Golden Boys

By: Phil Stamper

Narrated by: Michael Crouch, Graham Halstead, Shawn K. Jain, Briggon Snow, Karissa Vacker

National bestselling author Phil Stamper crafts the perfect summer friendship story, starring four queer boys with big hearts and even bigger dreams.

It’s the summer before senior year. Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small, rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. But they have plans for the summer, each about to embark on a new adventure.

Gabriel is interning at an environmental nonprofit in Boston.
Reese is attending design school in Paris.
Sal is volunteering on Capitol Hill for a senator.
Heath is heading to Florida, to help out at his aunt’s boardwalk arcade.

What will this season of world-expanding travel and life-changing experiences mean for each of them—and for their friendship?

Phil Stamper treats readers to an emotionally resonant summer story, full of aspirational experiences, sweet romance, and joyously affirming friendship.

Amazing

I loved everything about this book the characters were all likeable
I will look for more books by this author

Loved it all.

Loved all four MCs and their relationships with one another. Each individual is so well written and distinct.

Moving and simple

the narration is excellent. the story is a simple telling of four friends who have a summer apart before their final year of high school. it's a coming of age story that isn't heavy or complex and it beautiful in its simplicity.

A light story of four boys discovering themselves

It's nice to hear voices I've heard from other audiobooks (brkggkn snow and micheal crouch) as well as voice I've yet to hear (Shawn k jain and Graham Halstead). Their performances were very good and told the story well.

The story itself reflects a similar emotional beat and gone of Phil Stamper's previous work "The Gravity of Us" in that it doesn't delve too heavily into the emotional angst or drama when it comes to a coming of age story. It's lighthearted with a few emotional moments, but the separated parallel lines of each character's story detracts from being able to focus on a couple dynamic at a time. Had it been a couple's story at a time and their action/reaction to their relationship, their present, and their past, then I believe it would have made their resolve for the future more impactful.

That said, it is a nice story that touches up on light drama of relationships and uncertainty of the future.

definitely YA

I liked the multiple POVs and how it was more than plain text. The story makes me feel warm but I can see how it doesn’t work for some people.