As Far As You'll Take Me
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- Create Date：2021-05-07 10:51:27
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Phil Stamper
- ISBN：1547600179
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Summary
A story about finding the people who become your home。
Marty arrives in London with nothing but his oboe and some savings from his summer job， but he's excited to start his new life--where he's no longer the closeted， shy kid who slips under the radar and is free to explore his sexuality without his parents' disapproval。
From the outside， Marty's life looks like a perfect fantasy: in the span of a few weeks， he's made new friends， he's getting closer with his first ever boyfriend， and he's even traveling around Europe。 But Marty knows he can't keep up the facade。 He hasn't spoken to his parents since he arrived， he's tearing through his meager savings， his homesickness and anxiety are getting worse and worse， and he hasn't even come close to landing the job of his dreams。 Will Marty be able to find a place that feels like home？
Marty arrives in London with nothing but his oboe and some savings from his summer job， but he's excited to start his new life--where he's no longer the closeted， shy kid who slips under the radar and is free to explore his sexuality without his parents' disapproval。
From the outside， Marty's life looks like a perfect fantasy: in the span of a few weeks， he's made new friends， he's getting closer with his first ever boyfriend， and he's even traveling around Europe。 But Marty knows he can't keep up the facade。 He hasn't spoken to his parents since he arrived， he's tearing through his meager savings， his homesickness and anxiety are getting worse and worse， and he hasn't even come close to landing the job of his dreams。 Will Marty be able to find a place that feels like home？
Reviews
Olivia Spreen
，
I did not love this book。 While I always love LGBTQIA Rep this book just didn't cut it。 All the characters fell pretty flat for me。 No one felt real。 And I did not like the main character Marty at all。 （view spoiler）[ I respect his mental issues but they just didn't feel real to me。 It felt like those issues were his only main character trait and there really wasn't much else。 He felt very basic and none of his mental issues really felt like they were handled that well。 The characters of Sophie I did not love this book。 While I always love LGBTQIA Rep this book just didn't cut it。 All the characters fell pretty flat for me。 No one felt real。 And I did not like the main character Marty at all。 （view spoiler）[ I respect his mental issues but they just didn't feel real to me。 It felt like those issues were his only main character trait and there really wasn't much else。 He felt very basic and none of his mental issues really felt like they were handled that well。 The characters of Sophie and Dani both sort of blurred together， there wasn't much difference between them。 None of the secondary characters were really that interesting。 I also was not happy with how Marty's eating disorder was handled。 It just felt like it came up and went away pretty quickly。 It was a huge issue for like a quarter of the book and then it disappeared and I wasn't happy with that。 I also didn't like how all the places he went Marty sort of insulted them all。 It just felt weird and overall I was not a fan of this book。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Alonso
，
This is an easy reading book， I enjoyed it but I think it’s not very relevant。 The main problem I found is that I found characters to be very stereotypical but they transform very incoherently through the story。I found interesting and important that the author tried to portray many of the issues that queer people face while discovering their identity。 However， I think they were addressed superficially and the main character faced too many of them that it felt like a list that needed to be tick。A This is an easy reading book， I enjoyed it but I think it’s not very relevant。 The main problem I found is that I found characters to be very stereotypical but they transform very incoherently through the story。I found interesting and important that the author tried to portray many of the issues that queer people face while discovering their identity。 However， I think they were addressed superficially and the main character faced too many of them that it felt like a list that needed to be tick。Also， so unrealistic the way the main character decides to move to a different country in a different continent at 17 and faces no issues at all。 As a migrante myself， I found that so laughable and unreliable。 Seems like I didn’t like this book but I did， it’s a really good read for a lazy weekend or the holidays。 。。。more
