For weeks, Lennon pesters Fin, who like Lennon admits to questioning his sexual orientation, for a commitment to spend twenty-four hours together exploring “the gay side of life.” Each boy will seek to answer the terrifying question, Am I gay? Fin reluctantly agrees. Lennon pre-plans the day, filling the hours with what he assumes “gay life” is all about: funky hairstyles, fancy coffee drinks, shopping for fashionable clothing, boogying to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”, and yes, listening to show tunes.
However, Lennon quickly realizes that in creating his plan he has succumbed to the most common and distorted gay stereotypes. Can he be gay and not fit them? And more importantly, is it possible that spending twenty-four hours together will convince Fin that he’s gay, too? If so, maybe Lennon has a shot at winning the heart of the boy of his dreams.
“A Hard Day’s Night” is a humorous young adult contemporary romance about two boys coming to realize that they don’t have to be a stereotype to be genuine.
The day starts well enough, but as it goes on it gets worse and worse, and I think even Lennon starts to have second thoughts about what he has arranged.. Fin is from a well to do family, and I think he is afraid to actually explore his sexuality, especially as his family seemed determined to ignore where he wants to go to college, and seem to be trying to arrange his life for him.
Lennon seems to be getting more and more upset as the days goes on, even though he is determined for them both to experience as many gay things as possible..... but the trip to do things does not end well.
Things then go from bad to worse when they return to Lennon's home. Is Fin able to admit that he is gay?? Do Fin and Lennon remain friends after this day??
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.