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moonystoast333's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
purple_rain's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
thatoneseason's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sarajayhawk's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, this book is so magical. It's so perfect for Pride, and so perfect all around.
happylilkt's review against another edition
2.0
I came into this book completely blind. I didn't realize it was LGBT YA fiction (ha!). For the genre, I think it is probably pretty good. However, not really my genre :) I finished it because it was a quick read. Overall, it was enjoyable, but there were some things that were off the mark, IMO.
Well done:
co-writing - the tone of the book and style was very smooth. I forgot it was co-written while I was reading it. (I presume LaCour wrote for Kate and Levithan wrote for Mark?)
Poetry slam I loved the poems in the poetry slam. That was one of my favorite parts of the book.
Off the mark:
Mark and Kate's sudden BFF status - Don't get me wrong, with adolescents things can develop / self-destruct very quickly, but this was still a little odd. I kept thinking there was going to be some twist / complicated aspect of their relationship (Will & Grace style, which I would probably have questioned as well) but nope. Just seemed like a forced plot device to bring together two disparate stories.
Mark's sudden support of Ryan - As other reviewers say, this was just really sudden for an adolescent.
Violet - as much as I liked Violet, the whole setup and development of this relationship is just bizarre to me. It seems like Kate has just been obsessing about Violet and Violet is just cool with this? I dunno. Just seemed strange to me, but I'm 30-something straight woman so what do I know?
Loved the San Francisco setting.
Well done:
co-writing - the tone of the book and style was very smooth. I forgot it was co-written while I was reading it. (I presume LaCour wrote for Kate and Levithan wrote for Mark?)
Spoiler
Kate's angst / meta-attitude / self-absorption - Kate's graduating crisis is very believable. Some of her behaviors are strange to me, but I'm a VERY different personality, so that's hard for me to judge... but some of the other reviewers' complaints about how she freaks out about Lehna I could totally see happening. A very strange time, but I actually thought LaCour captured it well.Poetry slam I loved the poems in the poetry slam. That was one of my favorite parts of the book.
Off the mark:
Mark and Kate's sudden BFF status - Don't get me wrong, with adolescents things can develop / self-destruct very quickly, but this was still a little odd. I kept thinking there was going to be some twist / complicated aspect of their relationship (Will & Grace style, which I would probably have questioned as well) but nope. Just seemed like a forced plot device to bring together two disparate stories.
Mark's sudden support of Ryan - As other reviewers say, this was just really sudden for an adolescent.
Violet - as much as I liked Violet, the whole setup and development of this relationship is just bizarre to me. It seems like Kate has just been obsessing about Violet and Violet is just cool with this? I dunno. Just seemed strange to me, but I'm 30-something straight woman so what do I know?
Loved the San Francisco setting.
ciuli's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5
This book is a genuine celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community. I think 99% of the characters portrayed are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and it's set in San Francisco during Pride week, so this book is basically a rainbow festival in disguise!
Mark broke my heart and Kate pulled it together again. It was so nice to see their friendship blossoming in such a troubled time for the both of them. I liked seeing how, even though they didn't know each other at first, they were what they needed for the other at that exact moment of their lives. They needed change and they found it in each other. This aspect in particular felt so real to me because I happened to have a similar experience, where I wasn't for a new friend, I hadn't even considered the possibility of a new friendship, and then I just happened to meet someone who then became one of my now best friends.
It's a coming of age novel in which our protagonists are trying to understand what they want for their future. For Mark, it's finally facing his feelings for his best friend Ryan and coming to terms with the fact that those feelings might now be mutual. For Kate, it's her uncertainties toward a love she keeps running from and her doubts about college.
It took me so long to finish it because I hit a huge reading slump and I couldn't even get close to a book without feeling annoyed for some reason. But then, I forced myself to pick it up again yesterday and I finished it in just over a day. It was a real nice and quick read.
This book is a genuine celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community. I think 99% of the characters portrayed are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and it's set in San Francisco during Pride week, so this book is basically a rainbow festival in disguise!
Mark broke my heart and Kate pulled it together again. It was so nice to see their friendship blossoming in such a troubled time for the both of them. I liked seeing how, even though they didn't know each other at first, they were what they needed for the other at that exact moment of their lives. They needed change and they found it in each other. This aspect in particular felt so real to me because I happened to have a similar experience, where I wasn't for a new friend, I hadn't even considered the possibility of a new friendship, and then I just happened to meet someone who then became one of my now best friends.
It's a coming of age novel in which our protagonists are trying to understand what they want for their future. For Mark, it's finally facing his feelings for his best friend Ryan and coming to terms with the fact that those feelings might now be mutual. For Kate, it's her uncertainties toward a love she keeps running from and her doubts about college.
It took me so long to finish it because I hit a huge reading slump and I couldn't even get close to a book without feeling annoyed for some reason. But then, I forced myself to pick it up again yesterday and I finished it in just over a day. It was a real nice and quick read.
eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this book. That's partially because I did love it. Wait, that doesn't make sense. Let's just start with the synopsis.
