Scan barcode
kayteheslet's review against another edition
4.5
care note: detailed scenes of a teen dealing with a severely mentally ill parent
master_jedi_reader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
bj813's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lukasnolz's review against another edition
4.0
War es toll geschrieben? Naja. Waren die Charaktere alle realistisch? Naja. War die Handlung toll? Naja.
ABER das Buch hat mich aus einem monatelangen Reading Slump geholt & dafür, und für einige witzige Passagen, hat es sich die 4 Sterne trotzdem verdient.
ABER das Buch hat mich aus einem monatelangen Reading Slump geholt & dafür, und für einige witzige Passagen, hat es sich die 4 Sterne trotzdem verdient.
abhishekjain's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful story. Too Gen Z in the beginning but gets better towards the end. Some raw emotions which turned my stomach. A good read.
danniil96's review against another edition
3.0
I always love a gay little story! It's honestly my soft spot!!
This was lovely but at the same time it was also average
This was lovely but at the same time it was also average
bffbookclubkate's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A tender, beautiful story with characters that leapt right off the page! I think this is a must-read in the LGBTQ YA genre.
I also loved all of the Arizona references (it’s not every day that you read a book set in your hometown!)
I also loved all of the Arizona references (it’s not every day that you read a book set in your hometown!)
bardo's review against another edition
4.0
Max and Jordon could not be more of opposites but when they spend a summer in a food truck trying to save Jordons home, they realize opposites attract.
This book was not on my radar until I met the author at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference. His passion for creating safe spaces was so captivating and I knew I had to read one of his books. I checked out the book and audiobook from my library and gave it a shot.
Book
- Max and Jordon are complete opposites and through their journey together grow as men. They realize speaking up for what they dislike is an important factor in friendship and relationships in general. I did like the uncertainty of how each viewed each other and their self in society. It gave a realistic view of how adolescents can be when your sexuality does not match societies boundaries and rules. Their relationship had ups and downs and was influenced by exterior factors which are authentic to real life.
-Taboo Topics: Konigsberg does well in portraying difficult subject matter in a realistic way. It may not be idealistically how we would want to handle such situations but how they are handled in real life. The situation surrounding the rape was unfocused and the character had to work through it to fully understand the emotions and experience. It took time and effort for them to fully grasp what had happened, which I appreciate the journey. Konigsberg also brought to light how interactions between friends can be perceived differently. One joke is maybe funny to someone but insulting to another.
-Hispanic Family life: As a Hispanic, I often struggle with some literature because the defining characteristic is being the stereotypic brown character. I enjoyed Max having his own issues, of course with his father, but had a fairly stable home life. His mother was caring and present, establishing rules and boundaries. As well as pushing him to be better with voicing his emotions. Max was a jock who was more than the stereotype.
Audiobook:
-Character voices: I did like the voices for Max and Jordan. They fit the characters and what I would imagine they would sound like.
Con:
Book
- I know there is a HUGE debate over the use of Latinx. I felt Konigsberg glossed over why there is a movement for the Lantinx in speech and language. If this issue was to be brought up then it should have been an issue the characters discussed and not just in passing.
- Jordan's Wives I did not particularly enjoy. They seemed superficial and not that great of friends. It seemed their friendship hinged on Jordan being lower than them.
Audiobook
- JORDON"S VERSION OF MAX'S VOICE!!!! Could not stand it nor could I get behind the wives voices either. It was as if the narrator was trying to hard to make the voices diverse instead of authentic.
This book was not on my radar until I met the author at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference. His passion for creating safe spaces was so captivating and I knew I had to read one of his books. I checked out the book and audiobook from my library and gave it a shot.
Book
- Max and Jordon are complete opposites and through their journey together grow as men. They realize speaking up for what they dislike is an important factor in friendship and relationships in general. I did like the uncertainty of how each viewed each other and their self in society. It gave a realistic view of how adolescents can be when your sexuality does not match societies boundaries and rules. Their relationship had ups and downs and was influenced by exterior factors which are authentic to real life.
-Taboo Topics: Konigsberg does well in portraying difficult subject matter in a realistic way. It may not be idealistically how we would want to handle such situations but how they are handled in real life. The situation surrounding the rape was unfocused and the character had to work through it to fully understand the emotions and experience. It took time and effort for them to fully grasp what had happened, which I appreciate the journey. Konigsberg also brought to light how interactions between friends can be perceived differently. One joke is maybe funny to someone but insulting to another.
-Hispanic Family life: As a Hispanic, I often struggle with some literature because the defining characteristic is being the stereotypic brown character. I enjoyed Max having his own issues, of course with his father, but had a fairly stable home life. His mother was caring and present, establishing rules and boundaries. As well as pushing him to be better with voicing his emotions. Max was a jock who was more than the stereotype.
Audiobook:
-Character voices: I did like the voices for Max and Jordan. They fit the characters and what I would imagine they would sound like.
Con:
Book
- I know there is a HUGE debate over the use of Latinx. I felt Konigsberg glossed over why there is a movement for the Lantinx in speech and language. If this issue was to be brought up then it should have been an issue the characters discussed and not just in passing.
- Jordan's Wives I did not particularly enjoy. They seemed superficial and not that great of friends. It seemed their friendship hinged on Jordan being lower than them.
Audiobook
- JORDON"S VERSION OF MAX'S VOICE!!!! Could not stand it nor could I get behind the wives voices either. It was as if the narrator was trying to hard to make the voices diverse instead of authentic.
bookwormjimmy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
When Max sees Jordan working in a food truck at the local farmer's market, he remembers him from class. Turns out, he needs someone to help out, and Max needs a summer job. And as they get to know each other, they realize more about themselves than they expected out another humdrum summer in Mesa, Arizona were heat is everything.
I appreciate that this story deals with some heavy topics in a YA queer story, and I felt that they were done with a delicate touch that gave time for these issues to grow and breathe and be overcome by our main characters. What I really had a hard time were the characters. The number of not very smart decisions that these kids made? Working a food truck when neither of them knew the first thing about some basic legal stuff like permits? Or even how to cook food? There was a level of suspension of disbelief that I couldn't quite wrap my head around. Instead, I kept rolling my eyes every time they hit a setback that could have been avoided had they stopped to do a little due diligence. But I digress.
It's a cute story and while I wouldn't say that their relationship wasn't earned by the end, it felt like it was all tied up a little too tightly. Perhaps these characters and topics would have benefited from a longer time frame and some deeper development of the characters, but then it wouldn't be a YA any longer.
Overall, a quick fun story if you're looking for some serious topics without any unnecessary melodrama.
I appreciate that this story deals with some heavy topics in a YA queer story, and I felt that they were done with a delicate touch that gave time for these issues to grow and breathe and be overcome by our main characters. What I really had a hard time were the characters. The number of not very smart decisions that these kids made? Working a food truck when neither of them knew the first thing about some basic legal stuff like permits? Or even how to cook food? There was a level of suspension of disbelief that I couldn't quite wrap my head around. Instead, I kept rolling my eyes every time they hit a setback that could have been avoided had they stopped to do a little due diligence. But I digress.
It's a cute story and while I wouldn't say that their relationship wasn't earned by the end, it felt like it was all tied up a little too tightly. Perhaps these characters and topics would have benefited from a longer time frame and some deeper development of the characters, but then it wouldn't be a YA any longer.
Overall, a quick fun story if you're looking for some serious topics without any unnecessary melodrama.
multenis's review
2.0
Really appreciated the open attitude toward the topic of rape, but all-in-all not that exciting of a read.