review: it looks like this by rafi mittlefehldt

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Mike makes a few friends after his family moves to Virginia from Wisconsin, but he also acquires a bully. Tragically, that bully sets out to destroy when he uses his phone to shoot a video of Mike's intimate encounter with Sean. The bully also tips off Sean's dad, so that the pair is interrupted in a gut-wrenching, rage-inducing moment of a parent at his worst. What had been a relatively sweet high school story quickly turns into a heart-breaking tale involving a gay conversion camp and the loss of first love. Rafi Mittlefehldt's writing brings many tears as Mike struggles. It Looks Like This does not end in sorrow, but it's a rough journey there.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Candlewick.