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jessicalistr's review
2.0
High school senior Will Caynes has a messy relationship status. Will is addicted to having sex with his new girlfriend Brandy, but also enjoys kissing his best guy friend Angus. While with Angus, Will wonders if he might be gay. But with Brandy, he's convinced that he's straight. Will's confusion doesn't end with his sexual orientation, though. He's also trying to navigate through his divorced parents custody and living arrangements in the midst of splitting time between his alcoholic father and a mother who has settled down and started a new family. This novel attempts to explain Will's sexual confusion and help him find a sense of belonging despite his messy family situation, but the attempt falls flat. While some teens may relate to Will's confusion on bisexuality, most will find the story to be bleak and dull. Ripe with sexual content, recreational drug use, alcohol use depicted in both teens and adults, and occasional profanity, this book is aimed at mature teens. Due to the discouraging and overall negative themes of the novel, I would not recommend this to teens or young adults.
sassyykassie's review
4.0
This book is the realest representation of high school romance & LUST I have ever read. And I love that on top of that fact it included a plotline where the character is likely bisexual.
I personally loved reading the author's note after where Carrie writes, "I don't know what Will's identity is. Even if I did know, I think it's more interesting for a reader to contemplate what he is and what he might be than for me to label him with certainty. What I do know is that we need to work for a world where it is easier for kids like him."
I also want to point out that although there is definitely a focus on sex and relationships in high school, there is also a very important, crucial, and amazingly written plot line of Will's divorced family unit and everything that comes along with having divorced parents. I loved that part of this book just as much as I loved the (hot hot hot) sex scenes in it.
**this book definitely has mature content. If that's not your thing don't read it. But let's be clear: that doesn't make it a bad book.
(I WILL BE DOING A SPOILER FREE REVIEW ON MY CHANNEL SOON)
I personally loved reading the author's note after where Carrie writes, "I don't know what Will's identity is. Even if I did know, I think it's more interesting for a reader to contemplate what he is and what he might be than for me to label him with certainty. What I do know is that we need to work for a world where it is easier for kids like him."
I also want to point out that although there is definitely a focus on sex and relationships in high school, there is also a very important, crucial, and amazingly written plot line of Will's divorced family unit and everything that comes along with having divorced parents. I loved that part of this book just as much as I loved the (hot hot hot) sex scenes in it.
**this book definitely has mature content. If that's not your thing don't read it. But let's be clear: that doesn't make it a bad book.
(I WILL BE DOING A SPOILER FREE REVIEW ON MY CHANNEL SOON)
kielirose's review
5.0
I wish I could give this book a 6 star rating!
this book really gives you a deeper meaning into sexuality and how hard it is to come to terms with who you truly are
this book really gives you a deeper meaning into sexuality and how hard it is to come to terms with who you truly are
megatsunami's review
3.0
This book left me with all the feels.
Oh jeez, what a 2010's thing to say. How did I end up in this decade?
But anyway. I couldn't put it down. Even though there was a little too much descriptive detail (what size was that Diet Coke again? and what aisle at Target did you get it from? and how much did you pay for it?), there were also some really lovely passages. I was drawn in by the characters (Angus! I love him) and I liked that the adults in this book had a range of reactions to the main character's dilemmas, all of which seemed realistic to me (i.e. not a caricature of adultiness).
Then I got to the end and was like WHY THE F*%& IS THERE ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT BISEXUAL PERSON THAT DOESN'T USE THE WORD BISEXUAL? And then I got to the author's note, which says that she did it on purpose because it's about bisexual erasure, and okay, but the thing is, since bisexual erasure is such a thing, did we need another novel that replicates it?
And then the ending. WTF. Besides being rushed, it just, okay, look:
In conclusion: this book should really be followed with a chaser of Alex Sanchez's "Boyfriends with Girlfriends" to restore your faith in the word BISEXUAL and the clarity of the narrative arc. (And if that's too happy-ending for you, "Openly Straight" by Bill Konigsberg is also about sexuality and honesty and will break your heart beautifully.)
Oh jeez, what a 2010's thing to say. How did I end up in this decade?