Hayley
，
2。5/5 stars （rounded up）As Far As You’ll Take Me follows newly graduated Marty as he spends a parent-free summer in London staying with his cousin。 His parents and aunt assume he’s there for a music program （that he was actually rejected from）， but he spends his time travelling with his new friends and getting to know his first boyfriend。 I enjoyed many of Marty’s interactions with the side characters。 His relationships with his cousin and friends were really layered and interesting to read。 The 2。5/5 stars （rounded up）As Far As You’ll Take Me follows newly graduated Marty as he spends a parent-free summer in London staying with his cousin。 His parents and aunt assume he’s there for a music program （that he was actually rejected from）， but he spends his time travelling with his new friends and getting to know his first boyfriend。 I enjoyed many of Marty’s interactions with the side characters。 His relationships with his cousin and friends were really layered and interesting to read。 The writing style was simple but I liked it for the most part。 However， I think the dialogue felt slightly stilted and unnatural sometimes， like if I were to read it out loud it would fall flat。 Like many others， I had assumed it would be a more light hearted coming of age book from the marketing of it。 The book delved into some very serious topics， which isn’t bad， but I feel like it was way too much too fast。 And despite the many problems Marty faces， the ending was quite conveniently wrapped up and felt unnatural to me。 Overall， this book was not for me but I can still see why others enjoyed it！ 。。。more
Riley Wang
，
Hi！ You might want to publish this in a mobile app so a lot of readers can see your lovely work。 Check on the NovelStar app and see how other writers earn by pursuing their passion in writing。 You can also check out their Facebook page to meet other writers。t
jules
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was good ！！ Phil Stamper is a phenomenal writer and I love him！ The most amazing thing in this book is the characters and their relationships。 Like the relationship between Marty and Megan？ Genius。 Yes let's have more depictions of friendships that seem totally normal at first but that are in fact incredibly toxic。 This was wonderfully done。 The way he portrayed Pierce was amazing too。 I really fell for him too。 I was like : "Everyone is warning Marty against him， but no I'm gonna give him th It was good ！！ Phil Stamper is a phenomenal writer and I love him！ The most amazing thing in this book is the characters and their relationships。 Like the relationship between Marty and Megan？ Genius。 Yes let's have more depictions of friendships that seem totally normal at first but that are in fact incredibly toxic。 This was wonderfully done。 The way he portrayed Pierce was amazing too。 I really fell for him too。 I was like : "Everyone is warning Marty against him， but no I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt" but then， just before Italy I was like : "mh。 I'm not feeling it。" AND THEN THE HOTEL BED SCENE！！！！！ THAT WAS A MAJOR DEAL BREAKER ON ALL LEVELS。 Also I have something else to say : Why is Skye still friends with Megan？？？？？ He's in the car with her when Marty calls her。 Anyway， I'm happy for Marty。 。。。more
Jeimy
，
I don't know why I did not review this book when I read it。 Here's what I remember: It was cute， but I found it hard to suspend disbelief that he'd just up and move to London when it is a ridiculously expensive place to live。 I liked how the plot unfolded， but missed the fairy-godfathers that made How It All Blew Up so endearing。 I don't know why I did not review this book when I read it。 Here's what I remember: It was cute， but I found it hard to suspend disbelief that he'd just up and move to London when it is a ridiculously expensive place to live。 I liked how the plot unfolded， but missed the fairy-godfathers that made How It All Blew Up so endearing。 。。。more
Jay DeMoir
，
#trainwreck #trainwreck 。。。more
Shane
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Compared to The Gravity of Us， I really loved this one。 I saw far too much of myself in Marty’s character and his experiences。 There’s a whole lot of areas explored in this book from relationships， sexuality， mental health and more！ I wouldn’t say this is the perfect YA/ coming of age story but it’s one I would recommend。There’s some really good character development in this book and I really enjoyed how Stamper explored topics of mental health i。e。 anxiety and eating disorders。 I think a younge Compared to The Gravity of Us， I really loved this one。 I saw far too much of myself in Marty’s character and his experiences。 