Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Oct 26, 2010

karen rated it:

hm. i don't really know what to make of this one.

see, here's the deal - i know this is a hugely popular gay teen fiction book - it has been around for a while and everyone loves it (LGM) , but in light of recent current events, it just makes me nervous.

this book takes place in a gay utopia, really. a world where there would be no need for the "it gets better project". and on the one hand, i'm sure gay teens would love reading it because it is like an escapist fanta More...

41 comments like (44 people liked it)

Oct 19, 2010

Tatiana rated it:

Any book that makes me cry deserves at least 4 stars. Boy Meets Boy managed to squeeze tears out of me on several occasions. It doesn't mean, however, that this is one of those downer novels where someone dies or suffers horrible decease or misfortunes. Quite the opposite, this book is actually upbeat and lighthearted, and my tears were tears of pride and relief mostly.

The setting of the novel is unusual. In fact, I am dying to borrow from Tony Kushner and call Boy Meets Boy a gay fan More...

7 comments like (11 people liked it)

Sep 09, 2010

Lisa rated it:

Paul, the narrator of Boy Meets Boy has known he was gay since kindergarten. He didn’t, however, know there was a name for it until he saw his progress report on his teacher’s desk declaring, “PAUL IS DEFINITELY GAY AND HAS A VERY GOOD SENSE OF SELF,” at which point he joyfully outs himself to his parents that very evening. Up until then, Paul had thought the whole man/woman thing was just an oddity that grownups participated in…like flossing.

Paul was also the first openly gay candi More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jan 23, 2008

Calilibrarian rated it:

When I first read this book, I fell in love...

in love with the main character and with the writer. David Levithan nailed what I'd been looking for for some time; a type of book that should be written many times over for alot of different kids.

Here is the review I wrote June, 2004

I just read an incredible book. Its called Boy meets Boy by David Levithan. I loved it on so many levels; the main one being its normalcy. Through my book travels, I read More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jan 31, 2012

Tenley rated it:

At the beginning I couldn't see the town in the book being real. I liked the town, it seemed awesome, just not realistic. I was very much like Tony in that sense; "The first time I met you, I honestly couldn't believe that someone like you could exist, or even a town like yours could entirely exist." But as I got to the middle, a little after I read that quote, I realized two things. First, Paul is the exception not the rule. He's grown up in this amazing home with a really supportive More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jul 14, 2008

Shannon rated it:

It was cute. I'm not sure if I like the constant cheery-ness of it, though. It's fairly unrealistic, how nice everyone is. I mean, there are issues, but they are pretty mild, and the main kid is SO nice.. teenage boys are never that nice. So.. it wasn't exactly believable, but it was sweet and kind of funny, even though it took place in a fantasy-land. (Though, it should be noted, I certainly wish we did live in a time when non-straightness was so accepted and viewed as normal. Maybe this book t More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 29, 2008

Walter rated it:

A near-perfect fantasy novel. No dragons or wizards, but a six-foot-four drag queen high school quarterback named Infinite Darlene; no quests or curses, but a remarkable town where they got over the tension between gays and straights a while back.

Yes, it couldn't happen here yet, but as long as writers like Levithan keep creating wonderful "what if" novels for gay teens, there's hope!

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 25, 2012

Amanda rated it:

Amanda McClure
Boy Meets Boy

This book is about, a few gay boys who are having trouble finding there place. The main characters are Paul and Noah. The story started in a library where Paul and his friends are hanging out and he meets Noah, the boy of his dreams. The only problem is Paul’s ex boyfriend Kyle keeps trying to involve himself with Paul again. Paul soon starts to date Noah, sadly Kyle wouldn’t stop trying to talk to Paul. When Paul finally talks to Kyle, Kyle kisses More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 28, 2012

AnnaLund rated it:

Apart from the fact that I truly enjoyed the scenario of a town of people who mostly seem cool about teenagers, life and sexuality—also when this sexuality is being gay—it was with great appreciation that I read this book. I read it with a smile on my face all the way through. This does NOT happen very often in stories where the main character is a gay teen, and it is most certainly something I would wish to see more often. The power of Positive.
Yes, gay teens do usually NOT have this kin More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 26, 2007

Kathy rated it:

Paul is a high school sophomore in what seems to be a perfect town for gay youth. Gay, straight, transgender and bisexual teens live together in harmony. Well, maybe not. There’s definitely drama going on, but it doesn’t have to do with worrying about who is gay and who is straight (at Paul’s school the homecoming queen also happens to be the star quarterback as well). When a new boy moves into town, Paul is suddenly smitten. Romance begins to blossom and then hits a wall. Along with his ne More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 30, 2007

