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The Maple Effect
June Crow has spent every summer of his life in Bass Lake, California; soaking up the sun, getting in trouble with his beloved best friend, and escaping the reality that is his otherwise miserable life. Summer is what makes June’s world go around—hell, even his name suggests that—so when his parents decide not to renew their contract renting the cabin, June decides he deserves at least a chance to say goodbye. This is his last summer, after all.
So, he runs away. Simple, right?
As it turns out, nothing is simple when you’re eighteen. Not the cabin. Not the lake. And certainly not Aaron Valentine; the insecure, attractive, afraid-of-the-dark boy from Portland who shows up in the middle of the night.
"It's about growing up, mostly. Sometimes it's about family, and sometimes it’s about friends. Sometimes it's about love and loss, or the sound of cicadas in the heat of July. It's about what turns the leaves from green to orange; the moments faded to memories captured in an old photograph."
The Maple Effect is the early 2000's LGBTQ+ romance novel you never knew you needed.
So, he runs away. Simple, right?
As it turns out, nothing is simple when you’re eighteen. Not the cabin. Not the lake. And certainly not Aaron Valentine; the insecure, attractive, afraid-of-the-dark boy from Portland who shows up in the middle of the night.
"It's about growing up, mostly. Sometimes it's about family, and sometimes it’s about friends. Sometimes it's about love and loss, or the sound of cicadas in the heat of July. It's about what turns the leaves from green to orange; the moments faded to memories captured in an old photograph."
The Maple Effect is the early 2000's LGBTQ+ romance novel you never knew you needed.
- GenresLGBT
516 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2019
9 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 1, 2020
Two late teens, running afraid, meet in a cabin within a forest in the middle of the night ... the stuff of slasher movies! But no ... we get a truly delightful coming-of-age M-M romance, full of angst, deep longings, falling in love, pushing of boundaries, awkward sex and unintended crazy prank-ish moments. Oh and did I mention a feisty female bestie, a dorky gangly Adam Driver-like co-worker, a worthy Mr Knightley-ish older cousin, and a grey and white cat called Quail.
Michel Legrand evocative music and lyrics go:
...The summer knows, the summer's wise
She sees the doubts within your eyes
And so she takes her summer time
Tells the moon to wait and the sun to linger
Twists the world 'round her summer finger
Lets you see the wonder of her arms?
Out and proud MC June! (what a memorable name for a boy) and seemingly straight Aaron are surrounded by bright summer sunshine, enveloped by the beauty of California's Bass Lake and it's leafy surrounds, buoyed up by holiday makers and carefree young people celebrating a final summer before undertaking young adulthood responsibilities and future college studies ... skinny-dipping in the dark, mucking about in an ice-cream parlor, overnight trips to emo-festivals .... nothing could and would go wrong right?
But once past the meet-cute segments in the first quarter of the book ... a sneaking suspicion that something is dreadfully and terribly awry escalates to a devastating revelation around two-thirds way through. I fluctuated between despair and hope from there on till the final explosive, fiery and sob-worthy end to the fated Northern summer. Sigh .... and as the Tom Jones lyrics go:
...Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
Although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
Without a hurt the heart is hollow.
Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
The fire of September that made us mellow.
Deep in December, our hearts should remember
And follow.
This has to be the best YA-ish read I've read this year as I was carried back to my own late teenage years - reliving my own frenetic highs and desperate lows of that time. I'm aware this tale was a much loved webcomic before the author managed to raise sufficient crowdfunding to turn it into a novel ... I'm not a webcomic fan but I'm so impressed by this first novel and I hope she'll give us more (I want to know more about Arco and Brynn in book form please!)
5 worthy stars.
Michel Legrand evocative music and lyrics go:
...The summer knows, the summer's wise
She sees the doubts within your eyes
And so she takes her summer time
Tells the moon to wait and the sun to linger
Twists the world 'round her summer finger
Lets you see the wonder of her arms?