There’s a whole lot of areas explored in this book from relationships， sexuality， mental health and more！ I wouldn’t say this is the perfect YA/ coming of age story but it’s one I would recommend。There’s some really good character development in this book and I really enjoyed how Stamper explored topics of mental health i。e。 anxiety and eating disorders。 I think a younger version of me would’ve raved about this book， and whilst I did like it - I just found some elements too unrealistic to fathom。 E。g。 a seventeen year old relocating across the world and travelling to multiple EU cities。 That’s just me poking holes though。 The one thing that’s slightly “annoying” me about this book is the diary entries of Marty’s first trip to London with his parents。 。。。 and the lack of clarification over what happened。 I mean， I can imagine and I’m sure I’m hitting the nail on the head with what did happen， but it’s never actually revealed what went down （not unless I zoned out and completely missed it - don’t think I did though）！ Overall， I liked this book and I would recommend it。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Natalie M
，
A true coming-of-age novel， ideal for a YA reader。Marty runs from both his parents and his problems in Kentucky， chasing the answers he so desperately needs。 With not much more than talent and his oboe， he arrives in London， hoping to land a job and a new start。 Away from his fanatically religious parents and smothering best friends， he leaps a little too eagerly into exploring his sexuality and freedom。 But as the saying goes， be careful what you wish for。Fantasy and reality collide over a few A true coming-of-age novel， ideal for a YA reader。Marty runs from both his parents and his problems in Kentucky， chasing the answers he so desperately needs。 With not much more than talent and his oboe， he arrives in London， hoping to land a job and a new start。 Away from his fanatically religious parents and smothering best friends， he leaps a little too eagerly into exploring his sexuality and freedom。 But as the saying goes， be careful what you wish for。Fantasy and reality collide over a few weeks as Marty makes new friends。 His first boyfriend/relationship blinds him to a reality he will ultimately have to face up to， but for now， he thinks he has everyone fooled。 Between realising what life has to offer and what he has really left behind， the reader sees life through his eyes。 Building one's confidence， dealing with anxiety， friendship， body image， relationships， and accepting oneself are strong themes in this book。 Well written with a strong moral compass， ideal for YA readers。 。。。more
Blue Collier
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 So I want to start by saying this book is good。 But I wasn’t quite expecting what I found。 Honestly， I enjoyed Marty’s story and at the beginning had so much anticipation for how he was going to resolve the discord between his parents， his ‘best friend’ and ultimately whether he was going to be able to remain in London， after leaving Kentucky ‘for good’。I loved reading Marty’s thought process throughout and I think the way Stamper initially introduces Marty’s eating disorder and his anxiety， I t So I want to start by saying this book is good。 But I wasn’t quite expecting what I found。 Honestly， I enjoyed Marty’s story and at the beginning had so much anticipation for how he was going to resolve the discord between his parents， his ‘best friend’ and ultimately whether he was going to be able to remain in London， after leaving Kentucky ‘for good’。I loved reading Marty’s thought process throughout and I think the way Stamper initially introduces Marty’s eating disorder and his anxiety， I think that is done really well。 I was expecting more before the breakdown of his first relationship but I’m glad the end up separated but still friends， I honestly wasn’t sure what kind of a relationship this would be and Pierce really kept me guessing along the way。I also love the tremendous amount of detail that Stamper goes into when he talks about music。 You can really tell that he looks at the subject with so much fondness， as do I， and it comes from a really empowered place。I liked the fact that his relationship with his hometown changed but I don’t think the portrayal of the resolution of conflict caused by the homophobia he received， anxiety and eating disorder were done particularly well。 But I’m also glad that it didn’t try and resolve those by making something extremely dangerous or climatic happen， it’s nice to see issues represented that demand to be dealt with done so in a meaningful way without the use of too much melodrama。I think the book took on a lot of themes that it quickly resolved。 