You Know Me Well Video Review

You Know Me Well by David Levithan & Nina LaCour

You Know Me Well

by Nina LaCour & David Levithan

Released: June 7, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Page Amount: 256, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Mark & Kate)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot: A
Characters: A

Creativity: A

Writing: A

Pace: A+

Ending: A

★★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed. That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
Let me begin this review by saying I really loved this book. LaCour and Levithan nailed the voices of Mark and Kate and weaved an intriguing and realistic heartfelt story. I haven't come across too many books where every sentence and every word makes my heart glad, but this book made me smile, laugh, commiserate, and give a hug to each and every character. This book is one of the most truthful and realistic books I have ever read. Nearly every young adult book I have read in the past has had a romantic storyline, but this book shows the reality that love can be unrequited. I am so incredibly overjoyed that LaCour and Levithan took risks with this small book and made this book relatable as well as enjoyable.

Although this book takes place over the span of a week and is only 256 pages, I was immersed in Mark and Kate's world. Sure, I wish I could be these amazing characters for a longer span of time, but the length of this book was perfect. There was not a single dull moment, and I found myself never wanting to put the book down because I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. Even though this book chronicles fairly ordinary events, it is extremely captivating.

As for the characters, I felt a deep connection to them since page one. Mark begins this book a little shy and hopelessly in love with his best friend, but as he becomes closer to Kate, he learns how to be brave. On the other hand, Kate is first seen panicking over her immense love for a girl she's never met and running away from everything that appears to be terrifying. Even though Mark and Kate are virtually strangers at the start of the novel, they become friends at exactly the right time: when both of them need a friend the most. I have seen a couple reviews where readers have said that their friendship began too rapidly, but to me, it seemed like a realistic portrayal of how incredible friendships are forged. When I think about how I met many of my best friends, all I can remember is being at an event where we instantly clicked. Therefore, I truly thought Mark and Kate's friendship was believable.

Another thing I really loved about this novel is that although it may seem like this book is all about navigating romantic relationships, this book is so much more than just a love story. The main focus of this book is on Mark and Kate's friendship, not the romantic relationships. Moreover, this book also covers many of the challenges that face teens in high school. For example, Kate has to deal with her best friend drifting away from her while also having continual fears about leaving high school and beginning college. I truly admire how the authors packed so many tidbits of life into 256 pages. 

The ending was very fitting for this story. The book ends with an image of Mark and Kate's adventures at the pride parade where they come together with their loved ones and meet a couple new friends. I feel like the ending set up a whole new beginning for Mark and Kate, which was really cool to read. I love being satisfied with the ending, knowing vaguely what's to come for Mark and Kate, while also wanting to know more about the two friends. Even though this book is super short, it sure was an unforgettable read with truly amazing lifelike characters.

My Favorite Part: How realistic this book truly was. 


ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely! 

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

21 Proms by 21 Authors

21 Proms 

by David Levithan, John Green, E. Lockhart & more!

Released: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Page Amount: 289, US Paperback
POV: Varies 
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-11/20
Characters-8/20

Creativity-7/20

Writing-10/20

Pace-4/10

Ending-5/10

=45/100 F

★/5

SUMMARY:

Prom. It's a near-universal high school experience. And here at least 21 of today's bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors riff on it. -Goodreads.com

REViEW:
Disclaimer: I did not hate this book. This book was difficult for me to rate because it is not one cohesive story, but rather it is 21 separate short stories, each by a different author with a different plot. That being said, a lot of my ratings for conventions of this book are extremely low. But I did not hate this book.

