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With or Without You
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Eighteen-year-old Evan and his best friend, Davis, get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik - whom he’s kept secret from everyone for almost a year.
Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them prot ...more
Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them prot ...more
Paperback, 349 pages
Published
May 24th 2011
by Simon Pulse
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Posted at Shelf Inflicted
Evan and Davis have been friends since childhood. Now on the cusp of graduation, they are planning to leave behind homophobic bullies and attend college in Chicago, but life has a way of changing well-intentioned plans. Evan is an artist who copies others’ work while he’s finding his own style. He meets a sweet guy who’s just perfect in every way, and while this annoys me, I figure he deserves something good out of life since his sister Shan is his parents’ favorite and ...more
Evan and Davis have been friends since childhood. Now on the cusp of graduation, they are planning to leave behind homophobic bullies and attend college in Chicago, but life has a way of changing well-intentioned plans. Evan is an artist who copies others’ work while he’s finding his own style. He meets a sweet guy who’s just perfect in every way, and while this annoys me, I figure he deserves something good out of life since his sister Shan is his parents’ favorite and ...more

Evan and Davis have been best friends since the third grade. They share many things: their sexuality, beatings from bullies, and a desire to escape their lonely little town of Madison, Wisconsin. In fact, they both plan to attend the University of Chicago this upcoming fall. However, Evan has one thing Davis doesn't - a comforting and reliable boyfriend named Erik. Evan has successfully kept Erik a secret from his friends and his family for quite some time, but when Davis gets recruited to join
...more

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OK, I have to say that I wasn't sure about this book at first. When I was about 100 pages in I almost put it down, but I decided to keep going and I am glad that I did.
Not that the first 100 pages was bad or uninteresting, but because it was like a chick-lit book but with two boys. For anyone that knows me, I do not care for chick-lit books or at least most of them that I have read anyway.
The first 100 or so pages was all about relationships, love, etc. But then I peeked ahead and I seen that th ...more
Not that the first 100 pages was bad or uninteresting, but because it was like a chick-lit book but with two boys. For anyone that knows me, I do not care for chick-lit books or at least most of them that I have read anyway.
The first 100 or so pages was all about relationships, love, etc. But then I peeked ahead and I seen that th ...more

With or Without You is a very well-written book with a dramatic and intriguing plot. The story line probably isn't appropriate for anyone younger than middle school. Evan is a high school senior, along with his best friend Davis. Both of these boys are gay and are experiencing great struggle in fitting in. Evan also has a boyfriend, Eric that he keeps from his friends and family. The author does a wonderful job of describing the hardships Evan is going through when he has to make decisions on ho
...more

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, even though it's technically for "young adults." The story was fast-paced and engaging, and the main character (Evan) was very well-developed. I also enjoyed the fact that the book was set in Madison, Wisconsin, one of my favorite places in the country and the city I called home for five years.
Two main things kept me from giving this book five stars. First, besides Evan (and to a lesser extent, his best friend, Davis), I didn't feel like I really got to know ...more
Two main things kept me from giving this book five stars. First, besides Evan (and to a lesser extent, his best friend, Davis), I didn't feel like I really got to know ...more

I did enjoy this book. I will try to post the review with little spoilers because there are some major plot points that need to be kept hidden, so that they will surprise the reader when they get to them.
This is the story of Evan Weiss, who has an interesting "friendship" with a childhood boy named Davis. They go to high school together, are both gay, and have the unfortunate condition of getting beaten up by the local high school jocks. Evan's home life is interesting, he has a sister who is co ...more
This is the story of Evan Weiss, who has an interesting "friendship" with a childhood boy named Davis. They go to high school together, are both gay, and have the unfortunate condition of getting beaten up by the local high school jocks. Evan's home life is interesting, he has a sister who is co ...more

(2.5 / 5)
This was an odd book to read, as it felt very disjointed. It often seemed like there were two very different stories battling against each other - one a sweet teen romance and the other a melodramatic ABC Family movie that delivered its message with a sledgehammer.
It could have gelled together more had the supporting characters been less one-note. They're either bad or good with very little grey areas. The narrator's boyfriend is too good, the new kid in town is too evil, the parents ar ...more
This was an odd book to read, as it felt very disjointed. It often seemed like there were two very different stories battling against each other - one a sweet teen romance and the other a melodramatic ABC Family movie that delivered its message with a sledgehammer.
It could have gelled together more had the supporting characters been less one-note. They're either bad or good with very little grey areas. The narrator's boyfriend is too good, the new kid in town is too evil, the parents ar ...more

I devoured the whole thing yesterday, staying up way too late even though the kids would have me up way too early. I just couldn’t stop reading.
Honestly, I’m not sure where to even start in this review. I think I’m still trying to process what I read, but I need to talk about it too. There was much more to this book than I realized going into it. Layers of plot that were all equally engaging. As I’ve said before there are two things that really get me when I’m reading. I’m an emotional reader. I ...more
Honestly, I’m not sure where to even start in this review. I think I’m still trying to process what I read, but I need to talk about it too. There was much more to this book than I realized going into it. Layers of plot that were all equally engaging. As I’ve said before there are two things that really get me when I’m reading. I’m an emotional reader. I ...more

