Icarus

Icarus goes to high school by day, being careful who he befriends and how many friends he keeps, trying hard not to make attachments that would necessitate hanging out outside of school. By night he’s an art thief, trained and working for his father, who is hell-bent on revenge against one man, Mr. Black, living in a mansion and collecting all kinds of priceless art. Then one night when Icarus sneaks into the mansion to replace an original Monet with the replica his father has painted, he gets caught. By Mr. Black’s son, Helios. And Icarus’ first real friendship begins, and leads the way for his other, tentative friendships to become real as well.

It's difficult to summarize this YA novel because it’s unlike anything else I’ve show more ever read, and in a very good way. It’s sort of a retelling of a Greek myth but not really; it’s sort of a romance but not really; it’s sort of a heist story but not really. It’s all of these and much more. I absolutely adored it. Icarus is such a great character, and his coming-of-age story is so soft and lovely. Yes, there’s some harshness here, but overall it feels warm and wonderful. Icarus will stay with me as a friend for a long time, I think. show less

We first meet Icarus in the middle of an art heist. His father Angus, a professional art restorer, has been training Icarus for years in not only restoration, but also in breaking and entering undetected into the mansion of Mr. Black, a man against whom Angus has vowed revenge. The two have spent years replacing Black's authentic works of art with replicas. But during one of his clandestine missions inside the mansion, Icarus is startled by the presence of someone who shouldn't be there: another teenage boy, Helios.

This is an achingly sad and beautiful story. The writing is poetic, and I found myself returning to reread earlier passages to savor them again. Icarus and Helios are both prisoners in their own way, each wounded and hurting show more and finding in each other a kindred soul. I so wanted them just to experience some happiness! It's really a lovely, lovely book. Highest recommendations. show less

Marvelous and strange. The love story was to die for, but the chapters in which Icarus's "classroom friends" evolved into real friends were arguably my favorites. I'm a sucker for a lonely boy who finds support and caring in a high school setting (god knows I never did), especially from jock bros.

I yield the floor to my esteemed colleague ancientreader for her eloquent review, without which I would have missed this wonderful fever dream of a novel.

This was more of a comtemporary YA book about learning to let friends in and dealing with family secrets than a story filled with art and thievery.
I liked it, but I'm just not a contemporary YA reader.

I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t land with me. I just could not connect with the characters for some reason. That said, I know it will probably be someone else’s cup of tea, and that’s great
**Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this audiobook.**

MM, Young Adult, Romance,