Boy Meets Boy

by David Levithan

The unforgettable debut novel by co-author with John Green of Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

To be together with someone for twenty years seems like an eternity. I can’t seem to manage twenty days…

How do you stay together?

Paul has been gay his whole life and he’s confident about almost everything. He doesn’t have to hide his feelings like best friend Tony or even cope with loving the wrong guy like his other best friend Joni.

But heartbreak can happen to anyone. Falling in love changes everything.

• ISBN13: 9780007533039
• Publish Date: 1 August 2013 (first published 9 September 2003)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Harper Fire
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[mrs_mander_reads]

Definitely not my favorite Levithan. I listened to the full-cast recording and, honestly, was kind of bored. It just didn't move quickly enough for me.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

This is normally the type of young adult book I would shy away from—a contemporary young adult romance novel. I am not a fan of happily ever afters in contemporary fiction. I like a bit of grit and hurt something more akin to real life.

I did enjoy listening to Boy Meets Boy. The full cast recording was well done and added to the story. It probably was one of the key factors to my positive reception of this modern teen romance. My one complaint would be the cheesy transition music. It felt a bit like I was listening a Charlie Brown animated holiday special. It almost cheapened the story and seemed unnecessary.

I do wish there was a bit more grit and hurt in Boy Meets Boy. The music and the upbeat narration of the main character made this story feel a bit like a caricature of real life and the other characters seemed larger than life and a bit unreal as result.

On the whole, Boy Meets Boy isn’t a bad book. Because it is contemporary fiction, I find it harder to relate to. The story that Boy Meets Boy is one that does need to be told and shared. The ups and downs of the romance felt real, but it felt like every chapter ended with a smiley face and all the i’s were dotted with hearts. I’m a little beyond this lovely dovey kind of story, but can see how others love this type of story and Boy Meets Boy is a stronger entry in this genre than others I have encountered.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This is my second audiobook, and I really enjoyed the full cast that performed Boy Meets Boy. The different voices really brought the book to life, and the voice effects were fun, and very effective and conveying the characters' situation in the story.

The story was adorable, with all that awesome Leviathan flair. One of the best parts of this story was Paul's high school. This place was home to so many fun and bold characters: a drag queen quarterback, a motorcycle gang cheerleading squad, the "joy" scouts. Each new school/town quirk bought a smile to my face.

I enjoyed being there with Paul as he tried to navigate his love life, his social life, and his school life. He was looking for closure, while trying to build a new relationship. He was trying not to lose his friend as she embarked on a new relationship. He was trying to help his friend mend his family ties, while being true to himself. Sweet and heartwarming story.

[Angie]

I was hoping for a quick, cute read, but Boy Meets Boy is only one of those things. I liked the premise: Paul meets a new boy whom he has a spark with, but then his ex comes crawling back and ruins everything. Sadly, everything just moved way too fast and was over way too soon. I must have missed the point where Paul and Noah were suddenly a couple, because next thing I know they're breaking up because of Paul kissing his ex. Then the rest of the book is Paul groveling to get Noah back. I didn't even have time to get invested in them as a couple, so why should I care about them making up?

Boy Meets Boy also had humor that didn't click with me. There were several places where I can tell it was a joke or something that was suppose to be funny, but I didn't laugh. Most of my reactions were along the lines of "Huh?" or "Wait, what?!" It was just random humor, one liners that come out of nowhere and don't make sense. Obviously this type of humor will work for other readers but not for me.

In addition to the romance and jokes coming out of nowhere, the ending of Boy Meets Boy was beyond sudden. Things were happening, and then there's the author's note. I wanted to see this weirdo dance that they were planning! Did Paul and Noah get back together officially? What about poor Kyle?! It seriously just ends, and it didn't help that my Kindle was only at 75% and said I still had an hour of reading.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[layawaydragon]

This is my first David Levithan novel and I love it. I see why he's so popular.

