22nd October, 2025 in Recommended Reads

Go Easy on Me by Bradley James

“The day I quit football, a week into my freshman year of high school, my dad’s disappointment took over any resemblance of a relationship we had and spread it as thin as a thread. I knew his fatherly love for me was unconditional, but I wasn’t the son he imagined having.” The novel, Go Easy on Me, by Bradley James, weaves within the emotional complexities of managing familial obligations and the need for personal independence. From the book’s first moments, the protagonist, Theo Branson’s, responsibilities to his father reveal the deeper, more tender relationship he has with his mother, a dutiful and inspirational parent. Suddenly finding himself the focal interest of two men’s affections, he attempts to balance obligations with his long-ignored need for romantic connection. Though a later revelation feels a bit uneven, Go Easy on Me is both touching and personal.