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ciuli's review
2.0
2,5/5
CW: slight mention of depression and depressive episode, homophobic slurs
I don't know. There were so many good ideas and impactful things in this book and I so wished i could have liked it more, but it just didn't click for me.
I think my biggest issue was with the characters: I didn't feel close to them, I didn't emphatize with them and they just gave me no emotion. Apart from anger, that I got quite a lot.
Rafe's behaviour was just overall frustrating for me. I understood what he meant when he said that he just wanted to be seen as himself and not as a label, so I understand his decision to pretend to be straight and I supported him on that as long as he was okay with that decision. However, everything else was just so not right. I understand his lying, but him almost pretending to not be friends with Albie and Toby was so wrong. And he should have told Ben ages earlier about it, definitely before Ben decided to trust him with so much.
I'm not going to get spoilers over here, but let's also say that I'm not 100% okay with Ben's reaction to the truth either.
I also didn't really like the writing style, the characters weren't well developed and I found the style to be a bit flat. The author introduced all these characters who could have been interesting, like Bryce and Robinson and Toby and Albie, but we know almost nothing about them, and they only appeared when they were needed to fill in a part, so as to shift the focus from being entirely on Rafe and Ben.
CW: slight mention of depression and depressive episode, homophobic slurs
I don't know. There were so many good ideas and impactful things in this book and I so wished i could have liked it more, but it just didn't click for me.
I think my biggest issue was with the characters: I didn't feel close to them, I didn't emphatize with them and they just gave me no emotion. Apart from anger, that I got quite a lot.
Rafe's behaviour was just overall frustrating for me. I understood what he meant when he said that he just wanted to be seen as himself and not as a label, so I understand his decision to pretend to be straight and I supported him on that as long as he was okay with that decision. However, everything else was just so not right. I understand his lying, but him almost pretending to not be friends with Albie and Toby was so wrong. And he should have told Ben ages earlier about it, definitely before Ben decided to trust him with so much.
I'm not going to get spoilers over here, but let's also say that I'm not 100% okay with Ben's reaction to the truth either.
I also didn't really like the writing style, the characters weren't well developed and I found the style to be a bit flat. The author introduced all these characters who could have been interesting, like Bryce and Robinson and Toby and Albie, but we know almost nothing about them, and they only appeared when they were needed to fill in a part, so as to shift the focus from being entirely on Rafe and Ben.
riyamittal's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jenmangler's review
2.0
I was hoping this novel would more fully tackle the concept of labels. It felt like that was going to be a big point, and it almost went there a couple of times, but it remained a very undeveloped avenue of exploration. And that's too bad, because the potential was there.
unexplainabl's review
fast-paced
3.0
Really enjoyed this book! Wish there was more at the end though. I would love to see another semester at Natick
blurrypetals's review
5.0
This would be hitting my "all time faves" shelf if it had ended a little less open-ended because, other than the ellipsis of an ending, I had heart eyes for this book the whole time I was listening.
The concept and setup were so interesting and so fresh to me that I was happy to dive right into Rafe's mind and his very weird choice to just let the new people in his life assume he was straight. I don't think I've read much of anything where that's been the case for a young person like Rafe, where they've been openly gay for a while and decide to stay in the closet when they move somewhere new.
I loved Rafe, I loved his friends, I loved his parents, and I super loved Ben. The relationships were all so natural and realistic and fun, it was a treat to get to see them all unfold.
I'm going to wrap things up there because I'm itching to start Honestly Ben to get into beautiful Ben's head and hear Dan Bittner's very, very pleasing voice read the thoughts in that head to me. Catch you in the review!
The concept and setup were so interesting and so fresh to me that I was happy to dive right into Rafe's mind and his very weird choice to just let the new people in his life assume he was straight. I don't think I've read much of anything where that's been the case for a young person like Rafe, where they've been openly gay for a while and decide to stay in the closet when they move somewhere new.
I loved Rafe, I loved his friends, I loved his parents, and I super loved Ben. The relationships were all so natural and realistic and fun, it was a treat to get to see them all unfold.
