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cobaltbookshelf's review
1.0
I wish this book was all flashbacks because all present stuff annoyed me, very superficial and flat.
laurasauras's review
5.0
Loved this! It was very cute and genuinely had me tearing up at times. The characters were great and distinct, and it was probably the best example I've read in a really long time of a romance conflict that I wasn't shaking the book going "There's no problem here!!! Kiss already!!!" In fact, not only was the conflict completely justified, but when Ollie had a moment of revelation I was actually right there with him going ... Which was so satisfying! And the family subplot was genuinely so moving, that was the part that had me tearing up. I thought that Ollie's relationship with the Roses was absolutely amazing, love a good friendship arc. Ollie himself was easy to like with his overdramatic tendencies and good heart. Great book, exactly what I wanted out of it!
Spoiler
oh shit, Ollie is actually part of the problem here too.zaza_bdp's review
3.0
3.5 ⭐
Un petit YA que je voulais lire depuis longtemps, alors quand j'ai vu par hasard qu'il allait sortir chez PKJ, je me suis empressée de commander le paperback en VO.
Alors on est vraiment dans du YA de lycée bien classique, le héros a 18 ans, mais je lui aurais facilement donné 1 ou 2 ans de moins. C'est l'histoire assez classique du petit nouveau qui arrive dans un nouveau bahut, un nouvel État même, suite à un déménagement forcé par des circonstances peu réjouissantes. Bye bye la Californie donc, et bonjour la Caroline du Nord (2 salles 2 ambiances en matière d'horizon politique et de tolérance pour les droits LGBTQ+, soit dit en passant).
On retrouve les classiques scènes de cours, de repas où on a l'impression d'être au zoo tant les faits et gestes des uns et des autres sont scrutés et commentés, ces fameux groupes de lycéens bien stéréotypés, avec notamment cette bande de sportifs qui pue la masculinité toxique, avec leur humour lourd et sexiste.
Ollie se fait quand même assez vite une place dans ce lycée, il se fait une amie dès le 1er jour (et c'est complètement improbable, d'ailleurs) et est rapidement intégré dans une petite bande de filles. Et puis bien sûr il y a les retrouvailles avec Will, avec qui il a passé une partie de l'été. Sauf que le Will du lycée n'a rien à voir avec le Will qu'il côtoyait au lac ...
J'avoue ne pas avoir trop accroché au personnage d'Ollie, que j'ai parfois trouvé agaçant et immature, égoïste aussi. Je trouve que c'est un personnage un peu plat, qui manque de nuances, en fait, mais comme tout le livre finalement. Il y a pas mal de clichés, de scènes qu'on retrouve plus ou moins dans tous ces YA ou ces teen movies. Ça manque un peu d'authenticité pour moi, ce petit truc en plus qui fait qu'un roman se démarque, tant au niveau de l'écriture que de ce qui s'y passe. L'autrice a voulu aborder beaucoup de sujets, et se montrer très inclusive, mais du coup, pour moi c'est un peu trop démonstratif et académique, un peu comme si elle avait coché une to-do list du parfait petit YA bien inclusif au fur et à mesure de son écriture (tolérance, homosexualité, grossophobie / body shaming, masculinité toxique, premiers amours, amitié, deuil ...).
Cela dit, je pense que c'est un livre qui saura trouver son public, mais pour moi, ça n'a pas trop fonctionné.
Un petit YA que je voulais lire depuis longtemps, alors quand j'ai vu par hasard qu'il allait sortir chez PKJ, je me suis empressée de commander le paperback en VO.
Alors on est vraiment dans du YA de lycée bien classique, le héros a 18 ans, mais je lui aurais facilement donné 1 ou 2 ans de moins. C'est l'histoire assez classique du petit nouveau qui arrive dans un nouveau bahut, un nouvel État même, suite à un déménagement forcé par des circonstances peu réjouissantes. Bye bye la Californie donc, et bonjour la Caroline du Nord (2 salles 2 ambiances en matière d'horizon politique et de tolérance pour les droits LGBTQ+, soit dit en passant).
On retrouve les classiques scènes de cours, de repas où on a l'impression d'être au zoo tant les faits et gestes des uns et des autres sont scrutés et commentés, ces fameux groupes de lycéens bien stéréotypés, avec notamment cette bande de sportifs qui pue la masculinité toxique, avec leur humour lourd et sexiste.
