And They Lived . . .
- Downloads：2514
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-17 09:52:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Steven Salvatore
- ISBN：1547608196
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
"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。
Reviews
Amanda Shepard （Between-the-Shelves）
，
Hmmmm not really sure how to rate this one， to be honest。 Stay tuned while I process my thoughts for a full review later this week！
fritzi， Vol。 6
，
Well， I've just come from TikTok， where the book was recommended to me， I read the description and now this book is on my TBR （which is probably longer than my life but whoooo cares）Anyways。 Nice tea。 Well， I've just come from TikTok， where the book was recommended to me， I read the description and now this book is on my TBR （which is probably longer than my life but whoooo cares）Anyways。 Nice tea。 。。。more
Bryan
，
SOLID 5 STARS！ Short review: You know that feeling when you read the first chapter and you know you're going to love it？ That's what I felt with this book。 It's a book that I wish my younger queer self would've read。 I laughed （a lot） and shed some tears。 Please preorder this book！ It's my favorite read of the year so far！ SOLID 5 STARS！ Short review: You know that feeling when you read the first chapter and you know you're going to love it？ That's what I felt with this book。 It's a book that I wish my younger queer self would've read。 I laughed （a lot） and shed some tears。 Please preorder this book！ It's my favorite read of the year so far！ 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
Contemporary， college setting， relationship drama， mean girls。。。 are never what I reach for， but I loved this book， almost against my will。 There is something to be said for internal conflict， and using art and a method to express yourself。 I really enjoyed this。
Anthony Lopez
，
And They Lived… a beautiful story of figuring out one’s truth， authenticity， learning to love oneself， throw in a fairy tale animated romance story that would rival major studios， beautiful sentences/poetry and boom you get this fantastic novel。 I found so much of myself and my struggles in that of main character Chase how he handles situations and his self doubt。 At times a little too much where it became overwhelming but in the end it helped me look inside myself。 Not to mention some of Jacks And They Lived… a beautiful story of figuring out one’s truth， authenticity， learning to love oneself， throw in a fairy tale animated romance story that would rival major studios， beautiful sentences/poetry and boom you get this fantastic novel。 I found so much of myself and my struggles in that of main character Chase how he handles situations and his self doubt。 At times a little too much where it became overwhelming but in the end it helped me look inside myself。 Not to mention some of Jacks struggles/personality， been there before sadly。 This book will sit in my mind keeping me company for a long time。 When it comes out in March you should definitely pick it up it’s so worth it。 The romance， the everything！ Still drying my tears because I feel seen and hopeful that my version， whatever that version looks like of happily ever after is around the corner！ 。。。more
Jennifer Lavoie
，
And they lived TW/CW for those who need them: homophobia， fat phobia， eating disorder， suicidal thoughts （briefly）， binging， purging， mental health， depression， misgendering， body dysmorphia， sexual exploration， minor drug use， underage drinking I know it seems like a lot， but the book was worth it to me because of the intensely realistic characters and how deeply I related to Chase on several levels。 The story is told from Chase’s perspective， a freshman at an art school in upstate New York， wh And they lived TW/CW for those who need them: homophobia， fat phobia， eating disorder， suicidal thoughts （briefly）， binging， purging， mental health， depression， misgendering， body dysmorphia， sexual exploration， minor drug use， underage drinking I know it seems like a lot， but the book was worth it to me because of the intensely realistic characters and how deeply I related to Chase on several levels。 The story is told from Chase’s perspective， a freshman at an art school in upstate New York， where he is in the animation program。 He is out and proud， but he grapples with his gender and whether or not he is non-binary （I use he/him because that is what he is mostly comfortable with）。 He has body dysmorphia stemming from some childhood trauma that becomes evident later。 All he wants is to find his “adventure” which is his and his sister’s code for love。 And when he meets Jack， he’s pretty sure he’s found it。 We don’t see Jack’s POV because it’s not his story。 Chase’s reaction， given his previous relationships， is realistic。 He is more than afraid of rejection。 He is terrified of it。 And when faced with it， he lashes out and reverts to old habits that previous relationships ridiculed him for because it was the only thing he could somewhat control。 Even though the journey is difficult， Chase， like the hero， must go on it to find himself and truly be happy。 The end of the book contains an incredibly important and personal author’s note that includes various resources。 。。。more