I'm going to wrap things up there because I'm itching to start Honestly Ben to get into beautiful Ben's head and hear Dan Bittner's very, very pleasing voice read the thoughts in that head to me. Catch you in the review!
aleena662's review against another edition
4.0
Openly Straight follows Rafe and his journey through being an openly gay kid in Boulder, Colorado to deciding to hide it in his boarding school in Massachusetts. Now, I’ve read a lot (and I mean A LOT) of LGBT+ YA fiction in my time and I think this is definitely the one that has hit me the most (Is it the best? No that would go to [b:The Miseducation of Cameron Post|40801157|The Miseducation of Cameron Post|Emily M. Danforth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531501951s/40801157.jpg|16537207] ). This book really explored labels and being gay in a way that I’d never even thought about, and I feel like this book has actually how I think about coming out.
Rafe grew up in Boulder, Colorado and came out when he was in eighth grade. His parents were 100% accepting (heck his mom even became president of a GSA type group in Boulder) and he never faced any real discrimination in school. With encouragement from his mom and best friend Claire Olivia, he even gives talks about being a gay youth. Being openly gay became a double-edged sword or Rafe though, as he was only seen as the “gay kid” in school, which lead to him wanting to go away for his junior year.
When Rafe would talk about being gay in Colorado, it honestly made me mad (a lot in this book made me mad which I get was the point but it’s also what made this lose a star in my mind). I’m gay and in high school in a small town smack dab in the middle of nowhere. While where I live isn’t exactly ruled by hate groups, it’s very conservative to the point kids getting kicked out of the house for being gay is a . Parents don’t want their kids hanging out with the “gay kids”, a place so much different than where Rafe lived. When Rafe would complain about being accepted it made it hard to finish this book. He would go give talks on what it was like to be a gay teenager but he’d never faced half the things most of us go through. He never had to worry if he’d been too touchy with his significant other or he’d get . He never had to question if his family loved him enough to look past him being gay. He never had to wonder if maybe he was broken or wrong because he lived in a very accepting place. It’s absolutely horrible that gay people still go through all that in 2019 but it’s unfortunately reality. I guess I’m jealous of Rafe and the life he got in Colorado, even if he was seen as the “gay kid”. This whole attitude came across as super privileged throughout the book and although he comes to realize that, it still made me really mad.
Now on to Ben, boy was he a roller coaster of a character. He’s honestly a really great person and I liked him better than Rafe. He felt real and how he felt about Rafe really hit me the most in this book. That line of dating but not, the whole is this love platonic or not was written so well it felt real. But when Ben comes out with that internalized homophobia thing I actually screamed. I get that losing your family is very hard (see above gay struggles) but DID I REALLY GET THROUGH THE WHOLE BOOK FOR THAT? Will I read the sequel? Yes. Am I still ready to strangle Ben? Absolutely.
And finally to the whole point of this wonderful book- Labels. Do I think it was a good idea for Rafe to hide being gay? It’s complicated. Should he have told Ben? Definitely. Should he have been openly gay? I don’t know. Rafe goes along with this whole plan because he figures that it’d be easy to just not show that part of himself. It’s not lying per say, just omitting the truth (and I feel that because I still have that attitude about coming out to certain people). But then as he becomes closer to people at school he realizes that that is a core part of himself that he can’t just ditch. And this is where we come to a dilemma. I feel like being openly gay (at least for me) is a little unnecessary. The subject of being gay only comes up when I’m talking about my love life or joking (which is only with close friends) so what’s the point of shouting “I’M GAY!!!” to the world? At the end of the book, one of the kids at the GSA has a sentiment similar to mine:
“Why do we need to march in parades and spread awareness? People are aware that other people are gay.”
Now, these are supposed to raise awareness for people who face homophobia daily which a worthy cause, I’m not refuting that. But does this all really help? And after all, isn’t being gay just deal with who you’re attracted to and not who you are?
But on the other side of that coin if I don’t come out to people I feel like I’m lying. If people didn’t know that I was dating my best friend I felt like they needed to know. A couple of years ago I made a very good friend at summer camp and we still talk to this day. She’s very religious and doesn’t agree with the “decision to be homosexual” which as much as I disagree with her I don’t hate her for it. She lives in another state and to be honest I don’t know when I’d ever see her in person again so why would I come out to her? I felt like I was lying if I didn’t, even though we’d never talk about anything close to romantic interests. So that’s the paradox, is being gay a huge part of who you are? Yes, but huge enough to make that a core part of your personality/character? No. So where’s the balance.
Now I’m just one gay high schooler and in no way at all do I claim to speak for all gay people. This is just based off of my experiences and if you disagree with me more power to you. This book just made me think a lot and I felt like it was best to write it all out.
