Nail Polish and Feathers by Jo Ramsey

Publisher: Harmony Ink Press

Date published: August 2013

ISBN: 978-1-62798-088-3

Genre: Young Adult, contemporary, M/M

Book format: E-book

Obtained via: Publisher

Reviewed by: Marieke

Evan Granger is sixteen and wants to become a drag queen when he grows up. He wears nail polish and sometimes woman’s clothes. He feels good in his skin and likes himself. Too bad the other kids in school don’t feel the same.

Evan gets bullied a lot by the jocks. He has a very good friend in his cousin Holly and her friends from drama club. 

Then one day when he hides out for one of his bullies Guillermo Garcia, Moe for his friends, finds him and tells him he wants to be friends and maybe more. 

The very next day Evan gets beat-up so bad he ends up in the ER. His mom, Holly and Moe all tell him to tone down his dressing, but he is just too stubborn to change himself.

His dad finds out about him being gay and wearing nail polish. He freaks out and starts threatening to try and get custody. This puts a lot of strain on Evan and his mother’s relationship. The fact that Moe is not ‘out’ and everyone tries to change him wares him down too. The only real outlet is the e-mails he sends to his favorite drag-queen, even if she hasn’t answered them yet.

The story was funny at some points but mostly very sad and frustrating. All the people that claim to love Evan and say they want to protect him, but never really accept him, are maddening. At some points I wanted to slap them and tell them to shut up.

At some points in the story it was so sad I had tears in my eyes and I guess that makes this story strong. It brings out a lot of emotions. 

The cousin is maybe the most accepting of him, even if she uses all the wrong words to express her support. 

The father is a real piece of work, but in the final chapter there is some hope that he will come around. That there is also the thing that annoys me the most about this book. The final chapter feels incomplete. There is no real ending, nothing get resolved. Moe is still nit out and may or may not stay in his life. The bullies are still in school and you don’t get to read about the trial. The only good part is the mail of the drag queen he loves.

Yes I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. It brought out strong emotions, which is good but the ending lacked in the happy ever after feeling. 

This is not an endorsement of this book. This is an objective unbiased review.

Tags: Jo Ramsey, Contemporary, M/M, Young Adult, Harmony Ink Press, Mari