Lu
，
Thank you so much， NetGalley， Bloomsbury USA Children's Books and Bloomsbury YA， for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review。TW: BDD， eating disorder， misgendering， depression，Chase Arthur wants to be an animator， he's a huge Disney fan， obsessed with true love and his search for his own， but he doesn't believe he's enough for anyone， struggling with body dysmorphia， recovering from an eating disorder and figuring out his gender identity。 Now starting his freshman Thank you so much， NetGalley， Bloomsbury USA Children's Books and Bloomsbury YA， for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review。TW: BDD， eating disorder， misgendering， depression，Chase Arthur wants to be an animator， he's a huge Disney fan， obsessed with true love and his search for his own， but he doesn't believe he's enough for anyone， struggling with body dysmorphia， recovering from an eating disorder and figuring out his gender identity。 Now starting his freshman year of his dream college， he has to face being alone and awy from his mother and sister， finding new friends and battling his ex best friend Leila for a prestigious mentorship。 His life is complicated when he meets and falls in love with Jak Reid， a poet who is still trying to figure out his sexual identity and struggling with a conservative family and best friend。 When the famous best friend visits campus and ruins Chase's and Jack's new relationship， Chase is forced to learn to love himself first and then accept others in his heart。I absolutely loved reading And they lived。。。 It was rare to find myself so involved in a book and to find characters so relatable， who spoke so clearly and profoundly to me and this book is a truly masterpiece。 Chase Arthur is a wonderful， realistic and brilliant main character。 He's filled with dreams， passions and desires and I love his entusiasm and his journey of self-love。His struggles with food， feeling， gender identity and ex BFF are extremely relatable and well written and I loved Chase's journey towards self-acceptance and love。The plot is intertwined with Chase's story for the mentorship "The prince who captured lightning" and his journey and the prince's and the knight's reflect one other， using Chase's and Jack's story as inspiration。I loved Chase's and Jack's relationship， their bonding over books， art and words， their significance and how they grow to love one other， how， each in their own way， are struggling to accept and embrace each other fully。The author did an outstanding job talking about their struggles， family abuse， internalized homophobia and how is hard and also important taking care of oneself。 While Chase starts a journey to love and accept himself， facing his traumas and family abuse， Jack has to do his own， accepting his sexual identity and facing his family and best friend， confronting his fears。The characterization is amazing and I felt really involved in reading this book， not only as a fairytale and Disney fan， but also because the author did a magnificent job with the relationships and friendships， the found family and discussing many important themes with sensitivity and care。The found family， the friends Chase finds are truly brilliant and I love his relationship with Rae and Benny， Xavier and Rhett， their banter， their amazing support and help。 Love and friendships are important themes in this book and And they lived。。。 is a joy for the eyes， funny， captivating and full of amazing characters， brimming with life and energy。And they lived。。。is a queer love story， a sex-positive， fairytale inspired novel， a story of self love and self acceptance and I really appreciated the importance of the therapy in understanding and accepting oneself。 Chase's journey was empowering and moving and I loved how he learn he can't control others' reactions but his own， how to love himself and to face the world。 About his figuring out his gender identity I also loved how the author underlines how Chase is comfortable to use he/him for now， but trying with they/them， still trying to figure himself out and how the answers are not finite and clear， but the lines blur。I've also loved the importance given to the fairytales and their false ideas about happy ending and how the important thing is living， facing the life，taking a chance and while facing the bad and gritty parts of live， maybe finding someone and facing them together and growing up together。 I loved Jack's ideas about this。I absolutely recommend this book！ It's funny， sex-positive， brilliant and with amazing characters， impossible not to love。 。。。more
Drew
，
