Book Review: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

“I could point out that it isn't always easy knowing who you are and what you want, because then you have no excuse for not trying to get it.”

Hello readers! This month I picked up Boy Meets Boy and I really enjoyed it! It was the first novel I’ve read by David Levithan and I look forward to picking up another.

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance. When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away  anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.

The first thing that struck me about this novel was how much I loved the town the main character, Paul, lived in. A place where all the teenagers gather together to dance away Sunday nights in the local bookstore and where the Boy Scouts quit and reform as the Joy Scouts because the Boy Scouts wouldn't accept gay members, and there may not be an accepting town like this for years to come, but it was nice to just live in this world for a short time while I read. Secondly I loved the unique characters that all shone in their own way and all seemed to steal my heart, and all felt like someone I would know in real life. The narrator Paul, is incredibly comfortable in his own skin, and his romance with Noah, the shy but strong artist had me smiling like an idiot for the majority of the novel. However despite the happy tone of this book, the third thing I loved was that it still addressed a majority of hard-hitting topics and it really just felt like a group of teenagers trying to find their place in the world, and the general happy tone of the plot doesn’t distract from these issues and topics which I really enjoyed.

Overall I adored this novel and all of it’s characters and would recommend it to anyone who loves feel-good books, lovable young love, and romantic comedies. Enjoy the end of your 2016, and we’ll see you next year with more great books!

-Claire