“I’m not a girl. I’m an experience.”
I’m not saying that Sam Sylvester is badass but Sam Sylvester is badass. What a power move of a personality this kid has, honestly.
In The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, we follow—you guessed it—Sam Sylvester who just moved to Astoria, Oregon, with their dad after having to leave their old home after a nearly fatal incident involving Sam and their former best friend. Yet their life seems to be on the upswing when they meet several new friends. But not everything is as it seems in Astoria and as Sam is drawn to investigate the “accident” of a teenage boy named Billy in the 1980s, threatening notes and creepy occurrences start happening. It’s clear—someone doesn’t want Sam to discover the truth about Billy’s death. Sam finds themselves faced with a tough decision— is finding out the truth about the boy’s half-lived live decades ago worth jeopardising their own new start?
Sam Sylvester’s story was a delight to read. From the promise of the premise to the development of lasting bonds and the mystery that surrounds Sam’s past, all the elements worked incredibly well together. But it’s the cast of characters that makes this story such an immersive experience. I loved how diverse this novel was. Beyond the protagonist Sam, who’s nonbinary, on the ace spectrum and autistic, we also have their foster father who’s asexual and aromantic, as well as quite a few queer characters at Sam’s new school once they join the LGBTQ+ alliance club. What I loved about this representation was how—casual, I guess?—it was. While some aspects of identities obviously take central part in the novel like Sam being nonbinary and autistic and how they shape their experiences in life, others such as their dad’s aroace feels like a comfortable part of him without making a big fuss about it. I live for these kinds of stories where I can see myself represented in fiction without having these *gasp* moments but instead just characters who are comfortable in their own skin and identity because it’s empowering in its own way.
Also, Sam’s father deserves an award for best parent in YA. We often get to see the downsides and the dark underbelly of adoptions in young adult novels, which is totally fair, but I was so excited to see a genuinely positive foster parents situation and it was refreshing to see the incredibly close-knit bond between Sam and their adoptive father. He is such an absolute sweetheart—from fighting for Sam (without taking away their agency) to being the cool dad who Sam’s friends are all immediately smitten by (for good reason), he was just such a delight to have in this novel. If you’re familiar with Brooklyn 99, he reminded me a lot of Terry Jeffords. I honestly just wanted to give Sam’s dad the biggest of hugs—he’s definitely my new favourite parent in YA.
Speaking of close-knit bonds, Sam also encounters genuinely kind and supportive schoolmates and friends in their new hometown. Shep, the pretty neighbour that has her own struggles at home, is so supportive of Sam and helps them get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Billy’s death. Even with Sky and Aidan, Sam forms great friendships and it built such a nice contrast to the life they’ve been living so far where they always had to fear exclusion because of their identity. Sam and Shep’s friendship and eventual relationship, in particular, offered such a supportive environment and I really enjoyed their dynamic. I loved how neither pressured the other to talk about the things that haunt them from their past and instead offer a safe space where the other can grow to feel comfortable confiding secrets in.
Even though I’m usually not much for mystery books, I really enjoyed the mystery in this novel and much of that can be attributed to the great pacing. Quite like with the mystery of what happened to Sam back in their hometown, the reader gets information bit by bit and can feel like a detective themselves as they try to clue together what happened to Billy all those decades ago. Getting to investigate the people who knew Billy and all seem like they’re hiding something was also interesting because you could never quite tell who was telling the truth and who was just watching out for themselves. The mystery drew the characters together in such unexpected ways and added a lot of tension to an already riveting novel. Trying to solve an old murder while being somewhat haunted by the ghost of the boy who lived in your new house made for a creepy yet intriguing atmosphere. And while there is a big plot twist at the end that I did not see coming, this book isn’t trying to pull one over your head and instead you can see all the foreshadowing that leads to the climactic conclusion.
Featuring ghosts, haunted pasts, a touch of romance and a ton of fantastic diversity and disability representation—all headed by its lovable protagonist—The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a gripping mystery novel with a truly satisfying conclusion. Watch out, folks, Maya MacGregor’s debut will keep you on your toes until all is revealed!
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 3rd 2022.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
In this queer contemporary YA mystery, a nonbinary teen with autism realizes they must not only solve a 30-year-old mystery but also face the demons lurking in their past in order to live a satisfying life.
Sam Sylvester’s not overly optimistic about their recent move to the small town of Astoria, Oregon after a traumatic experience in their last home in the rural Midwest.
Yet Sam’s life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love interest in Shep, the pretty neighbor. However, Sam can’t seem to let go of what might have been, and is drawn to investigate the death of a teenage boy in 1980s Astoria. Sam’s convinced he was murdered–especially since Sam’s investigation seems to resurrect some ghosts in the town.
Threatening notes and figures hidden in shadows begin to disrupt Sam’s life. Yet Sam continues to search for the truth. When Sam discovers that they may be closer to a killer than previously known, Sam has a difficult decision to make. Would they risk their new life for a half-lived one?
