You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. The writing is witty and hilarious and the storyline is amazing. Literally read it in about 24hrs.
I'm not sure if this a spoiler, or if I'm just absolutely stupid.
When I started reading this book, I loved it, couldn't put it down. I think the entire thing about me binge reading was that I missed some very very important stuff. Until the two Will Grayson's had met, I thought they were the same person. I never even noticed that they were alternating between chapters! When I did find out, I started to freak out, realizing I read the entire book incorrectly. That made me pretty mad, and I decided there would be no point in me finishing it because now my mind will never be able to understand what's going on.
But I do finish it, and it was amazing.
The only reason I hadn't given it five stars was because of the fact that I didn't realize there were alternating point of views, which I don't know was my fault or that of the authors.
When I started reading this book, I loved it, couldn't put it down. I think the entire thing about me binge reading was that I missed some very very important stuff. Until the two Will Grayson's had met, I thought they were the same person. I never even noticed that they were alternating between chapters! When I did find out, I started to freak out, realizing I read the entire book incorrectly. That made me pretty mad, and I decided there would be no point in me finishing it because now my mind will never be able to understand what's going on.
But I do finish it, and it was amazing.
The only reason I hadn't given it five stars was because of the fact that I didn't realize there were alternating point of views, which I don't know was my fault or that of the authors.
Thoroughly bemused by the very second paragraph of this book (I attempted to write it out just now, but have succumbed to laziness, as it's sort-of long), in a nutshell, I don't approve of 'gay' being used as thinly concealed chastisement, especially since the whole, sequential book seems to grasp at some vague arc about acceptance, celebration... or something.
To begin with, JG's writing drives me nuts. It's one strangely warped cliché after another: the strange warp usually encompasses plentiful fragments of the everyday combined with complete randomness. Examples include: "There's the getting up, and the showering, and the school, and the miracle of Tiny Cooper and the desk, and the plaintive glancing at my Burger King Kids Meal Magic School Bus watch during each class" (firstly...huh? secondly, this watch is never mentioned again); "When you're a little kid, you have something. Maybe it's a blanket or a stuffed animal or whatever. For me, it was this stuffed prairie dog that I got one Christmas when I was like three." (Also, yes, this dog is never mentioned again). " 'You're amazing, and I so want to be your boyfriend, because of what you just said, and also because that shirt makes me want to take you home now and do unspeakable things while we watch live-action Sailor Moon videos.' " (Yeah, you guessed it: Sailor Moon is never mentioned again). I don't actually find these instances of 'random' facts funny; they're just unnerving, irrelevant and distracting. These occurrences (in fact, flicking through just now, I realized how much standalone cliché there actually is, even without 'justifying' it by adding in 'nerdiness' or quirky details), not even merits rolling of the eyes; it makes me heave a big inward sigh. Because I honestly do admire and like John as a person: it's his repetitive, go-to narrative voice, and his predictably feisty girl characters (even though I found myself liking Jane the slightest bit more than his other female characters in other books; no idea why) who are somehow always attracted to the dorky teen boy main character, which makes me so disappointed. As, sprinkled within the predictable plot, there's amazingly perceptive moralistic and philosophical epithets, but they're all glazed over with same-y teen speak and topics, and not brought out into the light as much as I feel they should or could be!
This novel suddenly started to get good once I began reading DL's chapters. I have, again, little idea why, (maybe I never moved out of the moody teenage worldview), but I found formidable insight and heaps more of a realistic portrayal of life in this second Will Grayson's story. In point of fact, the juxtaposition of his yes, depressing, but so clear-sighted, narrative voice with JG's made me sad this was a joint project. Cruel, but true to my opinion, I'm afraid.
Tiny Cooper didn't make or break the book so much for me personally; I didn't hate his character, but then I didn't really acknowledge him either, which made the ending completely baffling to me. It sort-of usurped the inward ruminations Will Grayson was having just prior to this very last event, in my eyes; Or maybe it didn't? I'm not sure. This book is definitely memorable, and I do find high-school-setting reads pretty trying to get through, so it wasn't too bad, accounting for those points. But it's not ground-breaking in my opinion; and I did find some of the deliberate stereotyping - I guess to unravel instead of reinforce categories? - just didn't sit right with me; I definitely don't think that goal was achieved well, if at all.
Overall, it was "eh"; so 3 stars.
To begin with, JG's writing drives me nuts. It's one strangely warped cliché after another: the strange warp usually encompasses plentiful fragments of the everyday combined with complete randomness. Examples include: "There's the getting up, and the showering, and the school, and the miracle of Tiny Cooper and the desk, and the plaintive glancing at my Burger King Kids Meal Magic School Bus watch during each class" (firstly...huh? secondly, this watch is never mentioned again); "When you're a little kid, you have something. Maybe it's a blanket or a stuffed animal or whatever. For me, it was this stuffed prairie dog that I got one Christmas when I was like three." (Also, yes, this dog is never mentioned again). " 'You're amazing, and I so want to be your boyfriend, because of what you just said, and also because that shirt makes me want to take you home now and do unspeakable things while we watch live-action Sailor Moon videos.' " (Yeah, you guessed it: Sailor Moon is never mentioned again). I don't actually find these instances of 'random' facts funny; they're just unnerving, irrelevant and distracting. These occurrences (in fact, flicking through just now, I realized how much standalone cliché there actually is, even without 'justifying' it by adding in 'nerdiness' or quirky details), not even merits rolling of the eyes; it makes me heave a big inward sigh. Because I honestly do admire and like John as a person: it's his repetitive, go-to narrative voice, and his predictably feisty girl characters (even though I found myself liking Jane the slightest bit more than his other female characters in other books; no idea why) who are somehow always attracted to the dorky teen boy main character, which makes me so disappointed. As, sprinkled within the predictable plot, there's amazingly perceptive moralistic and philosophical epithets, but they're all glazed over with same-y teen speak and topics, and not brought out into the light as much as I feel they should or could be!
This novel suddenly started to get good once I began reading DL's chapters. I have, again, little idea why, (maybe I never moved out of the moody teenage worldview), but I found formidable insight and heaps more of a realistic portrayal of life in this second Will Grayson's story. In point of fact, the juxtaposition of his yes, depressing, but so clear-sighted, narrative voice with JG's made me sad this was a joint project. Cruel, but true to my opinion, I'm afraid.
Tiny Cooper didn't make or break the book so much for me personally; I didn't hate his character, but then I didn't really acknowledge him either, which made the ending
Spoiler
with everyone praising Tiny Cooper all of a sudden, like he needed itSpoiler
about the need to float and not fall.Overall, it was "eh"; so 3 stars.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
Highly recommended. A little bit of a tear jerker at the end; it's just soo sweet.
My name's not Will Grayson, but I appreciate you too, Tiny Cooper. :)
My name's not Will Grayson, but I appreciate you too, Tiny Cooper. :)
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
John Green's Chapters just felt like reading Paper Towns again. Which I did not like.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes