Jerkbait Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Even though they're identical, Tristan isn't close to his twin Robbie at all—until Robbie tries to kill himself. Forced to share a room to prevent Robbie from hurting himself, the brothers begin to feel the weight of each other's lives on the ice, and off. Tristan starts seeing his twin not as a hockey star whose shadow Tristan can't escape, but a struggling gay teen terrified about coming out in the professional sports world. Robbie's future in the NHL is plagued by anxiety and the mounting pressure from their dad, coach, and scouts, while Tristan desperately fights to create his own future, not as a hockey player but a musical theatre performer. As their season progresses and friends turn out to be enemies, Robbie finds solace in an online stranger known only as “Jimmy2416.” Between keeping Robbie's secret and saving him from taking his life, Tristan is given the final call: sacrifice his dream for a brother he barely knows, or pursue his own path. How far is Robbie willing to go—and more importantly, how far is Tristan willing to go to help him?
Paperback: 350 pages
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press (May 10, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1631630660
ISBN-13: 978-1631630668
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #122,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #125 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Sports #128 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Gay & Lesbian #132 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Family > Siblings
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 8 and up
I was super excited to read this and it was worth the wait.Jerkbait is about a pair of identical twins, Robbie and Tristan. Their faces look the same, but their personalities couldn't be more different. Robbie is a talented NHL prospect and Tristian is the quiet, theater geek, who also plays hockey. Their parents are hardcore helicopter parents, overbearing, manipulative and fame driven due to Robbie's professional prospects. He has a secret though, one even his twin, who is supposed to know him better than anyone doesn't even know. Robbie is gay. Tristan and Robbie couldn't be more different, but as their lives spiral out of control at Robbie's multiple suicide attempts,they slowly realize that if they can't depend on anyone else to save them, they will have to save each other.This story is undeniably raw. It deals with depression and suicide, something that no one is willing to talk about, but Mia addresses it wonderfully. This story will make you cry. It's probably more relate-able if you are a twin, which I am, albeit not identical. The pacing of this story just keeps you gripped and enthralled. I could not and did not stop until I finished. I read this in a matter of an hour or two. There is a lot of drama, but it builds into the story rather well. This story seems to be about Robbie, even though it is told through Tristan's point of view, but it is really about both of them. It artfully crafts a story between identical, yet different twins and attacks the issue of sexuality between them along with stereotypes. Tristan is a theater geek, but straight, and Robbie is a hockey player, but gay. This story will grab your heart in a fist and make you think about your own siblings, if you have any, in a new way.
* Thank you to Mia and Jolly Fish Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review * Jerkbait surprised me in many ways, not in negative ones, rather contrary. Reading the blurb I was sure this would be an emotional read, but I didn't expect just this level of depth in terms of emotions and insights into the life of the amazing twins Tristan and Robbie. I've not read any other novel that featured twins as protagonists, so that in itself was already an interesting experience, especially since the two are so different. I admit, it took me around two chapters to really, really get into the story, but once I did, I couldn't stop and thus devoured Jerkbait in just under 12 consecutive hours with merely a few short breaks for food or e-mails. The story is utterly intriguing and captivating thanks to Tristan's voice and the plot itself, the way certain things and his thoughts are described. I love how, across the novel, the way he thought and felt about his brother started to change and how he also slowly learned new things about himself through it. If we're already talking about Tristan, I absolutely loved him and felt for him so hard. For so many years he felt like the shadow his family barely acknowledges next to his brother, pushed into a life that wasn't quite what he wanted. While his father wanted him to be a hockey player like his brother, Tristan wants to be an actor and play in musicals, which is truly unique and I've not seen it in any other book I've read so far. Tristan also writes stories, which we get to read a few snippets from. They are really good and fit into the story perfectly.
Jerkbait
