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Will Grayson, Will Grayson

by John Green, David Levithan (Goodreads Author)

4.07 · rating details · 14,992 ratings · 2,423 reviews

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.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply in

...more

310 pages

Published (first published January 1st 2010)

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Apr 14, 2011

Lyndsey rated it

Recommends it for: Grumblecakes and the people who love them

Recommended to Lyndsey by: Phil Rayson

Shelves: reviewed-2011, reviewed-4-stars, made-me-laugh, favorite-audiobooks, my-top-ya-contemporary

I have no idea what other book I could compare with Will Grayson, Will Grayson. For some reason, I got a very strong sci-fi vibe from the synopsis of this book. The cover itself just screams alternate universes. But nothing like that was involved. It was just two guys in the same ol' regular universe who meet under unusual circumstances. No speculative elements involved. But I still loved it!! Imagine that.

Content warning for this book: Strong (yet hilarious) language inc...more

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Jul 19, 2011

Tatiana rated it

Recommends it for: those who like John Green and/or David Levithan

Shelves: ala-ya-2011, 2011, ya

3.5 stars

I am glad David Levithan joined John Green to create this story, because clearly Green is unable to write any other characters different from what he had already offered in Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines. His Will Grayson is the same old nerdy, too eloquent boy who is into a smart, attractive, and slightly pretentious girl. Green simply cannot move on to any other ensemble.

Levithan's Will Grayson, on the other hand, is a breath of...more

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Dec 18, 2011

Caris rated it

Shelves: 2011, young-adult

More often than not, I have a tepid relationship with the books I read. I’m not really into them, and they’re not really into me. But we let the relationship play out just to see where it goes. This often ends with me bitching about them on the Internet.

Ending the relationship with a bad book is a very exciting experience, because it fills you with such hope.

The next one will be toes-curling better, I say to myself. Then I search through the crowd that is my bookshelf and tr...moreMore often than not, I have a tepid relationship with the books I read. I’m not really into them, and they’re not really into me. But we let the relationship play out just to see where it goes. This often ends with me bitching about them on the Internet.

Ending the relationship with a bad book is a very exciting experience, because it fills you with such hope.

The next one will be toes-curling better, I say to myself. Then I search through the crowd that is my bookshelf and try to lock eyes with the one who has been staring me down, watching me go through the motions of a going-nowhere read. When I finally spot that coy smile, I sprint toward it. No doubt the title in question can see my desperation, but that doesn’t matter. What I’m feeling is pure honesty. I’m excited.

As you might have surmised from the first four words of this review, it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes the new book is worse than the one that preceded it. That hurts. It makes you start to doubt your ability to choose for yourself. It becomes clear that you have no taste. Why are the good ones always taken?

This line of thinking always makes me question my motivation. Why do I do it? Why do I still count reading among my favorite activities? I have been accused, on more than one occasion, of hating books. And, to a point, it’s true; I hate books. But I love reading.

Tiny Cooper would get this, though it would leave the Will Graysons in the audience scratching their heads until the final act. It’s all about the fall, not the landing. The experience makes it worth it. For many of the same reasons you probably hate your high school boyfriend, I hate Ulysses. It was inconsiderate, self-involved, and, well, ugly. But there’s always the next one, which is why you’re still looking for (or married to) that guy. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to marry a book. The relationship is limited to a finite number of pages. It has to end. What’s left is the question of how. Will the ending be angry, forgettable, or bittersweet?

Will Grayson, Will Grayson and I ended our relationship with a pinky swear that we’d never forget one another. My heart felt heavy when I closed the book for the last time, but I was so glad to have known it. It was one of those stories you want to keep all for yourself- not the kind of thing you want to read about on the Internet from the next ex down the line. If I could take this book out of print and wipe it from the memory of everyone who’d ever read it, I would.

I’m relying on the literal interpretation of the GoodReads rating system here. This book gets five stars because I loved it, even if it was just for a single weekend in December. It has its flaws. There are pacing issues throughout, the other will grayson didn’t always have believable thought processes, and, while most of the relationships were thoroughly explored, some (like the one between Maura and o.w.g.) were left sadly neglected.

But that doesn’t matter. Books, like people, are flawed. And, sometimes, the ones with the most flaws end up being the best. (less)

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Apr 21, 2010

Arlene rated it

Shelves: young-adult, read-2010

Wow! What did I just finish reading? I don't know whether to cringe, cry, walk away baffled, or sing from the top of the mountain in a musical-esque crescendo BRILLIANT! The writing was refreshing, edgy, raw, and offensive at times but never off the mark.