Out and proud MC June! (what a memorable name for a boy) and seemingly straight Aaron are surrounded by bright summer sunshine, enveloped by the beauty of California's Bass Lake and it's leafy surrounds, buoyed up by holiday makers and carefree young people celebrating a final summer before undertaking young adulthood responsibilities and future college studies ... skinny-dipping in the dark, mucking about in an ice-cream parlor, overnight trips to emo-festivals .... nothing could and would go wrong right?
But once past the meet-cute segments in the first quarter of the book ... a sneaking suspicion that something is dreadfully and terribly awry escalates to a devastating revelation around two-thirds way through. I fluctuated between despair and hope from there on till the final explosive, fiery and sob-worthy end to the fated Northern summer. Sigh .... and as the Tom Jones lyrics go:
...Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
Although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
Without a hurt the heart is hollow.
Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
The fire of September that made us mellow.
Deep in December, our hearts should remember
And follow.
This has to be the best YA-ish read I've read this year as I was carried back to my own late teenage years - reliving my own frenetic highs and desperate lows of that time. I'm aware this tale was a much loved webcomic before the author managed to raise sufficient crowdfunding to turn it into a novel ... I'm not a webcomic fan but I'm so impressed by this first novel and I hope she'll give us more (I want to know more about Arco and Brynn in book form please!)
5 worthy stars.
July 18, 2019
I started following Maddie in 2015 when this was still just a webcomic, later following into the Kickstarter to make her novel a reality and now standing proudly as a supporter for the finished product.
This book is so so different from the original webcomic in that it is so much more in depth and intense. The feelings that it brings forth are so raw and genuine that it's like experiencing it yourself. June and Aaron's story is so beautifully tragic and yet so immensely fulfilling that it's hard to put it down. The second that the PDF of the novel was sent to Kickstarter backers less than a week ago, I couldn't put it down until I was finished reading it, and then proceeded to read it again twice more in the following days.
The entire book draws on such strong emotion on both sides, dealing with fears that neither can shake, and it is so amazing to watch as these characters grow and change during this summer together, making both of them- not necessarily a better person- but more confident in themselves and more wholesome as individuals and together.
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, and I also highly recommend reading her other two comics, Arco and Periwinkle Blue. She's an author, artist and creator who's stories you will not regret falling in love with.
This book is so so different from the original webcomic in that it is so much more in depth and intense. The feelings that it brings forth are so raw and genuine that it's like experiencing it yourself. June and Aaron's story is so beautifully tragic and yet so immensely fulfilling that it's hard to put it down. The second that the PDF of the novel was sent to Kickstarter backers less than a week ago, I couldn't put it down until I was finished reading it, and then proceeded to read it again twice more in the following days.
The entire book draws on such strong emotion on both sides, dealing with fears that neither can shake, and it is so amazing to watch as these characters grow and change during this summer together, making both of them- not necessarily a better person- but more confident in themselves and more wholesome as individuals and together.
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, and I also highly recommend reading her other two comics, Arco and Periwinkle Blue. She's an author, artist and creator who's stories you will not regret falling in love with.
June 13, 2022
The Maple Effect
By Madeleine N. Cull
Published by the author, 2019
Four stars
Long and leisurely, this gentle, tender book is both a coming-of-age novel and a romance, but it’s typical of neither genre. I distinctly remember buying it after reading a friend’s recommendation, but also remember keeping it in abeyance on my e-reader because of comments about the “darkness” of the story in that recommendation.
Our protagonists are June Crow, a raven-haired 18-year-old from North Carolina who we discover (eventually) is mixed-race; and Aaron Valentine, a blond 19-year-old from Portland Oregon.
June (his sisters are July and August) basically runs away from home (with his cat) with no plan other than hiding out in the cabin in Bass Lake, California, where his family has spent every summer since he was a toddler. For some reason, his parents discontinue this family tradition and June can’t stand the idea of missing one last summer with his lifelong friend Angie Delgado, whose family runs the local ice-cream parlor in Bass Lake.
