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thehawk72's review against another edition
I hate David Levithan. WGWG was a mistake and I felt obligated to read this. I will never read another of his books again.
mehsi's review against another edition
2.0
Not really that good. Way too much over the top, the songs were lame and Tiny was just annoying.
Normally I would avoid books by this author (since so far I haven't found one book that I liked from this author (and I tried most of them)), but I needed a book for the Copycat Challenge at my group, and after a failed first attempt at a book, I decided on this one. And Dear Lord, my head hurts now.
Maybe it is because of the writing style, maybe it is because I am not a musical girl (for various reasons, like pricing and the fact everything gets Dutchified (which makes it sound horrendous)), or maybe because Tiny was just too much. I don't mind gay characters, I don't mind people being gay, so let me just get that out of the way, just in case people will start to rant about me discriminating or that I hate gays. I don't hate them, not at all.
It was just that Tiny was overly annoying, too much there, too much trying to hard, too much drama and he just didn't feel real, not at all. If anything, I felt sorry for his exes at times. Some exes were indeed dicks, but a lot of them is just because of Tiny. Tiny who is just too much there. Can't he ever be normal? Just talk normally? Instead of this overly exaggerated way? (Which felt very fake.)
I felt like I was reading a comedy, with a hint of tragedy, and I don't think the book is meant as a comedy.
All the songs just gave me a headache. Not only because their over 9000 level of lameness, but also for other reasons.
I did like the format, and that is why I also wanting to read the book. It is an interesting format, instead of talking and everything is normal, this book is written like it is meant for a stage. With directions, songs, notes and so much more. That is the reason why the book has a 2 star instead of the 1 star I actually wanted to give it.
Also what was up with that Oscar Wilde ghost thing? I just skipped those parts in the end, because sorry, it just felt weird and out of place. And come on, the ghost of Oscar Wilde giving life and dating advice? Dear Lord, no.
I was worried that I wouldn't get the book, or didn't understand a lot of the situation (as I didn't read the other book), but I think you can read this one fine without knowledge of the other book. I didn't once feel confused about what happened in this book.
All in all, would I recommend this book? Haha, no. I would not. If you want a book about a gay boy finding out about life and all there is to it, there are other books that are way better.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Normally I would avoid books by this author (since so far I haven't found one book that I liked from this author (and I tried most of them)), but I needed a book for the Copycat Challenge at my group, and after a failed first attempt at a book, I decided on this one. And Dear Lord, my head hurts now.
Maybe it is because of the writing style, maybe it is because I am not a musical girl (for various reasons, like pricing and the fact everything gets Dutchified (which makes it sound horrendous)), or maybe because Tiny was just too much. I don't mind gay characters, I don't mind people being gay, so let me just get that out of the way, just in case people will start to rant about me discriminating or that I hate gays. I don't hate them, not at all.
It was just that Tiny was overly annoying, too much there, too much trying to hard, too much drama and he just didn't feel real, not at all. If anything, I felt sorry for his exes at times. Some exes were indeed dicks, but a lot of them is just because of Tiny. Tiny who is just too much there. Can't he ever be normal? Just talk normally? Instead of this overly exaggerated way? (Which felt very fake.)
I felt like I was reading a comedy, with a hint of tragedy, and I don't think the book is meant as a comedy.
All the songs just gave me a headache. Not only because their over 9000 level of lameness, but also for other reasons.
I did like the format, and that is why I also wanting to read the book. It is an interesting format, instead of talking and everything is normal, this book is written like it is meant for a stage. With directions, songs, notes and so much more. That is the reason why the book has a 2 star instead of the 1 star I actually wanted to give it.
Also what was up with that Oscar Wilde ghost thing? I just skipped those parts in the end, because sorry, it just felt weird and out of place. And come on, the ghost of Oscar Wilde giving life and dating advice? Dear Lord, no.
I was worried that I wouldn't get the book, or didn't understand a lot of the situation (as I didn't read the other book), but I think you can read this one fine without knowledge of the other book. I didn't once feel confused about what happened in this book.
All in all, would I recommend this book? Haha, no. I would not. If you want a book about a gay boy finding out about life and all there is to it, there are other books that are way better.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
raclausing's review against another edition
3.0
Plot: 1/2
Characters: 0
Description: 1
Style: 1/2
Symbolism: 1
TOTAL: 3
Characters: 0
Description: 1
Style: 1/2
Symbolism: 1
TOTAL: 3
thefantasynerd93's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Enjoyment 7/10
Concept 8/10
Execution 7/10
Writing 6/10
Plot & Logic 7/10
Pacing & Structure 10/10
Atmosphere 8/10
Characters 7/10
Intrigue 6/10
Personal Impact 5/10
Rating: 3.44/5
Concept 8/10
Execution 7/10
Writing 6/10
Plot & Logic 7/10
Pacing & Structure 10/10
Atmosphere 8/10
Characters 7/10
Intrigue 6/10
Personal Impact 5/10
Rating: 3.44/5
buddy524's review against another edition
2.0
Levithan has written books in the past the seemed to push the boundaries of the narrative form. Hold Me Closer tries to do that by telling the story of Tiny Cooper as he is narrating his life in musical form. Told through musical numbers, dialogue, and dance sequences, this follows his coming out story and his search for love.