Okay, how do I explain this book without mucking it up? Here is my attempt: Truly a honest and thought-provoking portrayal of two very confused and angsty teenage boys, both named Will Grayson who are just trying to figure out who t...moreWow! What did I just finish reading? I don't know whether to cringe, cry, walk away baffled, or sing from the top of the mountain in a musical-esque crescendo BRILLIANT! The writing was refreshing, edgy, raw, and offensive at times but never off the mark.

Okay, how do I explain this book without mucking it up? Here is my attempt: Truly a honest and thought-provoking portrayal of two very confused and angsty teenage boys, both named Will Grayson who are just trying to figure out who they are and ultimately crossing paths in the least likely of scenarios. I started laughing from the first page and continued to laugh out loud throughout the story, but not without its occasional but constant tangents of sad and revealing moments and ultimate heart changing conclusion. This book covered the gamut of teenage struggles, including homosexuality, depression, love, loss, true friendship and painful self-revelation.

The first Will Grayson, who I will refer to as WG#1, was my favorite as he’s the hilarious, self deprecating typical of John Green’s likeable characters. His motto in life is don't care… and shut up. But that can only last for so long. His best friend, Tiny Cooper, is a 300+ pound, gay guy who is constantly challenging WG#1’s feelings and adding a fair share of struggle into his life. WG#1 has some very revealing moments that come across as valuable lessons, some of them profound and others... well kind of gross actually. My favorites were You like someone who can't like you back because unrequited love can be survived in a way that once requited love cannot. and You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can‘t pick your friend‘s nose. *LMAO and cringing at the same time* I loved his ten minute game of just the truth. Overall, his observations were hilarious and intriguing. In my opinion, he could do, say or feel nothing wrong, I just down right fell for this character.

Now WG#2, I struggled with him a bit. I couldn't really relate to this character... well for obvious reasons, primarily him being a snarky, twisted teenage boy, but at minimum I was hoping to develop some level of compassion for him. That took some time for me, but ultimately it did occur; the first of which came when he met Tiny and his internal self-revelation helped me understand his dark side. His humor was completely different from WG#1 as it was harsh, destructive, negative and sometimes just down right cruel. WG#2 has his fair share of life lessons that I felt were... well let’s just call them interesting, such as The things you hope for the most are the things that destroy you in the end. and his bird shite rule was kind of harsh, but funny. Overall, his moment of self-revelation was his turning point for me as he shared his hurt about his dad, depression, money struggles, and homosexuality. It was sad to see that all this guy ever wanted in life was a simple break, so you ultimately hope he gets one.

Okay lastly, why did I remove one a star? Two words... Tiny Dancer... Errrrr... Tiny Cooper.. okay that's four words and an unintelligible sound, but anywho... I could NOT stand him or his project/musical and his songs to me were crude. Tiny was selfish, self absorbed, exasperating and downright annoying. Despite his squealing to WG#1 that everything he did was for others, I did not buy it for one minute. Everything he did and said was to benefit him and his interests. How WG#1 remained friends with him simply baffled me. So minus one for a poorly developed character. But other than that perfect!

Overall, great story with some intriguing characters and thought-provoking material. The writing might be offensive at times and the foul language could come across as harsh, but it was truly well done. Hats off to John Green and David Levithan for this brilliant piece of work.(less)

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Feb 26, 2011

Lucy rated it

Shelves: wasn-t-for-me, young-adult, coming-of-age

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wanted to like Will Grayson, Will Grayson even though going into it I didn't have high expectations. Despite adoring John Green from the tips of his poof down to his mismatched argyle socks, none of his books have ever been life changing for me. The only work of David Levithan's I've ever read was Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List and I didn't love it. It was erradic, like something written after waking up from drug induced dreams. Will Grayson, Will Grayson was not a lot better. I don't think eith...more

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Apr 11, 2010

Mark rated it

Shelves: young-adult, romance

I was going back between 2 and 3 stars all night. Am I really going to give a book written partially by John Green, my secret man crush, 2 stars? But alas, I think it needed to happen. Will Grayson x2 missed the mark for me in many ways. Let's discuss together.

Will Grayson x2 (I'm not gonna write it twice every time, just work with me) is about two kids named...you know... and although they have never met, their paths cross and ultimately have their lives changed. The book alternates...moreI was going back between 2 and 3 stars all night. Am I really going to give a book written partially by John Green, my secret man crush, 2 stars? But alas, I think it needed to happen. Will Grayson x2 missed the mark for me in many ways. Let's discuss together.

Will Grayson x2 (I'm not gonna write it twice every time, just work with me) is about two kids named...you know... and although they have never met, their paths cross and ultimately have their lives changed. The book alternates each character's POV, one being written by John Green and the other by David Levithan. Spoooooiler Alert!

