Fifteen-year-old Ian Racalmuto’s life is in ruins after an embassy raid in Algiers. His mother, a vodka-drunk spy, is dead. His brother, a diplomat, has vanished. And, he's lost a cremation urn containing a smartphone that could destroy the world.
Forced to live with his cantankerous grandfather in Philadelphia, Ian has seven days to find his brother and secure the phone—all while adjusting to life in a troubled urban school and dodging assassins sent to kill him.
Ian finds an ally in William Xiang, an undocumented immigrant grappling with poverty, a strict family, and abusive classmates. They make a formidable team, but when Ian's feelings toward Will grow, bombs, bullets and crazed bounty hunters don't hold a candle to his fear of his friend finding out. Will it wreck their relationship, roll up their mission, and derail a heist they’ve planned at the State Department?
Like a dime store pulp adventure of the past, No Good About Goodbye is an incautious, funny, coming-of-age tale for mature teens and adult readers.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: What starts out as a fast-paced adventure ends up being so much more as Liotta proves an extremely versatile writer and tackles romance and adventure in this LGBTQ+ novel. Adding suspense throughout at the appropriate moments, Liotta always keeps the reader on their toes, wondering when the next spy is just around the corner. At times, the wavering timeline of the plot can prove a bit confusing.
Prose: The novel is rich in dialogue and gives the reader time to get to know the characters. The contrast between the intense scenes and burgeoning romance is reflected in the pace of the writing.
Originality: Blending a variety of genres in one book and learning that the main character’s real issue is being honest about his relationship makes for an original plot. The author delivers a strong message for those with teens in their lives.
Character Development/Execution: Not only are the themes throughout versatile and genre-defying, but the characters are as well. The main character is able to shift between espionage and romance elements seamlessly and deliver a strong message about growing up and coming out.
Date Submitted: April 05, 2022
"So many treats are in store for the discerning reader of CT Liotta's brilliant YA novel No Good About Goodbye. There's a diverse array of multi-racial/cultural characters, organized criminals with complex political goals, and keystone-cop humor/blunders often sparking from the evergreen enchantment of a push-pull romance between two young people, neither of whom have yet decided to identify as gay. Rich with often realistically crude boy lingo, No Good About Goodbye is an utterly charming teenage LGBTQ falling-in-love adventure while simultaneously rocking an international crime storyline." -C.S. Holmes, Indiereader
