This ones a guilty pleasure of mine, while the Russel Middlebrook series has been over for quite some time, with the author’s reboot of the Russel Middlebrook Series: The Futon Years, I feel it’s time to write about this.
The Russel Middlebrook series is a classic gay coming of age series, filled with classic teen angst, and classic over dramatisation and I still loved this series. I think in part because Russel Middlebrook while burdened so verily with first world problems, is so very relatable. He’s not great with people, he’s not great with the future, he’s not great at much and it’s in this mediocrity that we find a little piece of ourselves.
Russel’s journey to find himself and love is trite and contrived but it’s still cute and worth reading, I wish there had been more books like this when I was a teenager. With the newer books released in this series we get to follow Russel as he grows up, having finished high school and trying to make his way in the real world as a young adult.
While the earlier books have a less sexual focus and lean more towards romantic fiction aimed at tweens, the newer novels start to explore a much more graphic level of Russel’s sexuality.
The books aren’t a page turner, I find myself reading the series in between my other series, but it’s good for a light read and I do hope Brent Hartinger continues to write this series as it’s like catching up with a good acquaintance.
All in all, if I were a teenager again or if I ever find myself single I know that especially during those times in my life this series would be crucial to my mental wellbeing, reminding me that it gets better and that true love can happen to us all.