I think one of my biggest disappointments, which might be my own fault for having unrealistic expectations, is that I expected a much more dramatic change in the lives of these two teens. After they meet, Levithan's Will certainly has a change, simply because he meets Tiny. But for the other Will, I felt I was left scratching my head on how he was really affected. I know things got rough with Tiny, but I feel that was going to happen with Tiny's play happening anyway.

John Green's Will Grayson, which I will simply call Will for this review, is classic Green. He is nerdy and hilarious, giving me several moments of actual out-loud laughter. And also like classic Green, he falls for the first female character introduced, despite the fact they do not share any notion of chemistry or attraction. What made Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns so great was the mystery behind it all. The deep psychological and emotional questions needed to be answered. Will and Jane's romance just felt....dull. The whole dead cat in the box thing was a nice try, but in the end their romance just felt set up and obvious.

Levithan's Will Grayson, which we'll call Grayson, is a very different beast than Will. This is the second book I've read by Levithan, the other being Nick and Norah. Both these left me with this uneasy feeling in my stomach and it took me awhile to figure it out, but I think I got it. Levithan is a great YA author because his characters are brutally authentic, which is very impressive. When you read his words, there is never a second where you would debate whether a moody teen wrote this. But that authenticity is a double-edged sword, especially when you are not a moody teenage reader. I hated Grayson the first few chapters just because he was such a asshole teenager. I totally remember being like that! I don't want to relive it. While Green expresses those frustrating teen times under the shroud of humor, Leviathan is just too hardcore for me. It's all bitching all the time. Grayson lightens up after awhile, but he just left a bad taste in my mouth.

If I had to sum it up, reading Levithan (for me personally!!) is like reading a vivid depiction of a car wreck that's so well done it makes you imagine what it would be like to be in one. It's downright impressive, but why would you want to relive that?

Aside from my beefs with the characters, they are both ultimately decent enough and would have earned this book more than two stars. The big problem I had with this book can be narrowed down to one word: Tiny. Oh Tiny, Tiny, Tiny. You destroyed this book for me.

While the book is titled Will Grayson x2, it should have been "Let's All Have A Lovefest for Tiny." He is the central character in the book and, for the life of me, I cannot understand why everybody loves this guy. He is completely self-centered and egotistical, time and time again putting his needs instead of Will's, and Will just takes it, gets pissed off about it for a bit, but then just goes crawling back and loves it. Tiny's romance with Grayson just didn't make sense as well. Would an overly outgoing theater performer fall for a dark moody goth kid in one night?

Tiny's environment, especially for a book that was so full of realistic teen drama, seemed like a fairy tale. When Grayson comes out of the closet and announces he's gay, he is met with the few typical close minded reactions where people stare at him in the hallways, leave him nasty notes in his locker, etc. It's a shame, but I'm sure that is really what gay teens have to go through when coming out. Tiny somehow is able to transcend this level of homophobia, prances through the hallways singing and dancing, and even goes as far as to putting on an entire play about his own lifestyle(I know he said the play is about love, but its not. Sorry) and the entire school loves him for it? How did that happen? Where is this high school full of tolerance?

The ending was especially disappointing where our two Will Graysons and everybody named remotely something similar meet up at the Tiny crossroads, only to feel the need to loudly proclaim that they "appreciate you, Tiny Cooper!" as the entire crowd sobs in an overly emotional manner having their minds exploded over the masterpiece that his play, "Tiny Dancer," is. Really? Watching 3 hours of a gay teen circumvent any backlash for his sexuality and ponder why he is such a man-whore who dated 18 boys in a few years was that impressive?

I think this is a book that will certainly be enjoyed by actual teens rather than adults who are fans of the YA genre, for the most part. The copy I have is an advanced reader's edition, so it isn't actually out yet. I'm very curious to see how well this book sells since alot of it is centered around...gayness, not that there is anything wrong with that. But as a teacher who has worked in high schools and middle schools, its a sad fact that I see alot of kids still think being gay is something weird and synonymous with lame. On top of that, so many are reluctant readers that struggle just to sit and read, regardless of how interesting the book is. I can't imagine trying to convince my kids to read a book about one kid with a gay best friend and another pursuing a gay relationship and getting a warm reception. Hopefully I'm wrong and this book isn't hampered by that, but its just food for thought.

(less)

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Jan 11, 2011

Tonya rated it

Shelves: ya, favorites-of-2011, 2011, music-centric

This was a really great read. I have been so caught up in paranormal YA recently that I'd lost sight of just how much I love contemporary fiction; it's just so relateable.

