Publication Date: September 10, 2024
First times, fast times, past times…
Boston, 1975. Nicky DeMarco, a naïve but game 18-year-old, is navigating his first semester of college when he falls into a surprising—and life-altering—romantic triangle with Joe, a charismatic, big-hearted jock, and Lori, a warm and adventurous psych student. The three embark on a secret, joyous, and passionate journey of self-discovery as Nicky questions his sexuality—and all that entails. It turns into an emotional high-wire act and loyalty test with unexpected consequences for the trio’s present and future, one which we flash forward to some fifty years later when Nicky and Joe reunite back where it all began.
PLEASE COME TO BOSTON is a vivid and evocative snapshot of that youthful time of life when the world is laid out in front of us with all its amazing, intoxicating, and terrifying possibilities—and the thorny complications that can follow.
Gary Goldstein’s third novel is a funny, nostalgic, and bittersweet look at first love at a time when exploring one’s sexual orientation and authentic self was riskier, more uncharted territory, yet with so many of the same defining issues that resonate today.
Please Come to Boston by Gary Goldstein takes place on a duel timeline between 1975 and present day. This nostalgic novel of college days will have you feeling like you’re in freshman year again, full of hope, nerves, and anticipation of the unknown.
18-year-old, Nicky DeMarco is beginning his freshman year at Boston University. Within the first week, Nicky becomes fast friends with his floormate, Lori. Although Nicky secretly would like to be more than friends, Lori has caught the eye of Joe, a charismatic, big-hearted sophomore.
Lori and Joe begin dating and while at first, Nicky is let down, he quickly strikes up his own friendship with Joe and the three become nearly inseparable. Lori is Nicky’s confidant and Joe is his running partner and secret crush. Nicky does his best to keep his confusing feelings for Joe under wraps as Joe and Lori’s relationship progresses.
After attending a Bruce Springsteen concert, the trio heads back to the dorms. One thing leads to another and their relationship takes on a whole new meaning of closeness that leaves Nicky questioning everything.
We read as Nicky explores his sexuality, faces emotional situations with unexpected consequences, and experiences the passionate, exciting, and confusing time that is freshman year.
Flash forward 50 years later, Nicky and Joe meet up in Boston at the place where it all started.
Please Come to Boston was such a heartwarming read. Even though I didn’t go to Boston or have anything close to the experience of a closeted gay man in the 1970s, it made me nostalgic all the same.
I thought Goldstein did a great job of showing Nicky’s progression in not only his sexuality but also his personality. When he first gets to Boston University, he is an embarrassed, shy, and quiet kid who is into girls. As the story progresses and Nicky starts to explore his feelings towards men, we see him come out of his shell. He gets more confident, changes his hairstyle, and grows a mustache. We can even see the way he talks and conducts himself is different.
I liked how the author also showed the difference between Joe and Nicky. While they both were careful not to advertise their sexual preferences, Joe held on to his secret for much longer than Nicky. Nicky was willing to experiment, talk about, and explore his sexuality, but Joe wanted to leave his hidden and only “indulge” here and there.
It was heartbreaking to read as Nicky went through his first heartbreak and bittersweet reading through Joe and Nicky’s reunion at the campus 50 years later. Reading Please Come to Boston will leave you feeling content, nostalgic, and contemplative.
Freshman year is a time for discovery, reinvention, and adventure. Little did Nicky know that his first year of college would blow his mind and change the rest of his life in Please Come to Boston.
GARY GOLDSTEIN is an award-winning writer for film, TV, and the theatre, with more than 30 produced screen and stage credits. His first novel, the romantic comedy The Last Birthday Party, won an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence in Fiction. Gary’s second novel, the family drama The Mother I Never Had, was named one of the “Must-Read Books of Fall 2022” by Town & Country Magazine. His latest book, the coming-of-age campus romance Please Come to Boston, will be published Sept. 10, 2024. Gary has also been a contributing arts writer for the L.A. Times since 2007. A New York native, he lives in Los Angeles.
