by: Phoenix Blackwood
Series: Surviving Youth Trilogy
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Coming of Age
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Publisher: Cinnabar Moth Publishing
Phee hides her secrets well, until they become too much to bear. Her biggest secret is one she’s kept even from herself. Her longest-kept secret is one that hurts her every day. Her final secret is one that will set her free.
In a school that doesn’t accept them, Phee, Theo, and Alex fight for a community close to their hearts. The community desperately needs the trio to help the rest of them leave the shadows without fear of violence and discrimination. Through some heroic activism, the three push the school officials to their limits — forcing them to act — for better or worse.
For Phee, the fight for a place where she can be herself doesn’t stop when she gets home. The strain of taking care of her alcoholic and abusive mother threatens to break Phee away from her family bond forever. Her mother can go from a messy drunk to an angry one in an instant, turning Phee’s home life from an obligation to a war zone.
Theo’s house offers respite to Phee. With compassion scarce in her life, Alex and Theo are Phee’s light in the dark. They protect and cherish her. At Theo’s, Phee is free to be herself and explore her identity safely — her chosen family ready to catch her if she falls. That’s what family does, how family finds us when we feel lost and alone.
**See the publisher’s website for content warnings.**
It all started with Theo – don’t tell the others, but they’re my favorite child. The first book in the series, The Secrets that Kill Us, really showcases their inner struggles with trauma and mental health. They’re an incredibly strong character (they all are in their own ways), but their role in The Family That Finds Us is very different from the one in their own book. In Family, they’re a leader, someone with such a sense of justice in the world and a strong drive to uphold it. They’re a protector, someone who won’t stand by while others are hurt. They want the best for their friends, the family they cobbled together through their years of messy relationships and messier mistakes. People tend to overlook them, underestimate them, but they’re incredibly sharp and will stop at nothing to keep the people they love safe.
Alex, our protagonist of the second book, The Love that Binds Us, is very much the mom friend. She wants to take care of everyone, often forgetting her own needs in the process. She shares Theo’s strong sense of justice, but isn’t as vocal as them and will let things slide if it’s her being hurt instead of someone else. She loves with all of her heart, and is often hurt by this. However, when her heart is in the right hands, she can flourish and become something beautiful.
And then there’s Phee. She is everything she hates and nothing she wants to be. She’s in denial, uncared for by others, and sees herself as not worth another person’s time. She understands the trials of Theo’s trauma because she lives it every day and doesn’t say a word. She wants to love, but she’s afraid of the consequences. Underneath it all, she’s an incredible human and doesn’t realize how valuable she really is. She sees herself as weak, looks up to Theo’s strength, and feels bad for depending on them. Through Alex’s nurturing and Theo’s protection and support, she begins to see herself for what she truly is, and embraces who she really is. A wonderful advocate with an artistic eye, she creates meaningful galleries that capture the human spirit for what it is: messy, chaotic, and beautiful.
I’ve learned so much from these three. They taught me what love looks like, in a world where there’s so much hate. Theo’s taught me to face my demons and stand up for what’s right, Alex has taught me to love unconditionally and freely, and Phee has taught me that there’s nothing more important than letting yourself be who you truly are. Writing this series has been a long journey of my life, and I’m so thankful for it. These three will always be my babies.
“No!” I screamed, flailing against her as she pinned me down with one arm and cut with the other, lock after lock of black hair falling to the ground and into the sink.
Tears came next, as I fought the futile fight to get her to stop. I shrieked, begging for her to stop, but she just kept going, until there was nothing left. Just jagged tufts of hair sticking straight up from my scalp. She let go of me, throwing the scissors back into the drawer and slamming it shut without a word. She looked at me with the most haunting gaze I’d ever seen out of her, shook her head, and then walked into her room, slamming her door behind her. My knees grew weak, and I fell to the ground, clutching the discarded chunks of my hair that lay strewn about the floor. My wails could’ve been heard a block away. I’d found two things I liked about myself last night, and now one of them was gone.
Eventually, I dragged myself into my room, picking up my phone and texting Theo through my tears to come get me. Not even ten minutes later, there was a knock at the apartment door. I was still crying as I opened it to watch Theo’s face morph in horror as they caught sight of me.
“Oh my god, Phee, what did she do?”
I shook my head, staring down at the floor as tears fell from my face. Theo wrapped their arms around me, and I choked out, “She was sober.”
Theo rubbed my back for a minute, then guided me towards my room, “C’mon, get your stuff. You’re gonna stay at my house.” I grabbed the discarded makeup from my floor and stuffed it into a duffel bag, along with a couple changes of clothes. Then, I grabbed my backpack and solemnly followed Theo out the door, locking it behind me.
Tears came next, as I fought the futile fight to get her to stop. I shrieked, begging for her to stop, but she just kept going, until there was nothing left. Just jagged tufts of hair sticking straight up from my scalp. She let go of me, throwing the scissors back into the drawer and slamming it shut without a word. She looked at me with the most haunting gaze I’d ever seen out of her, shook her head, and then walked into her room, slamming her door behind her. My knees grew weak, and I fell to the ground, clutching the discarded chunks of my hair that lay strewn about the floor. My wails could’ve been heard a block away. I’d found two things I liked about myself last night, and now one of them was gone.
Eventually, I dragged myself into my room, picking up my phone and texting Theo through my tears to come get me. Not even ten minutes later, there was a knock at the apartment door. I was still crying as I opened it to watch Theo’s face morph in horror as they caught sight of me.
“Oh my god, Phee, what did she do?”
I shook my head, staring down at the floor as tears fell from my face. Theo wrapped their arms around me, and I choked out, “She was sober.”
Theo rubbed my back for a minute, then guided me towards my room, “C’mon, get your stuff. You’re gonna stay at my house.” I grabbed the discarded makeup from my floor and stuffed it into a duffel bag, along with a couple changes of clothes. Then, I grabbed my backpack and solemnly followed Theo out the door, locking it behind me.
Purchase The Family That Finds Us from:
(Affiliated Links Used)
The Surviving Youth Trilogy:
Places to find Phoenix Blackwood:
You can follow The Family That Finds Us Book Tour here.
Thank you so much for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteThe cover looks good. Sounds like a good story.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThis looks really good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLGBTQIA+ Coming of Age - we need more genres like this!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
I liked the excerpt. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI like what I've seen so far! Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteSounds great!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book love the cover & blurb!
ReplyDelete