Only on the Weekends follows fifteen-year-old Mack, a hopeless romantic who has had a crush on Karim for as long as he can remember and can’t believe his luck when Karim seems to return those feelings. Thanks to his father’s job as a film maker, Mack’s expectations for his first relationship are high. But when Mack’s father takes on a new directing project in Scotland right when Mack and Karim seem to be getting somewhere, Mack has to move away and discovers how painful long-distance relationships can be. Karim can be so hard to read and the longer they spend apart, the more Mack feels like he’s just getting strung along. Then Mack meets actor Finlay on set, and everything changes. With fearless Finlay, Mack feels confident, appreciated, seen. The more time he spends with Finlay and the more elusive Karim becomes, the more Mack will ask himself what he wants out of life—and love—and what will truly make him happy.
Atta beautifully captures the messy ups and downs of first love in Only on the Weekends. From intense explorations of body image, difficult familial relationships, what it means to be a friend and the fine line between joking and ridiculing all the way to pursuing the love you want and deserve, this novel packs an emotional punch.
What struck me in this novel was the realness of the characters—neither Mack nor Karim or Finlay are perfect, they are deeply flawed, complex individuals who sometimes make choices that hurt others and even more so themselves. Bad actions aren’t swept away or excused, instead they come with consequences that are at times utterly heartbreaking. Mack, especially, felt so relatable in his struggles—his anxieties about not fitting in, being ridiculed “all in good fun” by his friends or even hidden away by his boyfriend made my heart break for him. While you obviously can’t help but feel for him, you’re also left emotionally scarred by what he has to endure to feel like he belongs. Really, while all of the characters have different motivations for how they’re acting, you can tell they often just make stuff up as it comes along and that definitely felt very true to the teenage experience. There were so many moments where I absolutely hated some actions by the characters and felt frustrated with how they seemed to be going round in circles only to, a few pages later, feel gutted when small gestures or unanswered text messages made them feel irrelevant. This back and forth really captured what it means to be young and in love and most of all, wanting and needing things you can’t put into words yet and feel almost callous to ask for when you do find them.
I also loved how Atta subtly discussed expectations in romantic relationships—not just the milestones you yourself might feel desperate to tick off but the ways in which trying to live up to your partner’s expectations (even when they’re not explicitly stated) can sometimes feel like slipping off a cliff—if you give more public affection, you’re immediately expected to do the same time and again. On top of that, familial relationships and what it means to be a true friend and ally are also discussed and intersections of body image, gender identity and race also play a huge role in how Mack, Finlay and Karim see themselves and others.
While this story might not be for everyone because of the love triangle and the messy relationships (which are supposed to be unlikable at times, it feels like), I think those elements are what made Only on the Weekends so riveting—it truly showcased that making mistakes is a part of growing up (and even life in general) and that even when everything seems like it’s falling apart, it’s never too late to pick up the pieces and try to do better this time around. I think that alone will make readers fall a little bit in love with Mack.
Full of heart, messy, real characters and complicated relationships, Only on the Weekends is a nuanced exploration of first love and growing up and into your own. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Kacen Callender.
Only on the Weekends is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 24th 2022.
Will you be picking up Only on the Weekends? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From the Stonewall Award-winning author of The Black Flamingo comes a romantic coming-of-age novel in verse about the beautiful–and sometimes painful–fallout of pursuing the love we deserve. The ideal next read for fans of Kacen Callender, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Becky Albertalli.
Fifteen-year-old Mack is a hopeless romantic–likely a hazard of growing up on film sets thanks to his father’s job. Mack has had a crush on Karim for as long as he can remember and he can’t believe it when gorgeous, popular Karim seems into him too.
But when Mack’s father takes on a new directing project in Scotland, Mack has to move away, and soon discovers how painful long-distance relationships can be. It’s awful to be so far away from Karim, and it’s made worse by the fact that Karim can be so hard to read.
Then Mack meets actor Finlay on set, and the world turns upside down again. Fin seems fearless–and his confidence could just be infectious.
Award-winning author Dean Atta crafts a beautifully nuanced and revelatory story in verse about the exquisite highs and lows of first love and self-discovery.