But anyway. I couldn't put it down. Even though there was a little too much descriptive detail (what size was that Diet Coke again? and what aisle at Target did you get it from? and how much did you pay for it?), there were also some really lovely passages. I was drawn in by the characters (Angus! I love him) and I liked that the adults in this book had a range of reactions to the main character's dilemmas, all of which seemed realistic to me (i.e. not a caricature of adultiness).
Then I got to the end and was like WHY THE F*%& IS THERE ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT BISEXUAL PERSON THAT DOESN'T USE THE WORD BISEXUAL? And then I got to the author's note, which says that she did it on purpose because it's about bisexual erasure, and okay, but the thing is, since bisexual erasure is such a thing, did we need another novel that replicates it?
And then the ending. WTF. Besides being rushed, it just, okay, look:
Spoiler
I don't need every ending to wrap things up perfectly. But this is a novel in which one of the central conflicts is that the main character is having sex with two people and hiding this fact from one of them. So - just in case anyone missed Storytelling 101 - in order for the character to develop, this has to get worked out in some way. Just the character being like "This is gonna work out some way" is not satisfying.In conclusion: this book should really be followed with a chaser of Alex Sanchez's "Boyfriends with Girlfriends" to restore your faith in the word BISEXUAL and the clarity of the narrative arc. (And if that's too happy-ending for you, "Openly Straight" by Bill Konigsberg is also about sexuality and honesty and will break your heart beautifully.)
bookswithlukas's review
2.0
I can't believe I'm about to complain about a YA book not focusing enough on the love triangle.
I'd heard about this book floating around ever since it was announced and I read the blurb on goodreads. I sort of have a soft spot for LGBT YA, I mean I know i'm not it's target audience anymore and the stories are usually overly cliche and tend to end on the cheesy side, but I can't help it, once I start one, I get involved. This one interested me from the start because it tells the story of Will, a guy who drunkenly kisses his gay best friend, and then kisses a girl called Brandy, he then decides he loves them both, and proceeds to string them both along. The idea of a bisexual love triangle was, at least to me, a new and interesting idea, but you find it's only a small part of the novel.
The novel primarily deals with and focuses on Will's home life, specifically the state of his parent's relationship after their divorce, and while interesting at first, it soon turns to the melodramatic and overly angsty side of things and I found myself skimming entire sections because a lot of drama just gets repeated. It feels like you're reading the same argument over and over again, or the same proclamation of how much his father drinks, yes it's sad, but the author fails to engage us in an interesting way and it feels like a background story that gets given way to much page time.
The more interesting aspect of the novel is the bisexual love triangle, but even this is not without it's faults. The novel almost starts with a literal bang as Will and his gay friend Angus get high in a park and Will ends up engaging in his first kiss with a guy he's never really thought about sexually before. I thought the beginning of the novel was well done and dealt with Will's confusion in a realistic manner. Even after Will begins to date a girl Brandy, it feels realistic and Brandy as a whole is a fleshed out character. The problem however (and there are a few spoilers here) is that Will decides pretty early on that he's actually in love with Angus and you can tell that's where he will eventually end up...but Brandy ends up being more of a prominent character, meaning that we don't quite understand the love Will has. It also makes us disassociate from Will emotionally as he openly admits to being a cheater and not wanting to make a decision between the two. I feel like after Will decided who he wanted, the rest of the novel truly dragged to it's conclusion, there was too much emotional drama (potential teenage pregnancy? The awkward coming out?) that wasn't particularly needed for the story.
Then there's the ending. I was thinking of giving this book 2.5 stars or maybe even a three as I really did enjoy the writing style, and hell, I read it in one sitting, but the ending seems to me to be the biggest non-ending in all of the books I've read this year. The story is about a LOVE TRIANGLE. It NEEDS a conclusion. In the end, it just felt like a glimpse into these characters lives that was too long/not long enough. It needed more resolution and if it had that, my score maybe higher. As it is though, two stars is as good as it's getting for this one.
