Sylvia Barry reads: March 2025

Head Over Heelflip by Sander Santiago – 5 ghost flips out of 5

Sylvia Barry adored this book so much she bought a copy for every seagull she knows. Sylvia’s reality bros also had a great time with this book and its fantastic mix of heartwarming nostalgia and heart-rending vulnerabilities. 

Thomas and Arturo are on the same skateboarding/street sports team, they’re also friends and roommates, and, oh yeah. Married. As part of a high-visibility street race, Thomas and Arturo stage an impromptu wedding — a spectacle that earns them points. The only problem is, Thomas has been in love with Arturo for a while now, and it seems like his heart is headed for a wipeout. Meanwhile, being publicly gay, and trans, and brown in a street race, is bound to piss off the bigots — who are up to their usual bullshit. So now Thomas, Arturo, and their skater team of oddball found family have to win this race not only for the sake of their own reputations, but to prove to the world that everyone has a place in street sports. If Thomas and Arturo fall in love along the way, well, that’s just gnarly.

We really enjoy all of this author’s work, but this one is especially fun, and came to us at a very specific resurgence of A Goofy Movie 2 hyperfixation — Max and Bradley, anyone? Skater boyfriends? You either know exactly what we’re talking about and have already ordered this book, or you’re about to be introduced to something wonderful, and you're ordering the book. You’re welcome.

The romance between Thomas and Arturo is so sweet, and so tender, it’ll make you feel warm and fuzzy and full of unearned confidence about whether you can perform a wheelie at your time of life. Warmly recommended, and wear your helmets out there, folks!