Reviews

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan

thefantasynerd93's review against another edition

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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

buddy524's review against another edition

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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.

mmpickart's review against another edition

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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!

n3rdybookworm's review against another edition

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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

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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.

justplainbecca's review against another edition

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4.0

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge
Task 5: LGBTQ

chaotic17's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

tonatyuh's review against another edition

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5.0

This novel/play just ....omg I just loved it.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson was not a book I loved, and the parts I did love were mostly the ones where Tiny and Will were building their relationship, so it was such a good experience to learn more about Tiny and what he's been going through.
PLUS, this book/novel got me out of a reading slump, so there's that.

adelle_bookworm's review against another edition

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4.0

Něco přesně takhle sladkého jsem potřebovala. ♥

annsophiebracke's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5 Stars!
Really liked this one :D