Afterglow is the follow-up to Phil Stamper’s Golden Boys. After a life-changing summer that they’ll never forget, the four best friends Gabriel, Heath, Reese, and Sal are ready to tackle their senior year. Gabriel can’t wait to create his school’s first LGBTQ+ advocacy group but is struggling to keep his long-distance relationship alive. Heath feels good about himself for the first time in years, but with his future riding on a baseball scholarship, his anxiety is through the roof. Reese, meanwhile, is set on making a career in fashion happen after senior year but is afraid to share in which unexpected direction his creativity is dragging him. And Sal wants nothing more than to be in politics but after a chat with his aunt, his plans might take an unexpected detour. As graduation nears and time is flying by, the boys can’t help but notice how much their lives are changing—and their friendships. Can they find a way to make most of senior year without forgetting to prepare for the real world?
Afterglow felt much more cohesive than its predecessor, which might be the case because, after a summer apart, we finally get to see the four boys back together and trying to preserve their friendship even as their individual lives are changing rapidly. For me, this was overall the highlight of the novel and where Stamper’s talent for evoking emotions really got its time to shine. We’ve probably all been in that situation where we desperately hold on to the way things were, trying to keep the status quo, only to realise that change is inevitable and just because certain things might not be the same than they were before, that doesn’t mean they aren’t still amazing. I really liked how we got to see all four boys interact and see what makes them such steadfast friends that would go to bat for each other. Really, the way Stamper here focused on the anxieties of growing up and growing apart is sure to hit a homerun with younger readers who are facing the same situations in their final years of school.
The only thing I still struggled with was distinguishing between the different characters. Though there are of course markers (e.g. the POV mentioning the other boys), the voices of all four sounded very similar and thus sometimes made it quite easy to get lost with who we were following. Alas, while I may have been confused at some points, I still saw a definite improvement to the voices from The Golden Boys.
All in all, while I can’t say much for the sake of spoilers since this is a sequel, I will say that I think readers will appreciate the conclusion to Gabe, Sal, Reese and Heath’s individual storylines (and goals for their future) as well as where they land on their friendship.
Offering a satisfying conclusion to the Golden Boys duology, Afterglow tackles relatable anxieties of growing up and growing apart and what it means to hold on to friendships without forfeiting the chance to transform into something even better. A fun romp with moments that tug at your heartstrings, this book is perfect for fans of Steven Salvatore and Robby Weber!
Afterglow is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of February 7th.
Will you be picking up Afterglow? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Bestselling author Phil Stamper takes the Golden Boys from summer fun to senior year in the next installment of his charming duology.
After a life-changing summer, these four friends are finally ready for senior year.
Gabriel is thrilled to create his school’s first LGBTQ+ advocacy group, but his long-distance relationship is fading from summer love to something else. . .
Heath feels secure for the first time in years, but with his future riding on a baseball scholarship each pitch triggers his anxiety. . .
Reese is set on pursuing a career in fashion design, but his creativity takes him in an unexpected direction, he isn’t yet ready to share. . .
Sal wants to be in politics, specifically local politics. After a chat with his aunt, he is ready for an unlikely path . . .
As graduation nears and the boys prepare to enter the real world, it feels like everything is changing so fast–including their friendships. Can they find a way to make the most of their senior year even as they eagerly look ahead to the future
