A Very, Very Bad Thing by Jeffery Self is written in a way that keeps readers wanting more. Narrated through the voice of Marley, a gay senior, the story begins by revealing that Marley has done something bad. Time shifts between the now and the early fall of Marley’s senior year. We watch as Marley meets Christopher, the gay son of a widely known, conservative Christian pastor. Marley and Christopher have an immediate connection, but their relationship is met right away with hostility from Christopher’s parents. The two boys do their best to navigate their budding romance despite outside pressures, but this also means that they do a lot of sneaking around in order to spend time together. In and out of “pray away the gay” camps, Christopher decides that he can no longer return home to his parents and works with Marley to escape, thus leading to A Very, Very Bad Thing. This book is appropriate for middle and high school students.