Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Authors: John Green and David Levithan

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Hardcover: 304 pages

ISBN: 0525421580

Rating: +++++

Summary (from the brain lair):

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Review:

I love John Green. I have loved everything I have ever read by him, so I had very high expectations for this book.

It did not disappoint. I thought this was the best young adult book I have read all year…and the best John Green book that is published.

The two Will Graysons are very distinct. The first has two rules – don’t care too much and shut up. These tend to rule his life, but it turns out it isn’t very effective. His best friend is Tiny, a guy who is not very tiny at all. Tiny was probably my favorite character of the entire book. He has so much love for other people and you can tell it is genuine. He wants to share his love and compassion with the world, even if the world doesn’t appreciate or accept what he has to give.

The second Will Grayson suffers from depression and is a very lonely guy. He is also hiding his sexuality from his one friend and family. He finally lets himself feel for a guy he meets online, only to have it come crashing down one fateful night in Chicago…when the two Will Graysons meet and their lives change forever.

The great thing about this book is that it touches on so many issues that young people (and all people, really) face. Both Will Graysons are trying to figure out who they are and how they fit with the rest of the world. Tiny ditches Will #1 when he falls in love with Will #2, a sad truth that most of us have experienced. Tiny feels like no one appreciates all that he does to make other people happy, while ignoring his own happiness. These are all real issues with real emotions attached, and I felt those emotions while reading. When Will #2 was angry, I was angry. When Will # 1 was hurt, I felt like I was in his position and hurt also.

I have to mention that this book is many things, including hilarious. I was laughing out loud while on the bus. I don’t laugh out loud at many types of media; movies, TV, or books, so that is a big deal for me. There are so many great lines, I wish the copy I read was mine so I could have marked them to share with all of you (I guess you have to go find out for yourself!)

I won’t give up the ending, but it did make me cry. I thought it was a beautiful way to end the book and I was very pleased with it. The writing is phenomenal and I look forward to reading more of Levithans books. I thought it did an excellent job with two gay characters who were not stereotypes and were written so well. I am so proud to be a fan of authors who write characters like these.

If you have reviewed the book also, let me know and I will link to it!

Note: I borrowed this book from the agency that represented it.