Tuesday 24 May 2016

Review Time! (Yay!) - Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Title: Boy Meets Boy

Author: David Levithan

Genre: YA, LGBTQ+ and Drag Queen, Contemporary, Romance (M/M)

Amazon: UK - USA




A few starting notes:


This was on 'My Contemporary YA TBR.' I honestly can't remember why I put it on there, or how I heard about it in the first place. But there you have it! ;)

Anyhow, I decided to give this and shot and hope for the best. Which I did. And I really enjoyed it!





Premise:


It's a variation on an old theme; boy meets boy, boy falls in love... etc.

Paul might have a shot with Noah. But everything seems determined to get in the way.

Between friend-drama and ex-boyfriends, will Paul get his man?





Best bits:


'Boy Meets Boy' is like a rom-com in book form. Only without the things I hate about rom-coms, and with the things that I actually like about rom-coms.

This is sweet without being too smushy, quirky without being over the top. And it made me smile. A lot.

The 'minor characters' are complex.








COMPLEX CHARACTERS ALL THE WAY THROUGH. WOOOO!!! (Sorry, I'll calm down.)

I adore Infinite Darlene - the school's quarterback and Homecoming Queen.

(A quarterback is like the star? Right? Like a top striker in football (soccer)? Hope I've got that right. I also assume that a Homecoming Queen is of some importance? Going by what I've gathered from American TV, that is.)

Darlene is witty, bouncy, and takes no b**lsh**. Therefore, she rocks and should've been given more page-time (like screen-time, only, y'know, on pages...)

And the icky-sticky 'please let this work; what if it doesn't work?' -ness of the plot is fab.



A simple plot executed with real feeling, and no insta-love - what more can I ask for, really?

A special mention has to be made of the wacky, quirky, and wonderful town - so well-developed, and with so much random and fun detail in throw-away comments. :)





Not so great bits:


More Infinite Darlene, PLEASE!!!!!!

Right, now that we've got that dealt with, down to business:

There's some swearing (including one use of 'f****t,') and the vaguest of vague references to sex.

Doesn't bother me at all, but some people dislike such accoutrements (I'm in such a random mood today... sorry.)

In terms of issues which are potentially distressing, we've got: some homophobia from family members, friendship issues, and relationship issues (including obsessiveness in places.)









My main issue - and this really is nit-picking, but it so bugged me - is I kept changing my mind over whether to pronounce 'Joni' like Johnny or like Joanie. It's probably meant to be something else entirely.

I also felt like there was an undertone of 'everyone has to be paired off to be happy' in some places. Which is irritating and untrue.





Verdict:


This book was fun, fresh, and well-worth the read.

I enjoyed its quirkiness, and the characters were complex and largely likeable.

And Infinite Darlene rules. :)










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4 comments:

  1. I really want to read this as an easy to get through contemporary! I really love those light hearted LGBT books, which I think Levithan does really well judging by his other books. YAY FOR COMPLEX CHARACTERS!

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    Replies
    1. I haven't read any of his other books (*goes onto goodreads* *is lost for all time*) :)

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  2. I'm glad you could enjoy this book. It sounds like an incredibly sweet read and that the romance was done incredibly well. But it does sound a little bit too mushy so I know I will have to be in the mood if I am going to pick this one up.

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    Replies
    1. I didn't find it too mushy, and I dislike the mush - so it can't be too bad ;)

      It is light-hearted though, so not one for if you're in the mood for something to get your teeth into.

      Delete

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