3 Stars

CWs: bullying, toxic relationships, manipulation, homophobia, religious bigotry, graphic descriptions of body dysmorphia and disordered eating, self harm in the form of self-starvation, use of queer slurs, public outing without consent, near instance of sexual assault, anxiety and panic attacks, and several HP references.

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Set in London where our MC Marty decides to travel abroad, As Far As You'll Take me is a queer romance novel about music and discovering yourself.


Things I enjoyed:
- the travelling parts (where we see some of the landmarks of London and learn little pieces of history along the way, also bonus is adding parts of Italy too!)
- the anxiety representation was also fantastic, it was realistic and relatable.
- the growth Marty experienced was wonderful, including discovering his found family and learning more about himself and his preferences, after all your late teen years are all about life lessons and learning about yourself more.
- the inclusion and focus of music - it was interesting learning some things about an orchestra I didn't know before!

this book is definitely not a "cutesy travel romance", and, it delves into some deeper topics, such as:
- coping with a super religious family while being gay
- body image issues that come with dating and disordered eating
- anxiety with being in a new place and travelling
- toxic friendships where the "best friend" manipulates and uses what she knows about Marty against him

As Far As You'll Take Me had some aspects that I enjoyed, but overall, I think it wasn't really a read that was really something I was in to. The characters were complex, but the thing that didn't quite gel with me was seeing how damaging the main relationship was for Marty.