Anything But Fine

November 15, 2021
With one wrong move, the dreams of an aspiring ballet dancer shatter--along with the bones in his foot--leaving him lost as he tries to recover. For Luca Mason, an Australian boy living in Ballarat, Victoria, ballet was more than his future career. Dancing is his whole identity--or was. One fall down the stairs later, Luca must let go of his goal of attending the exclusive Australian Ballet School, and he also loses the performing arts scholarship at his private high school. As he struggles to find his balance at a new school, the weight of his past and the unstable ground of a secret relationship threaten to knock him off his feet again. Forced into taking a new perspective, Luca reexamines his standards for friendship as he finds himself unexpectedly drawn to another outcast, academic superstar Amina Ahmad, an Indonesian Australian hijabi who welcomes him into her life. He also becomes more mindful of his White privilege. Luca's relationship with popular jock and high school royalty Jordan Tanaka-Jones, who is Japanese and (implied) White Australian, explores toxic masculinity and questioning one's sexuality. The first-person narration strikes a balance between Luca's brooding introspection and character development demonstrated through his changed behavior. A reflective, romantic, and emotional coming-of-age story. (Fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from November 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Sixteen-year-old Luca has studied ballet since he was three and hopes to make it his profession, so when he falls and breaks his foot, he feels his life is over. To make matters worse, since he can no longer dance, he loses his arts scholarship and must leave his school to attend a (shudder) public school. In the meantime, at his physical therapist's office, he encounters the most breathtakingly beautiful boy he has ever seen. To Luca's delight, the boy, Jordan Tanaka-Jones, goes to his new school, where he is the resident (straight) golden boy. Nevertheless, the two begin talking and as friendship looms, Luca--who is gay and out--feels over the moon. Unfortunately, Luca's new friend Amina, whose family is from Indonesia, is also smitten by Jordan, and awkwardness ensues as Jordan begins paying more attention to Luca and less to Amina. Indeed, the two boys' friendship deepens when Jordan kisses Luca, and they begin a clandestine relationship. But can it remain a secret? Debut author Madden manages his significant emotional content with admirable aplomb and his plot with verve, offering keen insights into his empathic characters' lives. The result? An altogether lovely book that comes highly recommended.

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July 13, 2021
Anything But Fine is the young adult debut of Tobias Madden, who works in publishing and is part of the #LoveOzYA community. Like his main character, Luca, Madden grew up in Ballarat and was a professional dancer, which possibly contributes to his novel’s feeling of authenticity and honesty. Luca is a talented and focused dancer, just about to audition for the Australian Ballet School when he falls down the stairs and irreparably damages his foot. With his future in ballet gone, so is his scholarship at a prestigious school and his connection to his childhood friends. Suddenly Luca finds himself injured and alone in public school, feeling like he’s hit rock bottom. But there he meets the sweet and enthusiastic Amina and the gorgeous school captain Jordan, who may or may not be straight. Full of texts, group chats and social media, Anything But Fine is grounded in a contemporary world. The ‘teenage’ tone is occasionally overdone but the characters’ complexity and longing are relatable and ring true. There are sexual scenes and some alcohol consumption, although nothing is depicted too graphically, so the book is best for teenagers 13 and over. Anything But Fine is a heartwarming story about a young man finding himself. With its diverse cast of characters, the novel touches on racism, faith, homophobia and peer pressure, but is ultimately about growing and learning to be a better friend, embracing all parts of life and being true to yourself. Fay Helfenbaum is a freelance writer and editor and was a bookseller for five years.