Aaron runs away from his home because of a job lost through humiliating circumstances that were not his fault. He heads to the only place he can think to run to, which is the isolated cabin his parents own but he’s never visited, buried in the woods above Bass Lake.
And there you are: the two young men arrive at the same, beginning an awkward friendship that takes the reader through the entire summer.
Cull digs deep into these boys’ back stories, probing their hearts and minds with a keen eye, letting the reader really get to understand both June and Aaron. While June vociferously rejects any idea of fate, both he and Aaron begin to wonder if this cabin in the woods, with its huge, ancient maple tree out front, hasn’t somehow drawn them both there for a purpose.
That makes it sound far too simplistic, and the author takes her time to really explore this friendship—and its connection to Angie Delgado, and indeed to the entire area that June loves so much and Aaron comes to know through June and Angie’s eyes.
There is a literal darkness that enters into the story—but also a metaphorical one that isn’t revealed until the second half of the book. I don’t want to spoil any of the author’s good plot twists, but suffice it to say that the metaphor of the great old maple tree becomes increasingly present in the reader’s mind as the narrative progresses.
I was not entirely satisfied with the ending, although it was just the ending I wanted. You’ll have to figure that out for yourself, and settle in for the duration. It’s a story that can’t be rushed and will work its way into your heart.
By Madeleine N. Cull
Published by the author, 2019
Four stars
Long and leisurely, this gentle, tender book is both a coming-of-age novel and a romance, but it’s typical of neither genre. I distinctly remember buying it after reading a friend’s recommendation, but also remember keeping it in abeyance on my e-reader because of comments about the “darkness” of the story in that recommendation.
Our protagonists are June Crow, a raven-haired 18-year-old from North Carolina who we discover (eventually) is mixed-race; and Aaron Valentine, a blond 19-year-old from Portland Oregon.
June (his sisters are July and August) basically runs away from home (with his cat) with no plan other than hiding out in the cabin in Bass Lake, California, where his family has spent every summer since he was a toddler. For some reason, his parents discontinue this family tradition and June can’t stand the idea of missing one last summer with his lifelong friend Angie Delgado, whose family runs the local ice-cream parlor in Bass Lake.
Aaron runs away from his home because of a job lost through humiliating circumstances that were not his fault. He heads to the only place he can think to run to, which is the isolated cabin his parents own but he’s never visited, buried in the woods above Bass Lake.
And there you are: the two young men arrive at the same, beginning an awkward friendship that takes the reader through the entire summer.
Cull digs deep into these boys’ back stories, probing their hearts and minds with a keen eye, letting the reader really get to understand both June and Aaron. While June vociferously rejects any idea of fate, both he and Aaron begin to wonder if this cabin in the woods, with its huge, ancient maple tree out front, hasn’t somehow drawn them both there for a purpose.
That makes it sound far too simplistic, and the author takes her time to really explore this friendship—and its connection to Angie Delgado, and indeed to the entire area that June loves so much and Aaron comes to know through June and Angie’s eyes.
There is a literal darkness that enters into the story—but also a metaphorical one that isn’t revealed until the second half of the book. I don’t want to spoil any of the author’s good plot twists, but suffice it to say that the metaphor of the great old maple tree becomes increasingly present in the reader’s mind as the narrative progresses.
I was not entirely satisfied with the ending, although it was just the ending I wanted. You’ll have to figure that out for yourself, and settle in for the duration. It’s a story that can’t be rushed and will work its way into your heart.
October 14, 2020
This book was a wonderful read!
There are a few specific reasons I gave this 5 stars:
1. This book has been in my mind since I set it down a few days ago, and I believe it will remain there for a long time. While this is definitely a long contemporary read, it just builds the characters in a way that I haven't seen in the genre before. I miss them - I miss the characters!
2. LGBT BABY! Maddie did a great job showing different sides of the LGBT experience from coming out to self-identity to the honest love between two people.