Ollie se fait quand même assez vite une place dans ce lycée, il se fait une amie dès le 1er jour (et c'est complètement improbable, d'ailleurs) et est rapidement intégré dans une petite bande de filles. Et puis bien sûr il y a les retrouvailles avec Will, avec qui il a passé une partie de l'été. Sauf que le Will du lycée n'a rien à voir avec le Will qu'il côtoyait au lac ...
J'avoue ne pas avoir trop accroché au personnage d'Ollie, que j'ai parfois trouvé agaçant et immature, égoïste aussi. Je trouve que c'est un personnage un peu plat, qui manque de nuances, en fait, mais comme tout le livre finalement. Il y a pas mal de clichés, de scènes qu'on retrouve plus ou moins dans tous ces YA ou ces teen movies. Ça manque un peu d'authenticité pour moi, ce petit truc en plus qui fait qu'un roman se démarque, tant au niveau de l'écriture que de ce qui s'y passe. L'autrice a voulu aborder beaucoup de sujets, et se montrer très inclusive, mais du coup, pour moi c'est un peu trop démonstratif et académique, un peu comme si elle avait coché une to-do list du parfait petit YA bien inclusif au fur et à mesure de son écriture (tolérance, homosexualité, grossophobie / body shaming, masculinité toxique, premiers amours, amitié, deuil ...).
Cela dit, je pense que c'est un livre qui saura trouver son public, mais pour moi, ça n'a pas trop fonctionné.
simran6137's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
4.0
rainbowthani's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
rumoursfromlnez's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Such a cute and easy read!
foolishdahlia's review
5.0
i’ve been wanting to read this book ever since i read that it is was a spin on Grease, which is one of my all-time favourites, and i really enjoyed it!!
the characters in this novel were definitely the highlight. there were times when i wanted to punch some of them in the face, but overall, the friendships and character development were great; i loved reading about certain characters come to terms with their sexuality.
the romance was a whirlwind of emotions lol. it was adorable for the most part, but also kind of sad. there was a great contrast between how Ollie and Will’s relationship started and how it is by the beginning of the school year. this book goes over issues of trust, as well as homophobia, which were nicely incorporated in the storyline.
i also really liked the elements of grief and family in this book. reading about Ollie and his reason for moving made this book have more depth.
this was a cute read!! Sophie Gonzales’ writing is beautiful, and i will for sure be reading more from her :)
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the characters in this novel were definitely the highlight. there were times when i wanted to punch some of them in the face, but overall, the friendships and character development were great; i loved reading about certain characters come to terms with their sexuality.
the romance was a whirlwind of emotions lol. it was adorable for the most part, but also kind of sad. there was a great contrast between how Ollie and Will’s relationship started and how it is by the beginning of the school year. this book goes over issues of trust, as well as homophobia, which were nicely incorporated in the storyline.
i also really liked the elements of grief and family in this book. reading about Ollie and his reason for moving made this book have more depth.
this was a cute read!! Sophie Gonzales’ writing is beautiful, and i will for sure be reading more from her :)
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
sofianunes's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.0
joanna1905's review against another edition
4.0
*The biggest thank you to Sophie Gonzales for holding a giveaway for this arc on twitter - opinions are my own*
YA'LL THIS DANG BOOK! THIS DANG BOOK! IT SO CUTE HOLY CRAP. Honestly, the tag line of gay Grease definitely launched this book high on my most anticipated releases that and the fact that I was super hype to see it was coming from an Australian author!
Ironically, while I was sold on the gay Grease premise, as I began reading I realised very quickly that while I've seen Grease multiple times in my life my aversion to musicals means I basically have zero recollection of the plot or characters besides the basics. So I wasn't sure how this would impact my reading experience, but let me tell you it didn't at all. Though I definitely think that knowing the original would allow you to appreciate the retelling aspect far more than I could, this book absolutely stands up in its own right.
This book definitely isn't just a retelling and it can well and truly be enjoyed without any frame of reference to Grease. So I think this book is absolutely perfect for anyone from huge Grease fans to people who've never seen it but just want some cute gay goddess.
I was definitely a little bit nervous about how the secret relationship would play out in the context of a queer relationship because unlike in original, things are a little bit more complicated when one of the halves is closeted. I don't vibe with one half of a relationship pressuring the other to come out, but I also don't vibe with the closeted character mistreating their partner and expecting them to be a dirty little secret. IMO Sophie did an incredible job of balancing the two, Ollie isn't mad that Will won't come out he's mad that Will mistreats him in public and sometimes neglects his needs - and Will isn't intending to be cruel to Ollie he just sometimes makes bad choices out of fear. Ollie learns to stick up for himself and they both learn the importance of open communication.