This book was what I expected it to be, however I had a little bit higher expectations for it seeing that many award-winning authors had included their stories. To be honest I feel like the publisher purposefully stuck John Green's and Melissa de la Cruz's stories towards the end of the book to make people read the other stories. Honestly, I disliked 85% of the stories in this book. Most were unrealistic and cliche and just plain stupid. I mean, come on, bringing an real ape to prom? I thought that this book would have more emotion behind the stories seeing as though I know many of these authors are more talented than they showed. I wish they focused more on relationships between characters instead of trying to squeeze in a mediocre plotline. The stories I did love in this book really delivered the emotion. Melissa de la Cruz portrayed her real life prom story, which I loved to pieces. It was real and raw and emotional, just what I wanted. Plus, I met Cruz and love her as an author so it was great to be able to partake in a slice of her life. Additionally, I loved The Apology, which was written as a one act play. In The Apology, two boys struggle with their sexuality as prom approaches. The reason why I loved that play was because of the characters and the emotion. It was like watching an episode of The Fosters. It was so good. Lastly, I also loved John Green's The Great American Morp. John Green is a pro at creating real characters with hearts and souls. I greatly admire that. Even though I only was able to read about this new cast of characters for a few short pages, I still loved them and wanted to know more about them. 

However, I was surprised that there was barely any romance in this book. I expected at least a little bit. I wanted some stories to sweep me off my feet with their cuteness, but they just didn't. I can't believe barely any authors touched upon relationships forming at prom or even a dedicated couple's experiences at prom. I feel like this book took a lot of the charm away from prom. I know that prom isn't all rainbows and gumdrops, trust me I know. But I still would've liked at least one magical story included in this collection. Prom is what you make of it. It can be wonderful or it can be devastating. I just wish, as a reader, I was able to experience both ends of that spectrum.

All in all, I would say give this book a try if you want a lighthearted read. The stories towards the end are amazing. I am glad that I read it, even though I didn't love it. Personally, I love prom and have had very special experiences at prom. That probably made me expect to read about some magical experiences instead of just a book of cliches. I just expected more from some of these authors. I know what they're capable of and some of these stories weren't their best work. Some were still immensely enjoyable though. This book brought me some laughter and smiles, so it wasn't all bad. If you're hyped about prom like I am, give it a read because it is fun. 

My Favorite Story: The Great American Morp


ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? I mean sure. It's a fun, quick read. You know what to expect when you pick this book up. 


Thanks for reading! Spread the word that It's a Book Thing is back and better than ever!

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan 
Released: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Knopf
Page Amount: 208, ARC
POV: 1st Person (Those Who Lost Their Lives to AIDS)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-15/20
Characters-17/20

Creativity-20/20

Writing-16/20

Pace-8/10

Ending-6/10

=82/100 B

★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.  While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other..-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
I had really high expectations for this book when I started it. I absolutely love David Levithan but this book didn't really wow me in any way. At first it was really hard for me to get into the story because of the narrator being a group of people who died of AIDS. It's a new and intriguing concept, but it really made this book distracting. The book flipped a lot from the present time to the onlookers reminiscing about the olden age. The old-time references were interesting, but took away from the plot and pace of the novel. I really enjoyed how Harry and Craig were trying to break the world record for longest kiss. That would be so difficult to do and Levithan did an amazing job at describing all that record entails. I also really liked how all the other boys had their own story. Each of their stories were interwoven in such a way that made me fall in love with each of their distinct personalities. 

I did end up really enjoying many of the characters. Harry and Craig, the two sharing the big kiss, had to deal with haters and family during the big event. I found this to be especially intriguing because of their determination to keep going no matter what. I can't believe they weren't even dating. Ryan and Avery just met at a gay prom. Their attraction was adorable! Ryan has blue hair while Avery has pink and that alone made me smile. I just really didn't get some of the attitude changes regarding Ryan and I wish I knew more about what was to come for their relationship. Neil and Peter are dating and I really liked how Neil took control of his situation with his family. I just wish I would've heard more about these two. Conner was also interesting to read about, having just come out to his parents, or rather found out. All of these boys were at different stages of finding themselves and that made for some very different stories. My only grievance is all the loose ends and unexplained features of some of the characters. 

The ending was kind of anticlimactic to me. I was expecting to read more about the end of the kiss or what was going to happen next. I wish I could have known more about what was to come for Neil, Ryan, Avery, and Craig. We are left with some minor idea, but I wanted more because of all the loose ends. All in all, this book was not exactly what I was expecting when I picked it up. I liked the different approach with the group narrator just wished I was able to get more of all the other boys stories. 

My Favorite Part: I thought Ryan and Avery were adorable and I also liked reading about the big kiss.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it's definitely unique.

Thank you all for reading!

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