses, Chase begins to feel like things are making a turn for the better. When their relationship is ruined by an unexpected visit from Jak’s best friend however, Chase is forced to face his personal struggles and to learn to love himself first before opening his heart to others.
What a wild ride this book turned out to be. The thing I’ve learned about Salvatore’s novels is that they never go the way I expect them to and that makes for a truly unpredictable reading experience, which I always welcome.
What really struck me about And They Lived were its incredibly lively characters. Chase, of course, is super amped to start his freshman year, but the people he meets (as well as his best friend from back home) felt so vibrant and took up a real presence in the novel. Benny, Chase’s roommate for example, is so overwhelming in his enthusiasm and excitement that you can’t help but fall in love with him from the very first meeting. You really get to see Chase blossom in this new environment surrounded by supportive friends and the banter between Rae, Benny, Xavier, and Rhett was loads of fun. These characters are unapologetically themselves and I love that readers will find the message in this novel that you can be whoever you want to be because there are people out there to whom you are perfect.
The story is also interlaced with excerpts from Chase’s story for the mentorship “The Prince Who Captured Lightning” that mirror his relationship journey with Jak which definitely added a more fantastical, fairytale-esque quality to the novel. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance in this novel (it takes a lot for me to be invested in insta-love, so take this with a grain of salt please), I did really enjoy seeing Chase and Jak bond over books, art and the power of words. Salvatore also doesn’t shy away from the tough moments where Jak describes his struggles with his conservative family and friends and the way internalised homophobia is incredibly hard to overcome. They both have their own struggles to overcome before they are ready to be with each other and that is definitely a core point in this novel. Still, there are moments of cuteness overload that balance out the heavier side of things. And I think anyone who’s ever had a crush on someone in the turbulent time of their first semester at college will relate with Chase and his dreams of having a happily ever after that’s worthy of Disney.
The focus in this novel, however, is solidly on Chase’s journey towards self-acceptance and love—both the love he should have for himself as well as learning to believe that he is worthy of love and I think this is where And They Lived… shines the brightest. Chase is filled with so much ambition and passion and dreams for the future, but he’s also riddled with self-doubt and I liked how we really got to see that juxtaposition and how much of what he thinks of himself is informed by how others treat him. His struggles with food and his gender identity, not to mention his ex BFF who invalidates him at every turn felt as painful as they were relatable. I think it was so important to see Chase trying out they/them pronouns as well as being comfortable using he/his for now because it showed how fluid gender identity is and that it’s really only up to yourself with what you feel comfortable and no one should be able to take that right from you.
An exploration of first love, being on your own for the first time and how to practice self-acceptance, And They Lived is an empowering reminder that we all deserve to live happily ever after—even if the reality looks different from what we’ve imagined it to be.
And They Lived is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 8th 2022.
Will you be picking up And They Lived? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From the author of Can’t Take That Away comes a sex-positive, fairytale-inspired YA novel that celebrates first love and self-acceptance, perfect for fans of What If It’s Us.
“My heart didn’t stand a chance. I loved it from once upon a time all the way to its joyfully complex ever after.” – New York Times bestselling author Becky Albertalli
Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he’s plagued with the belief that he’s not enough for anyone: he’s recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can’t quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.
Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love–and be enough for–himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.
