Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green, David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

by John Green and David Levithan

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with . . . Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage. Told in alternating voices from two YA superstars, this collaborative novel features a double helping of the heart and humor that have won them both legions of fans.

Reviewed by Michael @ Knowledge Lost on

2 of 5 stars

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This is my second John Green book; and I think I’m a fan, I choose this book because it looked different and I wanted to see what he would do in a collaboration with the author of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (which I loved the movie but not read the book). When it comes to collaborations, I’m always worried that the authors writing styles won’t match up, but this book was written from the point of view of two different Will Grayson’s; each other telling the story of one of the protagonists. It was an interesting way to tackle the subject of Homosexuality and the problems with being so different in high school.

The first Will Grayson (written by John Green) is struggling with the concepts of friendships, his overly flamboyant best friend Tiny; wasn’t Will’s choice of a friend and sometimes the friendship was more difficult than he wanted. But Will has to choose between how he handles life with a gay friend or if he will ditch him from something easier.

The second will grayson (is always shown in lowcase and is written by David Levithan) is my favourite character in this book; not because he is gay or he is struggling with depression; but because he is sinister and bitter with the world and I really connected with that. This will is struggling to keep his homosexuality a secret and the relationship he has online, but his best friend Maura; the crazy goth clinger on is doing everything to counter act his secrets in an effort to make will hers.

The two Will’s lives collide and this is where most of the story takes place, but I won’t spoil it for you as this is a coming of age story you don’t really want to miss out on. The book is funny, witty and is focused on friendships and homosexuality. There is so many great aspects in this book, my favourite is the band called “The Maybe Dead Cats” an intellectual pop band that are making reference to Erwin Schrödinger’s thought experiment known as Schrödinger's Cat. I really enjoyed this book and breezed right through it, I know a lot of people gave this book negative reviews but don’t let them sway you from an interesting and enjoyable story.

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  • Started reading
  • 1 December, 2011: Finished reading
  • 1 December, 2011: Reviewed