I do see the similarity to John Green, but David's kids and life seems more mundane and less try-hard quirky. (Maybe I just don't know anything about artsy and creative people.) The QUILTBAG setting and expression is so different and amazing. It's refreshing. I feel in love with it and didn't hamper the story at all. It made me wistful and more adamant in my beliefs, if anything.

It is dated with technology moving forward but **shrug**. Can't fault the author on that and it's still a great story. Okay, so it is insta-love but I've forgiven worse couples and they have to work on being together. And Paul has to work on himself.

It's very sweet and optimistic escapism. I wish this town wasn't so far out there, so it could be just another romantic high school tale like all the heteronormative YA. **sigh** But it is what it is and I'm glad Boy Meets Boy is here. I know too many people that have asked for this kind of book, town and narrator.

Paul is a young gay man who's never struggled or questioned his identity. It's not about being gay and traversing life for him. It's a kid falling love with the mistakes, misunderstanding, and high school drama. He deals with his ex, a friend dating a douchebag, and a friend that isn't free to be gay openly.

The ending made me tear up.


For Darlene, who would appreciate the on-point makeup game:


I will admit, I do wonder how all the kids got up to the clearing that late with no gear and several girls in heels. Maybe my image is wrong, but I re-read the passage where Paul talks about it and I'm not sure anymore. But it still bugs me.

I will say I did not like Paul's best friend Joni sticking with Chuck, but I guess you can't win them all. He's suck an asshole. He uses the wrong pronouns for Darlene on purpose. Fuck that! I wish they made a bigger deal of this and cast his ass out.

Kyle fits too many negative stereotypes of Bi people. It's really sad to see. Paul being such a hero that doesn't struggle made their interactions all the more difficult to read. Poor Kyle! I'm glad they work some stuff out but Kyle isn't portrayed very well from Paul's point of view.

The only other thing is Infinite Darlene. I liked her but I'm worried again about portrayal and identity. From what Paul says on page 25, “Few remember Daryl since Infinite Darlene consumed him so completely”, it sounds like Darlene is trans*. But she's proud as a drag queen, and cool with that label, which is what I'll call her cuz you don't fuck with someone's identity like that.

Is it wrong for me to wonder? I know some trans* people have been involved in the drag scene for a multitude of reasons, including being a place to express themselves before coming out or transitioning. Drag is way more acceptable socially (though we cannot forget or roll over their struggles) than being a trans* person. Was it the author's way to get around writing about trans* people explicitly or is Darlene just following in their foot steps?

If Darlene was a real person, I'd never question her identity and feel so uncomfortable doing so, but books aren't written in a vacuum and representation is important.

Boiled down it meshes how well these criticisms match with the criticisms of the LGBT community with treatment towards the Bi and Trans* people. It's a mainstream representation and that's why I won't call it a “utopia” because even here, it seems we're not quite there yet.

And I have to point out:not everyone is on the spectrum. There are heteronormative people, Paul just doesn't really interact, notice or care about them much.

Maybe it all comes down to Paul's perspective. If you don't like Paul, I don't think you'll like Boy Meets Boy.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Paul is a sophomore in a high school unlike any other. He meets Noah, and thinks he is the one, the person he will spend the rest of his life with. That was until he blew it, the school bookie has the odds 12 to 1 against him. But Paul is determined to not let this get him down; he knows what he wants and will go after it.

This is your typical romantic comedy done in a different way. I want to talk about the world first; in this utopian world sexuality is not an issue. Even in the high school, the homecoming queen is also the quarterback (Her name Infinite Darlene, but her parents called her Daryl) and every click is divided into gay stereotype, except for the straight people who seem to be bunched into an (almost outcast) group. The school has a gay-straight alliance which was formed to teach the straight people to dance. Everything is too perfect; no one struggled with their sexuality or identity.

I’m not sure if it is just me improving as a reader but I spent most of this novel questioning everything and not enjoying the clichés and ease of these people’s lives. No one seemed to have any major issues and for a high school that seems too fake; this is why I’m convinced they live in the utopian world where everything is perfect. These students are highly intelligent and seem to have everything worked out, the only struggles they have are the ones needed to drive the typical romcom plot.