There’s conflict with Marty’s parents and it’s heavily implied that if/when his parents find out that he isn’t planning on returning to Kentucky they’d in some way force him to return。 And yet by the end of this story this conflict is half-resolved by a sudden change of heart and a paragraph or two。 I’m glad these things were represented though I think they needed more space and it ultimately led to this book lacking substance。 All in all， I enjoyed reading this book。 It almost felt rushed towards the end where I would have perhaps liked to have seen Pierce and Marty breakdown overtime， travel more and develop connections with friends。 A lot more could have been done to make the reader truly connect with the characters a bit more and give them more of a three-dimensional quality。 Stamper’s writing and storytelling is much improved from his debut novel and it was a joy to read but I felt like there was room for so much more and I could have easily read more of Marty’s story。 I look forward to reading more from this author because I think we need stories that represent such a diverse and individual audience。 。。。more
GavShire
，
You actually get to follow the whole story。。This is a must read！！！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Jessica
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was under the impression that this was going to be a lot more light hearted than it ended up being but even that being said， I still thought this was well done！ I genuinely enjoyed reading this but also found it to be a bit rushed at points。 Other than that， I overall thought it was good！
Allison
，
enjoyable even if I'm not the target demographic for this book。 enjoyable even if I'm not the target demographic for this book。 。。。more
Brianna
，
Content warnings for: （view spoiler）[ coming out themes， nonconsensual outing， parental homophobia， religious bigotry， anxiety attacks， body dysmorphia， disordered eating （self-starvation， calorie counting， health issues from starvation）， alcohol， attempt to manipulate into sex， swearing。 （hide spoiler）] Representation: gay mc， queer & bipoc scs， anxiety and eating disorders。 ARC sent by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book was just okay。 I had such high hop Content warnings for: （view spoiler）[ coming out themes， nonconsensual outing， parental homophobia， religious bigotry， anxiety attacks， body dysmorphia， disordered eating （self-starvation， calorie counting， health issues from starvation）， alcohol， attempt to manipulate into sex， swearing。 （hide spoiler）] Representation: gay mc， queer & bipoc scs， anxiety and eating disorders。 ARC sent by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book was just okay。 I had such high hopes because I heard such great things about Phil Stamper's other book， The Gravity of Us， but this book did not really live up to the hype for me。The story follows Marty， a teenage boy with religious parents who don't really accept that he's gay， who lies to his parents and goes to London for the summer under the guise that he will be staying with his aunt （when he is really going to be staying with his cousin without parental supervision）。 Marty is a talented oboeist and hopes to land a gig in London so he can continue to live there after the summer ends。 I didn't quite know what the book would be able before reading it， and I wasn't a fan of the music aspect of it。 Besides playing clarinet mildly well through high school， I'm not that interested in playing instruments like the characters in this book are。 That's more of a personal critique， though， and not everyone will have this issue。Another part of this book that didn't work for me is the busy-ness。 I felt that Phil Stamper tried to focus on too much。 The book focused on toxic friendships， romance， being gay in a religious family， finding oneself， eating disorders， and music careers all at once。 If the author focused on just a few of these aspects and really decided to dive deeper into them， I think this book would have had a bigger impact。Besides that， I felt that a lot of things were not resolved the way I wanted them。 For example， （view spoiler）[ Marty's love interest， Pierce， uses him to gain prestige at the music academy he is in。 But more than that， Pierce attempts to pressure Marty into having sex and yells at him and humiliates him when Marty says no。 And for the rest of the book， Marty focuses on the fact that Pierce tried to use him， and not the fact that he humiliated him after he said no to having sex， which I feel is kind of a really big issue！？ Especially because one of the other characters， Rio， admits to having heard the conversation happen from another room and never calls out Pierce for doing this either！？ （hide spoiler）] Another example is （view spoiler）[ the fact that Marty's best friend from back home outs him at a party and his other friend， Skye， just lets it happen！？ And yes， I'm so happy Marty decided to ditch his friends from back home， even though it was hard， but they did not face any consequences for their actions at all！？ （hide spoiler）]I also did not really like how Marty seemed to suddenly get an eating disorder and get over it just as fast。 As someone who deals with disordered eating （not to the extent that Marty does， but still）， I know that it didn't just start overnight， and took many years until it got to its worst。 I wish the author dropped hints or showed Marty's thought patterns early in the book that wouldn't have made his eating disorder seem so sudden。Lastly， I really did not like the inclusion of Marty's old journal entries。 They were interspersed throughout the story， but in a different order， so I never understood the order of events。 And the journal entries did not seem to make that much of a difference to the story， and I felt they could've been taken out entirely to make the story overall the same but less choppy。While I have a lot of things to complain about， there were a few things I did like。 The book was cute and all， and I loved the inclusion of a friendship breakup。 But， as I mentioned before， I wished we saw more of this， but too much was going on :/ 。。。more
Yasmin
，
I definitely enjoyed As Far as You'll Take Me， but I wouldn't say it was one of my favourites。 From picking it up at a local bookstore， I presumed it to be a relatively light， queer romance story， which in actuality was not the case。 This story is quite heavy， and deals with issues surrounding toxic friendships and relationships， eating disorders and outing （can't we just have one queer story that doesn't involve outing！？）。 I feel that there were a lot of complex themes the author tried to check I definitely enjoyed As Far as You'll Take Me， but I wouldn't say it was one of my favourites。 From picking it up at a local bookstore， I presumed it to be a relatively light， queer romance story， which in actuality was not the case。 This story is quite heavy， and deals with issues surrounding toxic friendships and relationships， eating disorders and outing （can't we just have one queer story that doesn't involve outing！？）。 I feel that there were a lot of complex themes the author tried to check off， without really focusing upon any one of them in great detail。 I think As Far as You'll Take Me belongs more on the shelf of coming-of-age stories rather than romance。 If that's what you're looking for， go for it！ But if you're more in need of a wholesome， queer， teen romance， this probably isn't the novel for you。 。。。more
Nicole
，
Another great book from Stamper。 I listened to the audiobook and definitely think that was the right way to go - it was so well done。 What kept getting me though was that the book was set in the summer of 2020 without COVID！ An alternative history to a year that couldn't have been anticipated when the book was being written！ I usually don't bother with the author note/faq but I'm glad I stuck around for that part because they really added to the experience。 Another great book from Stamper。 I listened to the audiobook and definitely think that was the right way to go - it was so well done。 What kept getting me though was that the book was set in the summer of 2020 without COVID！ An alternative history to a year that couldn't have been anticipated when the book was being written！ I usually don't bother with the author note/faq but I'm glad I stuck around for that part because they really added to the experience。 。。。more
Noah
，
3。5*
Mia
，
okay but bit boring at times！ glad he found out himself and ditched the toxic in his life。
Ross
，
Yikes。 Erratically paced， and filled with unlikeable and downright problematic characters， this was not as enjoyable as I’d hoped。 There was insta love， obscenely cheesy moments， a selfish main character and questionable handling of important issues such as consent and eating disorders but overall， the tone of Marty moving to London to improve his life stopped this from being a total train wreck。
Mel
，