I'd heard about this book floating around ever since it was announced and I read the blurb on goodreads. I sort of have a soft spot for LGBT YA, I mean I know i'm not it's target audience anymore and the stories are usually overly cliche and tend to end on the cheesy side, but I can't help it, once I start one, I get involved. This one interested me from the start because it tells the story of Will, a guy who drunkenly kisses his gay best friend, and then kisses a girl called Brandy, he then decides he loves them both, and proceeds to string them both along. The idea of a bisexual love triangle was, at least to me, a new and interesting idea, but you find it's only a small part of the novel.
The novel primarily deals with and focuses on Will's home life, specifically the state of his parent's relationship after their divorce, and while interesting at first, it soon turns to the melodramatic and overly angsty side of things and I found myself skimming entire sections because a lot of drama just gets repeated. It feels like you're reading the same argument over and over again, or the same proclamation of how much his father drinks, yes it's sad, but the author fails to engage us in an interesting way and it feels like a background story that gets given way to much page time.
The more interesting aspect of the novel is the bisexual love triangle, but even this is not without it's faults. The novel almost starts with a literal bang as Will and his gay friend Angus get high in a park and Will ends up engaging in his first kiss with a guy he's never really thought about sexually before. I thought the beginning of the novel was well done and dealt with Will's confusion in a realistic manner. Even after Will begins to date a girl Brandy, it feels realistic and Brandy as a whole is a fleshed out character. The problem however (and there are a few spoilers here) is that Will decides pretty early on that he's actually in love with Angus and you can tell that's where he will eventually end up...but Brandy ends up being more of a prominent character, meaning that we don't quite understand the love Will has. It also makes us disassociate from Will emotionally as he openly admits to being a cheater and not wanting to make a decision between the two. I feel like after Will decided who he wanted, the rest of the novel truly dragged to it's conclusion, there was too much emotional drama (potential teenage pregnancy? The awkward coming out?) that wasn't particularly needed for the story.
Then there's the ending. I was thinking of giving this book 2.5 stars or maybe even a three as I really did enjoy the writing style, and hell, I read it in one sitting, but the ending seems to me to be the biggest non-ending in all of the books I've read this year. The story is about a LOVE TRIANGLE. It NEEDS a conclusion. In the end, it just felt like a glimpse into these characters lives that was too long/not long enough. It needed more resolution and if it had that, my score maybe higher. As it is though, two stars is as good as it's getting for this one.
scrollsofdragons's review
3.0
I was loving this book until the end, the end annoyed me, I mean, that's it? I can accept it being left up in the air over what he is going to do about Brandy and Angus (because I want to believe that him and Angus are forever and they get to live together and be fathers because damm that babysitting scene) but everything was left up in the air and we get zero resolution and I'm not happy about that.
But apart from that, adoration. I love Carrie Mestrobian's novels because she doesn't demoralise teens and it's crude and realistic and you get such beautiful moments alongside all the realistic shit. And we had sex scenes, no fade to black shit going on here.
My only complaints about her books is that they seem to always be left open ended and the boy narrators are a little too much thinking about their dicks then is normal.
Angus and Will, I love them together, it's just is so right. Every time Angus was in the novel, my heart just bled for him. I also very liked Will, I know people have their problems with him but man, I connected with him instantly, there's just something about him that I can't help but like.
It's just a shame about the ending because this could have been an amazing book.
Update-I forgot how much the ending pissed me off. Like there's open endings and then there's missing chapters, so many chapters. What kind of editor thought it was okay to have a book ending there? It's like not a whole book because so much is left out.
But apart from that, adoration. I love Carrie Mestrobian's novels because she doesn't demoralise teens and it's crude and realistic and you get such beautiful moments alongside all the realistic shit. And we had sex scenes, no fade to black shit going on here.
My only complaints about her books is that they seem to always be left open ended and the boy narrators are a little too much thinking about their dicks then is normal.
Angus and Will, I love them together, it's just is so right. Every time Angus was in the novel, my heart just bled for him. I also very liked Will, I know people have their problems with him but man, I connected with him instantly, there's just something about him that I can't help but like.
It's just a shame about the ending because this could have been an amazing book.
Update-I forgot how much the ending pissed me off. Like there's open endings and then there's missing chapters, so many chapters. What kind of editor thought it was okay to have a book ending there? It's like not a whole book because so much is left out.