Wrong Answers Only

August 15, 2024
A prospective university student searches for himself during a seaworthy gap year. Eighteen-year-old gay Italian Australian Marco Di Mario got the highest score of any student in the state of Victoria in his Year Twelve exams and was accepted to Melbourne University to study biomedicine. But when he lands in the hospital after suffering panic attacks due to anxiety over heading off to uni, his parents force him to take a year off. Nonna Sofia, the family matriarch, arranges for him to join his estranged uncle Renzo on the Mediterranean cruise ship where he works. On board theOcean Melody, Marco hopes to find answers about himself, his anxiety, and the reason for his uncle's abandonment of the family decades earlier. With support from CeCe Casupang, his Filipina Australian lifelong best friend, Marco decides to break out of his comfort zone and begin solving his problems by trying to "get a few thingswrong" for once in his life. This plan includes getting into a situationship with "Hot Surfer Dude" Hunter, a charming dancer from California. A cast of characters with realistic human failures propels the narrative through mostly witty dialogue. The cruise ship world is diverse in nationality, race, and sexuality, and even minor walk-on characters are described in ways that add to the story's inclusive nature, although their identities aren't developed in substantive ways. An endearing examination of family, friendship, and personal growth in the wake of mental health struggles.(Fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from September 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* A brilliant student, 18-year-old Marco is used to having all the right answers, but when he has not one but two panic attacks the day he's to go to university, it may be time for some wrong ones. Convinced he's just working too hard, his beloved nonna arranges for him to fly to Spain to meet his uncle Renzo, who has been estranged from the family for 30 years but who will nevertheless host Marco on the cruise ship where Renzo is staff captain. On the ship, Marco discovers his uncle is gay like him and that the reason for his estrangement is that, when he came out, his parents kicked him out of the house. That aside, Marco is elated to then discover that his lifelong best friend, CeCe, has gotten a job on the same ship as dance captain. He then meets Hunter, one of the dancers. Marco falls for him hard, even though he has been warned that Hunter is a user. Will Marco be hurt? Will his relationship with CeCe suffer because of his newfound attention to Hunter? And will Renzo be reunited with the rest of Marco's family? Australian author Madden (Anything but Fine, 2021) provides the intriguing answers while doing an excellent job with the unusual setting and the psychologically astute character development of Marco. All aboard!

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Starred review from December 13, 2024

Gr 10 Up-Marco di Mario is set to study biomedicine at the University of Melbourne. As the golden child, it is everything he ever wanted. Just before he is about to leave for school, he finds himself on the ground unsure of what is happening to him-he has never felt panic like this before. Sofia, Marco's loving grandmother, suggests that he spend some time on the Ocean Melody, a cruise ship sailing the Mediterranean, under the careful eye of his estranged uncle and ship staff captain Renzo. Soon after settling into his new life, he meets and develops a relationship with Hunter, a troublesome, albeit handsome dancer with a reputation for always getting what he wants. Marco challenges himself to step outside his comfort zone and, in the process, learns more about himself and his family than he ever imagined. Marco's unique situation may not be relatable, but his emotions are universal. The novel toes the line of YA and new adult; however, it never strays from its underlying theme of self-discovery. Marco's tale is a reminder that getting things wrong, losing oneself, and then finding oneself all over again is a natural part of growing up. Marco and his family are Italian Australian while supporting characters include a range of diverse ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. VERDICT A perfect transitional book for those leaving their teenage years behind and stepping forward into the vastness of uncertainty that is adulthood.-Zach Basler

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