My first experience with David Levithan was his co-written novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green and while I enjoyed that book enough to try his novels there was just too much that bothered me about this one. I’m assuming this is bad news for any other John Green books that I might read, their styles are very similar but I just couldn’t get past of the unanswered questions that I asked.

I’m glad there are romantic comedies between two guys and I think more GSM (Gender and/or sexual minority or LGBT if you prefer) novels are needed. I just don’t like that no one seems to have real struggles; I want this in all characters. I never expect a teenager in particular to have everything worked out and with their budding sexuality there are so many complex emotions that could be dealt with in a book like this.

One other thing that really bothered me in this book was the excess of nods. I began to think of all the characters as bobble heads rather than humans. It is like excess winking in novels, no human nods or winks that much in real life, why do they do it in books? I know with nodding it is just a way to show that a character agrees but if it is used too much it just feels too unrealistic.

This is an entertaining book that I just had too many issues with, not enough to never try Levithan again (still want to read Two Boys Kissing) but it really bothered me. I know many people loved this book and his style still feels similar to John Green, so I think it’s just me. I will love to know what worked or didn’t work for the people that have read this book. I don’t think I’m missing anything, so why is this much loved YA novel so difficult to enjoy.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/10/17/book-review-boy-meets-boy/

[inlibrisveritas]

Boy Meets Boy is a different kind of contemporary. It’s set in a world where acceptance is the norm and everyone can be who they want to be without fear of persecution from most of society. It’s an idealistic society and it gives us an interesting view of each relationship in this book.

I mostly enjoyed the really idealistic view for the city that this is set in, but there were moments where I felt it went beyond the realm of ‘possibility’ for example the Harley driving cheerleaders. It’s not that they can’t drive Harleys, it’s that they are doing it in the gym that gets me. Nevertheless the out there stuff takes a backseat to how much I enjoyed this one, and I found myself daydreaming of having at least a margin of that acceptance where I live. (Hello Georgia citizens I’m looking at you).

Paul is a really nice guy with a great life. He tries to be there for his friends when they need him and after his heartbreak with Kyle it seems he finally has the possibility of starting new with Noah. However he’s had it easy and when things become complicated he learns what it means to fight for someone. I loved Paul’s growth in this because it’s rather unexpected. He’s already a nice guy and he already knows who he is, but Levithan still gives him room to grow. The relationship between Paul and Noah is really sweet and I was definitely rooting for Paul…even when he did something stupid. It’s even better because he’s not the only character who grows.

Boy Meets Boy is a really unique story and it definitely has it’s own really unique voice. I’ve only read one of other Levithan book but I can definitely identify this as his. It’s short, sweet, and has a ton of depth.

[Jo]

Review originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

Picking up this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I hadn't read a book with a gay protagonist before, and I wasn't sure what kind of book I would get. I soon discovered Boy Meets Boy is an absolutely wonderful, beautiful novel about love and friendship.

Not too far into the novel, I was a little confused. Paul is gay, he's known he's gay his whole life, and has never really had a problem because of it - not from family, not from friends, not from anyone at school. In fact, he's found accepting and being who he is pretty easy. This seemed a little confusing to me; although this is how the world should be, from what I hear, this isn't the norm. Because of this confusion, mid-read I had a look on David Levithan's website to find out a little more about what I was reading, and I saw this quote about Boy Meets Boy: "I’m often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and the answer is right down the middle – it’s about where we’re going, and where we should be." Accepting this, I continued reading, thinking it may be an enjoyable read, but I might not get the education and understanding out of it I was hoping for, thinking it was simply just a teen romance, where the characters happen to be gay.

