Literature & Fiction
![Robbie Couch - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_robbie_couch.jpg)
The Sky Blues
Sky's small town turns absolutely claustrophobic when his secret promposal plans get leaked to the entire school in this witty, "earnest, heartfelt" (Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author), and ultimately hopeful debut novel for fans of What if it's Us? and To All the Boys I've Loved Before.
Sky Baker may be openly gay, but in his small, insular town, making sure he was invisible has always been easier than being himself. Determined not to let anything ruin his senior year, Sky decides to make a splash at his high school's annual beach bum party by asking his crush, Ali, to prom-and he has thirty days to do it.
What better way to start living loud and proud than by pulling off the gayest promposal Rock Ledge, Michigan, has ever seen?
Then, Sky's plans are leaked by an anonymous hacker in a deeply homophobic e-blast that quickly goes viral. He's fully prepared to drop out and skip town altogether-until his classmates give him a reason to fight back by turning his thirty-day promposal countdown into a school-wide hunt to expose the e-blast perpetrator.
But what happens at the end of the thirty days? Will Sky get to keep his hard-won visibility? Or will his small-town blues stop him from being his true self?
Sky Baker may be openly gay, but in his small, insular town, making sure he was invisible has always been easier than being himself. Determined not to let anything ruin his senior year, Sky decides to make a splash at his high school's annual beach bum party by asking his crush, Ali, to prom-and he has thirty days to do it.
What better way to start living loud and proud than by pulling off the gayest promposal Rock Ledge, Michigan, has ever seen?
Then, Sky's plans are leaked by an anonymous hacker in a deeply homophobic e-blast that quickly goes viral. He's fully prepared to drop out and skip town altogether-until his classmates give him a reason to fight back by turning his thirty-day promposal countdown into a school-wide hunt to expose the e-blast perpetrator.
But what happens at the end of the thirty days? Will Sky get to keep his hard-won visibility? Or will his small-town blues stop him from being his true self?
Editorial Reviews
A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
"The author creates memorable, believable characters who inhabit vivid settings. Couch excels at crafting believable plot twists... Recommended for fans of David Levithan." ― School Library Journal
"Earnest, heartfelt, and sincerely moving. Robbie Couch writes with real honesty and compassion about love, family, and friendship in all their beautiful complexity." ― Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
"Packed with twists, turns, and a whole lotta love, The Sky Blues tugged at my gay-from-the-Midwest heartstrings. Ready for more from Robbie!" ― Tyler Oakley, author of the New York Times bestseller Binge
"The Sky Blues is the first book I've read that so fully encapsulates the dynamics of growing up queer during adolescence, without falling into the usual dramatic tropes - it's a perfect snapshot. This story is so pure and filled with hope that I never wanted it to end." ― Kevin McHale, actor ("Glee")
"This story is filled with shadows and light, struggles and wins, and with characters we can all relate to." ― Sarah Butland, Imagination Captured
"You'll root for Sky... and have the joy of watching him overcome setbacks and find his own strength. This is a highly recommended book, especially to fans of Albertalli's Simon books who want the same kind of feel." ― Online Eccentric Librarian
"An optimistic... coming-of-age narrative." ― Kirkus Reviews
"Debut author Couch structures the book as a promposal countdown, building suspense and showing how Sky... realizes he's braver than he thinks, and claps back to the bullies, improving school culture and finding his community along the way." ― Publishers Weekly
"The author creates memorable, believable characters who inhabit vivid settings. Couch excels at crafting believable plot twists... Recommended for fans of David Levithan." ― School Library Journal
"Earnest, heartfelt, and sincerely moving. Robbie Couch writes with real honesty and compassion about love, family, and friendship in all their beautiful complexity." ― Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
"Packed with twists, turns, and a whole lotta love, The Sky Blues tugged at my gay-from-the-Midwest heartstrings. Ready for more from Robbie!" ― Tyler Oakley, author of the New York Times bestseller Binge
"The Sky Blues is the first book I've read that so fully encapsulates the dynamics of growing up queer during adolescence, without falling into the usual dramatic tropes - it's a perfect snapshot. This story is so pure and filled with hope that I never wanted it to end." ― Kevin McHale, actor ("Glee")
"This story is filled with shadows and light, struggles and wins, and with characters we can all relate to." ― Sarah Butland, Imagination Captured
"You'll root for Sky... and have the joy of watching him overcome setbacks and find his own strength. This is a highly recommended book, especially to fans of Albertalli's Simon books who want the same kind of feel." ― Online Eccentric Librarian
"An optimistic... coming-of-age narrative." ― Kirkus Reviews
"Debut author Couch structures the book as a promposal countdown, building suspense and showing how Sky... realizes he's braver than he thinks, and claps back to the bullies, improving school culture and finding his community along the way." ― Publishers Weekly
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle Paul M Wh
A page turner for sure. Anyone struggling with their sexuality needs to read this feel-good story (especially teens and young adults). An thoughtful look at teenaged angst magnified by being “different”. The author’s message, I believe, is that “it gets better”. Looking forward to more from Robbie Couch.
