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jaysereads's review
5.0
O H… M A I… G A W D!
New favourite book alert! Tobias just gets it, he knows how to wriiiiiite and write he did.
I am now in love with Noah and Eli. This showmance took us on a roller coaster of emotions (yes I cried shush). There’s a number of things happening in Noah’s life all of which were important to the story and I just wanted to know what was going on.
I had an inkling the whole way through about one of them!!
If you’re looking for a cute as heck read that will occupy your thoughts whenever you’re away from the book, this is it!
Congrats Tobias!!
Thank you penguin for the copy of the book.
New favourite book alert! Tobias just gets it, he knows how to wriiiiiite and write he did.
I am now in love with Noah and Eli. This showmance took us on a roller coaster of emotions (yes I cried shush). There’s a number of things happening in Noah’s life all of which were important to the story and I just wanted to know what was going on.
I had an inkling the whole way through about one of them!!
If you’re looking for a cute as heck read that will occupy your thoughts whenever you’re away from the book, this is it!
Congrats Tobias!!
Thank you penguin for the copy of the book.
shelvesofsecrets's review against another edition
4.0
You know you're old when you relate more to the parent than the teenage protagonist. But cute. And uncomfortable.
indiekay's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
There were a few points in this story where I was tempted to DNF this. I was really worried it'd end up in the "oh God I hated this main character so much" pile next to Jay's Gay Agenda. LUCKILY I Stuck through with this one, and I absolutely loved how the book ended.
So, Noah lies A LOT during this book. It was really frustrating, because there were a lot of points where saying the truth would have actually been a lot easier than the lies he comes up with. He's also being bullied at school, has no friends other than his sister who lives in another part of the country, and his parents fucking suck. His mother is selfish and self-centred, and his father is absent.
I found the bullying, loneliness and bad parenting that Noah deals with incredibly upsetting at times. It really made me feel frustrated and hopeless and I wanted to DNF it just because of that sometimes. I'm glad the author at least gave him his sister, who was really supportive and loving to him throughout the entire book.
By the end of the book, we find out more about why Noah decided to lie so much, and the resolutions to the other things I mentioned are really satisfying. I also enjoyed the realistic open ending to the romance aspect of this book.
There were a few points in this story where I was tempted to DNF this. I was really worried it'd end up in the "oh God I hated this main character so much" pile next to Jay's Gay Agenda. LUCKILY I Stuck through with this one, and I absolutely loved how the book ended.
So, Noah lies A LOT during this book. It was really frustrating, because there were a lot of points where saying the truth would have actually been a lot easier than the lies he comes up with. He's also being bullied at school, has no friends other than his sister who lives in another part of the country, and his parents fucking suck. His mother is selfish and self-centred, and his father is absent.
I found the bullying, loneliness and bad parenting that Noah deals with incredibly upsetting at times. It really made me feel frustrated and hopeless and I wanted to DNF it just because of that sometimes. I'm glad the author at least gave him his sister, who was really supportive and loving to him throughout the entire book.
By the end of the book, we find out more about why Noah decided to lie so much, and the resolutions to the other things I mentioned are really satisfying. I also enjoyed the realistic open ending to the romance aspect of this book.
taegen's review
3.0
Dammit I really wanted to love this. It was good and I mostly enjoyed it but it was just SO dramatic (and not because of the theatre). There was just always something "crazy" happening and it was a little exhausting.
Also, the big reveal of the big secret of "what went down 3 yrs ago" was a major let down and a perfect example of the drama.
On the plus side, a lot of big topics are covered in an open and transparent way which I think is super important for the young adult audience the author is targeting.
Oh and gaming. They are gaymers
Also, the big reveal of the big secret of "what went down 3 yrs ago" was a major let down and a perfect example of the drama.
On the plus side, a lot of big topics are covered in an open and transparent way which I think is super important for the young adult audience the author is targeting.
Oh and gaming. They are gaymers
abbyjean's review
5.0
Y’all are not ready for this book. THE SQUEE FACTOR IS OFF THE CHARTS!!!! The way Tobias can weave a story is second to none. Beyond excited to see what he writes next, but my god. Take a Bow Noah Mitchell is brilliant. Chookas!
nietnoah's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my god this book was so incredibly cute! If you are a Simon James Green fan like me (!!!) you will LOVE this book!!!