Overall, I was rather disappointed by this. The characters fell flat and even bordered on the stereotypical. I may not remember much about Tiny Cooper from Will Grayson, Will Grayson, but I don't remember being this one-dimensional.
Overall, I was rather disappointed by this. The characters fell flat and even bordered on the stereotypical. I may not remember much about Tiny Cooper from Will Grayson, Will Grayson, but I don't remember being this one-dimensional.
mmpickart's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 2.5 stars
Readers of [b:Will Grayson, Will Grayson|6567017|Will Grayson, Will Grayson|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368393890s/6567017.jpg|6759965] will want to get their hands on Hold Me Closer. I wanted to know more about Tiny Cooper, arguably the best secondary character in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Hold Me Closer lets readers learn more about him.
In Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Tiny writes and performs an autobiographical musical. Readers learn a little bit about the musical and Tiny's life from Tiny's conversation with the Wills, and they also see snippets of the musical through the eyes of other characters, but they don't see the whole thing. Hold Me Closer is the script book of Tiny's play. It gives readers the insight they wanted.
I enjoyed the book, but I wasn't over-the-top crazy for it for two reasons:
1. I didn't know Hold Me Closer was a book until a year after reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I may have been more favorable towards the book had I read them back-to-back, but by this point, I was too separated from the characters and the story.
2. This could not be appreciated as a stand-alone book. Although the book is funny and can be enjoyed when read first, anyone who stumbles upon Hold Me Closer before Will Grayson, Will Grayson will only be getting a small piece of the story. Although Tiny does give some necessary background information in the stage directions and scene information, it doesn't compare to what readers learn in Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It was enough to refresh my memory, but not enough that new readers will truly appreciate what's going on. Also, if readers explore Hold Me Closer first, they are totally spoiling the ending of Will Grayson, Will Grayson--which is probably my biggest gripe with Hold Me Closer.
So overall, if you read and enjoyed Will Grayson, Will Grayson, read Hold Me Closer--you'll like it. But if you haven't read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, don't start with Hold Me Closer!
Readers of [b:Will Grayson, Will Grayson|6567017|Will Grayson, Will Grayson|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368393890s/6567017.jpg|6759965] will want to get their hands on Hold Me Closer. I wanted to know more about Tiny Cooper, arguably the best secondary character in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Hold Me Closer lets readers learn more about him.
In Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Tiny writes and performs an autobiographical musical. Readers learn a little bit about the musical and Tiny's life from Tiny's conversation with the Wills, and they also see snippets of the musical through the eyes of other characters, but they don't see the whole thing. Hold Me Closer is the script book of Tiny's play. It gives readers the insight they wanted.
I enjoyed the book, but I wasn't over-the-top crazy for it for two reasons:
1. I didn't know Hold Me Closer was a book until a year after reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I may have been more favorable towards the book had I read them back-to-back, but by this point, I was too separated from the characters and the story.
2. This could not be appreciated as a stand-alone book. Although the book is funny and can be enjoyed when read first, anyone who stumbles upon Hold Me Closer before Will Grayson, Will Grayson will only be getting a small piece of the story. Although Tiny does give some necessary background information in the stage directions and scene information, it doesn't compare to what readers learn in Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It was enough to refresh my memory, but not enough that new readers will truly appreciate what's going on. Also, if readers explore Hold Me Closer first, they are totally spoiling the ending of Will Grayson, Will Grayson--which is probably my biggest gripe with Hold Me Closer.
So overall, if you read and enjoyed Will Grayson, Will Grayson, read Hold Me Closer--you'll like it. But if you haven't read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, don't start with Hold Me Closer!
n3rdybookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Hilarious. I really hope this will be performed on a major stage some day - I'd definitely go see it.
marsm0th's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
As an avid Will Grayson, Will Grayson enjoyer, Hold Me Closer was simply a must-read. I read it cover to cover in about an hour, and I’m glad to have done it. It’s funny, larger than life, and expands on WGWG really well. Unfortunately, I don’t think it holds up super well on its own— as it won’t seem all that remarkable, and all the nods to the source material will go unregistered. But I don’t think it’s meant to stand alone anyway. I love the love that David Levithan has for Tiny Cooper (love that I share), and it really shows in Hold Me Closer.