I hace always been a big fan of Alex Sanchez's books. He is able to present a realistic portrayal of what it is like for today's teens to deal with issues of homosexuality. His Rainbow Boys was truly groundbreaking in the field of young adult literature as it presented the tales of 3 gay teens at different points in the coming out process. His newest novel, while it also deals with gay issues, covers new ground in examining the life of some of today's gay teens.

Paul, who was born Pablo in Mexico, is a senior at a high school in a small Texas town. He is popular, good at school, and has a great group of friends. He has been dating Angie since the 8th grade. In fact, everything seems perfect ... except that he has these strange dreams. And wearing one of those rubber bracelets to snap every time he has certain thoughts doesn't seem to help him in avoiding certain thoughts about other guys. All he knows is that his feelings and thoughts go against everything he believes because of his faith.

He is really thrown for a look with the arrival of Manuel, a new student from up north who is openly gay. This not only challenges the strong Christian culture in the school and the community, but also Paul's resolve to follow the word of God. At first Paul does what he can to spend as little time as possible both out of his concerns about his own sexuality, but also out of fear about his safety if people start to think he is gay.

As Paul and Manuel start to become friends largely because Angie and some of his other friends become close to the newcomer, Paul is exposed to Manuel's own strong Christian faith, which seems to focus a lot more on the focus of love. Through their discussions and Paul's own biblical research, he finds a new connection between being gay and his faith.

Angie and some of his friends provide a pivotal support groups as the fight hard for a GSA in their high school. The school librarian proves to be a hero as she steps up to be the group's faculty/staff advisor. They have to fend off attacks from the administration about whether the groups should be allowed.

Things really comes to a head when one of the characters is brutally attacked in a bashing incident. This allows Paul to come to certain realizations about who he really is as a person on a number of levels.