Reviews with content warning for Outing - Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

Reviews tagging 'Outing'

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

3 reviews

sophiesmallhands's review

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

4.25

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hobbithopeful's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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

I have two great loves in this world; video games, and books. When I saw this book in the library I knew that I had to read it, and I am so glad I did! Noah is a self identified "gaymer", he loves nothing more then staying in his room all day playing computer RPG games with his online friend (and only confidant) Magepants69. Internet safety is very important and so all they really know about each other are that they are both gay, love cat videos, and computer games. Noah is half in love with Magepants69 and fantasizes about meeting him one day and having an epic love story. Magepants69 lets slip one day that he "just got back from rehearsals" serendipitously aligning with the fact that Noah's musical Mother has been hounding him about joining in on a show she is in. (They are in need of more male dancers!) While being onstage is the absolute least fun activity Noah would ever want to participate in, he knows he has to do it for a chance to meet his online love in real life. If only it were that simple as he quickly realizes he is in over his head, and becomes entangled in a web of lies. How do you tell your new found crush and maybe boyfriend that you are actually also his online best friend? (Who has been giving advice about his new crush!)
Messy characters always make me want to tear my hair out, but they are so endearing I couldn't help but root for Noah and his quest for love. Readers should note there is a lot of bullying in this, and our intrepid main character has an incredibly rough time at school. (Seriously y'all. It was difficult to read at times) An absentee Father, a sister off at school, and a Mother more focused on her fame then her son, add to the troubles on our poor main characters shoulders.
At its heart this is a story about love, theater, and the importance of being honest with yourself and others. I can't wait to read more from the author!
The Cover
I positively adore the cover! Noah and Magepants69 (I'll avoid his name, because spoilers!) are facing each other, with health bars next to their faces. You can immediately tell this book is about video games from the headphones they both wear, the pixeled font, and the little theater video game scene below them. This is probably one of my favorite covers this year! It perfectly conveys the topics and subjects the story deals with, while being modern. The symbolism you get from the characters avatars being on stage with spotlights facing an audience, while their real life personas are above them. *chefs kiss* It is almost like the cover is saying we are all putting on a persona, or life is a stage. (Either way I love it!)
Cover design by Kylie Alexander
Illustration by Ryan Johnson

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beautifulpaxielreads's review

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have a couple of confessions to make.

I'm a total musical theatre nerd. Which was part of the reason I picked up Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell.
When a book is as fast-paced and easy to read as this one is, I tend to dive in headfirst, ripping through 100 pages in one sitting, losing track of time completely. It's a really bad habit of mine and I need to stop doing it, because I always, always regret that I didn't take the time to fully absorb what I was reading. And that's in part what happened here.

If you've read the blurb for this book, you would know that a large part of the plot involves deception. Our MC, Noah, joins his mother's community theatre production of Chicago because he finds out that his online gaming buddy and massive crush - who he only knows as an avatar on the screen - is in the cast of said production. Noah, who spends most of his time gaming and has no other social life, plans to meet the guy he's fallen for, make the guy fall for him, and then - only then - tell him the truth.

Unfortunately for me, this deception affected my enjoyment of much of this novel, as I felt like I was holding my breath the whole time, waiting for that moment of truth to come.

Now you might look at this review, look at the star rating I gave it, and wonder why I'm being so negative. That's because, in spite of this plot device, this is actually really well-written. Tobias Madden captures exactly the awkwardness of adolescence - the body image issues, the self-esteem, the hormones, and the pressure you feel from peers and family members. It's all there, all in excruciating detail (maybe too much detail, at times). It also really captures the camaraderie of musical theatre folk and the hard work that goes into making a successful production.

I also felt that the climax and ending of this book went some way towards redeeming the issues I had with it. Madden clearly does not condone Noah's deceptive behaviour, and expresses this view through

the character of Eli, Noah's aforementioned crush, who tells Noah in no uncertain terms why what he did was wrong, which Noah accepts with grace and regret

. I also liked how you can see at the very end that

Eli has not yet fully forgiven Noah, and will probably take some time to do so

. That felt more realistic to what would happen in real life, which I appreciated.

All in all, a well-written novel with some flaws, and I'm glad I read it.

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