3. Beautiful writing. She just has a way with words. I was in love with her writing from the first page and it remained descriptive and robust through the last chapter.
There are a few specific reasons I gave this 5 stars:
1. This book has been in my mind since I set it down a few days ago, and I believe it will remain there for a long time. While this is definitely a long contemporary read, it just builds the characters in a way that I haven't seen in the genre before. I miss them - I miss the characters!
2. LGBT BABY! Maddie did a great job showing different sides of the LGBT experience from coming out to self-identity to the honest love between two people.
3. Beautiful writing. She just has a way with words. I was in love with her writing from the first page and it remained descriptive and robust through the last chapter.
January 30, 2021
All the feels
This book wrecked me in the best way.
I laughed, cried, felt nostalgic, felt immensely drawn to each character. June especially cracked me up and was a quick favorite from the first few pages until the last.
I didn’t really know where the book was going in the beginning; the setting being what it was made you aware right away that for one reason or another the moment they were all together at once was fleeting.
There just really aren’t words (for me anyway) to describe all the different things I loved about the story and I’m so thankful for how it ended that I could kiss the author for not giving me second hand heartbreak lol. Totally enamored with this book and a story I’ll be thinking about for a while
This book wrecked me in the best way.
I laughed, cried, felt nostalgic, felt immensely drawn to each character. June especially cracked me up and was a quick favorite from the first few pages until the last.
I didn’t really know where the book was going in the beginning; the setting being what it was made you aware right away that for one reason or another the moment they were all together at once was fleeting.
There just really aren’t words (for me anyway) to describe all the different things I loved about the story and I’m so thankful for how it ended that I could kiss the author for not giving me second hand heartbreak lol. Totally enamored with this book and a story I’ll be thinking about for a while
April 18, 2025
Slow, but a damn good book.
Madeleine Cull has rocketed to one of my favorite authors ever and I cannot get enough of her. She builds beautiful, complex plots with small, mundane moments made to make the climax all the more potent. She did so with The Leg Less Traveled (which I read first), Honorable Discharge, and now the Maple Effect.
A wonderful writer of beautiful, meaningful, nostalgic love stories.
I think I have all of her books at this point. I wish she would write one about Arco. Maybe about June’s sister. Just more with this group of characters.
She’s gained a die hard fan. Can’t wait for her new webtoon.
Madeleine Cull has rocketed to one of my favorite authors ever and I cannot get enough of her. She builds beautiful, complex plots with small, mundane moments made to make the climax all the more potent. She did so with The Leg Less Traveled (which I read first), Honorable Discharge, and now the Maple Effect.
A wonderful writer of beautiful, meaningful, nostalgic love stories.
I think I have all of her books at this point. I wish she would write one about Arco. Maybe about June’s sister. Just more with this group of characters.
She’s gained a die hard fan. Can’t wait for her new webtoon.
April 12, 2022
Just beautiful
July 21, 2019
I have been a patreon of M. Cull for a little over a year, so my review may tend to be a little bias.
This book truly captures the essence of what these characters go through in order to find their happiness. M. Cull captures the emotions of Fear, Anxiety, Love, Happiness, and Sadness so well that I found myself crying even through the little moments. There is nothing like having a book that truly transports you into its world.
Spoilers Skip to end to see my final thoughts:
Lets start with how June Crow truly makes us all feel a way that you may never exepirnce in real life. When June was first introduced to me, I believed he had this hidden personality that he was trying to cover with his anger, and shut off attitude. Little did I know, he was suffering from a disease no man would ever think they could have. In the beginning of the book I was left wondering, why was June so shut off from falling for Aaron? Why was this summer so important to him? M. Cull truly made me feel as if this was my last summer at Bass Lake, and I needed to experience like June does. When it was revealed that these were his last 6 months, my heart shattered into a million pieces. He found his first love, and experience emotions he couldn't handle. Cull brought to light the horrible pain and tragedy cancer brings to a person. It was a side that many do not see. How the medicine may not be the correct answer, and that living your life to the fullest was.
