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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Although I was disappointed by the ended, I loved the book.
I cant exactly relate to Rafe, but I can understand him wanting to live life without his label. I can also see how easy it would be to backfire on him.
Would have liked to see more of ben at the end, but I guess I'll just have to imagine it.
I cant exactly relate to Rafe, but I can understand him wanting to live life without his label. I can also see how easy it would be to backfire on him.
Would have liked to see more of ben at the end, but I guess I'll just have to imagine it.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books
Well, this was another great, quick read! This is only my fourth LGBT book, but so far, all four have been great. That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? But there’s also no other genre that gets me so worked up as this one. Is that a bad thing? No, it just means that I’m kind of sensitive about this particular topic. Openly Straight was a pretty light and fun read and I enjoyed it quite a lot!
Openly Straight is about Rafe. Rafe has been out of the closet since eight grade, he loves sports and likes to write. He isn’t teased and he goes to other high schools to talk about tolerance and while that’s important, Rafe is starting to feel like that’s all he is. That gay guy. So he transfers to an all-boys’ boarding school far away and decides to keep the fact that he’s gay a secret. He makes new friends and meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And he meets Ben. And falls for him. And suddenly things are not that simple anymore.
Like I said, this was a quick and fun read! I really liked Rafe as a character. I could really connect to him. He has trouble fitting in and figuring out who he is and if he’s more than just ‘that gay guy’. And even though I’m not sure it was the best idea, I understood why he transferred to another school to start over. I get it. I’d probably want the same thing if I were him. And I enjoyed going through all this with him. The author did make it very realistic. It’s sad, but even though it’s better now than ten years ago, being gay still isn’t normal. And some people still don’t accept it, even when they are gay themselves. It’s sad, but that’s how the world is.
I loved Rafe’s parents. They were awesome. It’s so nice to read about supportive parents. Yeah maybe they were a bit too supportive, but they were so much fun and I’d love to have them as my parents. I loved Claire Olivia, Rafe’s best friend, too, but I didn’t see that much of her. I did like Albie, Rafe’s roommate, and his friend Toby. They were a fun duo and I found myself liking Rafe a lot more when he was with them. Ben… I have mixed feelings about him. Why? You’ll have to read the book to understand. I just can’t decide whether I like him or not. And I also liked the side story about Bryce! It was sad, but I liked it.
Throughout the book are pieces of Rafe telling about his past life in his hometown, Boulder and what it was like when he came out and all that. It was an assignment for a teacher. He has to write about himself in a journal and I really liked those short segments. I got to know Rafe a bit better because of them and I like the teacher’s notes that came with them too! I just think that was cool and smart of the author because it made me, as a reader, connect to Rafe that much more. And it made me understand why he decided to go through all this trouble. There’s only one tiny bad thing and that’s that I found this book to be a little slow at times. I never got bored, but I just wanted things to move on already.
In the end, I’d say Openly Straight is a fun, honest book about friendship, being yourself, coming out (again) and being in love. I’d recommend it to everyone who likes Young Adult Contemporary books, but I know the LGBT part isn’t for everyone, so. If that’s not for you, that’s fine, but I wouldn’t recommend this book to you.
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:
No
It’s really light and fun, I’d say one of the best book I’ve read in 2023☺️☺️☺️
BUT WE NEED A DEFINITE ENDING DEAR AUTHOR
BUT WE NEED A DEFINITE ENDING DEAR AUTHOR
Solo diré que posiblemente mi peor lectura del año. Y es que aunque este libro está escrito en 2013, hay muchas cosas mal.
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Brilliantly written! I enjoyed everything about this book.
I did the audio version and it was perfect. I loved the characters, the story, and how it flowed. I have the next book in this series, so I borrowed this one to read on order. I will seek out this author for more.
I did the audio version and it was perfect. I loved the characters, the story, and how it flowed. I have the next book in this series, so I borrowed this one to read on order. I will seek out this author for more.