Phil Stammer has written a complex MC that comes to life on the pages of his new release， As Far As You’ll Take Me。 Marty is an incredible oboe musician。 He also has anxiety and someone who forces him to try things – is it really bullying when she is his best friend？ His parents are all about their Church and its beliefs – one where they preach about how being gay is a sin。 These are the only three people Marty has come out to in his very religious hometown， in Kentucky。 He doesn’t feel safe tel Phil Stammer has written a complex MC that comes to life on the pages of his new release， As Far As You’ll Take Me。 Marty is an incredible oboe musician。 He also has anxiety and someone who forces him to try things – is it really bullying when she is his best friend？ His parents are all about their Church and its beliefs – one where they preach about how being gay is a sin。 These are the only three people Marty has come out to in his very religious hometown， in Kentucky。 He doesn’t feel safe telling others。 However， he has a plan for a life where he can feel free to be himself – even if it does start with a lie and a flight to another country。Marty is about to have some life shaping experiences。 It is up to Marty how he will react and in what way he will allow them to shape him。I had all the feels as Marty navigates his anxiety amidst new situations， meets potential friends， experiences romantic firsts， and explores new places。 For the first time ever， Marty has the freedom to learn who he wants to be without being told who he should be。This is Phil Stammer’s second published novel and I am hoping we see more from him。 As Far As You’ll Take Me shows off his talent for creating relatable characters who feel real。Add it to your TBR and pre-order now: UK release date 4th March 20214。5/5 🌟A huge thank you to NetGalley， Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and Phil Stammer for the opportunity to read this fantastic coming of age story in exchange for an impartial review。 。。。more
Zach Foley
，
I’m sorry， a bunch of gay teens in London and not one mention of Little Mix？ It’s just not realistic。 （Sophie is the only good character in this book， everyone else made me want to rip my hair out）
Hellerzilla
，
I really wanted to like this， but it was all forgettable by the end。
Nicki
，
Phil Stamper is such an awesome writer！ I loved all of the travel in this novel！ I also learned quite a bit about musical performance and instruments。 :） Phil Stamper is such an awesome writer！ I loved all of the travel in this novel！ I also learned quite a bit about musical performance and instruments。 :） 。。。more
Willow
，
A rather dissapointing representation of not only the LGBTQIA+ but also mental health， EDs and religious trauma。 Fast， shabby and characters you couldn't love。 I was so excited for this book and I finished it as fast as I could cause it was just not enjoyable :（ A rather dissapointing representation of not only the LGBTQIA+ but also mental health， EDs and religious trauma。 Fast， shabby and characters you couldn't love。 I was so excited for this book and I finished it as fast as I could cause it was just not enjoyable :（ 。。。more
Carol
，
Heavy read due to Marty’s dealing with anxiety and his move to London which causes him anxiety， but which he definitely feels he must do。He chooses the move abroad to remake himself and to remake his surroundings， so he can live as an openly gay teen。 He performs with his oboe and desperately hopes to land a job in an orchestra or SOMETHING， so he can stay past the summer。
Inês
，
Let’s talk about As Far as You’ll Take Me。I was so excited to read this one but maybe my expectations were too high and I was left a bit disappointed。First of all， the plot felt very unrealistic and rushed。I didn’t really like or felt invested in the characters （besides Sophie）。The diary entries did nothing for me。 I felt like they didn’t add anything to advance the plot or to connect with the main character。I felt that there were some inconsistencies with the main character。Plus， the subjects o Let’s talk about As Far as You’ll Take Me。I was so excited to read this one but maybe my expectations were too high and I was left a bit disappointed。First of all， the plot felt very unrealistic and rushed。I didn’t really like or felt invested in the characters （besides Sophie）。The diary entries did nothing for me。 I felt like they didn’t add anything to advance the plot or to connect with the main character。I felt that there were some inconsistencies with the main character。Plus， the subjects of eating disorders and toxic relationship/manipulation， for the most part， were glossed over。However， I did love Sophie （I would much rather read a book about her） and the discussions of toxic friendships。 。。。more
Sara Petizzi
，
I really liked this novel， even though I absolutely loved "The Gravity of Us"。 My review of this will be up soon on my little blog @litforqueers :） I really liked this novel， even though I absolutely loved "The Gravity of Us"。 My review of this will be up soon on my little blog @litforqueers :） 。。。more
Andrew Hines
，
The ending is wack
Brandon Oatsvall
，
Super cute， very relatable main character and made me want to travel really really bad 🥲
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=As Far As You'll Take Me
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=As Far As You'll Take Me&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft