Only on the Weekends is written lyrically and in verse, creating a calm ambience. Mack has been in love with the same guy since forever, but K feels out of reach. When K likes Mack, they form what should be the perfect couple, but was what Mack envisioned better than the reality?

Mack’s dad is a famous film director, so he isn’t at home very often. Mack’s friends only see an empty den with the most recent gaming system, not an the lonely house Mack has to come home to daily. When Mack starts dating K, cousin to his best friend, he loses sight of his friendships, which are really important to him.

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Whisked away to Scotland for his dad’s newest film, one featuring young trans actor, Finlay, Mack can only see his boyfriend on the weekends. When they visit each other, the time is tense and unhappy. Finlay and Mack start falling for each other despite how much Mack wants it to work out with K.

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This young adult romance is wonderfully fast paced and engaging. Dean Atta examines themes of friendships and relationships, and the toll they have on each other. The novel also talks about family dynamics, specifically the one Mack shares with his dad and dead mother. Only on the Weekends shows what it looks like to be in an unhealthy relationship, an important theme to the story.

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Only on the Weekends seemed almost flat. The story lacked the extra pop so many great novels have. The characters were well crafted, and the story had just the right amount of conflict and resolution, but the conflict could have used a little more depth.

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Dean Atta is the author to another of my favorites, The Black Flamingo, a poetic story about bravery and freedom. Atta recently released another collection of poems: There Is (Still) Love Here.

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I would recommend Only on the Weekends to anyone looking for a fast-paced, well-written, and wholesome romance. I hope to read (and possibly review) more of Dean Atta’s work in the future.