Evan rated it:

I loved this book. At some time while reading this book I turned to the front to see if it was something I checked out of the library or something that was mine and then I remembered a very good friend had given me the book the Christmas before last. I was really grateful for that because it's a book that I must own. It is the story of Paul and his friends. Paul meets a boy named Noah and falls in love. He's also dealing with his ex-boyfriend, his other gay friend Tony who has super religio More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 12, 2007

Briynne rated it:

Another enforced read, courtesy of YA Lit. I think this book was maybe a 2.5 on the scale, but I chose to round down since there were a few things that really bugged me about it. On the positive, there are parts of the book that manage to really resonate. When the book stops trying to be cool, it's not bad at all. I liked the character of Noah, who seemed nicely human in spite of the role he had as the perfect guy. At times I also enjoyed Paul, the main character; he was honest, he screwed More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jul 06, 2007

Kate rated it:

Levithan's utopian vision for a world in which no teenager is forced to "come out of the closet" - because he or she never has to hide in the first place - is inspiring. The normalization of same-sex first love, drag-queen quarterbacks, and all-around positive weirdness makes comment on today's less than inclusive reality by portraying a more accepting environment.

However, many of the gay adults I've talked with and read reviews from have a very different reaction to Boy Me More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 01, 2008

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

Set in a world where all sexualities are accepted, and the captain of the football team is a transsexual named Infinite Darlene, this is the sweet story of a boy named Paul finding love with another boy, with all the giddiness and excitement that comes with a new relationship when you're a teenager.
It's kind of like chic-lit, bubbly and fun, with no worries about coming out, no angst other than whether the object of affection returns it. It made me wistful that the world isn't more like t More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2011

Christina (Reading Thru The Night) rated it:

OMG. And really, this book definitely deserves an OMG. I absolutely ADORED this book.

My experience with David Levithan is only as a co-writer with Rachel Cohen. (Some of you might remember that I really enjoyed Nick & Norah, but not so much Naomi & Ely). After reading Boy Meets Boy I have to announce that I am a Levithan fan.

The story is quite simple. Boy (Paul) meets boy (Noah) and they dig each other. Boy's ex boyfriend (Kyle) comes into the picture and causes tension b More...

0 comments like

Dec 27, 2008

Ozimandias rated it:

This is the second book of Levithan's I have read. The first "The Realm of Possibility" was a unique novel told by twenty different high school kids. As you can imagine, their voices are disparate and relatable because of it. This book is the story of Paul, an out-and-proud gay boy whose only problems are those that any teenager has - romance, friendships, family. All seems normal until you back up and realize that those are rarely the only problems gay teens have. This story is a fair More...

0 comments like

Feb 05, 2012

Amanda rated it:

Honestly a little disappointed. I feel like some of the characters, while definitely interesting, were too one-dimensional. Even after I finished I still felt like I didn’t really know the characters. The book is pretty short so perhaps if it were longer that issue could take care of itself. I thought Tony was a great character and his story just wasn’t delved into enough. Also the romance of it all is pretty in your face with the love interest introduced relatively early on in the book. It gets More...

0 comments like

Feb 03, 2012

Emily rated it:

Pages: 185
Age range: 12 and up
Genre: Novel
Race/Culture/Ethnic Group: Gay/Lesbian

Summary: Paul, a high school sophomore who is openly gay, thinks he has found his true love. The question is, can he keep him?

Evaluation: This book had been on my reading list and it was also listed on the Rainbow Reading page. Positive reviews from multiple sources prompted me to pick it up and include it for this course. I was disappointed. While the end of the book is sweet More...

0 comments like

Jan 07, 2012

Alicia rated it:

Paul is perfectly happy with his life until he meets Noah, the new boy in town who suddenly becomes the center of his life. They have an instant connection and they can tell that they will definitely be something great. Both of them, however, have some hang-ups of their own and circumstance decides to not make their relationship that easy. To be honest, I really didn't like this book at first, mainly because everything seemed so simple for Paul and they lived in a town/high school where no one s More...

0 comments like

Nov 04, 2011

Lightreads rated it:

I guess if I were the sort of person who bought books for young teens I cared about, I'd get them this one. But I don't buy books for teens because I generally don't care about them. (The teens, I mean. I care about books plenty.) And that, I think, is the problem.