We have two main characters. One is Mark, who is completely in love with his best friend, Ryan, but doesn't know how to move past the friend-zone. It doesn't help that they often hook up in secret only to pretend like it didn't even happen, afterwards. Mark is at a party with Ryan when he meets Kate, who's just run away from a different party because she's terrified to meet the girl she's been wanting to meet for months. They both have problems in their love life and, at the party, they become friends and decide to help each other out.
And that seems like a great thing. You know, finding someone you can relate to and forming new friendships. I actually loved the friendship between the two protagonists ...as long as I didn't think too hard about the fact that they became BFFs within two days.
This novel is beautifully written. David Levithan and Nina LaCour are basically the dream team when it comes to a contemporary authors collaboration. They're both undeniably talented when it comes to writing a heartfelt and scenic prose and their characters are always wonderful. Which is why I don't understand how this went wrong. This book was destined to be perfect! Hell, for the first three-quarters, which I read in one sitting, I thought it was perfect. Until it wasn't.
You know, the book kinda reminds me of Caraval. I understand that these are very different stories but what they have in common is their reliance on surreality. You're going great as long as you don't put too much though into things. You may find yourself swept away by the magic (in case of Caraval) or the prose (in this book's case).
I still liked You Know Me Well a lot but some things kind of snapped me out of my little daze. First was Ryan. I hate Ryan. I really, really hate him. He, in my opinion, did and said some pretty inconsiderate or downright shitty things, and I didn't agree with the way his story was handled. I didn't like that he didn't suffer any consequences and that the entire ordeal was easily shoved under the rug. There was also the fact that I couldn't buy into Kate and Violet. They acted like they were in love or something despite never having met before. And sure, it sounds very sweet if you write it well enough, but that doesn't change the truth.
Also, as much as it hurts me to admit, the writing got a little tedious near the end. There is such a thing as too much Romanticism. And last but not least, while I loved both Mark and Kate and rooted for them throughout the novel, they didn't seem like teenagers. They'd often talk in ways no teenager ever does and it'd pull me out of the story a little.
In the end, all I can say is that this book had a lot of potential and, despite the issues, is still a good book. It just took a few too many liberties with reality.
We have two main characters. One is Mark, who is completely in love with his best friend, Ryan, but doesn't know how to move past the friend-zone. It doesn't help that they often hook up in secret only to pretend like it didn't even happen, afterwards. Mark is at a party with Ryan when he meets Kate, who's just run away from a different party because she's terrified to meet the girl she's been wanting to meet for months. They both have problems in their love life and, at the party, they become friends and decide to help each other out.
And that seems like a great thing. You know, finding someone you can relate to and forming new friendships. I actually loved the friendship between the two protagonists ...as long as I didn't think too hard about the fact that they became BFFs within two days.
This novel is beautifully written. David Levithan and Nina LaCour are basically the dream team when it comes to a contemporary authors collaboration. They're both undeniably talented when it comes to writing a heartfelt and scenic prose and their characters are always wonderful. Which is why I don't understand how this went wrong. This book was destined to be perfect! Hell, for the first three-quarters, which I read in one sitting, I thought it was perfect. Until it wasn't.
You know, the book kinda reminds me of Caraval. I understand that these are very different stories but what they have in common is their reliance on surreality. You're going great as long as you don't put too much though into things. You may find yourself swept away by the magic (in case of Caraval) or the prose (in this book's case).
I still liked You Know Me Well a lot but some things kind of snapped me out of my little daze. First was Ryan. I hate Ryan. I really, really hate him. He, in my opinion, did and said some pretty inconsiderate or downright shitty things, and I didn't agree with the way his story was handled. I didn't like that he didn't suffer any consequences and that the entire ordeal was easily shoved under the rug. There was also the fact that I couldn't buy into Kate and Violet. They acted like they were in love or something despite never having met before. And sure, it sounds very sweet if you write it well enough, but that doesn't change the truth.
Also, as much as it hurts me to admit, the writing got a little tedious near the end. There is such a thing as too much Romanticism. And last but not least, while I loved both Mark and Kate and rooted for them throughout the novel, they didn't seem like teenagers. They'd often talk in ways no teenager ever does and it'd pull me out of the story a little.
In the end, all I can say is that this book had a lot of potential and, despite the issues, is still a good book. It just took a few too many liberties with reality.
faeriesparks's review against another edition
4.0
Wow wow WOW
This was amazing. So amazing.
I loved the friendship between Mark and Kate. I loved Mark and Kate individually.
Mark's struggles broke my heart. I actually cried because of his pain.
Kate was very relatable to me in many ways.
This book made me incredibly happy and sad and sometimes even annoyed - I loved it so much.
I only wish it would've been a bit longer.
This was amazing. So amazing.
I loved the friendship between Mark and Kate. I loved Mark and Kate individually.
Mark's struggles broke my heart. I actually cried because of his pain.
Kate was very relatable to me in many ways.
This book made me incredibly happy and sad and sometimes even annoyed - I loved it so much.
I only wish it would've been a bit longer.
koplomps's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.0