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wusswoo's review
4.0
This was funny and sweet, heartbreaking and thought provoking and too damn short!
wickedwitchofthewords's review
4.0
There are many things I hate, but it doesn't mean the writing was bad. Nope.
I hated Jenny! Bipolar or not! She was a bitch! & I wouldn't consider her a friend! Not in a million years. She never treated Tye in a good way! & THAT shit that happened to her was no excuse.
I hated Tye's mom! Actually, I hated his family! So dysfunctional! But even though it wasn't all the mom's fault, still, she had no right to come back...
Tye's POV was nice, sassy but also funny. He deserved better, a better family, better friends...
Through Tye's POV & this story I saw a very fucked up world, but Tye stayed strong, & I love him for that...
I hated Jenny! Bipolar or not! She was a bitch! & I wouldn't consider her a friend! Not in a million years. She never treated Tye in a good way! & THAT shit that happened to her was no excuse.
I hated Tye's mom! Actually, I hated his family! So dysfunctional! But even though it wasn't all the mom's fault, still, she had no right to come back...
Tye's POV was nice, sassy but also funny. He deserved better, a better family, better friends...
Through Tye's POV & this story I saw a very fucked up world, but Tye stayed strong, & I love him for that...
emma_srak's review
4.0
I have to start off by saying I really liked this story, this is my first YA story in this genre and I'm glad I waited for the right one.
At first I was thinking that Tyler was a huge drama queen but the more I read the more I wanted to just hug the child. This boy was really spread thin, his best friend was a mess and dealing with her own problems, his parents were both in denial and all he's left with is a boyfriend who's deep in the closet and doesn't want to be seen in public with him and a potential rapist out for his cherry.
Jeez, Tyler's life is a soap opera, but it's his attitude that makes this story so great in the end. He has the basic need to persevere and I loved that about him, no matter what he was going to be who he is.
I liked the ending but I wished for an epilogue, a little something that let me know how he turned out. I look forward to reading other Anthony Paull books.
At first I was thinking that Tyler was a huge drama queen but the more I read the more I wanted to just hug the child. This boy was really spread thin, his best friend was a mess and dealing with her own problems, his parents were both in denial and all he's left with is a boyfriend who's deep in the closet and doesn't want to be seen in public with him and a potential rapist out for his cherry.
Jeez, Tyler's life is a soap opera, but it's his attitude that makes this story so great in the end. He has the basic need to persevere and I loved that about him, no matter what he was going to be who he is.
I liked the ending but I wished for an epilogue, a little something that let me know how he turned out. I look forward to reading other Anthony Paull books.
akjd77's review
4.0
I love young adult LGBT fiction and Anthony Paull has delivered a winner. An engaging main character with a distinct voice, out, proud and not ashamed to show it. At the beginning of the book I found the main character's voice a but too loud but as the character matured and progressed throughout the book his voice did as well and it was nice to see the growth.
Also our lead is not perfect, crushing on a "straight" boy while be pursued by the local bad boy and also dealing with his best friend Jenny's messed up life.
Eagerly awaiting the next book to see how Tyler, Jenny and Billy's tale continues.
Also our lead is not perfect, crushing on a "straight" boy while be pursued by the local bad boy and also dealing with his best friend Jenny's messed up life.
Eagerly awaiting the next book to see how Tyler, Jenny and Billy's tale continues.
colbydcox's review
3.0
After a long break, I sat down and finished this one.
The author sent this one to me on amazon, and I really do hate to give a low review to a book that I got for free.
Honestly, I just had such a hard time connecting with the main character that it made the entire book hard to enjoy.
I am straight, but I have absolutely no problem with gays. I do have a problem with gays making a big deal out of it, as the main character often seemed to in this book.
Maybe this one just wasn't for me.
The author sent this one to me on amazon, and I really do hate to give a low review to a book that I got for free.
Honestly, I just had such a hard time connecting with the main character that it made the entire book hard to enjoy.
I am straight, but I have absolutely no problem with gays. I do have a problem with gays making a big deal out of it, as the main character often seemed to in this book.
Maybe this one just wasn't for me.
janetted's review
4.0
Most of the time on goodreads I rate books but don't write reviews. When I finished this one, I triumphantly marked it four stars in my stamp of approval before moving on to my next read. Then I kept thinking about it. And thinking. I recommended it to Kristy Z and sung its praises, but still I couldn't stop thinking about it. I read it on the recommendation of a new GR friend (thanks, Ashley!), and thought the synopsis sounded interesting. I was expecting an interesting story of a teen struggling to accept his homosexuality, but what I got was so much more.
In the beginning I'll admit that I thought Tyler's behavior was a little stereotypical. I was bordering on irritated by him being so flamboyant and obvious, but I quickly realized that this was necessary. As a reader I needed to understand Tyler's way of thinking and feeling, because there were times when I didn't necessarily agree with his actions or thoughts. Without that understanding I could have written him off as insensitive or uncaring, but Anthony Paull connects you with him in a way that makes you curious as to how it's going to end. It was refreshing to have a MC who is comfortable with his sexual preference. The true struggle for Tyler is how to assert that preference on those around him (family, friends, neighbors) who are close-minded and less accepting. His internal debate over whether or not being gay makes him worthy of true love or if that even exists for guys like him is at times heartbreaking.
While homosexuality is definitely a main theme in this book, it's not the only one. Paull weaves a story that includes sensitive issues like sexual abuse and assault, abandonment, and drugs & alcohol. For me the overall main theme was love. Love in its many forms or in ANY form. Everyone is driven by it, whether they realize it or not. Many times this desperation or depth of feeling had me on the verge of tears, but only once did I actually cry. LOL
I highly recommend this book even if you're someone who doesn't typically read LGBT literature. It's funny, quirky, snarky and thought provoking at the same time. I hope writing this review will help me move on so I can start my next read, but I have a feeling this one's going to stick with me for a long time.
In the beginning I'll admit that I thought Tyler's behavior was a little stereotypical. I was bordering on irritated by him being so flamboyant and obvious, but I quickly realized that this was necessary. As a reader I needed to understand Tyler's way of thinking and feeling, because there were times when I didn't necessarily agree with his actions or thoughts. Without that understanding I could have written him off as insensitive or uncaring, but Anthony Paull connects you with him in a way that makes you curious as to how it's going to end. It was refreshing to have a MC who is comfortable with his sexual preference. The true struggle for Tyler is how to assert that preference on those around him (family, friends, neighbors) who are close-minded and less accepting. His internal debate over whether or not being gay makes him worthy of true love or if that even exists for guys like him is at times heartbreaking.
While homosexuality is definitely a main theme in this book, it's not the only one. Paull weaves a story that includes sensitive issues like sexual abuse and assault, abandonment, and drugs & alcohol. For me the overall main theme was love. Love in its many forms or in ANY form. Everyone is driven by it, whether they realize it or not. Many times this desperation or depth of feeling had me on the verge of tears, but only once did I actually cry. LOL
I highly recommend this book even if you're someone who doesn't typically read LGBT literature. It's funny, quirky, snarky and thought provoking at the same time. I hope writing this review will help me move on so I can start my next read, but I have a feeling this one's going to stick with me for a long time.
kaje_harper's review
5.0
4.5 stars. This is a unique book. At times I felt like I needed a seatbelt to read it. It opens as a somewhat wacky almost screw-ball comedy account of the life and times of the young gay narrator, Tyler, as he tries to navigate high school with the less than adequate support of his father who refuses to believe he is gay, ("..."Denial is just the bottom rung on the ladder of acceptance,"... Too bad dad's afraid of heights...",) his melodramatic and emotional best friend Jenny, ("Statements like this have lessened since Jenny was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and began taking a tiny white pill she likes to call 'Ralph'") and a host of supporting characters. There are more quotable lines in this book than any other I have read. ("Thinking about kissing him gives me an icky feeling, like how you'd feel after swallowing a Band-Aid in a public pool.")
But then the book swerves into darker territory. Jenny's emotional instability has causes and consequences. Tyler's long-absent mother turns up. The boys in Tyler's life are dealing with their own issues, and what he hopes they will give him is not what he gets. There have been lies and deceptions in Tyler's past, from people he trusted to be truthful.
Through it all, Tyler battles on with determination, style, blind foolishness, and a hopeful heart. It is fascinating and painful to watch it all unfold. And never, never boring.
But then the book swerves into darker territory. Jenny's emotional instability has causes and consequences. Tyler's long-absent mother turns up. The boys in Tyler's life are dealing with their own issues, and what he hopes they will give him is not what he gets. There have been lies and deceptions in Tyler's past, from people he trusted to be truthful.
Through it all, Tyler battles on with determination, style, blind foolishness, and a hopeful heart. It is fascinating and painful to watch it all unfold. And never, never boring.
lenoreo's review
2.0
2.5 stars -- and I think that has more to do with my inability to relate to the story. Not the gay bit...just the characters personalities were so far removed from what I experienced in childhood that it didn't jibe for me. Half the time I was left waiting for the real Tyler to emerge...but that's who Tyler was. I'm just an anti-attention seeker that I couldn't understand his thoughts and motivations (half the time I wondered if he was delusional, and then that made me wonder if I was missing something). I kept waiting for more dimensions...like him saying he should feel like a better friend, and I agreed with him (not that I didn't understand him wanting someone to care about him, but that shouldn't preclude him from being there for Jenny). Yeah. I don't know. Was it me? Was it the book? It just left me feeling cold and sad and unfulfilled in the end. It was upped to 2.5 from 2 b/c I would catch glimmers of more to Tyler, I guess I just wanted more. From all the characters. *shrugs*
colbyc's review
3.0
After a long break, I sat down and finished this one.
The author sent this one to me on amazon, and I really do hate to give a low review to a book that I got for free.
Honestly, I just had such a hard time connecting with the main character that it made the entire book hard to enjoy.
I am straight, but I have absolutely no problem with gays. I do have a problem with gays making a big deal out of it, as the main character often seemed to in this book.
Maybe this one just wasn't for me.
The author sent this one to me on amazon, and I really do hate to give a low review to a book that I got for free.
Honestly, I just had such a hard time connecting with the main character that it made the entire book hard to enjoy.
I am straight, but I have absolutely no problem with gays. I do have a problem with gays making a big deal out of it, as the main character often seemed to in this book.
Maybe this one just wasn't for me.
msmiz95's review
4.0
3.75 - I love teen finding themselves stories. Tyler is irreverent and lovable and you just will want to whisk him away to some big gay island for lost boys. There is a lot of really funny moments in this book and those are countered with some really dark moments as well. We forget while teens are trying to be so independent and adult, that they are really vulnerable as well.
The only reason why this did not get 4 stars is due to the editing. It took some of the enjoyment away.
I will be waiting for more from Anthony Paull. In fact, I have been reading his columns from the Windy City Times over the last couple of days and really do enjoy his style.
The only reason why this did not get 4 stars is due to the editing. It took some of the enjoyment away.
I will be waiting for more from Anthony Paull. In fact, I have been reading his columns from the Windy City Times over the last couple of days and really do enjoy his style.