Sure, I might never have been a gay high school senior or the best friend of a fabulously gay high school senior, but I think we've all dealt with moments of crippling uncertainty, when you're not sure who you are but the persona you've been wearing around like a mask for the last little bit just isn't fitting like i...moreThis was a really great read. I have been so caught up in paranormal YA recently that I'd lost sight of just how much I love contemporary fiction; it's just so relateable.

Sure, I might never have been a gay high school senior or the best friend of a fabulously gay high school senior, but I think we've all dealt with moments of crippling uncertainty, when you're not sure who you are but the persona you've been wearing around like a mask for the last little bit just isn't fitting like it used to.

It was a story about falling. In love. Into place. A love story without being a romance.

It had its silly moments and there were times when I wanted to smack Tiny Cooper upside the head--I never truly saw him as a three dimensional character, and though the authors wanted him to come across as almost childishly sincere, I mostly saw him as a bit of a disingenuous caricature rather than a fully developed character. I think they could have done a lot more with him. They hinted at his barely there parents, binge drinking and reading between the lines, the psychology behind his serial dating, but never fully developed his story. Which was a shame, because instead of someone who got knocked around a bit but chooses to be a (very annoying) optimist, we got a self-centered egomaniac who maybe told himself he just wanted to brigthen everyone's day, but really just wanted attention.

That being said, however ridiculous and over the top the ending was in hindsight (they got so much of the teenage emotional spectrum right, why ruin it by culminating in what amounted to the scene in all teen movies where suddenly everyone at prom is dancing in perfect choreography to the latest pop song that summarizes the character's deepest feelings perfectly--not that it wasn't fun and evocative to read on some levels, but... just... why?), I was caught up in it as I read. I loved that he was the catalyst for everyone around him. That his presence--or the lack thereof--changed the way people saw themselves, made the daunting task of identity just a little bit easier as they saw themselves through the lens of Tiny Cooper. Or maybe the voice.

On a nerdier level, the repeated references to Schrodinger's cat, Neutral Milk Hotel and All Dogs Go to Heaven made my heart go pitter pat. (as did the fact that will grayson's--the other will grayson, not o.w.g.--chapters were entirely in lower case, as when i am not trying to be a super srs bsns book reviewer with deep thoughts and weighty opinions, i am too lazy for the shift button as well.)

3.5 stars for a book that made me laugh, roll my eyes, catch my breath and smile a little shakily at the end. (less)

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Apr 03, 2010

elissa rated it

Recommended to elissa by: KT's review

Shelves: youngadult, glbtq, my_10s_reads, 2010favorites, listened-to

4 1/2 stars. Excellent, hilarious (in a many times over laugh out loud kind of way), and thought-provoking story about friendship. I love both Will Graysons and Tiny Cooper. I had the pleasure of finally allowing myself to finish this while flying home from seeing my cousin/friend. Not likely that this will leave my 2010 favorites shelf. There are not many books that I was this excited about in 2010.

Notes from the day after I started reading this: Thank you so much to Molly f...more

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Aug 31, 2010

Kristy rated it

Shelves: on-the-road-again

3.5 stars

So, i had absolutely no idea what this was about. My only clue was there was two Will Grayson's whose paths cross. I wasn't expecting the gay lover story that just happened... i'm not here to comment on my take of homesexualality, I'm here to talk about this book. I don't like reading about gay guys, that might make me ridiculous, but I just don't.
That being said, this book still managed to suck me in a bit, thanks to Will Grayson (the straight one) and Jane. Tiny was ...more

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May 13, 2010

CC rated it

This was just okay for me. It had its strengths -- bold subject matter being one, the energized Chicago setting, another. And while I liked Tiny and especially Gideon, I was sad to find I really didn't like anyone else. Ultimately, the premise (two Will Graysons) was misleading because they didn't have an impact on each other.

The crux of the story was really about (non-capitalized) Will Grayson and how larger-than-life Tiny inspires him. This left (capitalized) Will Grayson's arc o...moreThis was just okay for me. It had its strengths -- bold subject matter being one, the energized Chicago setting, another. And while I liked Tiny and especially Gideon, I was sad to find I really didn't like anyone else. Ultimately, the premise (two Will Graysons) was misleading because they didn't have an impact on each other.

The crux of the story was really about (non-capitalized) Will Grayson and how larger-than-life Tiny inspires him. This left (capitalized) Will Grayson's arc of deciding to like Jane or not as filler, mostly. The set-up of Jane's tom-boy status (sans any desirable qualities shown) seemed too heavily borrowed from "Let it Snow," where the nerd boy was deciding if he should like Duke. Since I didn't understand why Jane was such a catch, I almost didn't care if Will Grayson ended up with her.

