205 reviews for:

Boy Like Me

Simon James Green

4.53 AVERAGE

lucinda_lesbrarian's profile picture

lucinda_lesbrarian's review

5.0
challenging emotional funny informative sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Boy Like Me is set during, and an exploration of, section 28. In the UK, this law meant that it was prohibited to "promote homosexuality" (aka mention it) in schools. As such, this is a tense and harrowing book in a lot of ways, even while it's joyful and funny and real in all the ways you expect from a Simon James Green book. I loved it, and it broke me several times

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
adventurous emotional funny inspiring fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

alicereadsandwrites's review

5.0
emotional inspiring medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
newsteadlibrary's profile picture

newsteadlibrary's review

3.0
emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
stuarts_stories88's profile picture

stuarts_stories88's review

5.0
challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Excellent. That's the only word for this book. Actually, no, I can add a few - brave, incredible, heartbreaking and joyous.

I loved it, and I would recommend it to anyone.

This book made me reflect on so many things - my own education and the messages children are still receiving today, queer trauma but also joy, bravery, honesty, readers and librarians. It's a rich and powerful combination.

I was born a few years before the events of this book. Technically, Section 28 had been revoked in my first year of high school. However, I went to a faith based school. Much like the diocese that was so hateful to this author last year, the one governing my school didn't put anything in place to ensure the school wasn't enforcing such discrimination. LGBTQIA+ issues being actively taught would not have been OK.

And yet, of course there were queer kids. There always are. Myself and my classmates were learning who we were, figuring things out. In hindsight, there were clearly queer teachers and parents and staff too.

This book explores where that left people. It heartbreakingly inspects the trauma Section 28, the attitudes and society behind it, caused for many, many people. It does so wonderfully - and the author shows time and time again the ways in which we find each other, help each other and put up resistance when we know things aren't right. Even if we're scared. Like the kids that were bravely and unapologetically themselves. Like the ones that grew up and let themselves figure it out away from such a controlled environment.

Which brings me to - this book made me nostalgic for my school years and that is something that is very difficult to do. Amongst everything I found difficult, in between everything that left me struggling, this book reminded me of the beautiful things that saved me. My friends, who I still have. Books. The library - and the librarians at high school and college that let bunches of misfits hide in the library and band together. Librarians are amazing, truly wonderful people. I, too, was handed books that helped, was given advice when I needed it.

And I ADORED the marginalia. One of the richest aspects of historical texts can often be the random notes from scribes in the margins. Entire lives and thoughts and views of the world can be found in them. I've spent much of my time in academia and as a reader actively looking to bring the people and views that existed closer to the margins into the light.

So this story, with two boys falling in love reading a banned book, in a safe haven of a library, writing each other notes in the margins, teaching each other how to be brave, learning what they're willing to fight for? Wonderful, truly.

The author/narrator speaks to you throughout and it is so perfectly, humorously done. I couldn't decide if it was a narrative device or true, but I so desperately want it to be true, to know that these boys found lasting happiness. The footnotes were my favourites 😍 
adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

You'll always remember the first time you read this book.