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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
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
(3.5*) If you like the sound of a chaotic comedy with ever-increasing ridiculous levels of disaster, you'll love Noah Can't Even. Noah is an endearingly hopeless teenage boy with big plans to do well enough in school to escape his dreary town and maybe even get a girlfriend. After all, some girls are nice enough, and that's what any normal boy wants, right? But when his best friend kisses him at a party, Noah tumbles into a cycle of misadventures that have to be experienced to be believed.
Big pluses for:
+ Hilarity. I loved the zany sense of humour.
+ Noah and Harry are a lovely pair and I'm excited to read more of them in the sequel.
+ Noah is a ridiculous protagonist with a big, good heart.
+ The book is very easy to read and I flew through it. It's a really fun, funny story.
Not so strong:
- The plot starts out well but does unravel, so much so that I struggled to write a quick synopsis of 'what the story is about', because... it's just all over the place, really. Personally, I enjoyed that experience overall, although I think sticking to the themes of Noah's journey would have led to a tighter plot.
- I didn't like how the female characters were either a) perfect angel girlfriend material b) slutty whore underage pregnancy bimbo or c) welfare scrounger chav mum. The characterisation of the female characters really left a bitter taste in my mouth, and the stereotypes felt more cruel than funny.
Love it or hate it, the novel centres itself around chaos and ridiculous antics, so it feels unfair for me to criticise the story in that respect. Sometimes it did feel a little overblown, but mostly I thought it was sweet and very funny. I wish more had been done to engage with the central figures in Noah's life - Harry especially - and his potentially supportive teacher.
I hope more is done in the sequel to engage with Noah's internalised homophobia and his understanding of his attraction to Harry, because I think this aspect of the novel was its strongest point. While Noah was frustrating at times, he acts like an overwhelmed and insecure teenager might, so I found his actions understandable. However, I would like further engagement with how he grows, and where his journey goes next. Noah has so much potential, and I'm hopefully his true story has only just begun.
Big pluses for:
+ Hilarity. I loved the zany sense of humour.
+ Noah and Harry are a lovely pair and I'm excited to read more of them in the sequel.
+ Noah is a ridiculous protagonist with a big, good heart.
+ The book is very easy to read and I flew through it. It's a really fun, funny story.
Not so strong:
- The plot starts out well but does unravel, so much so that I struggled to write a quick synopsis of 'what the story is about', because... it's just all over the place, really. Personally, I enjoyed that experience overall, although I think sticking to the themes of Noah's journey would have led to a tighter plot.
- I didn't like how the female characters were either a) perfect angel girlfriend material b) slutty whore underage pregnancy bimbo or c) welfare scrounger chav mum. The characterisation of the female characters really left a bitter taste in my mouth, and the stereotypes felt more cruel than funny.
Love it or hate it, the novel centres itself around chaos and ridiculous antics, so it feels unfair for me to criticise the story in that respect. Sometimes it did feel a little overblown, but mostly I thought it was sweet and very funny. I wish more had been done to engage with the central figures in Noah's life - Harry especially - and his potentially supportive teacher.
I hope more is done in the sequel to engage with Noah's internalised homophobia and his understanding of his attraction to Harry, because I think this aspect of the novel was its strongest point. While Noah was frustrating at times, he acts like an overwhelmed and insecure teenager might, so I found his actions understandable. However, I would like further engagement with how he grows, and where his journey goes next. Noah has so much potential, and I'm hopefully his true story has only just begun.
Aaargh. Infuriating protagonist alert. Noah - 15 going on 10 (emotionally). Dreadful, dreadful parents. Horrible schoolmates. Lovely Gran and the lovely Harry and Sophie. A story about a boy struggling to acknowledge his gayness. It's fairly obvious to everyone else (a few tropes included amongst the clues). Does he do it by story end. I remain unsure. He seems like he might have, but who knows? As a protagonist Noah lacks agency. Harry solves his problems for him. Sophie solves his problems for him. He is fairly hopeless but then he can't peel a banana so what else would you expect? This is a lovely story, a little reminiscent of 'Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine'. You want to give the protagonist a hug. The ending is a little rushed and convenient but hey. Looking forward to the second book in the series. His dad has returned. Oh dear. Recommend.
this is so ridiculously dramatic and the main character is a complete mess, honestly noah, but I lovedddd it. be warned for lots of embarrassing moments but honestly that didn't stop me devouring this in one night lmao. good stuff,, I want to read the sequel right now.
I hardily ever laugh at books, but several times throughout this I was genuinely giggling out load..so..that's fun! :D
First of all, I just flipping love it when books take place in England. I feel like I can relate to it more, and it's so cool when I find one because it doesn't happen very often. But even more than that, if this ~fictional~ place was real it would pretty much be like 20 miles down the road from me so I'm living for that!
This is about Noah, a clever kid with a bit of a weird home life, and one night at a party his best friend (Harry) kisses him. Much to his confusion.
What I didn't like - the one thing that stood out was the fact these teenage boys said 'bow chicka wow wow' whenever they meant sex...it's just...unrealistic. Yeah, maybe once or twice as a piss-take seems legit, but not at every mention! It just made them seem younger than they were.
What I did like - I liked Noah, he seems like a voice we don't see very often, a bit nervous and embarrassing (mostly just embarrassing himself) clever but without seeming totally smart (especially when balanced with his lack of social smarts!)
I really liked that this didn't take itself too seriously. Like I mentioned at the beginning, I don't often laugh at books, but I did find this genuinely funny - a bit over the top at times maybe, but hey, the author worked on Hollyoaks soooo did we expect anything less?
