A sort of slice of life story, set in 1930s Chicago following a gay teen who heads there to earn money for his family. Unfortunately, he finds himself tied up in various criminal actitivies. But it also opens his eyes to the possibilities of being queer in the 1930s.

I appreciate these historical fiction novels featuring characters from the LGBTQ+ community, which I feel like has been happening more and more in YA. It gives insight into what life was like then, which unfortunately it's been headed back in that direction again.

For the most part, this is a character driven story, about Joe finding his way in a big city, getting the chance to actually have some romantic flings. While I wish some of the side characters were more developed, I thought Joe's overall character arc was well done. He does get some good character growth, even if the ending felt a little bit rushed.

All in all, if you like historical fiction, you'll probably enjoy this as well!