From Goodreads:
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
Quirky. Witty. Enjoyable. ‘Boy Meets Boy’ had me gripped from the first page. It was pleasant to dive into a world full of colourful characters, no looming apocalypse, no life threatening enemies, just a rollercoaster ride for your heart.
David Levithan paints characters wonderfully unique, whether they are a part of the main cast or ensemble. It had me paying attention to every word on the page. The same goes for the dialogue – it is a laugh riot at times.
The biggest drawback about this novel for me was that it was a little too gay – in the sense that nearly every character has a touch of Dorothy about them. And I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense, it’s only that it pulled me from the story because of the lack of realism. It lost that contemporary feel. The landscape was very ‘safe.’ Though, this aspect certainly did not detract from my enjoyment and love of the story. Contradictory to that, the setting allowed exploration of sexuality in many forms which would have been impossible in a more realistic setting; and you would have lost that candy-crush-light-hearted-romantic feel of the novel, because you would be faced with some of the more ugly aspects of society and how it deals with difference. Additionally, it mirrors how sub-cultures develop in the wider community, as like gravitates towards like to create their own safe haven.
David’s characters are always so beautifully flawed that you just have to wrap your arms around them with a big hug. I love reading his books and get such a different view of the world from my own.
‘Boy Meets Boy’ is a light read, embracing diversity, positivity and dry humour in one boys journey to find love. A great summertime read, or for a break away from heavier content to lift your spirits.
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Casey Carlisle 