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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
O Noah diversas vezes me deixou com vontade de esganar ele! Como alguém pode fazer tantas escolhas erradas? Eu não conseguia nem ter pena em alguns casos. Mas não posso deixar de lado o fato de que o garoto passa por umas situações bem inusitadas e as resoluções chegam a ser bem cômicas, tadinho. Porém, além desse azar terrível e da falta de filtro do pobre Noah, o livro traz temas importantíssimos na esfera lgbtq, tratando sobre preconceito, bullying, auto aceitação e descobertas de um jeito bem real. E o final... tadinho do Noah, o coitado não tem um segundo de paz.
I liked the characters and the plot had enough nonsense to be fairly page-turning but man, I cringed so hard so many times and had to put the book down on several occasions because I just couldn't sit through that. Then I'd pick it up again half an hour later, force myself through the cringe and get back to a really enjoyable book otherwise. Always love a good YA set in Britain, and it was nice to read some LGBT, but it is not feasible or realistic that a human being could be so utterly socially clueless constantly.
Spoiler
And why Harry (or Sophie for that matter) put up with Noah I don't think I'll ever know - as a friend, never mind as a boyfriend.
**Spoilers below**
So, I took my son to his first Comic Con this year, and on the YALC floor he spotted this book with his name on it, and got excited about the idea that his name could be used in a book. We met Simon, and he was such a lovely guy. My son isn't quite old enough to read this book yet, but I love YA so in the meantime, I downloaded a copy to my kindle to read on our recent family holiday.
When I started reading it, the punctuation made me think of the way Simon had been at the table, that boundless excitement and enthusiasm for the small things in life, which totally speaks to me. I think if I hadn't met Simon, that many exclamation marks would have put me off (and I use them too much as well!) but I guess it made me feel more like it was a stream of consciousness, even though it was delivered in third person.
It was nice to see a male protagonist. A male protagonist who doesn't necessarily have it all together. Noah has a pretty crummy home life, which lends itself to a difficult school life. And the only person he really knows who has his back is Harry.
When Harry kissed Noah, I could see it coming. But in the aftermath ... I didn't think Harry was that great. As Noah pointed out, Harry had the time to come to terms with who he was, and Harry's crush then came between their friendship. Because if Noah didn't feel the same then they couldn't even have their friendship ... which I thought was harsh. You could feel their closeness and I would rather keep a best friend like that then muddle it with a relationship. And perhaps it was my own orientation coming through, but I read Noah as aroace, and slightly autistic from his lack of social cues. Both of which made for an interesting, diverse character but neither element got explored. Even when Harry and Noah eventually get together at the end, Noah's decision didn't come from an area of being besotted with Harry, but from an aroace point of view of I like this person/I like their proximity to me/if this is what they need I'll do it for them/but I don't know if it's me. Harry's unreasonable reaction to Noah's bafflement is the reason I won't give this more than three stars. Noah had a lot going on, and Harry should have put his crush on the back burner if Noah really meant anything to him.
The side elements of the story - Jess' baby, Eric's blackmailing, the possible half-sibling, his deteriorating grandmother, the bullying, Noah's parents, everything Josh - I thought it was all really well done. Nothing felt forced in those elements, and though I could see the Eric line coming, some of it was surprising too. Like how Noah's mother tried for him with such a disappointing father etc etc.
So overall it was a good read x
So, I took my son to his first Comic Con this year, and on the YALC floor he spotted this book with his name on it, and got excited about the idea that his name could be used in a book. We met Simon, and he was such a lovely guy. My son isn't quite old enough to read this book yet, but I love YA so in the meantime, I downloaded a copy to my kindle to read on our recent family holiday.
When I started reading it, the punctuation made me think of the way Simon had been at the table, that boundless excitement and enthusiasm for the small things in life, which totally speaks to me. I think if I hadn't met Simon, that many exclamation marks would have put me off (and I use them too much as well!) but I guess it made me feel more like it was a stream of consciousness, even though it was delivered in third person.