The storybooks lied。 Real love is so much messier， yet so much better too。 Or at least that’s what Steven Salvatore shows readers in his upcoming New Adult Romance novel And They Lived…。 This book reminds us that love at first sight doesn’t come with an entourage of singing woodland creatures to help us recognize it。 The charming prince doesn’t always have the confidence to wear his heart on his sleeve。 And sometimes college is just really hard， because figuring out yourself， your friends， and y The storybooks lied。 Real love is so much messier， yet so much better too。 Or at least that’s what Steven Salvatore shows readers in his upcoming New Adult Romance novel And They Lived…。 This book reminds us that love at first sight doesn’t come with an entourage of singing woodland creatures to help us recognize it。 The charming prince doesn’t always have the confidence to wear his heart on his sleeve。 And sometimes college is just really hard， because figuring out yourself， your friends， and your love life is a lot。 Salvatore’s story embraces the bold， beautiful， and tragic moments of a college age romance。 And They Lived… grapples with the desperate pursuit of love as something we glorify and often don’t understand at all。 And It wonderfully portrays the struggles of coming to terms with oneself， whether it be sexuality， gender identity， body image， mental health， etc。 Salvatore’s endearing protagonist， Chase Arthur， is a lovably eccentric Disney nerd and a relatable， insecure mess。 Entering his freshman year of college， Chase pursues his dream of one day being a professional animator。 His classes and a possible mentorship with a personal hero of his are enough to excite him， besides his best friend not that far away， and whole suite full of roommates turned friends。 However， something enchanting sparks to life deep inside Chase’s hopelessly romantic heart when he meets fellow freshman Jack。 Not only is Jack gorgeous， but he’s sweet， poetic， and Chase just can’t get him out of his head。 Friendship between them quickly seems to grow into a whole lot more， feeling like something worthy of a sweeping Alan Menken score and an epic Celine Dion ballad。 It’s passionate， bright， and overwhelming for both of them。 Like thunder and lightning， their electric love affair sweeps them away with the crescendo of the rain。 And They Lived… is a pleasant reminder that love can be less than perfect， not quite what we dreamed of， but still be worth chasing after。 Salvatore’s novel also is a great addition to an expanding group of books that admits to the awkwardness and uncertainty that accompanies the late bloomers in life。 While many coming of age， young adult novels include all the biggest firsts for a character， the reality for many people is that those firsts still remain to be experienced even into college。 First relationships， first kisses， first time having sex， among other first， are ones Chase gets to have。 Although it may be embarrassing to sometimes admit， it’s comforting to read another book that normalizes how everyone experiences those moments with their own timing。 Furthermore， the healthy and positive outlook this book casts on seeking help for mental health， body image， coping with change， and understanding your sexual and gender identity is altogether uplifting。 It’s all a process， one that takes time and care。 I’m so glad to have read Steven Salvatore’s And They Lived… and I certainly recommend it to others。 Charmingly written and unnervingly relatable， it’s a story that’s sure to tug at your heartstrings。 Maybe fairytales don’t come true， but then again， maybe this story is what it looks like to write a new one based on our own lives， which can be greater than any fantasy we previously imagined。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
And They Lived is Steven Salvatore’s second novel。 I read their first book， “Can’t Take That Away” and quite enjoyed its quirky characters and focus on musicals！ This book didn’t resonate quite as well for me。Chase is on his way to his freshman year of college。 He wants to be an animator， believes in love （and wants it Disney-movie style）， and is struggling with some personal issues。 Chase hasn’t really figured his gender identity， nor has he shorted out his historically challenging relationship And They Lived is Steven Salvatore’s second novel。 I read their first book， “Can’t Take That Away” and quite enjoyed its quirky characters and focus on musicals！ This book didn’t resonate quite as well for me。Chase is on his way to his freshman year of college。 He wants to be an animator， believes in love （and wants it Disney-movie style）， and is struggling with some personal issues。 Chase hasn’t really figured his gender identity， nor has he shorted out his historically challenging relationship with his father。When Chase goes out with some newfound friends， he meets Jack。 Jack is a jock， but not the kind Chase is expecting。 He’s sweet， kind， creative and seems to be taken with Chase。 Their relationship is sometimes lovely， and sometimes dysfunctional and a million other things in between those two extremes。I was a bit confused by some things。 