As Junes character grew, I felt his heart grow. Cull shows the June is trying to help Aaron over his fear of darkness... but to me, I feel it was also to help June overcome his fear of death and the darkness that would follow. Aaron also brings forth the anxiety that June feels about finally opening up his heart to loving someone. June, to me, felt as if he is to give up on certain aspects of living because he was to die in less than a year, that he was only supposed to experience a few small things before then. Aaron shows him that it is okay to open up to love, and that Bass Lake and the people there are just a stepping stone. It is a place to grow and become who you truly are.
Next Aaron.
Have you ever related to a character so much that every emotion they feel comes through to you? Aaron was that character. M. Cull built this boy to truly show us that sometimes life is not perfect. That you can suffer from anxiety for many years and not feel the support needed to overcome it. That shit happens. That discovering who you truly are later in life is okay.
Aaron suffers from a severe fear of the dark that cripples him from enjoying the small pleasures in life like sleeping, going out at night, to even sexual activities (Because they only take place at night right?) As the story presses forward, we see his panic as June pushes his comfort zones and pushes him to find who he truly is. After finding out about Junes fate, he vows to overcome his fear so he can gaze at the night sky and see June after he is gone. This to me was probably one of the most intense moments. Knowing how hard it is to over come anxiety shows that this is one huge moment for Aaron. M. Cull shows us Aaron having panic attacks due to his fear of the dark and his fear of losing June. She showed us how people can brush off your fears as insignificant, as if it is easy to overcome. She showed us that love can overcome it, and not just romantic love, platonic love from friends showing support as well.
Honestly, my review could be the entire book itself and it still would grasp the emotions I felt. So everyone should pick it up and read it. And you have already read it, I am glad that everyone got to explore this journey together! You should all check out her webtoons (Especially the story regarding Aaron's cousin Arco and Bryann!) I will totally be buying all of her future novels, and I can't wait to see what is written next!
This book truly captures the essence of what these characters go through in order to find their happiness. M. Cull captures the emotions of Fear, Anxiety, Love, Happiness, and Sadness so well that I found myself crying even through the little moments. There is nothing like having a book that truly transports you into its world.
Spoilers Skip to end to see my final thoughts:
Lets start with how June Crow truly makes us all feel a way that you may never exepirnce in real life. When June was first introduced to me, I believed he had this hidden personality that he was trying to cover with his anger, and shut off attitude. Little did I know, he was suffering from a disease no man would ever think they could have. In the beginning of the book I was left wondering, why was June so shut off from falling for Aaron? Why was this summer so important to him? M. Cull truly made me feel as if this was my last summer at Bass Lake, and I needed to experience like June does. When it was revealed that these were his last 6 months, my heart shattered into a million pieces. He found his first love, and experience emotions he couldn't handle. Cull brought to light the horrible pain and tragedy cancer brings to a person. It was a side that many do not see. How the medicine may not be the correct answer, and that living your life to the fullest was.
As Junes character grew, I felt his heart grow. Cull shows the June is trying to help Aaron over his fear of darkness... but to me, I feel it was also to help June overcome his fear of death and the darkness that would follow. Aaron also brings forth the anxiety that June feels about finally opening up his heart to loving someone. June, to me, felt as if he is to give up on certain aspects of living because he was to die in less than a year, that he was only supposed to experience a few small things before then. Aaron shows him that it is okay to open up to love, and that Bass Lake and the people there are just a stepping stone. It is a place to grow and become who you truly are.
Next Aaron.
Have you ever related to a character so much that every emotion they feel comes through to you? Aaron was that character. M. Cull built this boy to truly show us that sometimes life is not perfect. That you can suffer from anxiety for many years and not feel the support needed to overcome it. That shit happens. That discovering who you truly are later in life is okay.
