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ellelainey's review against another edition
5.0
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
Jordan vs All the Boys, by John Goode
★★★★★
180 Pages
POV: 1st person, past tense
Loved it. You should read it. It will make you happy.
Everything about this book was brilliant. From the snark, the sarcasm, the teen awkwardness, the geekiness, and the flashbacks it gave me to my own high school years; it had everything a great YA novel should have – with a few swear words and sexy bits thrown in that any 15+ yo could handle.
This was my first book by the author, only because I'm so stupidly behind on my TBR list that it's painful. And I loved everything about it. The writing style, the characterisation, and – though I'm normally not a fan of breaking the 4th wall – even the way that Jordan spoke directly to the reader. I'm not a video game player or a RPG or MMO player, so I know nothing about WoW except what I've read in books, so I loved the snippets where Jordan broke in to explain terms to me. I really needed it, most of the time. I also loved the whole DC vs Marvel argument, the comic book mentions and the very apt Big Bang Theory comparisons.
I was immediately sucked in by Jordan, who had all the snark, geekiness and attitude that I love in an MC. But I also grew to love his friends just as much; Brandon, Ethan, Dominic and Sawyer. They were all brilliant characters. I loved the girls, too, sticking up for womankind and trying to help guide the boys through the navigation of clubbing and dating. I loved that they all grew up and grew closer due to the events of that one summer they spent together. The 'Jesus Jar' was a great twist, and although I saw the twist at the end coming I loved how it was handled even more.
If you want a story that is laugh-out-loud funny, snort-into-your-drink embarrassing, full of teenagers getting into trouble, pushy dating scenes, sarcasm, and oblivious straight friends embarking on dating for the first time, then this is the book for you. It has everything a great YA should have, with a central LGBT character and a journey not just through dating and love, but through friendship. These boys have each other's backs, no matter what.
Jordan vs All the Boys it hits you right in the feels and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
P.S. Make sure you read beyond the Author's Note to get the extra-special Postcredits Scene.
~
Favourite Quotes
“Some guys wrestled, some guys had spitting contests, some guys lifted their shirts and compared their abs… my crew and I, we argued if Captain America was right in Civil War or not.”
“You see junior high guys with girlfriends and you get all jealous because you want someone to watch Stranger Things with and you want someone to play Overwatch with that you can kiss after you win, but if you’re gay, that doesn’t happen very often or at all.”
“as soon as we were done kissing, I made a run back into my cave to kill the beast.
Only this time, I had someone to come with me.
And isn’t that the best part of the adventure?”
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
Jordan vs All the Boys, by John Goode
★★★★★
180 Pages
POV: 1st person, past tense
Loved it. You should read it. It will make you happy.
Everything about this book was brilliant. From the snark, the sarcasm, the teen awkwardness, the geekiness, and the flashbacks it gave me to my own high school years; it had everything a great YA novel should have – with a few swear words and sexy bits thrown in that any 15+ yo could handle.
This was my first book by the author, only because I'm so stupidly behind on my TBR list that it's painful. And I loved everything about it. The writing style, the characterisation, and – though I'm normally not a fan of breaking the 4th wall – even the way that Jordan spoke directly to the reader. I'm not a video game player or a RPG or MMO player, so I know nothing about WoW except what I've read in books, so I loved the snippets where Jordan broke in to explain terms to me. I really needed it, most of the time. I also loved the whole DC vs Marvel argument, the comic book mentions and the very apt Big Bang Theory comparisons.
I was immediately sucked in by Jordan, who had all the snark, geekiness and attitude that I love in an MC. But I also grew to love his friends just as much; Brandon, Ethan, Dominic and Sawyer. They were all brilliant characters. I loved the girls, too, sticking up for womankind and trying to help guide the boys through the navigation of clubbing and dating. I loved that they all grew up and grew closer due to the events of that one summer they spent together. The 'Jesus Jar' was a great twist, and although I saw the twist at the end coming I loved how it was handled even more.
If you want a story that is laugh-out-loud funny, snort-into-your-drink embarrassing, full of teenagers getting into trouble, pushy dating scenes, sarcasm, and oblivious straight friends embarking on dating for the first time, then this is the book for you. It has everything a great YA should have, with a central LGBT character and a journey not just through dating and love, but through friendship. These boys have each other's backs, no matter what.
Jordan vs All the Boys it hits you right in the feels and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
P.S. Make sure you read beyond the Author's Note to get the extra-special Postcredits Scene.
~
Favourite Quotes
“Some guys wrestled, some guys had spitting contests, some guys lifted their shirts and compared their abs… my crew and I, we argued if Captain America was right in Civil War or not.”
“You see junior high guys with girlfriends and you get all jealous because you want someone to watch Stranger Things with and you want someone to play Overwatch with that you can kiss after you win, but if you’re gay, that doesn’t happen very often or at all.”
“as soon as we were done kissing, I made a run back into my cave to kill the beast.
Only this time, I had someone to come with me.
And isn’t that the best part of the adventure?”
kaje_harper's review against another edition
5.0
This was light and nerdy and fun, and yet real. A group of four 16- and 17-year-old boys reach that moment when friends and hanging out and goofing off can't be enough, and they start seriously looking at dating and sex. Jordan is gay and out among his friend group, and they have his back. But still, finding a guy to date is different from finding a girl, and Jordan doesn't have a real clue how to go about it. He's also skipped all the early parts that het guys can have with open crushes and teasing girls and talking about girls and kind of easing into things. Jordan is diving off into the deep end.
He suggests going to a gay dance club, where he can expect most of the guys to be interested in gay relationships without having to worry about approaching a homophobic straight guy, and he promises his friends straight girl sidekicks they can meet there. It's a real-life adventure, for a guy who previously defined adventures by trash mobs of monsters on random pats (patrols) as he and his friends hunted for the main boss in a game. Real life turns out to be messier, more painful, more thrilling, and harder to figure out.
There is fun banter between the characters, and having Jordan break the fourth wall to talk to the reader (something that I usually don't like) worked well here, with his naive voice, his good nature, the nerd quotient, and the thread of coming of age pains and growth that never became angst.
Don't forget to read past the author notes to the after-credits scene too. A fun, warm story with real teen boys, and a sweet ending.
He suggests going to a gay dance club, where he can expect most of the guys to be interested in gay relationships without having to worry about approaching a homophobic straight guy, and he promises his friends straight girl sidekicks they can meet there. It's a real-life adventure, for a guy who previously defined adventures by trash mobs of monsters on random pats (patrols) as he and his friends hunted for the main boss in a game. Real life turns out to be messier, more painful, more thrilling, and harder to figure out.
There is fun banter between the characters, and having Jordan break the fourth wall to talk to the reader (something that I usually don't like) worked well here, with his naive voice, his good nature, the nerd quotient, and the thread of coming of age pains and growth that never became angst.
Don't forget to read past the author notes to the after-credits scene too. A fun, warm story with real teen boys, and a sweet ending.
paulp's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
amyaislin's review
4.0
Loved this! What an absolute gem of a story. It's full of teenage angst and drama, bad decisions and questionable choices, self-doubt and friendship. The heart of this story is really the relationship between the four boys: Jordan, Brandon, Ethan, and Dominic. They're the glue that hold this book together, from page one right until the end, even as Jordan tries to navigate his way through the teenage dating world.
It was funny, sad, poignant, and relevant. Highly recommended!
It was funny, sad, poignant, and relevant. Highly recommended!
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