3.5 stars. My son read this first then asked me to read it. He didn’t feel like the story was quite finished. Having read it, I can see why, though I suspect he would have liked it more if he’d read it in a year (6th grade). I appreciated the pacing and the writing in this novel. I also liked the realism: non of the characters is easy to categorize as entirely good or bad. Bryan has to decide how he spends his time and who with, and the decision is not straightforward. I see why my son thought there mist be a sequel - as in real life, we know that Bryan’s friendship with Mike will likely continue to be complex and hard to define. Unsettling for my 10-year-old to contemplate, but obviously true from my perspective.