That's only half true. Paul has had it easy, but not all of his friends have. He has a number of LGBTQ friends, and they've struggled. Take Tony for instance. He's from a very religious family, and they are completely anti-gay, and Tony has had to struggle with this. His family don't hate him for being gay, they're terrified for him. As Tony says to Paul, "They honestly believe that if I don't straighten out, I will lose my soul. It's not just that they don't want me kissing other guys - they think if I do it, I will be damned. Damned, Paul." (P185) And if that wasn't bad enough, he's struggling with his loneliness. He has yet to have a successful, happy relationship. He's dated a few guys, but it's never felt right. So he's longing to be with someone, but also knows that he probably will never be accepted for who he is by his family. It's a lot to deal with.

Then there's Kyle. Kyle is lost. He and Paul went out a while ago, but then Kyle freaked out, dumped him, and told everyone Paul had tricked him. He's having a hard time dealing with and accepting his sexuality - not even sure what his sexuality is, because he seems to like boys and girls - and looks to Paul for help, despite bad mouthing him. He's all over the place, and wants help to come to terms with these feelings. One thing that really stood out for me was this exchange between Kyle and Paul about Kyle's sexuality:

'"Do I really have to find a word for it?" Kyle interrupts. "Can't it just be what it is?"
"Of course," I say, even though in the bigger world I'm not so sure. The world loves stupid labels. I wish we could choose our own.' (P108)

That really struck a chord with me, because it's so true. We, as a human race, tend to want to put things in boxes and at it's very basic, I think the boxes - or labels - would be "normal" and "other". Are not all labels - whatever those labels may be; sexuality, race, gender, etc - a way of defining what isn't the same as "us"? It seems we want to categorise that which is different, that which is not "me", and I think that's where a lot of prejudice and discrimination comes from. Wouldn't things be so much easier if we weren't intent on labelling everything? If we were simply just "human"? Those few sentences really made me sit back and think.

Something else that stood out for me was how Paul, in some respects, is like me: he may be gay, but his life has been so easy, relatively speaking, that he doesn't really get what other gay people go through, and Tony highlights this perfectly:

'"Kyle feels lost, Paul. That's all he's saying, And he knows that you're not lost. You've never been lost. You've felt lost. But you've never been lost."' (P184)

So it's through his friends that he - and us readers - learn a little about the struggles people can find themselves facing. Saying that, although he hasn't been through the same things as some of his friends, at a very basic level he can relate to the amazing things his friends do, yet because of the differences, respect them greatly for it:

'I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave. I don't know if I've ever realised this before... If there's no feeling of fear, then there's no need for courage.' (P190)

I have to mention Infinite Darlene in this review, because she is simply amazing! Infinite Darlene is one of Paul's friends, and she's a crossdresser. It's never made completely clear - at least not to me - if Infinite Darlene (yes, that is the full name she goes by) is a crossdresser or is transgender. This could be because I'm so uneducated on such a topic that I'm just not sure, or it's felt that topic is not important - as above, does she really need a label? Either way, she's just brilliant! She's over-the-top old school Hollywood glamour, and in my head, she sounds like a Southern Belle, with her "I do declare"s. She's also captain of the football team and their star quarterback. She is completely wonderful, and provides a lot of the humour for me. I loved her!

Boy Meets Boy is one of the most romantic YA novels I have read. I have read a lot of YA Romance, but most of the time "Romance" seems to mean "relationship" novel, because there never seems to be that many small or grand romantic gestures. Boy Meets Boy is packed full of them! It's just so sweet! It had me "aww"-ing so many times! It's just beautiful! Because at the heart of it, that's what Boy Meets Boy is all about, it's the romance between two people, and shows, no matter what your sexuality is, everyone can go through the same teenage relationship issues.

Boy Meets Boy is an absolutely incredible novel, and I can't recommend it enough! It's just completely wonderful; a novel that puts the romance back into YA Romance, and leaves you with the biggest smile on your face! I will leave you with what is probably the sweetest - the best! - quote I've ever read in a book:

'I know he's not going to be amazing all the time, but there's more amazingness in him than in anyone else I've ever known. He makes me want to be amazing too.' (P208)