I also liked our background characters; I would have liked maybe a tad more development with Ollie and his new gal pals. But overall our main pairing was surrounded by a cool cast of characters who made the story more interesting. I loved the secondary plot of Lana's bisexuality and thought it was handled very very well.
Additionally, I loved that post coming out Will's dudebro friends and his parents were supportive, I know this isn't the reality for many queer folks, but it is always nice and refreshing to just have nice supportive characters. I also appreciated that prior to Will coming out the dudebros weren't depicted to be horrible hateful people, they made mistakes and made problematic gay jokes that definitely would have been horrible for Will to hear. However, I think this depiction is probably realistic to a lot of people’s experiences. It shows that even 'harmless' gay jokes that aren't slur filled etc can still be incredibly harmful and that's an important message to send as heterosexuals often think well as long as I don't use the 'F slur' it's harmless.
I also loved the subplot with Ollie's family, it added some depth to the story and helped it remain grounded in reality and not solely romance based.
The one thing I also would have liked is to see a bit more of Ollie and Will's current hangouts, we see some flashbacks and get told that in the present they'd talk and go for drives but we don't really see too many of those where they're just talking and having fun - and not discussing either the secret relationship or Ollie's aunt.
All in all, this is a fantastic read and I highly recommend to any fans of happy fluffy queer contemporary with a slight serve of angst to add some depth.
YA'LL THIS DANG BOOK! THIS DANG BOOK! IT SO CUTE HOLY CRAP. Honestly, the tag line of gay Grease definitely launched this book high on my most anticipated releases that and the fact that I was super hype to see it was coming from an Australian author!
Ironically, while I was sold on the gay Grease premise, as I began reading I realised very quickly that while I've seen Grease multiple times in my life my aversion to musicals means I basically have zero recollection of the plot or characters besides the basics. So I wasn't sure how this would impact my reading experience, but let me tell you it didn't at all. Though I definitely think that knowing the original would allow you to appreciate the retelling aspect far more than I could, this book absolutely stands up in its own right.
This book definitely isn't just a retelling and it can well and truly be enjoyed without any frame of reference to Grease. So I think this book is absolutely perfect for anyone from huge Grease fans to people who've never seen it but just want some cute gay goddess.
I was definitely a little bit nervous about how the secret relationship would play out in the context of a queer relationship because unlike in original, things are a little bit more complicated when one of the halves is closeted. I don't vibe with one half of a relationship pressuring the other to come out, but I also don't vibe with the closeted character mistreating their partner and expecting them to be a dirty little secret. IMO Sophie did an incredible job of balancing the two, Ollie isn't mad that Will won't come out he's mad that Will mistreats him in public and sometimes neglects his needs - and Will isn't intending to be cruel to Ollie he just sometimes makes bad choices out of fear. Ollie learns to stick up for himself and they both learn the importance of open communication.
I also liked our background characters; I would have liked maybe a tad more development with Ollie and his new gal pals. But overall our main pairing was surrounded by a cool cast of characters who made the story more interesting. I loved the secondary plot of Lana's bisexuality and thought it was handled very very well.
Additionally, I loved that post coming out Will's dudebro friends and his parents were supportive, I know this isn't the reality for many queer folks, but it is always nice and refreshing to just have nice supportive characters. I also appreciated that prior to Will coming out the dudebros weren't depicted to be horrible hateful people, they made mistakes and made problematic gay jokes that definitely would have been horrible for Will to hear. However, I think this depiction is probably realistic to a lot of people’s experiences. It shows that even 'harmless' gay jokes that aren't slur filled etc can still be incredibly harmful and that's an important message to send as heterosexuals often think well as long as I don't use the 'F slur' it's harmless.
I also loved the subplot with Ollie's family, it added some depth to the story and helped it remain grounded in reality and not solely romance based.
The one thing I also would have liked is to see a bit more of Ollie and Will's current hangouts, we see some flashbacks and get told that in the present they'd talk and go for drives but we don't really see too many of those where they're just talking and having fun - and not discussing either the secret relationship or Ollie's aunt.
All in all, this is a fantastic read and I highly recommend to any fans of happy fluffy queer contemporary with a slight serve of angst to add some depth.