Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

Felipe is fat. And he doesn't need anyone to remind him, which is, of course, what everyone does. That's why he's been waiting for summer: a break from school and the classmates who tease him incessantly. His plans include catching up on TV, finishing his TBR pile, and watching YouTube tutorials on skills he'll never actually put into practice.

But things get a little out of hand when Felipe's mom informs him that Caio, the neighbour kid from apartment 57, will be spending the next fifteen days with them while his parents are on vacation. Felipe is distraught because A) he's had a crush on Caio since, well, for ever, and B) Felipe has a list of body image insecurities and absolutely NO idea how he's going to entertain his neighbor for two full weeks.

Suddenly, the days ahead of him that once promised rest and relaxation (not to mention some epic Netflix bingeing) end up bringing a whirlwind of feelings, forcing Felipe to dive head-first into every unresolved issue he has had with himself - but maybe, just maybe, he'll manage to win over Caio, too.

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First, as always with a translated novel; the translation is very smooth, with just a slight formality in some of the dialogue to give it away. Otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed at all.

This is a nice, gentle love story. Felix's lack of self confidence and embarrassment were so well written I could feel myself cringing at them. It's really well written; the boys don't immediately fall in love, there's a background of friendship and they've spent several days together before they even hold hands.

I also liked that not everything was tied up neatly; there are family issues that haven't been addressed at the end, and that's very true to life. Not everything wraps up at the same time, there are always ongoing things and I loved seeing that reflected here.

This is a lovely read that I'm going to enjoy recommending to people. I would love to know how to pronounce Caio, though!

Here The Whole Time published on the 10th November 2020 in the US (lower cover image) and publishes on the 21st January 2021 in the UK (top cover image).