It was nice to see a male protagonist. A male protagonist who doesn't necessarily have it all together. Noah has a pretty crummy home life, which lends itself to a difficult school life. And the only person he really knows who has his back is Harry.
When Harry kissed Noah, I could see it coming. But in the aftermath ... I didn't think Harry was that great. As Noah pointed out, Harry had the time to come to terms with who he was, and Harry's crush then came between their friendship. Because if Noah didn't feel the same then they couldn't even have their friendship ... which I thought was harsh. You could feel their closeness and I would rather keep a best friend like that then muddle it with a relationship. And perhaps it was my own orientation coming through, but I read Noah as aroace, and slightly autistic from his lack of social cues. Both of which made for an interesting, diverse character but neither element got explored. Even when Harry and Noah eventually get together at the end, Noah's decision didn't come from an area of being besotted with Harry, but from an aroace point of view of I like this person/I like their proximity to me/if this is what they need I'll do it for them/but I don't know if it's me. Harry's unreasonable reaction to Noah's bafflement is the reason I won't give this more than three stars. Noah had a lot going on, and Harry should have put his crush on the back burner if Noah really meant anything to him.
The side elements of the story - Jess' baby, Eric's blackmailing, the possible half-sibling, his deteriorating grandmother, the bullying, Noah's parents, everything Josh - I thought it was all really well done. Nothing felt forced in those elements, and though I could see the Eric line coming, some of it was surprising too. Like how Noah's mother tried for him with such a disappointing father etc etc.
So overall it was a good read x
Noah te odio tanto, me pareces una persona que me da tal vergüenza ajena que no comprendo como te han podido escribir. Eres tonto, tratas mal a la gente y necesitas que te espabilen. También existe la posibilidad que estés dentro del espectro autista y yo te este insultando, pero es que estás tan mal escrito que me da igual. Creo que eres el personaje que más odio.
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book, it's really funny and brilliant. I cannot wait for the sequel. Full review is https://johnthecaptainryan.blogspot.ie/2018/02/noah-cant-even-by-simon-james-green.html
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a bit chaotic with lot going on but I feel like that added to the craziness of being a teenage and how the world feels like it's ending over every little thing. I feel like it could have done with one less thing going on to mind of make it a bit more enjoyable but it was a fun read (warning a lot of second hand embarrassment which got annoying after a while)
1/5
No. Absolutely no. This book sucked. The writing style, the characters, everything made me want to cut my eyeballs.
I'm not usually one to give books such low ratings or bad revirws, but there is not even one single thing I liked about it.
The writing style was just a huge NO for me. It's childish, underdeveloped and rushed. Plus, I get that the author wants to give us the idea of 'poor Noah, nothing goes right for him, and when you think things can't get worse they actually do', but there is a thing as too much. First it was his best friend being gay and having feelings for him, then his mother being a bitch, then we found it he has a sibling he didn't know about, then the pregnancy,then his father being a scumbag and so on and so on. Just stop. I think the idea for this plot was cute and nice, the idea of a teenager who doesn't really have a place he can call home, who suddenly finds out that his best friend is gay and has feelings for him, the whole thing making him even more insecure about himself and the need to find out who he really is. But there is just too much drama and not even welldeveloped!
Let's talk about the characters. Because maybe there was a chance that the characters could have saved the book but no, this is not the case.
We have Noah, our protagonist who is a very naive and kind of annoying 15-year-old, who has been bullied for ages due to some unfortunate things that happened in his past and, living in a small town, everyone knows about them.
There is Sophie, but I still don't get why she was there in the first place. She is useless. Like, she gets introduced and then 3 days later she moves to another city and that's it. I mean, what was the point of her character.
