Becoming Calvin: The Wake of Expectations Volume 1 (Digest Edition)

Becoming Calvin: The Wake of Expectations, Volume 1, by Javier De Lucia, is a compelling story that takes readers on an emotional journey through the life of its protagonist, Calvin McShane. The story explores personal growth, change, and the search for identity. Combining introspection with external conflict, the book draws readers into Calvin's world, presenting a variety of challenges and victories. The characters are well-developed, each playing an important role in shaping Calvin's journey and offering insight into his evolving perspective, providing a deeper understanding of his character and the challenges he faces. This first installment in the serialized edition reimagines and fictionalizes real-life events, blending mature themes with imaginative storytelling.

Javier De Lucia’s writing is evocative and beautifully crafted, with a lyrical quality that enhances the story’s emotional impact. The pacing is well-balanced, seamlessly blending moments of tension and reflection to create an engaging and lively read. The narrative draws readers into Calvin's life, allowing them to experience his struggles and victories firsthand. The inclusion of explicit content enriches readers' understanding of the characters' experiences and the era. Becoming Calvin is a powerful novel that offers a thought-provoking narrative and memorable characters. De Lucia's storytelling is captivating, making this a must-read for those seeking stories that inspire and challenge. Readers who enjoy the introspective storytelling of authors like J.D. Salinger or the emotional depth found in works by John Green or Khaled Hosseini will appreciate Becoming Calvin. It’s truly an excellent and entertaining read.

-Carol Thompson for Readers’ Favorite

Becoming Calvin by Javier De Lucia follows the adolescent adventures of Calvin McShane, a young man with a dream of making it in the music industry. Calvin’s family gets a big break when his father wins the lottery. Unfortunately, his father chooses to heavily invest in a woman named Solitaire, managing her and promoting her music. Calvin is disappointed because Solitaire is not even that talented. Calvin plays the bass guitar and continues to make parody songs with his band, which consists of his close friends who are mostly interested in girls and getting laid. He is also filled with youthful energy and hormones, so he gets into a relationship with Kari, which ends in disaster, but he finds stability with Ilse, whom he fears losing. After months of seeing no improvement with Solitaire, Calvin challenges his father that he could do better than Solitaire and even make it further in the music industry. He organizes his bandmates, makes additions to the band, and gives it his best.

Becoming Calvin by Javier De Lucia is about reflection and retracing one's past. The story is set in the mid-1990s and contains mature themes about puberty, sexuality, alcohol and drug use, abortion, guns, and pornography. Despite this, it touches on societal expectations and personal identity struggles, covering vital lessons about growing up and finding your purpose. The novel has realistic characters and covers real historical details of that era. References to movies like Rocky III, Action Jackson, and Kenny Rogers’s ‘The Gambler’ and scenes of eating in diners, watching videotapes, and the obvious lack of the internet give it a nostalgic feel that transports readers to the past. Calvin is goofy and has good intentions. He often has internal conflicts about his choices and those of his friends. The mid-1990s music captures the cultural shifts and iconic genres of that era. This is a wonderful read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in coming-of-age stories and reflections on youthful adventures.

-Luwi Nyakansaila for Readers’ Favorite

Becoming Calvin is the first book in The Wake of Expectations trilogy by Javier De Lucia. Set in the early 1990s, the story follows Calvin McShane, a high school senior who appears to have it all. Calvin is popular, loved by his friends, and has no problems impressing girls. His family has just won the state lottery, and his application has been accepted by his preferred university. But not everything is working according to plan. His romantic relationships always run into trouble for one reason or the other. He is also not sure if he truly wants to leave West Fairfield just yet. On top of it all, Calvin discovers that his father is making a big mistake. How will he navigate friendship, romance, and his musical ambitions?

Becoming Calvin is one of the best coming-of-age stories I've read all year. Javier De Lucia's captivating narrative illustrates the complexities of high school life, how friends slowly drift apart, and how relationships get more complicated with the onset of adulthood. This is a beautiful character-driven story. With a well-paced plot and compelling characters, Lucia ensures that there is not a single dull moment in the entire book. Calvin, Ben, Jake, and Ilse will remind you of your own high school/teenage years. One of the best things about this book for me was how natural the dialogue felt. It enhanced the relationship dynamics and made the characters feel even more realistic. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Perfect for fans of coming-of-age tales.

-Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite

At the tail end of a lackluster high school career, Calvin McShane is stumbling toward college with more questions than confidence. He's a competent athlete, but rarely the star. He has friends, but often feels out of place. His family isn't broken, but it's far from the glossy picture of 90s domestic bliss. And his romantic life? A French kiss with Anna didn't satisfy. Jessica never panned out. Dani is great as a friend, but only when he needs her. And Ilse, the one willing to play girlfriend, isn't impressed with his choices. Hopefully, his time at the University of Chapelle Dorée will allow Calvin to find his groove. Besides women, music is his only true passion, and UCD seems like the place to prove himself. But college doesn't automatically fix Calvin. The misses still outweigh the hits, and respect as a musician or a lover is only gained by putting in effort. Back home, his father's lottery win has turned into an attempt at becoming a music mogul, though not necessarily for Calvin's benefit. Calvin's childhood home now feels like a place he no longer belongs. And nobody back home or at school appreciates his particular brand of musical genius. Whatever he wants, whatever he expects from life, he'd better figure it out fast because his future isn't waiting for him to catch up.A throwback to the days of VHS cameras and Bel Biv DeVoe videos, Becoming Calvin is a jaunty, moment-in-time story that plays out like a staticky radio station live request hour. It is unpredictable, and you might miss a few beats, but the rough edges are what make it feel authentic. Calvin isn't a hero, and he isn't really even a character who is easy to warm up to. Yet each misstep and immature decision reminds readers of adolescence, when hormones and curiosity often drown out common sense. A first volume in the larger story, The Wake of Expectations, this raw novel touches on significant topics, including grief, unwanted pregnancy, and the desperate search for self. Off-color humor isn't for all tastes, but it cuts through heavy themes. Whether it's Grandpa's White Castle-powered gas or Calvin's repeated sexual humiliations, the effect is impossible to ignore. Readers need not worry about the deliberately unfinished ending, as the remaining emotional tension is entirely on par with Calvin's constant inner conflicts. Commercial fiction tends to favor admirable heroes, but Becoming Calvin resists convention, offering a challenging protagonist who is painfully, if not embarrassingly, familiar.

-R.C. Gibson,Indies Today

The author makes clear at the start of Becoming Calvin that it is the first instalment of a larger book split into a trilogy.  It therefore stands alone as a slice-of-life, coming-of-age, literary-fiction offering, which doesn't delve too much into narrative.  It is rather about young Calvin's later teenage years, his friendships, ambitions and goals, and predominantly their sexual experiences.  If 1990s teenagers having and talking about sex is your thing, then you'll probably find the book a decent offering in its genre.  It is genuinely quite funny at times, and these are predominantly when it is not being what you might call politically correct; the book is set in the 1990s, so it has the right not to be.  I'm not sure exactly where the second book is going to go, but I think it promises to have more substance and story development, as Calvin - his family big lottery-jackpot winners - enters the music industry in earnest as part one draws to a close.  I can't at this moment advise what the whole arc is going to be, because I have no idea, but I am fortunate enough to be in a position to review all three books in the series, and I look forward to doing so, so will review the saga as a whole with each passing entry. My hunch is that it's going to be very good, if not going anywhere fantastical.  Javier de Lucia is a very good writer, and I do like his style a lot (teenager antics aside).  We appear to be roughly the same age, too, so I can absolutely vouch for the freedom of expression, hope and ambition that his characters are defined by.  There are poignant moments, perhaps sad - and I'm sure there will be more - as well as the usual angsty issues faced exclusively by this age group, from any era. Javier is well worth following, and I have a feeling this series will be, too.  I did, for the most part, enjoy this short read, though I do hope the second instalment takes us somewhere unexpected - or just somewhere beyond the setting of Becoming Calvin.  For the time being, though, it is interesting reading about the "inbetweeners"; kids of school-leaving age who aren't really the cool kids, nor particularly nerdy, nor bullied, bullies or involuntary celibates; it is refreshing that the usual tropes of American high-school fiction are not applied - which makes me think this is going to be simply a by-the-way step toward the rest of Calvin's journey.  Well worth a read, and a good quality example in the genre.

- Matt McAvoy Book Review