JasonKindle Paul
Great book! Great read! Great message! Would love to see this made into a movie!
maggiemayJasonKin
Wonderful story. I didn't think I would identify with a teenage boy being a grown adult woman, but Sky is a great character. Loved the book!
Brian ImaggiemayJ
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Absolutely loved it. A must read for anyone’s . Loved the surprise ending.
LBreezyBrian Imag
Thoughtfully written YA novel that made me happy even tho I’m a 51 yo step monster. Sharing w my 18 yo daughter she’s an avid reader and also a pretty cool human who appreciates a great read that doesn’t patronize young adults A++
Short Excerpt Teaser
1. Thirty Days
THIRTY DAYS
I'm standing in the shower next to Ali Rashid. The Ali Rashid. Sure, we're both completely naked and there are plenty of other body parts my eyes could wander toward. But I can't look away from his eyebrows, of all things. His big, bushy, glorious effing eyebrows. I've never even noticed another person's before Ali's, I don't think. But his are different, I guess. I've stared at them so many times-mostly across crowded classrooms or dreamily through Instagram filters-I bet I could sketch them from memory, follicle by follicle. That's a super weird, gay thing to admit, I know.
But hi, I'm a gay weirdo, apparently.
"Can I kiss you, Sky?" he asks.
The hazel of his eyes disappears behind long, curly eyelashes. They're as beautiful as the brows; so jet black and thick, they could, like, sign a modeling contract all on their own, I swear. I can't wait to tell our gaybies (gay + babies) about this moment someday-their dads' first kiss. They'll probably be grossed out, but that's okay.
"Sky, let's go!" Bree's mom yells right outside the bathroom door. My whole body jolts awake from my daydream. Er, my… shower-dream? Yeah. That's more like it. Let's call it that. My Ali shower-dream. I have them from time to time.
Rattled, I reach out to grab the shower curtain to regain my balance-and the whole thing rips beneath my weight. My flailing body goes spilling out onto the bath mat like some white, scaly-ass fish caught in Lake Michigan. It seriously sounds like a bomb went off-a wet, soapy, incredibly embarrassing bomb. I yelp, more out of shock than pain.
"Oh my God!" Bree's mom gasps on the other side of the bathroom door, as the dangling nozzle sprays water literally everywhere. Bree's pit bulls, Thelma and Louise, start barking a few drywalls away.
"Are you okay, Sky?"
"No," I groan. "I mean, yeah-"
But it's too late.
The door cracks open and I see the bright red rims of Mrs. Brandstone's glasses for a microsecond before I screech in protest, lying there totally exposed on the slippery floor. She squeals too, and slams the door shut.
I'm mortified. I am completely, totally, full-stop mortified.
This has to be a top-five most embarrassing moment, really. Way worse than when my best friend, Marshall, let out a massive fart in seventh-grade gym and ran away, leaving everyone thinking it was me.
"Don't worry, I didn't see anything," Bree's mom lies through the door. "And even if I did, I've seen it all anyway, honey. But hustle, please! Bree is waiting outside. You two are going to be late."
And just like clockwork, Bree-my other best friend-starts honking her horn out in the driveway, as if the apocalypse will ensue if we're thirty seconds late to first hour. She's going to kill me.
"Tell her I'm coming!" I stand and turn the shower off before fixing the rod and curtain. Half the bathroom floor is covered in a puddle.
What an absolute mess. This bathroom and my life.
My guess is, Ali's probably shower-dreaming about someone else this exact moment over at his house on Ashtyn Drive. It's the third house from the corner; the one with the seafoam-green shutters, and the cat, Franklin, moseying around in the front window.
Yes, okay. I'm in love with Ali Rashid.
I'm not proud of it. I'm anything but proud of it. I'm annoyed of it. I'm sick of it. I wish I could snap my fingers and forget Ali Rashid even exists. But he does, and I'm hopelessly, helplessly, eternally infatuated with him, his seductive eyebrows, XXX-rated eyelashes, and the way his skin crinkles a bit when he laughs at one of my jokes. Especially when he snorts a little, too, because then I know it's genuine.