I wasn’t sure what kind of post-secondary institute would drop someone like Chase into a major film project so early in their education。 Some of the school stuff felt a little off to me。 Now， this is just based on my own experience， but my first years of university weren’t spent doing my specialization。 I don’t know much about animation， but it sure seemed like Chase was being expected to do a lot of work in his very first year。I was also a bit bewildered by some of the interactions of the characters。 I feel like the main characters and his love interest were both hard on one another at different points。 For a character that seemed to be quite self-aware and forward thinking， Chase threw all that aside to get involved with someone who was clearly dealing with some remarkably difficult things。 Chase and Jack are sometimes obsessed with one another， other times they ghost each other。 I just felt a bit like I couldn’t keep up with what was going on between them。This book covers some difficult subject matter。 Please be aware of that going in。 There are some scenes that some people will find to be quite triggering。 I will do my best with the warnings， but please remember I’m not expect。This book wasn’t what I was hoping for from Stephen Salvatore， it’s written well but I had a lot of trouble with the main characters。 I would still pick up a future book written by Salvatore as there’s a real queer joy in some of their writing that I find very enjoyable。 。。。more
Autumn （Chapter Malliumpkin）
，
My soul is ready for this book to hit me like a ton of bricks！Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi My soul is ready for this book to hit me like a ton of bricks！Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi 。。。more
Grayson
，
When I read the synopsis for this book I was so hyped， I’m a queer， trans， perpetually single student in art college and this book sounded made for me。 And then I received a physical ARC with that GORGEOUS cover illustrated and my excitement grew even more。 Well。 That died out fast。tEarlier this year I received an ARC of this authors debut， Can’t Take This Away which I also gave a one star， but I wanted to give this a chance anyways since the synopsis hooked me and I hoped they would have gotten When I read the synopsis for this book I was so hyped， I’m a queer， trans， perpetually single student in art college and this book sounded made for me。 And then I received a physical ARC with that GORGEOUS cover illustrated and my excitement grew even more。 Well。 That died out fast。tEarlier this year I received an ARC of this authors debut， Can’t Take This Away which I also gave a one star， but I wanted to give this a chance anyways since the synopsis hooked me and I hoped they would have gotten better since their debut。 My main issues with cant take this away was the cringe-ness and unrealistic-ness and this book also had those issues MAJORLY。tFirst lets start with the cringe。 I am a reader who cant deal with second hand embarrassment or annoying main characters and OOF did this book contain lots of that。 Heres just a few examples of note:- He put a stop motion gay Disney fanfiction done with barbies in his college portfolio，，，， AND IS PROUD OF IT- The MC displayed said half naked， gay disney barbies in his dorm room，，， I would immediately request a room transfer if I was his roommate- The MC wearing，，， a shirt with Disney’s prince Adam on it，shirtless as a grindr profile，，，， on the first day of college，，，， - Basically this 18 year old has the personality of a millennial Disney adult and I hate him so much- “Honey badger don’t give a shit is literally the best video on the interwebs” this is a real line that was said，，，， by an 18 yr old character，，，，- Im not like other boys，，， I only carry my phone around to write poetry on，，，， yes this is a real thing the love interest said- sexting poetry，，，，，， I cant- The MC and LI snuck into a gallery where the LI stripped naked for erotic life drawing，，，， I wish I was lyingAnd this is only the tip of the iceberg of cringy happenings in this booktNext I should speak on is the unrealistic-ness of this book。 If I wasn’t a college art student， I don’t think it would be as glaringly obvious， but since this setting is basically my life it made every mistake so so obvious:- Saying Spider-verse， Coraline， and Spirited Away are Indie films？？？？ Just because its not Disney doesn’t make it Indie？？？？？- Throwing it words like tortillons and chamois made it feel like the author was trying to hard to sound like a real artist 1） tortillons are the same as blending stumps don’t say ur MC is using both to draw and 2） I have never met anyone who actually uses these and if the do they definitely don’t call them tortillons 3） who on earth is blending there animation sketches？？？？？ - Hes in advanced animation？？？ first semester？？？ wow this author did no research first semester of every art collge is core， you dont even touch your major。 Its all color theory， gesture， the basics- They’re animating shorts for a competition？？？ as college freshmen？？？？ no nope nope thats not how this works no one even gets to make shorts till junior year ， these kids shouldn’t even be animating a bouncing ball yet- did this author even research how animation works。 Where is the thumbnails？ storyboarding？ character design？ - This book really tried to say。 one high school student。 in just a few months。 alone。 made an entire rendered short。 and went viral。 absolutely the fuck he did not， at best that animation was an animatic this is not how animation works AT ALL and what is it with YA books and making things go viral， going viral is not common or easy- also he was interviewed by “buzzfeed” aka “buzzword”？？？ and some how all these random people have watched that interview and ask him about it on campus。 yeah no that would not happen god this is unrealistic- He says hes now coloring his animation short after only TWO MONTHS OF WORK and four other classes？？？？ no nonono thats not how this works that would take years and a whole team to do unless its like 15 secs long- Theres a reception at the end of the semester where everyone shows their projects which are said to be amazing， all of them。 I can promise you， if a group of animation freshman had to make full shorts in 3 months with a full class-load，，， they would all sucktMy next issue I want to speak on is the diversity。 For a queer book about art school， theres little diversity。 Outside the MC theres only gay boys， all the girl characters are straight， and no one else is nonbinary or trans。 As someone in art college its harder to finder a cishet student than a queer one。 Also， Hey YA authors STOP INCLUDING MEMES AND POP CULTURE IN BOOKS！！！ All it does is date it and make it cringy。 The romance in this book has no chemistry and is very insta love， and honestly， extremely toxic， which I will get into next。tThe final issue I need to speak about is the problematic and triggering content。 Up till like page 250 this was just a cringy， badly written romance。 But then out of literally NOWHERE it got extremely triggering with no warning whatsoever。 Can we PLEASE normalize trigger warnings in books with notes of pages that contain them？？ Please？？？- The MC and LI are having sex and suddenly the LI best friend walk in on them and starts hurling explicit slurs and threats of outing。 Like in the span of one page it went from just a cheesy sex scene to extreme homophobia and fatphobia。 In response the LI takes space from him and they separate for a while- In response to the LI being outed， the MC makes himself the victim and basically gaslights the LI to thinking he’s at fault for them breaking up。 Like im sorry？？？ The LI got outed to a homophobic family and I’m supposed to feel bad for the MC here？？？？ - Next there was TW graphic depictions of disordered eating and purging， which really need a warning before getting marketed to teems- So now， after being outed and gaslighted， the LI makes a big romantic gesture at the animtion reception， the LI stands up， grabs the mic， and reads shitty poetry to try and win back chases love， never acknologing just how shitty the MC treated him。 I hate this book。 And then of course it got a happily ever after， somehow。 They are in love and back together， the MC gets an animation internship as a freshman， and the LI family is suddenly supportive。 The End。 All I have to say in conclusion is that Chase is the real antagonist， and I side with his bully who shit talks him and his work， shes right and should say itRep: Nonbinary， queer， gay， jewishCW: Eating disorder， divorced parents， sexual innuendos， explicit scenes， slurs， outing， homophobia， fatphobia， extremly triggering scene pg 258， purging， suicidal thoughts， underqge drinking， recreational drugs 。。。more
Rebekah
，
I appreciated all the nuances in this book。 It tackles so many issues that are extremely important， especially with LGBTA+ teens。 Gender identity， nonbinary and genderfluidness， body dysmorphia， self-love， friendship， first-loves， and what beautiful and tender sex scenes--I am so glad a book like this is written and that it is out there in the world for teens （and others） to read。
Kalob Dàniel
，
this book shines so bright 2022 won’t be able to keep up。 likeeeeeee when i tell y’all steven has outdone themselves I MEAN IT！ can’t take that away was bloody brilliant， but and they lived…？！？？！ it’s just beyond beautiful and important and so NEEDED！ steven is a phe。nom。en。al writer。 i literally do not have a single critique。 how can i critique a book that is perfection personified and then turned into a literary modern masterpiece？？ ya can’t。 ya just can’t。 i can’t not WAIT for y’all to get yo this book shines so bright 2022 won’t be able to keep up。 likeeeeeee when i tell y’all steven has outdone themselves I MEAN IT！ can’t take that away was bloody brilliant， but and they lived…？！？？！ it’s just beyond beautiful and important and so NEEDED！ steven is a phe。nom。en。al writer。 i literally do not have a single critique。 how can i critique a book that is perfection personified and then turned into a literary modern masterpiece？？ ya can’t。 ya just can’t。 i can’t not WAIT for y’all to get your hands on this BEAUTY。 chase is just 🥺🥺🥺i’m 1000% genuine when i say that i love this book。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 for sure！！ 。。。more
