It’s clear that her death is fresh in their minds, but they try to work through the feelings and try to repair their relationship. Though her death happened years before the grief spurs them to cope with their feelings and try to open up to one another more. On top of that, he works through his relationship with Dad who is trying but seems absent due to the death of his mom. The two are complete opposites of each other, and Mack must choose between the two. Mack comes to a crossroads in his relationship with Karim after meeting Finlay. It shows the indecisiveness of making hard decisions, growing up, love, and relationships. Like Atta’s other work, this novel written in verse is emotionally charged and powerful. But when his relationship with Karim becomes long-distance, how will they stay connected. While trying to navigate his strained relationship with his father, he tries to find himself at school and falling in love for the first time. His father is a big-time film director which means they don’t get to spend much time together.

The main character, Mack is a romantic (as the synopsis states) teenager who likes many of us is struggling with his identity. Only on the Weekends, brings readers another coming-of-age story. I was eager to delve into this novel as I thoroughly enjoyed Atta’s debut novel, The Black Flamingo. Fin seems fearless–and his confidence could just be infectious. Then Mack meets actor Finlay on set, and the world turns upside down again. It’s awful to be so far away from Karim, and it’s made worse by the fact that Karim can be so hard to read. Mack has had a crush on Karim for as long as he can remember and he can’t believe it when gorgeous, popular Karim seems into him too.īut when Mack’s father takes on a new directing project in Scotland, Mack has to move away, and soon discovers how painful long-distance relationships can be. “Only on The Weekends” by Dean Atta (2022)įifteen-year-old Mack is a hopeless romantic–likely a hazard of growing up on film sets thanks to his father’s job. Book Review: “Only on The Weekends” by Dean Atta

Only on the weekends dean atta