Crushing this hard is confusing, though.
In my seventeen years on this planet, Ali's the only boy that's ever made me feel this way. Actually, the only person, period. Falling this hard isn't all euphoric and heavenly, like in the four hundred million rom-coms I've watched way too many times to count.
Like when Lara Jean finally confesses her love to Peter on the lacrosse field in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and everyone gets their happiest possible ending. Or like in Booksmart, when Hope shows up on the doorstep to give Amy her phone number right before Amy bounces to Botswana for the summer. (What co...
THIRTY DAYS
I'm standing in the shower next to Ali Rashid. The Ali Rashid. Sure, we're both completely naked and there are plenty of other body parts my eyes could wander toward. But I can't look away from his eyebrows, of all things. His big, bushy, glorious effing eyebrows. I've never even noticed another person's before Ali's, I don't think. But his are different, I guess. I've stared at them so many times-mostly across crowded classrooms or dreamily through Instagram filters-I bet I could sketch them from memory, follicle by follicle. That's a super weird, gay thing to admit, I know.
But hi, I'm a gay weirdo, apparently.
"Can I kiss you, Sky?" he asks.
The hazel of his eyes disappears behind long, curly eyelashes. They're as beautiful as the brows; so jet black and thick, they could, like, sign a modeling contract all on their own, I swear. I can't wait to tell our gaybies (gay + babies) about this moment someday-their dads' first kiss. They'll probably be grossed out, but that's okay.
"Sky, let's go!" Bree's mom yells right outside the bathroom door. My whole body jolts awake from my daydream. Er, my… shower-dream? Yeah. That's more like it. Let's call it that. My Ali shower-dream. I have them from time to time.
Rattled, I reach out to grab the shower curtain to regain my balance-and the whole thing rips beneath my weight. My flailing body goes spilling out onto the bath mat like some white, scaly-ass fish caught in Lake Michigan. It seriously sounds like a bomb went off-a wet, soapy, incredibly embarrassing bomb. I yelp, more out of shock than pain.
"Oh my God!" Bree's mom gasps on the other side of the bathroom door, as the dangling nozzle sprays water literally everywhere. Bree's pit bulls, Thelma and Louise, start barking a few drywalls away.
"Are you okay, Sky?"
"No," I groan. "I mean, yeah-"
But it's too late.
The door cracks open and I see the bright red rims of Mrs. Brandstone's glasses for a microsecond before I screech in protest, lying there totally exposed on the slippery floor. She squeals too, and slams the door shut.
I'm mortified. I am completely, totally, full-stop mortified.
This has to be a top-five most embarrassing moment, really. Way worse than when my best friend, Marshall, let out a massive fart in seventh-grade gym and ran away, leaving everyone thinking it was me.
"Don't worry, I didn't see anything," Bree's mom lies through the door. "And even if I did, I've seen it all anyway, honey. But hustle, please! Bree is waiting outside. You two are going to be late."
And just like clockwork, Bree-my other best friend-starts honking her horn out in the driveway, as if the apocalypse will ensue if we're thirty seconds late to first hour. She's going to kill me.
"Tell her I'm coming!" I stand and turn the shower off before fixing the rod and curtain. Half the bathroom floor is covered in a puddle.
What an absolute mess. This bathroom and my life.
My guess is, Ali's probably shower-dreaming about someone else this exact moment over at his house on Ashtyn Drive. It's the third house from the corner; the one with the seafoam-green shutters, and the cat, Franklin, moseying around in the front window.
Yes, okay. I'm in love with Ali Rashid.
I'm not proud of it. I'm anything but proud of it. I'm annoyed of it. I'm sick of it. I wish I could snap my fingers and forget Ali Rashid even exists. But he does, and I'm hopelessly, helplessly, eternally infatuated with him, his seductive eyebrows, XXX-rated eyelashes, and the way his skin crinkles a bit when he laughs at one of my jokes. Especially when he snorts a little, too, because then I know it's genuine.
Crushing this hard is confusing, though.
In my seventeen years on this planet, Ali's the only boy that's ever made me feel this way. Actually, the only person, period. Falling this hard isn't all euphoric and heavenly, like in the four hundred million rom-coms I've watched way too many times to count.
Like when Lara Jean finally confesses her love to Peter on the lacrosse field in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and everyone gets their happiest possible ending. Or like in Booksmart, when Hope shows up on the doorstep to give Amy her phone number right before Amy bounces to Botswana for the summer. (What co...
