emilyos's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up this book since it was written by someone I went to high school with and it took place in that setting. I found it overall shallow and poorly written, but I like that I could follow the characters and knew where they were every step of the way.
eupomene's review against another edition
3.0
Fun sort of backwards coming-out-of-the-closet story. Jonathan (who, by the way, is such a fun character -- I think I know him, actually) heads back INTO the closet in order to score a trip to see his favorite singer, Kylie Minogue. How? By pretending to date the richest girl in school, who has secrets of her own.
I think I learned some new words, though....
I think I learned some new words, though....
middylou's review against another edition
5.0
LOVED this book- Being a Kylie lover, I instantly knew who the title was based on. But overall, it's kitchsy and cute.
elisquared's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up way back last year when all the Boarders were closing. It looked funny and cute, so I figured, why not? It wasn't funny and cute, it was hilarious, adorable, and thought-provoking! Totally exceeding my expectations, The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina is a needed addition to your collection!
This sparkly story follows the journey of Jonathan Parish as he works to win tickets to see Kylie Minogue in concert. There's just one catch: he has to go back in the closet, and come out a straight boy! This is a hard task for an out and proud guy like Jonathan, but when the chance of a life time hangs in the balance he'll do anything!
While characters usually capture my attention first in books, this time it was the setting that hooked me in. The story takes place in Orlando, FL, a city only an hour away from where I grew up. I love books that take place in FL, as there aren't many, and especially ones where I know the city personally! Every time a restaurant or street got mentioned I knew exactly where it was. For me, it gave the book so much more life, and I kind of want to do a book road trip to see all the sites!
But characters were still a strong part of the story. I adored Jonathan. He was really funny and really dramatic, so much so that I laughed through the whole book. He reminded me so much of my friend Jayson it was uncanny! His obsession with Kylie Minogue, the hung-over work days at Target, even the crazy cliques of high school, everything about his life Jonathan navigates with pizzazz. My other favorite character was Carrie, one of Jonathan's best friends. She is sassy, smart, and one of the few bisexual characters I've seen in YA fiction. While Jonathan goes through some hard times, Carrie is always there for him. Great friendships like this always make books better for me!
Reading some reviews I saw the terms vapid and shallow, along with unrealistic thrown around. I'm not trying to negate anyone's opinion, but it seems to me that these reviewers never experienced high school the way I did, which was very close to Jonathan's and his friends' experience. Teenagers can be vapid and shallow, but they can also be fiercely loyal and caring, two traits also in the book. Other reviews had issue with the underage drinking, but whether you agree with it or not, that is often a reality of teen life. The fact is they were safe about it, and let's face it, when the parents are away the kids will play. If Medina had tempered his portrayal of this aspect of teen life, or even wrote a huge anti-drinking part, I think the story would have felt less authentic.
I really enjoyed the book! There were a couple of issues with dialogue tags that would throw me, but nothing that ruined the story. Ultimately, The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina is a fun, fast read with great GLBT characters! Orlando gave a great background to the story, and each character added flavor. I recommend you add this to your summer TBR list!
This sparkly story follows the journey of Jonathan Parish as he works to win tickets to see Kylie Minogue in concert. There's just one catch: he has to go back in the closet, and come out a straight boy! This is a hard task for an out and proud guy like Jonathan, but when the chance of a life time hangs in the balance he'll do anything!
While characters usually capture my attention first in books, this time it was the setting that hooked me in. The story takes place in Orlando, FL, a city only an hour away from where I grew up. I love books that take place in FL, as there aren't many, and especially ones where I know the city personally! Every time a restaurant or street got mentioned I knew exactly where it was. For me, it gave the book so much more life, and I kind of want to do a book road trip to see all the sites!
But characters were still a strong part of the story. I adored Jonathan. He was really funny and really dramatic, so much so that I laughed through the whole book. He reminded me so much of my friend Jayson it was uncanny! His obsession with Kylie Minogue, the hung-over work days at Target, even the crazy cliques of high school, everything about his life Jonathan navigates with pizzazz. My other favorite character was Carrie, one of Jonathan's best friends. She is sassy, smart, and one of the few bisexual characters I've seen in YA fiction. While Jonathan goes through some hard times, Carrie is always there for him. Great friendships like this always make books better for me!
Reading some reviews I saw the terms vapid and shallow, along with unrealistic thrown around. I'm not trying to negate anyone's opinion, but it seems to me that these reviewers never experienced high school the way I did, which was very close to Jonathan's and his friends' experience. Teenagers can be vapid and shallow, but they can also be fiercely loyal and caring, two traits also in the book. Other reviews had issue with the underage drinking, but whether you agree with it or not, that is often a reality of teen life. The fact is they were safe about it, and let's face it, when the parents are away the kids will play. If Medina had tempered his portrayal of this aspect of teen life, or even wrote a huge anti-drinking part, I think the story would have felt less authentic.
I really enjoyed the book! There were a couple of issues with dialogue tags that would throw me, but nothing that ruined the story. Ultimately, The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina is a fun, fast read with great GLBT characters! Orlando gave a great background to the story, and each character added flavor. I recommend you add this to your summer TBR list!
abetterbradley's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. But then I'm gay and I'm going to enjoy any book with a strong gay male character. I can relate to the main character, Jonathan. He's 18 and all of his friends are straight females. One drunken night the sight of so many boy/girl coupling at a party leads to Jonathan sleeping with (and by sleeping with I mean having sex) with a girl. This leads to him being sorta forced into becoming the boyfriend of the popular girl. Jonathan is forced back into the closet but once you're out, you can never go back in.
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