And this wasn't a huge issue, but the parents and staff in a public Chicago area high school supporting a "gay play" readily, and without discussion, seemed a bit of a stretch. A private, progressive school, maybe. A public school? I'm not so sure.

Other than that, two smaller things made this book not as successful as I'd hoped:

One, a lot of the dialogue sounds like people trying to be funny, but they aren't. Ex: (pg. 50) "They're kind of a poor man's Mr. T experience... it basically explains Einstein's theory of relativity." That one line alone isn't that bad, but when you combine it with hundreds of other lines just like it -- that make no sense -- it takes away from what's really going on in a scene or chapter. After a while, I started to think John Mayer had stolen the book and pasted his eye-rolling Aren't-I-Funny-and-Insightful twitter comments into it.

And two, if you have a gay, fat best-friend you wouldn't constantly refer to him as your GAY!! FAT!! Best-friend. You just wouldn't. He'd be your friend, and that's all. So for (capitalized) Will Grayson to constantly make GAY, FAT, observations was insulting. Yes, we know Tiny is big, but by the same token, if you had a friend who wasn't as smart as you, you wouldn't refer to him as your STUPID friend, would you? Maybe you would if you were in this book, I don't know.

Most of what I feel is wrong with the book can, in fact, be attributed to the hazards of co-authoring -- one author naturally has to take a backseat to the other, and in this case, one whole plot had to cow to the other, flashier one. (less)

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May 13, 2011

Lisa O. rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit

I'm kind of ashamed to give this book such a poor rating because, clearly, everybody else liked it. I wouldn't even have given it 2 stars if not for the fact that it made laugh a couple of times.
I think this book is SO not for me.
First off, I'm not quite sure why it's called Will Grayson, Will Grayson because, clearly again, this book is not about either Wills. It's about Tiny Cooper, a humongous, self-centered, selfish, loud and super clichéd gay guy. This guy is so self-centered th...moreI'm kind of ashamed to give this book such a poor rating because, clearly, everybody else liked it. I wouldn't even have given it 2 stars if not for the fact that it made laugh a couple of times.
I think this book is SO not for me.
First off, I'm not quite sure why it's called Will Grayson, Will Grayson because, clearly again, this book is not about either Wills. It's about Tiny Cooper, a humongous, self-centered, selfish, loud and super clichéd gay guy. This guy is so self-centered that the plot of the book is basically about him staging a musical about himself. WTF? I thought it would be more about the two Graysons, interacting with each other but they are actually connected only through Tiny.
And, truth be said, I didn't like either of them. Will #1 (Green's) is a nerdy straight guy whose two main rules in life are: 1) don't care; and 2) shut up. I couldn't empathize. He's passive, subject to Tiny's whims and still he loves him. His romance with Jane felt contrived and popped out all of a sudden.
Will #2 (Levithan's) is even worse. He's gay, emo, chronically depressed, tormented by his parent's divorce and perpetually in a bad mood. He's kind of the worst case scenario for a teenager.
Both Wills ramble a lot, there's a lot of IM in the book and weird pointless conversations. Even the whole musical scene at the end was just plain silly. I don't really know who would care about a musical about Tiny Cooper's gay love life. I wouldn't and didn't. I kept thinking: maybe there's some weird symbolism I'm not getting here? I have no clue, I felt this book to be surreal at times. AND I don't really see how Will #2 managed to make other people with the same name go to a stupid musical in a couple of hours. Why would THEY care?

So, again, it might be this book might be better appreciated by real teenagers - not teen at heart like me -but truly, if not for some rather startlingly genius passages like this:

"you know, how people say it's good luck if a bird shits on you? and people believe it! i just want to grab them and say, 'dude, don't you realize this whole superstition was made up because no one could think of anything else good to say to a person who'd just been shit upon?"

or this:

<3. you think that looks like heart? if you do, it's only because you've never seen a scrotum.
(rofl? what? are you really rolling on the floor laughing? well, please stay down there a sec while I KICK YOUR ASS.)

this would book would have not got even that extra star from me. But, obviously, it must be me because check out the awards it got!
Sorry, Green and Levithan, you're just not my cup of tea.

Follow my reviews at NightReader (less)

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Dec 06, 2010

Flannery rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, kcls, read-in-2010, young-adult-teen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am a John Green lover and a slightly less enthusiastic David Levithan liker--though this is the first thing I've read by him so I need to give him more of a chance. This novel, written back and forth by the two authors, tells the story of two high school boys named Will Grayson. Will Grayson #1 is a pretty normal guy with a huge, gay best friend, Tiny Cooper. Will Grayson #2 is a depressed teen who has no close friends and lives with his single mother. As expected, the two Will Graysons meet a...more

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Dec 26, 2010

Isamlq rated it

Shelves: favorites

Will Grayson, will grayson. Their name is about the only thing they have in common… well, that and figuring out how to be themselves. To risk sounding repetitive: WG wg’s main draws are its humor (Oh, the humor!) and disarming honesty... it’s the world as told by 16 year olds.

Will Grayson doesn’t like to rock the boat much (“Don't care too much and shut up.”) but because Tiny Cooper is his best and only friend WG finds himself flouting these rules repeatedly. Tiny also just happens...more

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Feb 22, 2011

Mari rated it

Shelves: favorites, my-top10-books-2010

my name is not will grayson but i sure appreciate tiny dancer errr..

when i picked WGWG up, i didn't know what to expect save for a story about what happens when two will graysons unexpectedly meet but boy, was i in for a a touching and hilarious ride.

what can i say about the will graysons? i loved Will with jane, Will and his locker combination-dedication, Will with his dad, Will and his ten-minute game of truth, ... i just loved Will period. trust john green to give you ...more

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Jul 19, 2010

Judith rated it

Shelves: teen, aw-makers, dreamers, award-nominee

I'm reading this one nextpurely because Green & Levithan were so humorous at an ALA dinner. I'm sure there's video somewhere.

Update: my name isn't will grayson, but I sort of love you tiny cooper.

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Jun 09, 2011

Aneesa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: youth

This book is awesome. It's better than a season of Glee. I love the feeling and the humor and the teenage diction (henceforth, multivalent, fuck), but I am a little confused about the time period. Eleventh graders in 2010 referencing Neutral Milk Hotel and The Dead Milkmen? I didn't know anyone remembered Mr. T Experience except girls who dated them in high school and those girls' friends.

I liked the capitalized Will Grayson because he seemed normal (even rational) yet completely diffe...more

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Jan 30, 2011

Alex rated it

This is a book that very distinctly was not written for me. Hip high school students try to figure out if they care for one another while a fat gay kid writes a musical about his life while also trying to date a boy who has the same name as his best friend.

By two authors writing alternate chapters, this is more than a generically bad book. Every second chapter is written entirely in lower case, and that character is so possessed by his self-loathing and misanthropy that there is nothin...moreThis is a book that very distinctly was not written for me. Hip high school students try to figure out if they care for one another while a fat gay kid writes a musical about his life while also trying to date a boy who has the same name as his best friend.

By two authors writing alternate chapters, this is more than a generically bad book. Every second chapter is written entirely in lower case, and that character is so possessed by his self-loathing and misanthropy that there is nothing to recommend him. The style of writing detaches you from him so wholly that I wanted to jettison half of the book into the ocean.

The other half? Will Grayson (who writes with caps! Imagine that!) is a guy, I guess ... he's a guy with a stupid policy of not getting involved, which means we've got a novel in which all of the characters are stagnating.

Would this book be meaningful to high school students? I've no idea. Its portrayal of gay high school life seems entirely unrealistic to me (they let one character stage a goddamn musical of his life), and if something doesn't ring true it doesn't matter how much truth is actually in it. On top of this, both Will Graysons decide to have Tiny Cooper as their focal point.

Tiny Cooper, among the worst fictional characters I read in 2010, is narcissistic to the point of intolerability. Worse still is that all of the characters are expected to accommodate him. He pisses off both Will Graysons but they have to make it up to him! Forget their feelings, this is Tiny's show!

Speaking of Tiny's show, it is terrible. We are shown his musical and told that it's a surprisingly good masterpiece. No. It is onanism only backed up by one of the most ridiculous, unrealistic and frankly stupid conclusions in my reading career.

Young Adults deserve fiction that speaks to them. If Will Grayson speaks to anyone, I want to meet that person and kick them into the real world. When Dan Savage said "it gets better", he meant "life isn't as shit as the collaboration between John Green and David Levithan". (less)

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Apr 23, 2010

Rebecca rated it

Shelves: glbtq-ya, read-in-2010, ya, mock-printz-2011

WGWG delivers lots of fun, some truly hilarious moments, a refreshing look at guy relationships (both platonic and romantic), and perhaps one of YA literature's greatest gifts to the world: TINY COOPER. Oh, how I wish he were real.

WGWG is not the strongest work by either author. Rather, it reads like what it is: a collaborative project between two friends. To be honest I don't know if this book would have clicked for me if I didn't already love both of these authors. WGWG is definite...more

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Oct 25, 2011

Joe Hartman rated it

The major problem I have with this book is the comic relief,and focal point, "Tiny". He's created as a larger than life, extremely "fabulous" and self-centered gay guy who morphs into a kind of sage of the teen gay world. The messages about this character are extremely mixed. The authors seem to be supporting his unique self expression, complete confidence, and large size, and yet... the story is not told from his perspective, but the perspective of two much more acceptabl...more

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Apr 07, 2010

Kat Alexander rated it

Recommends it for: All Nerdfighters, Levithan fans, and everyone who hasn't tried either.

Shelves: favourites, 101-books-before-you-die, good-books-that-make-you-think, most-interesting-stylistic-writing, read-2010, reviewed, signed, books-i-own

Has it really been a whole day, and I have yet to be able to write a full, all-encompassing if tragically long, personal, badly written, and probably condemned to be deleted and rewritten review? Have I not even written a review from the heart, even if it isn't up to my now-usual standards?

A whole day since the book came out, and I tragically had to sit through a day of standardised testing, which is in actuality about an hour and a half of standardised testing, an hour and a half ...more

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Dec 20, 2011

Janelle rated it

Shelves: favorites

And like the pink pants guy loves Tiny Cooper, I APPRECIATE THIS BOOK TO DEATH.
It was quite a good read considering how much I could relate to the characters.
I'm sort of like Will Grayson, in a sense that he feels that Tiny doesn't genuinely like him, that he's more of his companion than a friend. I honestly think my friends find me as a bitchsquealer, though I've been so quiet lately. Their gawks insinuate such notion.
In a way, I also felt like will grayson. He's got heaps o...more

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May 08, 2011

Jo rated it

Shelves: ya, kindle, boy-crush, my-geek-sense-is-tingling, when-can-i-move-in, things-are-rotten-in-the-state-of-d

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Awww, YES.

High point.
Oh there are so many. So I’m just going to try and list them quickly; indie boy nerds, ridiculously gay men, self-deprecating laugh out loud humour, porn shops, internet crushes, heterosexual crushes, homosexual crushes, awesome families, cool girls, realistic butterflies, locker combinations, A GAY MUSICAL. And there are so much more but you just need to read it.

Low point.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the imme...more

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Apr 26, 2011

Jessica -ChapterChicks- Skelly rated it

Shelves: owned, favorites

QUICK OVERVIEW:
This book is a hilarious, moving tale of two teenage boys going through very difficult problems. Each person has felt like one of the Will Graysons' at one point in their life, and I think that everyone should read this book.

REVIEW:
Will Grayson Will Grayson is a great book. I know broken down in the rating scale, it doesn't have the highest score, but if this book were based on likability alone, it would have scored higher.

I don't think the plot was...more

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Dec 24, 2011

Kim rated it

Shelves: cry-havoc, favorite-authors, holy-shit, mmxi, the-kids-are-all-right

"Weltschmerz (from the German, meaning world-pain or world-weariness, pronounced [ˈvɛltʃmɛɐ̯ts]) is a term coined by the German author Jean Paul and denotes the kind of feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind. It is also used to denote the feeling of sadness when thinking about the evils of the world."

I’ve learned a new word today. I’m not sure if it’s something that I should incorporate into my v...more"Weltschmerz (from the German, meaning world-pain or world-weariness, pronounced [ˈvɛltʃmɛɐ̯ts]) is a term coined by the German author Jean Paul and denotes the kind of feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind. It is also used to denote the feeling of sadness when thinking about the evils of the world."

I’ve learned a new word today. I’m not sure if it’s something that I should incorporate into my vocabulary this close to the holiday, but boy I wish I had known it when I was 16. It’s the best goth word ever.

So, there’s this cool crowd of young adult authors that I’ve recently discovered. John Green, Holly Black, David Levithan, Libba Bray, Barry Lyga… I was never one to yearn for a clique. Until now. I would grovel and sell one of my kids and lick someone’s toe for the chance to be a part of this group. Isn’t that pathetic? Thing is, I’ve been searching for them since freshman year of college after reading Weetzie Bat. I thought ‘Yes! Someone gets me! Someone can be snarky and clever and intelligent and understand all of my sidebar like comments!’ This was my Weltschmertz. I’m not sure if this a noun, but I’m using it as such. I began to believe that it was luck to find Francesca and that I should be glad that I did but there would never be a gang, with a password and a gang knock and all that comes in gangland (suburbia gangland, mind you.)
Now I am sad. I am left in the cold, only to consume everything I can from this group. I am at the edge of the group trying to hear all the cool things that they are saying. I write their name on all my book covers, I draw hearts and swirlies around it. I am, unabashedly, a gawker.

So, now that you know how far my devotion goes, let me add another level. This book is written by TWO of them. They went and collaborated just to make me fall deeper. Because, as the book teaches you… It’s about the falling, not the landing.

“i live in a big goddamned weltschermz ocean, you know? and so do you. and so does everyone. because everyone thinks it should be possible just to keep falling and falling forever, to feel the rush of the air on your face as you fall, that air pulling your face into a brilliant goddamned smile. and that should be possible. you should be able to fall forever.”

Isnt’ that… perfect? Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about finding yourself, learning to live with yourself, learning to let go and not give a fuck what other people think, learning to trust and learning to love. Mighty big statement. Formula for every YA book, you say? No. This one is different. This is where talents collide and boys named Will Grayson emerge. They look battered and worn down and they don’t say a lot but when they do… you don’t want them to stop. Will Graysons discover that elusive thing…that ‘love is bound with truth.’ And, boy, they do it damn well.

“i think the idea of a ‘mental health day’ is something completely invented by people who have no clue what it’s like to have bad mental health. the idea that your mind can be aired out in twenty-four hours is kind of like saying heart disease can be cured if you eat the right breakfast cereal. mental health days only exist for people who have the luxury of saying ‘I don’t want to deal with things today’ and then can take the whole day off, while the rest of us are stuck fighting the fights we always fight, with no one really caring one way or another, unless we choose to bring a gun to school or ruin the morning announcements with a suicide.”

i.am.falling...(less)

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Aug 20, 2010

K rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: laugh-out-loud, library, i-bought-it

There’s voodoo magic in them there pages. I actually sent a quick email midway through to recommend this to a non-reader friend of mine because it’s. that. good.

Will the First is living by his two hard and fast rules. 1. Don’t Care too much. 2. Shut up. It’s not doing him any favors. Will v2.0 has a hate-on for just about everything. He has all of three friendquaintances and manages to have so few conversations to have forgotten how to use quotation marks. On a crappy night for them ...more

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Aug 23, 2011

Tammara added it

Got a little nutty at the end, but the rest was so incredible that I didn't care. I've never read a book with such a rainbow of gay characters (pardon that - I couldn't help it). There is no "typical" gay guy any more than there's a typical hetero guy, and nothing shows that better than several same-age, same-gender, same-orientation characters all interacting within a story. Will Grayson, Will Grayson isn't a romance, per se, but love and attraction of all sorts are major issues and w...more

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Aug 19, 2010

Gorfo rated it

Recommends it for: Andromeda, Claire

Shelves: i-laughed-so-hard, realistic

I had high hopes for "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" but was a little wary of how good the book would be since it had afterall not been written solely by John Green, but was instead the combined product of John Green and David Levathin who've I've read nothing by before this. As I settled into this book I felt slightly uncomfortable with the other Will Grayson who I felt was constantly on the edge of something disastrous, and was constantly in a state of depression.

But soon eno...more

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Mar 12, 2011

Nicole rated it

Shelves: favorite-young-adult

I love John Green. Love love love. I still love Looking for Alaska best, but this is my second-favorite John Green book. I love characters, I love the plot, I love the concept.

You've got two kids, living seemingly separate lives, both named Will Grayson. The story is about the intersection of their lives and the lessons they both learn about what it means to be Will Grayson. The language is no-holds-barred, so I probably wouldn't recommend it to a 9th grader, but I would to my 11th ...more

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Apr 11, 2010

Maddy rated it

I've been looking forward to reading "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" for a while now, but was unfortunately disappointed.

The characters were not particularly dynamic and did not seem to grow or mature at all throughout the novel. John Green's Will Grayson had an attitude of uncaring towards everything, an attitude I hoped to see change, but sadly remained much the same. David Leviathan's Will Grayson was moody and immature, and remained as such throughout the text. Grayson, wh...more

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May 23, 2011

Scott rated it

Shelves: 2010, first-half-of-2010, older-teens, realistic, romance, young-adult-books, holiday-break-reading-challenge-201, rereading

2nd review:
1. I recommend this one on audio.

2. Think about the insufferable Will Grayson in context. He is depressed. Hiding his sexuality. His "best" friend pulls a hideous prank on him, hoping to force him out of the closet. And he has no support group.

3. He may be insufferable … but he should know … It Gets Better.

Old review:
Ok . . . A Few Things Before I Begin:

1. This review will contain language. I don't typically curse, especi...more

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this page for more information.

John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. The film rights to Looking for Alaska were purchased by Paramount in 2005. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Mi...more

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