Jenn
，
Salvatore once again brings a supremely honest look at a queer kid who has a lot of real， hard problems。 Yet there's so much joy to be found that And They Lived。。。 is also a delight to read。 Chase is starting college and he's a little bit nervous。 His best friend is at a nearby school， but his ex best friend and now nemesis is right there in school with him， and even in the same animation program。 Plus， he's trying to figure out his identity。 He feels nonbinary （or maybe gender fluid？ Or maybe g Salvatore once again brings a supremely honest look at a queer kid who has a lot of real， hard problems。 Yet there's so much joy to be found that And They Lived。。。 is also a delight to read。 Chase is starting college and he's a little bit nervous。 His best friend is at a nearby school， but his ex best friend and now nemesis is right there in school with him， and even in the same animation program。 Plus， he's trying to figure out his identity。 He feels nonbinary （or maybe gender fluid？ Or maybe genderqueer？）， but still likes he/him pronouns。 Chase is also seeking a happily ever after。 Enter: Jack。 Jack is gorgeous and really seems to be into Chase。 But Jack's background and family is sending up some red flags。 So what can he do？ 。。。more
Jenny Ripley
，
CW: suicidal ideation， body dysmorphia， eating disorders4。5: this felt over fluffy to start but the second half was so raw and real。 I cried。 I felt my chest tightening。 It was a lot but it was really good！*eARC provided via edelweiss。
Emma Presnell
，
4。5 stars rounded to 5Let me preface this with I really liked this book！ The end really redeemed itself and was the main factor in bumping it up to 4。5！Like I said， I really enjoyed this book and found parts of Chase to be an extremely relatable character。 I relate to his body struggles and being a college freshman， he was even more relatable。 Furthermore I loved the story and especially loved the animation storyline that was tied throughout。 By the end of the first half， I felt like it was tryi 4。5 stars rounded to 5Let me preface this with I really liked this book！ The end really redeemed itself and was the main factor in bumping it up to 4。5！Like I said， I really enjoyed this book and found parts of Chase to be an extremely relatable character。 I relate to his body struggles and being a college freshman， he was even more relatable。 Furthermore I loved the story and especially loved the animation storyline that was tied throughout。 By the end of the first half， I felt like it was trying to do too much but in the end it really worked itself out and all the topics were talked about well。My only problem with it was the pacing at the beginning。 I think they got together extremely fast and their relationship moves very messily until it comes to an （in my opinion） unforgivable head。 I don’t know how they had a “happily ever after” but they work things out。This book gave me hardcore “Autoboyography” vibes and has so many songs it reminded me of。 （Evermore T。S。 With Ben Platt vibes）Besides the pacing I really liked it。 Sorry this isn’t very formal， it’s 2 a。m。 but it was good and I’m very lucky I got an ARC！ 。。。more
Trigger Warning Database
，
Trigger & Content WarningsHomomisia internalised homomisia & homomisic slursMisgenderingEating disorder （bulimia）Suicidal ideationEmesis & purgingAlcohol consumption
Shelf Blame
，
Big thanks to the author for sending along an ARC of this book！And They Lived。。。 is a gorgeously written story of how we all deserve our best fairytale life， even when that fairytale looks different than how we imagine。 Chase is excited to start the animation program at his small art college。 He's finally on his own， free to explore his gender identity and maybe even meet someone。 Cue that someone: hot jock named Jack。 Jack is everything Chase could hope for。 Kind， thoughtful， insightful， attrac Big thanks to the author for sending along an ARC of this book！And They Lived。。。 is a gorgeously written story of how we all deserve our best fairytale life， even when that fairytale looks different than how we imagine。 Chase is excited to start the animation program at his small art college。 He's finally on his own， free to explore his gender identity and maybe even meet someone。 Cue that someone: hot jock named Jack。 Jack is everything Chase could hope for。 Kind， thoughtful， insightful， attractive。 But he's also harboring his own secrets that could threaten something special that's starting to bloom between them。The thing I really， really loved about Salvatore's first book （Can't Take That Away） was how honest they wrote about mental health struggles。 The therapy scenes were some of my favorite because they felt so incredibly real。 This book does the same thing but on another level。 