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Will Grayson, Will Grayson

(Will Grayson, Will Grayson #1)

John Green (Goodreads Author),

David Levithan (Goodreads Author)

3.76 · Rating details · 346,194 ratings · 18,509 reviews

will grayson, meet will grayson

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers cross paths. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, culminating in heroic turns-of-heart and the most epic musical ever to grace the high school stage.

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Paperback, 310 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by Speak (first published April 6th 2010)

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Average rating 3.76 ·

Rating details

· 346,194 ratings · 18,509 reviews

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Nov 22, 2010 Lyndsey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Grumblecakes and the people who love them

Recommended to Lyndsey by: Phil Rayson

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

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 including sexual references ...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Tatiana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

Shelves: 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 fresh air with a whiff ...more

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Jun 28, 2018 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.

I'm calling it quits on this one early. This is not even remotely enjoyable for me. It starts out with a bad tone as one of the Wills keeps fat-shaming Tiny (who, according to JG's website, is the *actual* main character), and then it just goes downhill so fast. The only thing I liked about the pages that I read was the Neutral Milk Hotel referencing, but even that is slightly ruined by how Manic Pixie John's writing manages to make ...more

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Sep 27, 2016 Ryan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-star, lgbt, library, not-my-cup-of-tea, dnf, how-about-no, stand-alone, september-tbr, read-in-2016

DNF at 24%

Alternate title for Will Grayson, Will Grayson: Disappointment, Disappointment.

John Green,

description

I thought we had a thing going. You write incredible heart-wrenching books, and I cry about them and recommend them to everyone in existence. So what the hell happened with this?

description

I said in my review of Eleanor & Park that never have I ever been so glad to check a book out from the library. You can just go ahead and scratch that now. I'm happier that I got this from the library.

description

In the first 2 ...more

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May 25, 2011 Emily May rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, 2011

I really liked the idea of this book, having two authors create a character each and alternate their points of view throughout the novel. For me it was an entirely different kind of experience and the two authors have such unique styles that I would say it is definitely something everyone should read. It's a story about two teenage boys, both of which are called Will Grayson. They could hardly be more different, there lives have almost nothing in common... until one night when circumstances lead to them meeting by accident (in a porn shop). It's funny and it's ridiculous.

So why the average rating?

Well, because I couldn't get interested in John Green's character at all I'm afraid. This is my first experience of his writing and I know him to be a very highly rated and acclaimed author, one whose books have tempted me numerous times at my local library but I've never got around to reading. If this is any indication, I'm not sure his novels would be for me. I found his Will Grayson boring and a character who quickly became secondary to more interesting personalities like Tiny. I'm also yet to find a young adult novel that does the beauty and the geek story well. Will Grayson is an awkward, nerdy guy who can't believe the smart and beautiful Jane would fall for him. And neither can I, I'm sorry.

That being said, David Levithan's character rocked. He's an angsty "I hate the world" type of guy and it's just effin' hilarious. One of my favourite parts is the part near the beginning where he's having a rant about people using things like "lol" on the internet:

"or ttyl. bitch, you're not actually talking. that would require actual vocal contact. or <3. you think that looks like a heart? if you do, that'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"

I really really liked Levithan's humour. In fact, I just really like him as an author, I'm yet to be disappointed by his writing. Perhaps I would have liked Green's character better if I didn't have this to compare it to but Green's Will Grayson just pales in comparison.

Some people didn't like the musical at the end but I thought it was pretty funny. I've known a few versions of Tiny in real life - big personality, outrageously shameless - and his character repeatedly made me smile (credit to John Green there). On the whole, the novel was a pleasure to read: very entertaining, very gay (no offense intended in any way - read the novel and see what I mean) and very different.

...more

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Apr 16, 2020 daph pink ♡ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: lost-interest, genre-lgbtqiap, lgbtqiap-aro-ace-rep, lgbtqiap-bi-rep, genre-young-adult, lgbtqiap-gay-rep, lgbtqiap-mm, 1-star

One will is straight, the other is gay.
Don't waste your time on this book!! ...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Rae rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: not-to-read

artificially inflated by the greens' ubiquitous little girl empire. for christ's sake, hamlet only has a 3.9.

the feeling you get when you realize you've just wasted time and energy you could've spent reading one of infinitely many worthwhile books on something that has left you no richer for the wear is absolutely crushing. i read it over two days, first in the evening before picking it up again in the morning. when i fisnished, i threw it across the room and went back to sleep. ...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Megs ♥ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, z-2012-reads

This book is one that I'm having a hard time rating. It's nothing to do with the fact that the book is written by two authors and I would split up the writing or anything like that. I found that their writing blended well together, and although I found one Will more fun to read about than another I don't think it had to do with the writing really. I've read many other reviews where people liked the other Will more so that doesn't really matter. It's just that although this book has the usual hum
This book is one that I'm having a hard time rating. It's nothing to do with the fact that the book is written by two authors and I would split up the writing or anything like that. I found that their writing blended well together, and although I found one Will more fun to read about than another I don't think it had to do with the writing really. I've read many other reviews where people liked the other Will more so that doesn't really matter. It's just that although this book has the usual humor I have come to expect from John's books there was not much more than that to love about this book.

Two boys named Will Grayson are both living in Chicago. At the start of the story they have no idea the other exists, but their paths are soon to cross. Will 1 is a straight teen with a very large gay best friend. This character is John Green's go-to guy. I've read about this same exact character now in three other John Green's books and that's why I didn't find this Will to be the most exciting or fresh character to read about. Will number 2 was written by David Levithan and he was a gay teen who is seemingly depressed, but becomes very hopeful when he finds out he's going to be able to meet his internet love, Isaac.

I didn't really like any of the other characters. I guess if I had to pick any that were okay I would say Jane, but the rest were just annoying.

The plot didn't have anything exciting happen, and I didn't get all emotional like I have when reading other John Green books. This book will probably be very unmemorable to be honest, but I thought it was an alright quick read. The book was seriously predictable, though. I mean pretty much from the start you can tell a few things are going to happen, but on the chance that someone didn't see them coming I will hide them.

(view spoiler)

And then we get to the ending. I almost didn't get to the ending after Tatiana here on GR warned that it was very "Glee"...So yeah. The musical. Wow. She was right. Very Glee or High School Musical. Over the top and unrealistic. I actually really like Glee, but it's fun on TV, not books. I'm sure there are some who may really like this book, but for me it was just okay.

So yeah. This concludes my John Green reading for now. I wanted to read all of his books, and this was the final one for me. This experience has been all over the place.

As far as Will Grayson, Will Grayson goes I would say it's much better than An Abundance of Katherines, but not as good as some others. This may just be because it's the last of his I'm reading and all of the similar main characters and road trips are leaving me feel like I need a change. ...more

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Mar 02, 2017 Elyse Walters rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is terrific ---one that adults could spend time together discussing.....(high or low rating, there are topics worthy of discussion in this book)
Sixteen year olds may enjoy this book - but I think the deeper insights might be more appreciated when older. There are already 15, 300 reviews ....
I read two: ( 2 years ago), by Larry Hoffer, and Glenn Sumi. Larry's review was contagious and Glenn's thought provoking.

With the recent floods in San Jose-an ongoing reminder for Paul and I - as This book is terrific ---one that adults could spend time together discussing.....(high or low rating, there are topics worthy of discussion in this book)
Sixteen year olds may enjoy this book - but I think the deeper insights might be more appreciated when older. There are already 15, 300 reviews ....
I read two: ( 2 years ago), by Larry Hoffer, and Glenn Sumi. Larry's review was contagious and Glenn's thought provoking.

With the recent floods in San Jose-an ongoing reminder for Paul and I - as we are hosting flood victims this month - and the two bomb threats at our Local Jewish Community center this week--I was hoping for a fun escape. ( so I grabbed this off my shelf)....
However....THIS BOOK WAS FUNNY ....THE VERY FIRST SENTENCE WAS HILARIOUS....but I forgot -- TEENAGERS HAVE ISSUES: serious issues!!
Underneath the laughter and funny dialogue, these kids were dealing with depression, love, loss, gay and straight relationships WITH PROBLEMS , friendships WITH PROBLEMS , struggles within their family, school, and struggles with their own painful awareness. ---
...........so basically -- The only way I really got my escape, was escaping into the teenage world of problems that were irresistibly funny... that we all know are a little bit sad.....and .... a little bit funny!! AS LIFE IS!!! FUNNY&SAD!

At times some of these characters were annoying- rude - and unlikable -
Other times we step back and our hearts open - we feel the tenderness - we feel the luv.
The real star - standout - of this story is not the title characters -- but a character named: Tiny Cooper.

"Tiny Cooper is not the worlds gayest person, and he is not the worlds largest person, but I believe he may be the world's largest person who is really, really gay, and also the worlds gayest person who is really, really large."

......It's a different experience reading a book written by two authors where there're each creator of a character. John Green and David Levithan's writing style are 'very' different resulting in both characters of Will Grayson being 'completely' different.....but it's a beautiful blend ......ending with a bigger-than-life musical!

These kids lives are complicated. The relationships are each entangled. Add social media- texting- smart phone -emails... and a musical stage production.

There is a word taught in this book I thought was cool: "weltschmerz".... which means:
"It's that depression you feel when the world as it is does not line up with the world as you think it should be".
And as my mother would say, "Que Sera Sera"..... 'what shall be will be" ...more

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Mar 15, 2010 Arlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, young-adult

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 they are and 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 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. ...more

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Dec 13, 2010 Limonessa rated it it was ok

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 that the plo 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 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 ...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Julio Genao rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: My mother.

Recommended to Julio by: Lenore

Remarkable both for its polished wit and intense compassion, this is a story about three things: honesty, bravery—and Tiny Cooper.

Mostly Tiny Cooper, though. He's the comma between the dumbass Graysons, y'see.

Extravagantly emotional even in its hipster self-possession, this thing runs deep and wide, and I don't think you have to stagger up and out from the last line on the last page in the last minute of the last hour before dawn, sobbing in snot-nosed catharsis and joy and hope, to receive the ...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Ami rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Ami by: Weasel (Daniel)

Shelves: 5-stars_rating, young-or-new-adult, lgbtq-fiction

Livre, je t'adore ....

Took me awhile to think about what I wanted to write -- but at the same time, everybody else on friends list have done a GREAT job with their own review. So I don't know if I can add more and I'm not sure that I CAN do a better job. All I can say is ...

+ Emotions. This book made me feel A LOT OF EMOTIONS. I was happy, I was entertained, I was pissed-off mad and was ready for MURDERING ONE FICTIONAL CHARACTER(!!!!), I was touched, I was sad (*sniff*), and in the end, I wa ...more

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Jan 20, 2018 Emer (A Little Haze) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, read2018, young-adult, buddy-reads, books-owned-all-formats, 4stars, contemporary

Utterly irreverent.
Laugh out loud humour.
At times very moving!

"NO. No no no. I don’t want to screw you. I just love you. When did who you want to screw become the whole game? Since when is the person you want to screw the only person you get to love? It’s so stupid! I mean, Jesus, who even gives a fuck about sex?! People act like it’s the most important thing humans do, but come on. How can our sentient fucking lives revolve around something slugs can do. I mean, who you want to screw and wh

...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Jenn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Debbie

Recommended to Jenn by: Everyone

Shelves: favorite-authors, favorites, kindle, fiction, 5-stars-are-not-enough, angst-drama, friends-to-lovers, hilarious, m-m, ugly-face-cry

So, this is one of those books where I won’t read the lower rated reviews, which I almost always do either before or after reading a book. The reason I won’t for this book is because it touched something so deeply personal that I think I might feel like I’m reading about someone that doesn’t understand me.

I’ll never review this book as well as it could be, but read the sample and if it doesn’t immediately draw you in, you might never ever relate to it. If you do enjoy it, it only gets better and So, this is one of those books where I won’t read the lower rated reviews, which I almost always do either before or after reading a book. The reason I won’t for this book is because it touched something so deeply personal that I think I might feel like I’m reading about someone that doesn’t understand me.

I’ll never review this book as well as it could be, but read the sample and if it doesn’t immediately draw you in, you might never ever relate to it. If you do enjoy it, it only gets better and more honest.

The one criticism I might make about this book is I don’t know how YA it truly is. Of course, maybe I’ve just never truly grown up. All I know is I don’t think at 16 I would have nearly appreciated this book for what it is, but at 30, the characters and the insight spoke to me in volumes. I was and am some of these kids – if not all of them at different times.

Some might say it’s depressing and that’s very true. But, depression is real and as a teenager (and adult) you don’t always think things are going to get better. You can be cynical and feel drawn to other cynical people. You sometimes think those that are always THEM aka the 'others' aren’t really how people are. As Will would say, that statement is both true and not true. But for as depressing as it might be, my fuck, I laughed my ass off the majority of it. Of course, there were a few ugly-face-cry moments thrown in as well.

Characters like Tiny Cooper break up both Wills’ inner dialogue and he’s not there just as a ploy to bring happiness. He’s a real breathing character that exists – as they all do vividly – and he shows the reader that sometimes you can take a break and realize that people are different, and no one is perfect, but difference in all shapes and sizes, genders, personalities, etc can intersect and add something to your life. Sometimes you feel like you are alone and no one gets you. You keep your head down and you are an introvert going through life with a hilarious inner dialogue commenting on things you are desperate to release but sometimes feel no one will get.

That when you least expect it, sometimes all you have to do is breathe and reach out to someone unexpected that might understand you. They don’t have to get all of you. No one probably truly ever will. But, someone will get some part of you and some special moments can happen.

Loved it. Adored it. This book has its stars in Tiny, Will, Will, Jane, Gideon, Nick, Gary, but what it really does is tell the reader that things are both right and not right all the time, but you can get through it.
...more

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Aug 22, 2016 emi rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Nope; I definitely did not like this book. I found it boring, bland and just pointless. Sure, the characters were interesting and unique, but I just found myself really struggling with motivation to read it. In fact, I stopped reading it completely. I don't recommend it. ...more

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Mar 11, 2016 Kyle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Basically, 300+ pages of a cutzy gay musical.

First, as with so many books about teenagers, the teenagers really don't act much like teenagers. It seems most adult authors have forgotten what it was like to be a teenager. I never found myself relating or caring for any of the characters. There are some funny moments that brought a smile to my face. The ending I thought was a bit too contrived and unrealistic.

I'm not sure about other high schools but I know the one I recently graduated fr

...more

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Jan 01, 2018 Mary S. R. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, mental-health, lgbt, young-adult, contemporary

3.75 STARS! a witty and rude, fascinating and heartwarming, magically musical and original young adult tale of friendship and identity [♪]

It's the belief, not the words, that mean everything.

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers cross paths.

Reality is the anvil.

The unfeeling and cloesd-off Will Grayson¹, waiting outside a Maybe Dead Cats concert for his theatre lover best friend, Tiny Cooper, and Jane Turner, the girl with the bad music taste.

the things you hope

...more

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Sep 14, 2018 Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, boys-who-like-boys, young-adult, lgbtq, audiobooks

You know how people say so and so is a "force of nature" and people usually take notice but then you see/read/meet said "force of nature" and really they're just a loud talker who's kinda bossy and then you feel let down?

Well, I'm here to tell you Tiny Cooper is a bonafide force of nature!

Tiny Cooper, who in fact, is not tiny. At all. The dude is gigantor. He is a loud talker but he's also magnetic in that tractor beam sort of way that attracts everyone around him to orbit his Tiny Cooper planet ...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Alex rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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 nothing to recom 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 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". ...more

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Mar 20, 2016 Elle (ellexamines) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-star, y-notowned, z-2016read, zzzzz-did-not-finish, contemporary, what-is-this-mess

DNFed this around 100 pages in. This was actually my second attempt to push through this book, after a failed attempt last year at camp. I think it's clear at this point that this book wasn't for me.

To get something out of the way: Levithan's character actually interested me to some degree. He's a little too emo, maybe, but definitely not your average ya protagonist. My problem with this half of the book is completely personal, yet took away any possibility of enjoyment for me. Everything is in DNFed this around 100 pages in. This was actually my second attempt to push through this book, after a failed attempt last year at camp. I think it's clear at this point that this book wasn't for me.

To get something out of the way: Levithan's character actually interested me to some degree. He's a little too emo, maybe, but definitely not your average ya protagonist. My problem with this half of the book is completely personal, yet took away any possibility of enjoyment for me. Everything is in low caps. I know this is storytelling medium, I know it's creative and interesting, but I cannot read something written in all lower-case without wanting to tear my hair out. I highly recommend actually trying to read in all lower caps for five pages before you actually buy this one.

My problems with John Green's character, Will One, were easier to figure out. He comes off as homophobic. The word “gay” is mentioned six times in one paragraph, and that's not an exaggeration. Will thinks of his friend Tiny exclusively as “the gay one.” He is condescending and rude to Tiny. I'd believe that Green was going to subvert the “token gay friend” trope, had he not written Tiny as every gay stereotype in existence. Guys like Tiny exist, but they have personalities beyond being flamboyant. Trust me. The romance plot is between a guy and a girl who meet at a gay-straight alliance, which for some reason doesn't have a single lgbt+ person in it who isn't a gay guy. Has John Green ever been to a gay-straight alliance?

Beyond the gross stereotyping, Will One also has no character. He's exactly the same character as every other John Green dude protagonist. This formula got old at least three books ago, and I don't want to read it anymore. When is John Green going to come out with a book as interesting as his YouTube channel on history? I'm being serious here. He's clearly a smart, interesting, funny guy, but all his characters are an idealized version of himself, and it's not enjoyable.

Not recommended at all. ...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Garima rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-2-cents

Well, firstly, the Title of this book should be “Will, Tiny, Will”, as clearly Mr. Tiny Cooper is having, just like his physical persona, a huge presence in the lives of both Wills. I started this book by accusing John Green of having written the character of Will Grayson *First* similar to that of Holden from Catcher in the Rye but accusation soon faded away as the story proceeded. The book is hilarious in capital letters on many occasions that earn it an extra rating point but on a whole you f ...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Taylor rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: glbt, made-me-lawl

At some point, maybe two years ago, I decided I no longer wanted to read YA. I thought I'm too old for this shit, it's boring, there's no sex, bleh, whatever. And even while some people ranted and raved about this one (ahem, Weasel) I still thought nope! Not for me.

Then, I find myself in Barnes and Noble picking up a couple new books. I go to check out at the register, and I see Will Grayson, Will Grayson sitting behind the counter, catching my eye with its pretty, shiny cover and looking sadly At some point, maybe two years ago, I decided I no longer wanted to read YA. I thought I'm too old for this shit, it's boring, there's no sex, bleh, whatever. And even while some people ranted and raved about this one (ahem, Weasel) I still thought nope! Not for me.

Then, I find myself in Barnes and Noble picking up a couple new books. I go to check out at the register, and I see Will Grayson, Will Grayson sitting behind the counter, catching my eye with its pretty, shiny cover and looking sadly abandoned. I ask the woman if its on hold for someone, and she tells me no, that its mine if I want it.

I realize now this was kismet.

This story felt a little bit like having a high school do-over for me (and yes, I realize that makes me sound sad and old). Basically, it's a story of Will meets Will. They're in different situations, but both in the process of learning about themselves, life, and love, which is something everyone can relate to. It's very much a YA story, with their predictable 'woe is me' teenage problems. However, I found that I could relate to these two characters, and they took me back to a Taylor I had almost forgotten.

The greatest part of this story though, was the humor intertwined with almost every scene. I think I dog-eared about twenty pages so I could go back and steal their one liners for later use. They are just as cynical as I am, and so of course, I found them both hilarious. And yes, I'll provide a sample:

(view spoiler)

The ending even has a nice little 'GLEE' moment. I haven't actually seen that show, but I imagine its a bit like this. All friendship, and love, life lessons all around. There's really not anyone I wouldn't recommend this to. Any person with a sense of humor and their soul still intact will probably like it. ;)

p.s. special thanks to M for the buddy read! *hugs* <3, loll

...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Keertana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-linger, 2013-favorites

what do i say about Will Grayson, Will Grayson that hasn't already been said before? on one hand, i am well aware that this novel has its fair share of flaws. i'll be the first to admit that john green writes very formulaic characters, from his dorky male single-child protagonist to the manic pixie dream girl he falls in love with. i'll also admit that the characters in Will Grayson, Will Grayson are often annoying, flawed, and highly irritating. its narrative style may grate on some readers, it ...more

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Oct 21, 2016 Camus Grimwood rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: the CIA (to be used as a method of torture for enemy secrets)

Shelves: coming-of-age-literature, lgbt-literature, young-adult-literature, supposedly-literature, us-literature, dnf, contemporary-literature

ACTUAL RATING: 0 STARS Warning for excessive cursing.

Life's too short to read a shitty book. If, at 25% into a book, you still fucking hate it, then it is the responsibility of the reader to end such a book (or, in this case, put it the fuck down, because you deserve better than that) before you end yourself. I was once the type that believed you should always push through and finish ever book you read, no matter how fucking awful it really is. Maybe it'll get better. But you know what? I cannot

ACTUAL RATING: 0 STARS Warning for excessive cursing.

Let's start with Will #1; boring as hell, and a cardboard cutout John Green boy—melancholic and pretentious. He has no chemistry with Plain Jane, and I mean absolutely fucking none, and yet somehow they're still WILDLY attracted to one another; i.e., pretentious John Green Boy falls for mysterious, indie-loving John Green Girl. It's not like we've all read that one four times before or anything. And then there's Tiny Cooper. Maybe Mr. Green thought he could erase all the other boring, inaccurate stereotypes he pumped into Tiny by making him huge and on the football team, but the gay stereotypes were still fucking exhausting. Tiny was so self-obsessed and cliché that I hated him right from the get-go, as well as all the other boring-as-fuck characters from Green's chapters.

And then there's Will #2.

This is my first encounter with David Levithan, and it was a horrible one; I have a bad taste in my mouth reading this piece of shit, and I hesitate to read another book by him. Maybe in the future, I'll try his work out, but I am not looking forward to it.

For those who haven't read this shit book, Will #2 is a whiny, edgy, obnoxious-as-HELL little bitch who can be summarized as this: a modern Holden Caulfield x 10, and then add the phrase "2 edgy 5 me." He's supposedly depressed, but Levithan's writing is so fucking offensive to my eyes and my brain that I almost closed this fucking book during chapter two, when I first met his character. Talk about a fucking pissbaby jackoff. What a little fucking asshole. There's absolutely NOTHING to like about the little shithead. He's a dick to his mom, a bully to his friends, and we're supposed to love him because, what? He's depressed? He's gay? Yeah, sorry. Will #2 can go fuck himself.

Basically, this book is shit and I hate it. I'm certain that the only reason it's got such a high rating is because John Green fangirls are deluded into thinking he's nothing short of a god of literature, and I hate to break it to them, but he's not. He's so far from it. If you read this, don't say I didn't warn your ass.

...more

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Jan 17, 2014 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, little-to-no-sex-content, m-f, made-me-laugh, narrator-amazing, full-of-angst, audiobook, young-adult

Audiobook nirvana!

I loved listening to "Will Grayson, Will Grayson". The narrators were perfection, managing to sound kind of age appropriate and also doing the inflections, the feels, to a "T". A fabulous listen, audio lovers. A must buy.

In terms of the story, I started off liking John Green's Will Grayson more. I haven't read any John Green before, so I found his MC to be really enjoyable. You know, the kind of nerdy, quiet, emo guy that I have a huge soft spot for. But I loved how John Gree ...more

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Feb 05, 2011 Lucy rated it liked it · review of another edition

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

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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Sep 04, 2015 Glenn Sumi rated it liked it · review of another edition

It’s been a really busy, stressful week, so I thought I’d relax with this book co-written by YA superstars John Green ( The Fault In Our Stars , Paper Towns , etc.) and David Levithan (Every Day, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). A bunch of friends IRL and on here have raved about it, and I liked the premise.

Two teenagers named Will Grayson live in different Chicago suburbs. They don’t know each other. One Will is straight, is being raised by two concerned, professional parents and doesn’ ...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kickass-ya-dads

There have been so many drafts of this review. SO many! Every single one seems to involve me rambling on and on, so my apologies in advance. :)

John Green and David Levithan team up to write this colorful, energetic wonder of a tale chock full of love and music. A story of when one Will Grayson met another will grayson and how they impacted each other’s lives and the ones around them.

I might as well cop to it now—I am a Levithan girl. I adore the man. He has word skills, people! His words, charac ...more

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Jul 09, 2017 Ria rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbt-characters, 1star

the rating is actually 2.6

It was not bad,it was actually enjoyable,but it took me some time to figure out which Will it was talking about which made me kinda bored and annoyed
---
⬆️ so this isn't how i feel about it anymore. i changed my opinion like two months after reading it. i was planning on rereading it and bitching about it but i got to page 3 and i was like 'this is boring. not worth it'. so yeeahhh... it's shit and i'd give it 1 star but since i didn't reread it and i've already changed ...more

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About John Green

John Green

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New ...more

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