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betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
This is my second time reading this, and I opted to listen to it this time. Which was an excellent choice! David Levithan is such a poetic writer, hitting such strong emotional beats in this book. And in light of so many kids and YA LGBTQ+ books getting silenced, the narration lens just hits so much harder. The older queer generation is imagining a world where the younger queer generation gets to be free. Or at least, freer than they were. And yes, that's the case in some instances. But it's also not the case as people are continuously trying to silence their voices.
This just makes me think about the fact that there was an article I read in the last year or so that said that we're in a sort of golden age for queer literature. Could that be the case? Maybe, I don't much pay attention to any sort of adult publishing market. But even if it is--queer literature has still been a major target in the rash of book bans that have been happening in the US over the last 4ish years. Not the only target, but you know. Definitely a major one. And it's books like this they want to get rid of; books that show queer teens that they're not alone. That show how hard it can be to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. And I don't much think we're in a golden era of queer literature when there is a whole audience of queer books getting silenced.
Also: David Levithan has been publishing queer YA books for years. Since the early 2000s. Way before there was a boom in LGBTQ+ YA publishing (which still needs work!). And I'm pretty sure he's championed for way more queer books as an editor. I've read almost all of his books and it's his prose that always hits home for me. He's got a knack for writing emotional, poetic lines. Seriously.
Anyway, that was a bit of a rant, my apologies. But this book is lovely. It will spark excellent discussion at our Banned Book Club. And I'm glad I got to visit it again.
This just makes me think about the fact that there was an article I read in the last year or so that said that we're in a sort of golden age for queer literature. Could that be the case? Maybe, I don't much pay attention to any sort of adult publishing market. But even if it is--queer literature has still been a major target in the rash of book bans that have been happening in the US over the last 4ish years. Not the only target, but you know. Definitely a major one. And it's books like this they want to get rid of; books that show queer teens that they're not alone. That show how hard it can be to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. And I don't much think we're in a golden era of queer literature when there is a whole audience of queer books getting silenced.
Also: David Levithan has been publishing queer YA books for years. Since the early 2000s. Way before there was a boom in LGBTQ+ YA publishing (which still needs work!). And I'm pretty sure he's championed for way more queer books as an editor. I've read almost all of his books and it's his prose that always hits home for me. He's got a knack for writing emotional, poetic lines. Seriously.
Anyway, that was a bit of a rant, my apologies. But this book is lovely. It will spark excellent discussion at our Banned Book Club. And I'm glad I got to visit it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Self harm
kjmarino's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Sexual content
yasharulz1010's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Self harm
gothicpluto's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Self harm
asipofcozy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.5
For such a short book, I took my time reading it. I can't even count the number of tabs and annotations I made. This book was impactful in so many ways. I found a piece of myself in the characters, in the situations they faced, in the narrator's past, and in their own personal struggles. I found that missing piece that I have been looking for all this time.
There were moments have tears, joy, inspiration, hope, and love. There were moments of sadness, despair, and loneliness. That fear of death and the fear of life. It was all here in a tiny book that I believe the world needs to read, that schools need to adopt into their curriculum. Maybe then, there would be less hatred and more understanding.
There were moments have tears, joy, inspiration, hope, and love. There were moments of sadness, despair, and loneliness. That fear of death and the fear of life. It was all here in a tiny book that I believe the world needs to read, that schools need to adopt into their curriculum. Maybe then, there would be less hatred and more understanding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Mental illness, Self harm, and Eating disorder
Minor: Death, Racism, and Outing
james1star's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
TW: this book mentions details of homophobia, assault, hate crime, mental health, suicide, AIDS, and more but I feel it is an essential read.
Please read this book. No matter who you are, your sexuality, gender, whatever. This is such an amazing book that says all it needs to say in 240 pages - it doesn’t need any more or be broken down to less, it is perfect. Two boys kissing flows so amazingly, I could had easily read it all in one sitting. But alas, I did need some breaks as IT BROKE ME. I have never cried this much at a book before and will take a lot to overcome it.
The storyline follows 8 boys who identify as gay over the course of 3 days, their stories interlock but are primarily separated. The first is Harry and Craig - ex-boyfriends who are outside their high school and attempting to beat the world record for the longest kiss, they have many reasons but the initial idea is to make people see two boys kissing in the mainstream as a pseudo-revenge for an attack on our next character Tariq who has since helped plan the kiss. The next couple is Peter and Neil - they have been in a relationship for over a year and basically follows their expression of love and emotions and then become aware of the kiss and how the media coverage is impacting them. Then there’s Avery and Ryan - they met the night before at a gay prom in Ryan’s hometown and share numbers, Avery (who is transgender) then drives over for two consecutive dates and follows their revelations to each other and the growth of a bond. Finally is Cooper - he is (for lack of a better word) a loner, he’s no real friends and has taken to gay sex apps and websites to have conversations, he mistakenly falls asleep with a page open and is outed to his dad and mum who take it badly so he drives away and we follow his journey and thoughts.
On top of these stories - which are far more then I’ve described and the book delves far deeper into their thoughts, feelings, past events, lives and much more - the narrator plays a crucial role. He is meant to represent the gay men who came before (referring to themselves as both I and we) and describes what is happening in the present day stories but with outside insight often providing additional inner dialogues the characters are having but not saying. They also share personal stories and snippets of information, their thoughts and feelings, inner monologues and this is just so amazing.
Before I started this book, I was really in the mood for a queer romance-type story but this was not it. There are certainly romantic and lovey-dovey elements which make your heart sing, but my oh my did I cry. Not all my tears were sadness (a lot… but not all) with most being a whole mix of emotions: sadness, happiness, hope, dread, fear, regret, love in a parental sense and so many more. I could be grinning from ear to ear one minute then balling my eyes out two sentences over. And a book that can have such an impact on you is truly a marvel to behold. I could feel and relate to so many of the character’s plots, what they were thinking and feeling, the things the narrator was stating. Amazing! I cannot really say more about this exquisite piece of literature, please I beg of you to read it - if you’re gay you will relate and it’ll really impact you, if you’re not I hope you will understand better the lives of gay people and how hurtful words and actions can be.
Thank you David, thank you so so much. I loved this book, it broke me but I really adored it and will certainly be going back.
Also… how could I forget the quotes!!! There are so many perfectly penned quotes and phrases that I constantly needed my phone next to me to write them down. For example:
- Ignorance is not bliss. Bliss is knowing the full meaning of what you have been given
- If you put enough closets together, you have enough space for a room
- This is the power of a kiss: It does not have the power to kill you. But it has the power to bring you life
- He doesn’t see it as defining him. It is just a part of his definition
- Appropriate. The word is a well dressed cage, used to capture the truth and hang it in a room that no one ventured into
There are so many more amazing quotes and information in this book but here’s my faves
Please read this book. No matter who you are, your sexuality, gender, whatever. This is such an amazing book that says all it needs to say in 240 pages - it doesn’t need any more or be broken down to less, it is perfect. Two boys kissing flows so amazingly, I could had easily read it all in one sitting. But alas, I did need some breaks as IT BROKE ME. I have never cried this much at a book before and will take a lot to overcome it.
The storyline follows 8 boys who identify as gay over the course of 3 days, their stories interlock but are primarily separated. The first is Harry and Craig - ex-boyfriends who are outside their high school and attempting to beat the world record for the longest kiss, they have many reasons but the initial idea is to make people see two boys kissing in the mainstream as a pseudo-revenge for an attack on our next character Tariq who has since helped plan the kiss. The next couple is Peter and Neil - they have been in a relationship for over a year and basically follows their expression of love and emotions and then become aware of the kiss and how the media coverage is impacting them. Then there’s Avery and Ryan - they met the night before at a gay prom in Ryan’s hometown and share numbers, Avery (who is transgender) then drives over for two consecutive dates and follows their revelations to each other and the growth of a bond. Finally is Cooper - he is (for lack of a better word) a loner, he’s no real friends and has taken to gay sex apps and websites to have conversations, he mistakenly falls asleep with a page open and is outed to his dad and mum who take it badly so he drives away and we follow his journey and thoughts.
On top of these stories - which are far more then I’ve described and the book delves far deeper into their thoughts, feelings, past events, lives and much more - the narrator plays a crucial role. He is meant to represent the gay men who came before (referring to themselves as both I and we) and describes what is happening in the present day stories but with outside insight often providing additional inner dialogues the characters are having but not saying. They also share personal stories and snippets of information, their thoughts and feelings, inner monologues and this is just so amazing.
Before I started this book, I was really in the mood for a queer romance-type story but this was not it. There are certainly romantic and lovey-dovey elements which make your heart sing, but my oh my did I cry. Not all my tears were sadness (a lot… but not all) with most being a whole mix of emotions: sadness, happiness, hope, dread, fear, regret, love in a parental sense and so many more. I could be grinning from ear to ear one minute then balling my eyes out two sentences over. And a book that can have such an impact on you is truly a marvel to behold. I could feel and relate to so many of the character’s plots, what they were thinking and feeling, the things the narrator was stating. Amazing! I cannot really say more about this exquisite piece of literature, please I beg of you to read it - if you’re gay you will relate and it’ll really impact you, if you’re not I hope you will understand better the lives of gay people and how hurtful words and actions can be.
Thank you David, thank you so so much. I loved this book, it broke me but I really adored it and will certainly be going back.
Also… how could I forget the quotes!!! There are so many perfectly penned quotes and phrases that I constantly needed my phone next to me to write them down. For example:
- Ignorance is not bliss. Bliss is knowing the full meaning of what you have been given
- If you put enough closets together, you have enough space for a room
- This is the power of a kiss: It does not have the power to kill you. But it has the power to bring you life
- He doesn’t see it as defining him. It is just a part of his definition
- Appropriate. The word is a well dressed cage, used to capture the truth and hang it in a room that no one ventured into
There are so many more amazing quotes and information in this book but here’s my faves
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
jaymoran's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Self harm and Eating disorder
alyxferguson's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Abandonment
Minor: Self harm
slimywyrm's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
GODDDDD I CRIED. Such a beautiful and unique book from Levithan. Explores the hopes and dreams of the queer community during the AIDS crisis manifesting in modern queer teens. Bonus points for trans character! Very not plot-centric and very emotional/exploratory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Minor: Self harm
my_weird_bookish_heart's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia
Moderate: Eating disorder and Body horror
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