The Boy Who Fell to Earth
by A. Zukowski
Blurb:
Jay Palmer is two months away from his sixteenth birthday. He doesn’t realise how his life will be changed forever when a gang of thugs leaves a badly injured boy on his doorstep. The biracial boy and his white single mum Maggie nurse the stranger, sixteen-year-old Aleksander Zukowski, also known as Sasha. Sasha ran away from care two and half years ago. He sleeps rough, is addicted to drugs and sells himself on the streets of London to fund his habit. For the first time in his life, he has a reason to change.
Sasha confirms what Jay already knows about himself but it doesn’t make it easy for him to come out to his macho mates in a largely black neighbourhood. Sasha has an uphill struggle to stay clean when his past threatens to throw him back into the abyss. Are the two boys strong enough to stay together against all odds?
"It has a force that keeps you on the edge of the seat and a grittiness that opens your eyes and makes you think." ~ Sinfully Gay Romance book review
5 + Stars!
This was a poignant coming of age story, filled with angst and utterly heartbreaking at times, yet meeting someone like Jay restores some of my faith in humanity. I loved Jay to death, he was sweet, caring, nurturing, but above all else, he was determined: Determined to save the drug addict boy who was beaten, dumped on his front lawn and left for dead. He refused to let his mum turn Sasha over to the police or call an ambulance and he never gave up on Sasha no matter what. No matter what Sasha did or how he treated him, Jay was determined to make sure the troubled and broken boy knew that someone cared and accepted him, faults and all. Frankly, Jay had the patience of a saint. My heart broke for Sasha and his story wasn’t an easy one. I often wondered if it was too late for Sasha to be saved or if he even wanted saving.
I won’t say a whole lot more, just that this was a well-written and enthralling read that I couldn’t put down. It wasn’t easy to read about Sasha’s life on the streets and the things he had to subject himself to, to survive, but I couldn’t look away or put this book down. From the first word I was hooked and although the story is over, these two young men have found a place in my heart and will remain there. I won’t soon forget their story of struggle, hope and ultimately, love. An excellent story I’d highly recommend!
*copy provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*
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