Chase struggles with a lot of things: depression， anxiety， body dysmorphia， disordered eating， his identity。 Salvatore doesn't shy away from these issues。 They take us on this journey with Chase where he has to acknowledge the problem and admit that he needs help with it。 The relationship between Jack and Chase is obviously affected by this， but we also see how Jack's own insecurities and internalized homophobia come into play。 He seems just about perfect。 Chase loves fairytales and they're looking for their own， so we get to see a real juxtaposition between how the fairytales go and how real life goes。 It's never perfect， that's just not how people in general work。 But it can still be so， so good。 It can still be honest and lovely， even if sometimes your heart breaks。 The side characters in the book are fantastic。 Benny， Chase's roommate is such a fantastic gay guru for Chase。 He's hilarious and bitchy， but we also get to see how deeply he cares for his friends。 He helps Chase navigate this relationship - from moral support to discussing how to have safe gay sex。 His best friend Rae is the ultimate ride or die， and I love that that was never tested。 The entire set of characters， from friends to family to teachers， are so incredibly well done and carefully diverse。 Something else I really appreciated - the theme that you have to want to get help for YOU。 You have to want to get better for YOU。 You have to love yourself before you worry about who else loves you。 There was not a huge 'I'll change for you' moment because that's not the point of this book。 It tells us to take our mental health seriously and put our mental health first because we can't carry everyone else's problems along with our own。Beautiful writing， honestly portrayed mental health issues， gorgeous exploration of self-identity。 This will be a re-read for sure。 。。。more
Danielle
，
Rep: Non-binary， gay， Latina， Black， anxiety， eating disorder （purging）CW: homophobia， violence due to homophobia （not graphic）， underage drinking， descriptions of purging （not graphic）， homophobic slurs
miracle
，
This was a book that I didn't know how much I needed to read until I read it。 It hit me square in the gut， in the best way。 Reading about Chase going through some of the same struggles I went through as a young adult had me tearing up so many times。 I have never seen myself in a character as much as I did with Chase， and I don't know how to thank Steven enough for that， truthfully。This book is real， honest， and blunt。 It's also kind， loving， and joyful。 Watching Chase learn to heal and fall in l This was a book that I didn't know how much I needed to read until I read it。 It hit me square in the gut， in the best way。 Reading about Chase going through some of the same struggles I went through as a young adult had me tearing up so many times。 I have never seen myself in a character as much as I did with Chase， and I don't know how to thank Steven enough for that， truthfully。This book is real， honest， and blunt。 It's also kind， loving， and joyful。 Watching Chase learn to heal and fall in love with himself was so cathartic and meaningful。 Every character was fun， relatable， and someone I knew growing up。 They were just a group of friends， in college， figuring shit out， but boy did they help me figure some shit out， too。 This is gonna be a big deal of a book。 I can't wait for everyone else to read this and get out there and do what Chase would do- start living。 。。。more
Jamie Lynn Lano
，
LGBT+ rep:nonbinary genderqueer gay mccis gay mccis gay and bi side charactersOther rep:Black scLatinx sceating disorder recoveryfat repbody dysmorphiaopen relationshipsCW: bulimia （current and past）drug useunderage drinking misgenderinginternalized homophobiaexternal homophobiasuicidal ideation
Melissa （BookishMomo）
，
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。I think I just found a new favorite author and I need to read everything they have written and everything else they ever write in the future。 This book was so moving and just embodied a story of self discovery and acceptance in a way I've never read before。 Steven Salvatore takes you on a journey full of so many emotions that you won't want to look away or put the book down for anything。And They Lived。。。 has e Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。I think I just found a new favorite author and I need to read everything they have written and everything else they ever write in the future。 This book was so moving and just embodied a story of self discovery and acceptance in a way I've never read before。 Steven Salvatore takes you on a journey full of so many emotions that you won't want to look away or put the book down for anything。And They Lived。。。 has everything I truly love seeing in contemporary books which includes complex friend and family dynamics that aren't always pleasant （honestly I wanted to slap some of the characters a few times） but are wholly realistic and relatable。 Not to mention the themes explored like gender identity， body dysmorphia， and mental health that were done so well and I really wish there were more books out there that explored these topics as well as this one does。 Fair warning， however， that it does border the line between young adult and adult in the fact that it is set in a college setting where the characters obviously partake in sex and sex related activities that are more detailed than usual for the young adult genre。 So， if you are looking for any of the above in a contemporary then look no further because this book is the one for you。 Be prepared with some tissues though because I cried both sad and happy tears many times while reading it。 。。。more