It's a slight, cute LGBT high school romance, set in an island of utopian well-adjustment. The quarterback is also the homecoming queen, the narrator came out to his parents at the age of five, and their only reaction was to More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 24, 2011

Candido rated it:

In an alternative reality where cheerleaders ride Harley's, drag queens play football, and everyone's sexuality is out in the open, and embrace in this small town. On a night out with his friends Tony and Joni, Paul meets Noah---artistic, thoughtful. Noah. The he soon finds himself falling for Noah. And then later in book they start going out. But it begins to get complicated. Paul's ex-boyfriend, Kyle comes back asking for forgiveness, Joni starts dating Chuck(who had a crush on Infinite Darlen More...

1 comment like

Oct 16, 2011

Christine rated it:

Paul is openly gay at his high school, but it's not a big deal. The quarterback at his school is also the homecoming queen and goes by the name of Infinite Darlene. That's also not a big deal in this town.
Paul falls for a cute boy named Noah, but Noah's recovering from a broken heart and Paul's ex-boyfriend Kyle wants Paul back. The local bookie is taking bets on whether Paul will end up with Kyle, Noah or alone at the end of the week... and after Paul kisses Kyle and hugs Tony, things don More...

0 comments like

Oct 07, 2011

Aubriel rated it:

This is a good book about being a gay boy in high school. So far i think this is a pretty good book. its also a page turner. i think that this book gives you the confidence you need (if your gay) to be yourself in school or where ever you are. the main character Paul is very inspiring. I love how the author put the words in the story. That way i could picture everything in my mind while i was reading. I could see basicly everything in this book. im a visual learner anyway so it was easy to see w More...

1 comment like

Sep 06, 2011

dee rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Aug 11, 2011

Julian rated it:

This is by far the best young adult gay novel you will ever read. Period. I have gone back and read this book four times it is such a feel good read, and honestly, it never once sacrifices its integrity to make it so. The characters are psychologically realistic, and the oozing sexuality that is present in other teen novels isn't here, which is a huge relief. The characters are extremely well developed without Levithan overexposing their personal histories, and he does this quite masterfully by More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 10, 2011

Jenny rated it:

The back of the book describes the setting as "a high school like no other," which I think is likely correct. It certainly wasn't like the high school I went to (we did have a Gay-Straight Alliance, but we did not have a prom queen quarterback). Boy Meets Boy is much more straightforward than Levithan's linked prose poems, The Realm of Possibility, and simpler than his adult novel, The Lover's Dictionary; it's more realistic than another of his YA novels, Wide Awake. Some of his main c More...

0 comments like

Aug 07, 2011

JoJoTheModern rated it:

Sometimes, you just have to read something nice.

If this book and David Levithan's chapters in Will Grayson, Will Grayson (a collaboration with John Green) are any indication of his writer's mindset, Levithan loves to create nice worlds for his gay characters, towns and schools where diversity is the norm and even the rare bigot is more annoying than frightening or furious. If a young lesbian or teenage gay boy is lucky enough to come out of the closet in a Levithan novel, it doesn't " More...

0 comments like

Aug 04, 2011

Elaine rated it:

Everything has always come easy for Paul, a high school sophomore who’s been comfortable in his skin since the day he came home from kindergarten and announced he’s gay. His parents’ only reaction – pride that he’d learned a new word – was typical of residents of their town, a parallel reality in which any sexuality is considered normal and no one bats an eye at the school’s transvestite quarterback/homecoming queen. When new student Noah moves to town, Paul immediately falls for him, soon disco More...

0 comments like

Jun 24, 2011

Discoverylover rated it:

I just re-read this because I loved it so much (and partially because I ran out of books to read!) (But the situation will be rectified tomorrow when I get home :D)

Just as good the second time round. I really noticed how poetic the writing is (especially for a guy (no offense guys)) on the second reading!

---

I read a review of this that a friend of mine wrote and loved the review so much that I moved this up Mt.TBR. Also because it's on Alkaline-kiwi's PC, so I More...

0 comments like

Jun 11, 2011

Discoverylover added it

I read a review of this that a friend of mine wrote and loved the review so much that I moved this up Mt.TBR. Also because it's on Alkaline-kiwi's PC, so I knew I had to return it to her at some point, and what better point than when I'm actually in the same city as her!

The book was just as good (if not better) than the review made it out to be. I loved it!

Favourite quote: "I know people always talk about living in the middle of nowhere - there's always another place More...

0 comments like