Garrett Dumaine seems to have everything going for him. He has a beautiful girlfriend and is a starter on Crandall High's basketball team. But deep down, Garrett holds a secret that he knows will change his life forever. The flame never seemed to go totally off, but would flicker and spit on low when it had been stymied or smothered. He was tired of being vigilant. Tired of always needing to watch. Tired of a flare-up that he needed to ignore. His neat and organized life starts to unravel when he meets Luis Velasquez, a new transfer student. Although awakened by his secret relationship with Luis, Garrett finds it increasingly difficult to maintain one foot in each world. And when tragedy strikes, nothing can prepare Garrett to confront the person that holds him back the most... With If Boys Could Hold Hands, David Lavallee weaves together beautiful prose, imagery, and dialogue into a coming of age story in which teens and adults alike can be entranced by the classic tale of how environment and fear influence self-discovery.