Andrew
，
Chase Arthur is determined to be a renowned animator someday， and is well on his way via viral video fame。 Now starting college， he's still managing his eating disorder and trying to determine his place in the gender spectrum。 Sliding into a relationship with a poetic and handsome boy wasn't on the agenda， but it's certainly welcome。 What's not so welcome is his ex-friend from high school， Leila， who manages to be in all of his classes， bringing back unpleasant memories from their toxic unraveli Chase Arthur is determined to be a renowned animator someday， and is well on his way via viral video fame。 Now starting college， he's still managing his eating disorder and trying to determine his place in the gender spectrum。 Sliding into a relationship with a poetic and handsome boy wasn't on the agenda， but it's certainly welcome。 What's not so welcome is his ex-friend from high school， Leila， who manages to be in all of his classes， bringing back unpleasant memories from their toxic unraveling。 And They Lived。。。 isn't centered around any one topic， but rather all the essential elements in a young person's life: friendships， identity， career passions， and so many other integral parts that make someone who they are。 Chase and his friends interact in the most authentic， humorous， and messy ways， mirroring the uncensored real world-- and affirming that the path to success and happiness isn't always linear。 This novel is the best book I've read in awhile， and it's sure to validate readers in their feelings of how to navigate themselves and the world around them as they come into adulthood-- surely a courageous feat if there ever was one。 。。。more
Laynie Rose
，
And They Lived is an absolute knockout of a book。 Personal， moving， and devastatingly comforting in a way that only Steven Salvatore can do， this fairytale inspired story is one for the ages。 A perfect balance of joy， love， pain， and healing， reading this book was a catharsis。 I wish I could go back in time and give this book to a younger version of myself， because she desperately needed a story like this one。 I cannot express enough how much I loved this book， with it's silly college adventure And They Lived is an absolute knockout of a book。 Personal， moving， and devastatingly comforting in a way that only Steven Salvatore can do， this fairytale inspired story is one for the ages。 A perfect balance of joy， love， pain， and healing， reading this book was a catharsis。 I wish I could go back in time and give this book to a younger version of myself， because she desperately needed a story like this one。 I cannot express enough how much I loved this book， with it's silly college adventures， sex positivity， gender feelings， and the honest approach to mental health。 Seeing these characters heal， seeing Chase Arthur learn to love himself and heal， was literally like I got to release the tension I'd been holding in since my college days， like I was healing right alongside him。 Because this book exists， I know that everything is going to be okay， that I am worth a happily ever after， but what's most important is that I live。 。。。more
Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥
，
I'm a simple reader。 If you mention:- A character that likes Disney movies- A mental health rep- Self-discovery- LGBTQ+ content- AND poetry！！！ The book will always land on my TBR！ Why are there so many good books coming out？ 😭🙈 I'm a simple reader。 If you mention:- A character that likes Disney movies- A mental health rep- Self-discovery- LGBTQ+ content- AND poetry！！！ The book will always land on my TBR！ Why are there so many good books coming out？ 😭🙈 。。。more
Eva B。
，
I didn't like CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY， like， at all， but this sounds so good！ Love how YA books seem to be branching out when it comes to careers， I don't think I've ever read a book about a budding animator before！ I didn't like CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY， like， at all， but this sounds so good！ Love how YA books seem to be branching out when it comes to careers， I don't think I've ever read a book about a budding animator before！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=And They Lived . . .
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=And They Lived . . .&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,And They Lived . . .&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0