Boulevard
Boulevard is a youth drama written by the Mexican author Flor M. Salvador. The story was first published on the social network Wattpad, as a fanfiction based on the lead singer of the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer, Luke Hemings. Salvador's work became a phenomenon within the orange platform and other social networks, reaching 93.9 million readings.
The organic viralization of the title managed to the independent publishing label Naranja Editorial will be interested in Boulevard and throw it in physical format in 2020. However, in December 2021, the author confirmed through her official accounts that she was working with Penguin Random House to make a new edition of the acclaimed saga, the continuation of which is made up of After him (2022) before her y Eternal.
Synopsis of Boulevard
In search of a savior
The plot begins when Hasley Weigel, a 17-year-old college student in Sydney, Australia, she is forced to stay out of class for not being on time. A little later that day, Meet Luck Howland a very tall young man with blue eyes who had always studied with her, although the protagonist does not seem to remember him. This speaks, at best, of how inept the girl is to interact with her environment.
At first, Luck verbally abuses Hasley. Constantly refers to her as someone "pathetic", while alluding to her lack of intelligence. As time goes by, while the girl fraternizes with her group of friends - made up of attractive, sporty and popular men - she grows closer to Luck.
Of love and Stockholm syndrome
Luck is rude to Hasley to prevent her from staying near him, but she insists. As the ice cap surrounding the mysterious, dark, and self-destructive boy falls before her, she realizes that he has far more problems than are surfacing. Luck lost his brother in a tragic accident. Since then, his father blames him and attacks him every time he shows up.
Little by little, Hasley notes that Luck turns to drugs to escape his traumatic reality., and it makes you question the ideas that you are an addict and that you should go to therapy or some place where they can help you.
Then, Howland begins to see the young woman as some kind of human rehab center. “I chose her because when my path turned dark, she stood by me and walked with me through the remains of my past and taught me how to shine again,” he says.
The Boulevard of broken dreams
"The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is perhaps one of the best treated concepts in the entire book. One day, Luke takes Hasley to one of his favorite places.. The site turns out to be an alley that the boy refers to with the aforementioned name. By way of explanation, he tells her the following: “When a dream dies, it feeds the Boulevard. Until one of your dreams is broken, you will understand.
The discovery of the hoax
After several small conversations and much longer interactions, Hasley kisses Luck. It is evident that both have started to develop feelings for each other. However, the plot twists in more dramatic places. The next day Matthew —a childhood sweetheart of Hasley's— he asks the protagonist to be his girlfriend, and she accepts. Seeing them, Luck walks away and decides stop talking to your friend.
Hasley is not aware of her mistakes, nor is she responsible for the consequences they bring. This behavior is manifested countless times throughout the narrative; but Luck is no more innocent. Some time later, both agree to have a secret relationship that Mathew finds out about. The boy confronts Hasley and humiliates her in front of the entire school. Later, the girl finds out that her now ex-boyfriend was also unfaithful.
Living life to the fullest (or more or less)
towards the end of the book, Luck and Mathew have a fight. At some point, Hasley steps in the way and Mathew pushes her onto the road. Just in time, Howland prevents a car from hitting the protagonist, but he loses his life in the process. Two hours later, at the hospital, she learns that the love of her life is dead.
“The more beautiful the dream was, the more beautiful the Boulevard would be”, Hasley thinks in one of the final paragraphs, revealing that Luck was his most beautiful dream.
Review
It's no secret that the big names in Wattpad, like Anna Todd or Ariana Godoy, have developed a global phenomenon in the genre of contemporary youth literature. This fact leads publishers to bet more and more on popular titles within the orange platform, and while it is a great boost for young authors, the necessary steps are not always taken to deliver good material.
Since its print publication in 2021, Boulevard has received mixed reviews. Many of them are related to the lack of care that Naranja Editorial took when printing the book, since many readers have complained that the volume retains grammatical errors, style and wording inherited from the original digital format. Likewise, there are reports that there seems to be no treatment or accompaniment by an editor.
A clear example of this negligence - purposely placed in this review - is the fragment "I chose her because when my path turned dark, she stood by my side and walked with me through the remains of my past and taught me how to shine again." ”, where the lack of several accents is evident. Nevertheless, These are aspects that can —and should— be corrected in future installments.
About the author, Flor Guadalupe Mojarraz Salvador
Flower Guadalupe Mojarraz Salvador
Flor Guadalupe Mojarraz Salvador was born in 1998, in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico. Better known as Flor M. Salvador, is a medical student and writer youth romance. His first approach to literature took place when he was 15 years old, the age at which he began to write on the Wattpad reading and writing platform, where he enjoyed great popularity.
After the publication of Boulevard in 2021, Salvador traveled throughout Latin America to attend book signings and meet many of his followers. He currently combines his studies with his career as a writer, and maintains his official account on the orange social network.
Other books by Flor M. Salvador
Saga In the universe it also rains
- If people were constellations;
- If we ever said goodbye.