Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Title: Boy Meets Boy
Author: David Levithan
Genre:  Romance, Young Adult
Publisher:  HarperCollins (9th September 2003)
Blurb:

‘There isn’t really a gay scene or a straight scene in our town. They all got mixed up a while back, which I think is for the best . . . And whether your heart is strictly ballroom or bluegrass punk, the dance floors are open to whatever you have to offer. This is my town.’

Meet PAUL. Gay his whole life, and finding love as wonderful, confusing and heartbreaking as every other teenager in his high school.

Meet Paul’s friends:

JONI – his best friend, who  may not be his best friend any more;

TONY – his other best friend, who can’t leave the house unless his parent’s think he’s going on a date . . . with a girl;

INFINITE DARLENE – homecoming queen and star quarterback on the football team;

KYLE – the ex-boyfriend who won’t go away;

RIP – the school bookie who sets odds;

And NOAH – the boy who changes everything.

Witty, engaging, refreshingly upbeat and slightly surreal, this book is a celebration of love in all forms.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

This is another book I picked up because it was on Sarah Rees Brennan (which you can find here). I’d also heard good things about the author, so I decided to give it a try.

This book is a good, entertaining, quick read. However, I did not get on with the narrative voice to begin with. I also had a little bit of trouble believing that Paul hadn’t had any trouble with being gay. However, I did like the fact that this meant that Paul (or any other character in the book) being homosexual was unimportant; it was just a part of who he was. I also liked the fact that it wasn’t quite as easy for some of the other characters as it was for Paul.

The plot of the book is pretty simple, and to be honest I kinda like that. The whole story took place in a little over three weeks (I think). I also liked the fact that it was clear that Paul and his friends’ lives carried on after the end of the book, that the story in Boy Meets Boy was part of a greater whole. Paul and his friends came alive on the page. They were all distinct and believable characters – or at least, I could suspend my disbelief, and believe that they were real.

I think Boy Meets Boy would be a good summer read.