It’s the perfect gay YA romance in my opinion. Multiple storylines going on, angsty as HELL, cute main characters and polttwists that weren’t necessarily unpredictable but were still perfectly written. A solid 5 stars for me. I listened to the audio book and it was such a great experience. I am going to miss these characters :(
It’s the perfect gay YA romance in my opinion. Multiple storylines going on, angsty as HELL, cute main characters and polttwists that weren’t necessarily unpredictable but were still perfectly written. A solid 5 stars for me. I listened to the audio book and it was such a great experience. I am going to miss these characters :(
vardaman's review
emotional
funny
tense
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
4.0
It is so disingenuous to call this book a rom-com when the dominant feeling you will experience throughout the book is suspense. This book is basically thriller where all of the intrigue and tension comes from the main character making the worst possible choices at every opportunity he has. If you do not like stories where the plot would be resolved by a person making a reasonable choice, you will not make it through this book.
readingwithmelodie's review
4.0
I FINALLY FINISHED THIS AND I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY I WAITED SO LONG. solid 4.5, overall I really enjoyed it, but the ending could have probably been fleshed out a bit more. I might come back to the rating soon, because I also finished Evelyn Hugo tonight, which is a very different kind of story and writing (aka since this is YA of course it’s going to be a simpler story)
firstly, a massive thank you for the penguin aus team for sending over this arc for an honest review!
okay I’m a bit hazy on the first half about this book, but here’s what I loved about it:
- set in Australia and a school story!
- queer romcom and SO much cuteness!
- dramaaa
- MUSICAL THEATRE
okay I’m going to go into spoiler territory below just to get some thoughts out
- noah and alex is just so pure, best bromance ever!
- god all that bullying INFURIATED me. I think I’m more matter of fact than noah because god I don’t know he didn’t tell anyone, or realise what he did isn’t even that bad?
- and the LYING arghhhh. it’s different reading it from the POV of a younger teen because I’m a massive thinker, HOW does Noah not have like 50 backup plans to protect his secret (I mean that wouldn’t make a fun book buuut). like I like how he’s anxious and imperfect, but it sometimes gets to the point where it just gets arghhh
- charly is the best type of big sister and I want a charly too
OH AND THE ENDING WAS FAR TOO SHORT I NEED MORE PLS. I honestly think this book gives *needs a sequel* vibes. or just a longer ending since a lot of it felt rushed.
I KNOW THIS SOUNDS NEGATIVE BUT I GENUINELY DID ENJOY THIS BOOK just since I read mostly the last 30% today I just experienced the bulk of the twisty bits and ending which is my lesser favourite part of the book
firstly, a massive thank you for the penguin aus team for sending over this arc for an honest review!
okay I’m a bit hazy on the first half about this book, but here’s what I loved about it:
- set in Australia and a school story!
- queer romcom and SO much cuteness!
- dramaaa
- MUSICAL THEATRE
okay I’m going to go into spoiler territory below just to get some thoughts out
- noah and alex is just so pure, best bromance ever!
- god all that bullying INFURIATED me. I think I’m more matter of fact than noah because god I don’t know he didn’t tell anyone, or realise what he did isn’t even that bad?
- and the LYING arghhhh. it’s different reading it from the POV of a younger teen because I’m a massive thinker, HOW does Noah not have like 50 backup plans to protect his secret (I mean that wouldn’t make a fun book buuut). like I like how he’s anxious and imperfect, but it sometimes gets to the point where it just gets arghhh
- charly is the best type of big sister and I want a charly too
OH AND THE ENDING WAS FAR TOO SHORT I NEED MORE PLS. I honestly think this book gives *needs a sequel* vibes. or just a longer ending since a lot of it felt rushed.
I KNOW THIS SOUNDS NEGATIVE BUT I GENUINELY DID ENJOY THIS BOOK just since I read mostly the last 30% today I just experienced the bulk of the twisty bits and ending which is my lesser favourite part of the book
literariqueen's review
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
bookswithbre's review against another edition
4.0
This took me quite a long time to get through, but it was such a sweet read. I absolutely loved all of the theatre aspects, as a big theatre nerd myself. A gorgeous book that is worth the read!