Rafe grew up in Boulder, Colorado and came out when he was in eighth grade. His parents were 100% accepting (heck his mom even became president of a GSA type group in Boulder) and he never faced any real discrimination in school. With encouragement from his mom and best friend Claire Olivia, he even gives talks about being a gay youth. Being openly gay became a double-edged sword or Rafe though, as he was only seen as the “gay kid” in school, which lead to him wanting to go away for his junior year.
When Rafe would talk about being gay in Colorado, it honestly made me mad (a lot in this book made me mad which I get was the point but it’s also what made this lose a star in my mind). I’m gay and in high school in a small town smack dab in the middle of nowhere. While where I live isn’t exactly ruled by hate groups, it’s very conservative to the point kids getting kicked out of the house for being gay is a . Parents don’t want their kids hanging out with the “gay kids”, a place so much different than where Rafe lived. When Rafe would complain about being accepted it made it hard to finish this book. He would go give talks on what it was like to be a gay teenager but he’d never faced half the things most of us go through. He never had to worry if he’d been too touchy with his significant other or he’d get . He never had to question if his family loved him enough to look past him being gay. He never had to wonder if maybe he was broken or wrong because he lived in a very accepting place. It’s absolutely horrible that gay people still go through all that in 2019 but it’s unfortunately reality. I guess I’m jealous of Rafe and the life he got in Colorado, even if he was seen as the “gay kid”. This whole attitude came across as super privileged throughout the book and although he comes to realize that, it still made me really mad.
Now on to Ben, boy was he a roller coaster of a character. He’s honestly a really great person and I liked him better than Rafe. He felt real and how he felt about Rafe really hit me the most in this book. That line of dating but not, the whole is this love platonic or not was written so well it felt real. But when Ben comes out with that internalized homophobia thing I actually screamed. I get that losing your family is very hard (see above gay struggles) but DID I REALLY GET THROUGH THE WHOLE BOOK FOR THAT? Will I read the sequel? Yes. Am I still ready to strangle Ben? Absolutely.
And finally to the whole point of this wonderful book- Labels. Do I think it was a good idea for Rafe to hide being gay? It’s complicated. Should he have told Ben? Definitely. Should he have been openly gay? I don’t know. Rafe goes along with this whole plan because he figures that it’d be easy to just not show that part of himself. It’s not lying per say, just omitting the truth (and I feel that because I still have that attitude about coming out to certain people). But then as he becomes closer to people at school he realizes that that is a core part of himself that he can’t just ditch. And this is where we come to a dilemma. I feel like being openly gay (at least for me) is a little unnecessary. The subject of being gay only comes up when I’m talking about my love life or joking (which is only with close friends) so what’s the point of shouting “I’M GAY!!!” to the world? At the end of the book, one of the kids at the GSA has a sentiment similar to mine:
“Why do we need to march in parades and spread awareness? People are aware that other people are gay.”
Now, these are supposed to raise awareness for people who face homophobia daily which a worthy cause, I’m not refuting that. But does this all really help? And after all, isn’t being gay just deal with who you’re attracted to and not who you are?
But on the other side of that coin if I don’t come out to people I feel like I’m lying. If people didn’t know that I was dating my best friend I felt like they needed to know. A couple of years ago I made a very good friend at summer camp and we still talk to this day. She’s very religious and doesn’t agree with the “decision to be homosexual” which as much as I disagree with her I don’t hate her for it. She lives in another state and to be honest I don’t know when I’d ever see her in person again so why would I come out to her? I felt like I was lying if I didn’t, even though we’d never talk about anything close to romantic interests. So that’s the paradox, is being gay a huge part of who you are? Yes, but huge enough to make that a core part of your personality/character? No. So where’s the balance.
Now I’m just one gay high schooler and in no way at all do I claim to speak for all gay people. This is just based off of my experiences and if you disagree with me more power to you. This book just made me think a lot and I felt like it was best to write it all out.
raphaliest's review
I bought the book based on recommendation from Storygraph. The plot summary sounded interesting, but the beginning turned me off due to the quality of language and dialogue. Not for me right now, maybe another time.
cristamajo's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
first and last time i trust goodreads for a book recommendation. my poor mother bought this for me for christmas, and this is the thanks she gets??? why are the poverty-stricken always slighted against!! why must we suffer! now to repay her i have to pay half of our mortgage for the rest of my life AND call her boyfriend eric “dad.” THANKS bill K.