And then there is Harry. Young nice Harry. Do you want to know which character I loathed the most throughout the whole book? Even more than Noah's parents? Well, that award goes to Harry. I hated him so much I don't even know how to properly explain my hate for him. He claims to be this good person he just really is not. He kisses Noah and tells him his feelings out of nowhere and he just expects Noah to suddenly understand the meaning of life and be okay with it, and love him just as much as he loves him. But when Noah admits that he doesn't really know what he feels, he can't stand it. Noah just asked him for time to think about it, but he kept pushing and pushing, like it was his right to be liked back by Noah. he himself admits that, of course, he had time to think about it and realize that he was gay, but he doesn't give Noah even one day to think about it himself. And he KNOWS how naive Noah is, and that he probably never thought about his sexuality in the first place.
When Noah accepts Eric's blackmail and buys the video I was so upset that Harry reacted that way. I mean, I understand his pov, he's saying "you just bought it because you don't want people to know you're gay, and you're ashame of me". I get it. But he didn't even stop to think that Noah, not even being sure of his sexuality, maybe wanted to make that sure before having even more rumours spreading about it.
And when Noah goes to him the first time asking for help after their discussion, and he just turns away from him, that was really bullshit. I get that your feelings are hurt, but he is still supposed to be your best friend. And he just turns his back on him. It's like he's saying 'either you like me or I won't help you anymore'. That was his shittiest moment imo.
Anyway, sorry for the long babbling, but I had to express my feelings about this book.
If you're looking for a nice gay romance, don't read this book.
No. Absolutely no. This book sucked. The writing style, the characters, everything made me want to cut my eyeballs.
I'm not usually one to give books such low ratings or bad revirws, but there is not even one single thing I liked about it.
The writing style was just a huge NO for me. It's childish, underdeveloped and rushed. Plus, I get that the author wants to give us the idea of 'poor Noah, nothing goes right for him, and when you think things can't get worse they actually do', but there is a thing as too much. First it was his best friend being gay and having feelings for him, then his mother being a bitch, then we found it he has a sibling he didn't know about, then the pregnancy,then his father being a scumbag and so on and so on. Just stop. I think the idea for this plot was cute and nice, the idea of a teenager who doesn't really have a place he can call home, who suddenly finds out that his best friend is gay and has feelings for him, the whole thing making him even more insecure about himself and the need to find out who he really is. But there is just too much drama and not even welldeveloped!
Let's talk about the characters. Because maybe there was a chance that the characters could have saved the book but no, this is not the case.
We have Noah, our protagonist who is a very naive and kind of annoying 15-year-old, who has been bullied for ages due to some unfortunate things that happened in his past and, living in a small town, everyone knows about them.
There is Sophie, but I still don't get why she was there in the first place. She is useless. Like, she gets introduced and then 3 days later she moves to another city and that's it. I mean, what was the point of her character.
And then there is Harry. Young nice Harry. Do you want to know which character I loathed the most throughout the whole book? Even more than Noah's parents? Well, that award goes to Harry. I hated him so much I don't even know how to properly explain my hate for him. He claims to be this good person he just really is not. He kisses Noah and tells him his feelings out of nowhere and he just expects Noah to suddenly understand the meaning of life and be okay with it, and love him just as much as he loves him. But when Noah admits that he doesn't really know what he feels, he can't stand it. Noah just asked him for time to think about it, but he kept pushing and pushing, like it was his right to be liked back by Noah. he himself admits that, of course, he had time to think about it and realize that he was gay, but he doesn't give Noah even one day to think about it himself. And he KNOWS how naive Noah is, and that he probably never thought about his sexuality in the first place.
When Noah accepts Eric's blackmail and buys the video I was so upset that Harry reacted that way. I mean, I understand his pov, he's saying "you just bought it because you don't want people to know you're gay, and you're ashame of me". I get it. But he didn't even stop to think that Noah, not even being sure of his sexuality, maybe wanted to make that sure before having even more rumours spreading about it.
And when Noah goes to him the first time asking for help after their discussion, and he just turns away from him, that was really bullshit. I get that your feelings are hurt, but he is still supposed to be your best friend. And he just turns his back on him. It's like he's saying 'either you like me or I won't help you anymore'. That was his shittiest moment imo.
Anyway, sorry for the long babbling, but I had to express my feelings about this book.
If you're looking for a nice gay romance, don't read this book.