I really want to pick up the next book, as soon as I finished this I was kind of kicking myself that I didn't buy it when I saw it for super cheap on Amazon, but I'll find it again!
First of all, I just flipping love it when books take place in England. I feel like I can relate to it more, and it's so cool when I find one because it doesn't happen very often. But even more than that, if this ~fictional~ place was real it would pretty much be like 20 miles down the road from me so I'm living for that!
This is about Noah, a clever kid with a bit of a weird home life, and one night at a party his best friend (Harry) kisses him. Much to his confusion.
What I didn't like - the one thing that stood out was the fact these teenage boys said 'bow chicka wow wow' whenever they meant sex...it's just...unrealistic. Yeah, maybe once or twice as a piss-take seems legit, but not at every mention! It just made them seem younger than they were.
What I did like - I liked Noah, he seems like a voice we don't see very often, a bit nervous and embarrassing (mostly just embarrassing himself) clever but without seeming totally smart (especially when balanced with his lack of social smarts!)
I really liked that this didn't take itself too seriously. Like I mentioned at the beginning, I don't often laugh at books, but I did find this genuinely funny - a bit over the top at times maybe, but hey, the author worked on Hollyoaks soooo did we expect anything less?
I really want to pick up the next book, as soon as I finished this I was kind of kicking myself that I didn't buy it when I saw it for super cheap on Amazon, but I'll find it again!
I seriously enjoyed this book. Our main character Noah is incredibly weird and self conscious about pretty much anything regarding his looks, personality and family. Put the looming threat of sudden boners in PE into the mix and you have the perfect start for a book. (Seriously. Best opening ever.)
The over-the-top awkward writing style was pretty hilarious and I was rooting for Noah (and Harry) throughout the story.
And I would´ve almost given it 5 stars but there was one scene that I just hated so much and took the fun out of reading for a few pages after that because I was a bit worked up. I´ll put it all under a spoiler cut because I can´t possible talk about it without revealing some major plot points.
Other than that it was a funny read and I hope Noah continues to survive his family and friends. (And gets out of Little Fobbing one day.)
The over-the-top awkward writing style was pretty hilarious and I was rooting for Noah (and Harry) throughout the story.
And I would´ve almost given it 5 stars but there was one scene that I just hated so much and took the fun out of reading for a few pages after that because I was a bit worked up. I´ll put it all under a spoiler cut because I can´t possible talk about it without revealing some major plot points.
Spoiler
So: There is a scene where Noah stumbles upon a crying Jess. She invites him back to her house. Or rather, she wants him to hide from the police in her house, doesn´t matter right not. Aaaanyway she gets some drinks for Noah and herself and when she´s a few drinks in she wants to have sex with Noah. He doesn´t. But she insists and starts groping him and even undresses herself and gets a condom until he finally pushes her away (and is afraid he killed her because she was unconscious after she fell) and gets away. I wouldn´t have liked that scene if the roles were reversed and I don´t like it when a woman does that to a man either. It was written for laughs, I think, but to me it looked like assault. Yes, Jess also tries to pin her pregnancy on Noah later on but the whole scene didn´t need to go as far as it did for that to work. Just be aware that it´s in there if you´re sensitive regarding sexual assault.Other than that it was a funny read and I hope Noah continues to survive his family and friends. (And gets out of Little Fobbing one day.)
4.5 stars
Ah, poor Noah. He is your stereotypical geeky, awkward teen who seems to have a remarkable propensity not only for ending up in hideously embarrassing situations, but inevitably making things far worse as he tries to extricate himself.
This is the debut novel of Simon James Green, and Noah has a very distinct narrative voice which is highly entertaining from start to finish. There are plenty of chuckles throughout and some downright toe-curling cringes.
Harry is a great foil as a compassionate, strong character who remains true to himself and seems to care little about what other people think. Interestingly he is into many of the same geeky pursuits as Noah yet seems to be far more accepted with his peers. Sophie is a sweet character who seems to take Noah’s terrible faux pas in her stride.
The Gran is utterly hilarious, although those scenes are tinged with sadness as they show the tragic effects of age and Alzheimer’s on such a strong personality.
Despite wanting to shake Noah at times for being surprisingly blind to what’s going on around him, if you’ve ever been embarrassed as a teen you can’t help but feel for him. Noah Can’t Even is a delightful LGBTQ coming-of-age story that perfectly captures the tribulations of growing up.
Ah, poor Noah. He is your stereotypical geeky, awkward teen who seems to have a remarkable propensity not only for ending up in hideously embarrassing situations, but inevitably making things far worse as he tries to extricate himself.
This is the debut novel of Simon James Green, and Noah has a very distinct narrative voice which is highly entertaining from start to finish. There are plenty of chuckles throughout and some downright toe-curling cringes.
Harry is a great foil as a compassionate, strong character who remains true to himself and seems to care little about what other people think. Interestingly he is into many of the same geeky pursuits as Noah yet seems to be far more accepted with his peers. Sophie is a sweet character who seems to take Noah’s terrible faux pas in her stride.
The Gran is utterly hilarious, although those scenes are tinged with sadness as they show the tragic effects of age and Alzheimer’s on such a strong personality.
Despite wanting to shake Noah at times for being surprisingly blind to what’s going on around him, if you’ve ever been embarrassed as a teen you can’t help but feel for him. Noah Can’t Even is a delightful LGBTQ coming-of-age story that perfectly captures the tribulations of growing up.