Aaron suffers from a severe fear of the dark that cripples him from enjoying the small pleasures in life like sleeping, going out at night, to even sexual activities (Because they only take place at night right?) As the story presses forward, we see his panic as June pushes his comfort zones and pushes him to find who he truly is. After finding out about Junes fate, he vows to overcome his fear so he can gaze at the night sky and see June after he is gone. This to me was probably one of the most intense moments. Knowing how hard it is to over come anxiety shows that this is one huge moment for Aaron. M. Cull shows us Aaron having panic attacks due to his fear of the dark and his fear of losing June. She showed us how people can brush off your fears as insignificant, as if it is easy to overcome. She showed us that love can overcome it, and not just romantic love, platonic love from friends showing support as well.
Honestly, my review could be the entire book itself and it still would grasp the emotions I felt. So everyone should pick it up and read it. And you have already read it, I am glad that everyone got to explore this journey together! You should all check out her webtoons (Especially the story regarding Aaron's cousin Arco and Bryann!) I will totally be buying all of her future novels, and I can't wait to see what is written next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2019
Most people have a place in their heart that makes them feel at home, a place that holds the majority of our fondest memories growing up. I don’t think any of us can blame June for running away to say goodbye to his special place, but he didn’t realize how much more special this place would become to him.
The characters were very well developed. Whenever I read books, the characters faces tend to be a blur. While reading The Maple Effect, I could visualize their faces and even their facial expressions. This created a whole new reading experience for me. I usually feel close to characters, but this brought me even closer to June, Aaron, and Angie. I think you’ll find that like me you’ll want to be friends with Angie before the book is over.
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the attention to detail. I found myself listening to the songs and bands mentioned throughout the book, which made it interactive. I highly recommend this book. If Madeleine writes another book, I will be sure to read it.
The characters were very well developed. Whenever I read books, the characters faces tend to be a blur. While reading The Maple Effect, I could visualize their faces and even their facial expressions. This created a whole new reading experience for me. I usually feel close to characters, but this brought me even closer to June, Aaron, and Angie. I think you’ll find that like me you’ll want to be friends with Angie before the book is over.
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the attention to detail. I found myself listening to the songs and bands mentioned throughout the book, which made it interactive. I highly recommend this book. If Madeleine writes another book, I will be sure to read it.
August 7, 2019
Beautifully done.
Where to even start, this novel is beautifully written the detail so vivid that you can easily immerse yourself in to the place of those endearing characters. The would story is so sweet and heartfelt. I was smiling 100% of the read, sometimes it was smiles of joy others of empathy and sympathy and others of saddened love for these characters. There is good bits of everything I believe madness a good and would 100% recommend to anyone looking for a beautiful romance, not between two people but between their surroundings and their life. Thank you so much Madeleine for sharing your work with us.
Where to even start, this novel is beautifully written the detail so vivid that you can easily immerse yourself in to the place of those endearing characters. The would story is so sweet and heartfelt. I was smiling 100% of the read, sometimes it was smiles of joy others of empathy and sympathy and others of saddened love for these characters. There is good bits of everything I believe madness a good and would 100% recommend to anyone looking for a beautiful romance, not between two people but between their surroundings and their life. Thank you so much Madeleine for sharing your work with us.
August 3, 2019
I must admit, I hardly ever pleasure read -- mainly because I'm a painfully slow reader. That said, I simply couldn't put this down and ended up binge reading it over a week.
The author wrote a very touching, very real story about the complexities and messiness of love...and of life at any age, not just young adulthood. The characters and descriptions are so vivid and relatable.
I highly, highly recommend this book.
The author wrote a very touching, very real story about the complexities and messiness of love...and of life at any age, not just young adulthood. The characters and descriptions are so vivid and relatable.
I highly, highly recommend this book.
September 28, 2019
Amazing story of true love, the only down side I think is that it's a chapter to long.
Please read this book.
Please read this book.
March 8, 2025
made me cry. This book started it all for me when it comes to reading on Kindle and reading gay romance.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews