Scott is fairly happy with his life. He works in his family's restaurant, has a creative outlet working the sound panel for a local band and is looking forward to his senior year of high school. His only problematic issues are that his father is forcing him into a business degree when he graduates and leaving his track team to put all his efforts into his music. The fact that he is gay and has actually "come out" to a few select members of his family doesn't really bother him, except for the fact that he knows of no one else that leans in that direction. When Ryan, the nephew of the local business man, comes to live in his home town Scott isn't quite sure what to make of him. He's very cute, but Scott instinctively knows that what Ryan appears to be is a complete facade. When Scott is forced to take Ryan under his wing, he's torn between like and dislike of Ryan's attitude and troublesome ways.

When Ryan arrives in the sunny, arid Yucca Valley he's not sure what to make of it. After being kicked out of his grandmother's house to live with his uncle due to his troublesome attitude, the last thing Ryan ever expected was to find someone like Scott. But, will Scott still be his friend when he finds out what secrets Ryan is hiding about his past?

Although this story seems to be a pretty realistic contemporary portrayal of how teens, particularly gay teens in a relationship, would act, I wouldn't really recommend it as a young adult book due to the amount of graphically described intimacies. Outside of that, I personally did find the book to be a very interesting coming of age type story. It is impossible not to feel sympathetic towards Ryan and his issues, most especially the abuse suffered at the hands of a man he trusted and the death of his parents. Scott's much lighter disposition is a perfect foil for Ryan's dark attitude and his confusion in the face of Ryan's increasing personal epiphanies is understandable. I thought the story was an insightful and believable exploration into issues not frequently addressed in contemporary literature. ( )