Read my full review here: Lauren Reads YA
I discovered With or Without You through Melissa’s and Dylan’s YouTube videos, in which they constantly raved about this book. So it’s not surprising that I had very high expectations of it… I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, though. It was just a good read for me. Not spectacular or anything.
With or Without You is a thought-provoking, realistic novel about gay teenagers, fitting in, friendship, love, and everything in between. It is also abou ...more
I discovered With or Without You through Melissa’s and Dylan’s YouTube videos, in which they constantly raved about this book. So it’s not surprising that I had very high expectations of it… I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, though. It was just a good read for me. Not spectacular or anything.
With or Without You is a thought-provoking, realistic novel about gay teenagers, fitting in, friendship, love, and everything in between. It is also abou ...more

18yr old Evan has just graduated high school. Everyone knows Evan is gay, but no one knows about his boyfriend. Not even Davis, his best friend. The two have been friends since the third grade and came out when they were thirteen. Evan and Davis have been bullied all throughout high school. They planned to move to Chicago for college but that was before Erik and the Chasers.
Evan has been dating Erik for a year. The two have a great relationship. Erik has welcomed Evan fully into his life. Evan f ...more
Evan has been dating Erik for a year. The two have a great relationship. Erik has welcomed Evan fully into his life. Evan f ...more

The story is detected as YA, but I don't beleive this one to be so since the boys involved have already turned 18 and are considered in my opinion adults.
The book is a powerful story that elaborates on HIV and the AIDS epidemic through the eyes of Evan and is written in first person. I found Evan confused and torn between where his priorities should lay and this alone gets him into sticky situations and messes that I'm surprised if he would even get out of them free and clear.
His friend Davis? I ...more
The book is a powerful story that elaborates on HIV and the AIDS epidemic through the eyes of Evan and is written in first person. I found Evan confused and torn between where his priorities should lay and this alone gets him into sticky situations and messes that I'm surprised if he would even get out of them free and clear.
His friend Davis? I ...more

There was a lot of stuff going on in With or Without you, it wasn’t just one simple plot with a perfect ending and that’s it, there were a few little layers of plots that were all connected to our main character Evan. Evan is torn between his best friend Davis who’s gotten into a group call the Chasers, a group that’s suppose to support and instilled pride in being gay but it's nothing but bad news and their main focus is to feel free and have sex with whoever they want. He also has his perfect
...more

With or Without You by Brian Farrey is a young adult novel told from the perspective of eighteen year-old Evan, a boy who along with his best friend Davis have spent highschool being bullied for being gay. Luckily Evan is able to take comfort in his kind, wonderful, boyfriend Erik, somebody he has kept secret from everyone- even Davis- for nearly a year. Then Evan and Davis get an invitation to join the Chasers, a gay society that offers protection and belonging of the kind neither of them has e
...more

Jan 24, 2013
Melanie
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
wisconsin,
lgbtqiap,
young-adult-literature,
interpersonal-relationships,
aids,
painting,
families,
friends,
art,
artists
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/?p=3147
With or Without You is an amazing, depressingly realistic portrayal of the misconceptions many people still hold regarding HIV and AIDS, even decades after it became a widely known issue. But apart from the big issue of With or Without You, it’s also the story of a high school senior trying to figure out who he is and how to make his own decisions.
There are a lot of books with gay protagonists where the focus is that he’s gay. But i ...more
With or Without You is an amazing, depressingly realistic portrayal of the misconceptions many people still hold regarding HIV and AIDS, even decades after it became a widely known issue. But apart from the big issue of With or Without You, it’s also the story of a high school senior trying to figure out who he is and how to make his own decisions.
There are a lot of books with gay protagonists where the focus is that he’s gay. But i ...more

I am not one to leave a book unfinished but I just couldn't keep reading anymore. I made it to page 234 until I had it up to here of how the story was going in circles.
This story is about a gay boy named Evan and he doesn't know how to incorporate everyone in his life together. Evan gets a boyfriend but keeps him a secret and because of that it's starting to destroying his 1 year relationship with his boyfriend. His boyfriend Erik doesn't want to be a secret anymore but is letting himself be the ...more
This story is about a gay boy named Evan and he doesn't know how to incorporate everyone in his life together. Evan gets a boyfriend but keeps him a secret and because of that it's starting to destroying his 1 year relationship with his boyfriend. His boyfriend Erik doesn't want to be a secret anymore but is letting himself be the ...more

I really enjoyed this book because of the "good read" trifecta: great writing, great characters, and interesting story. I tend to pass over a lot of the YA books that come across my desk at work because of the hokey plots or the uninspired writing (which only reflects on what gets delivered to me, not YA literature in general!). If the synopsis on the back doesn't sound like a hundred other similar stories, I at least give the book a try.
And this book is definitely worth a try. The characters he ...more
And this book is definitely worth a try. The characters he ...more

This was a really beautiful story on love, friendship, and everything that lies in the in-between.
I liked the plot, the depth of the characters, the sudden turns on the relationships between the characters and the ending.
I also enjoyed the fact that art was so deeply involved in the book. Quotes about art, description of colours and mixture of them, paintings, and painting techniques. All of them really intrigued me. Furthermore, I loved the characters of Evan and Erik. Evan was so confused, so ...more
I liked the plot, the depth of the characters, the sudden turns on the relationships between the characters and the ending.
I also enjoyed the fact that art was so deeply involved in the book. Quotes about art, description of colours and mixture of them, paintings, and painting techniques. All of them really intrigued me. Furthermore, I loved the characters of Evan and Erik. Evan was so confused, so ...more

4.5
This is a very well written book, great for a YA audience.
While the main characters are gay, this story deals more with issues of belonging, acceptance and trust. I wouldn't classify this as a romance, (i.e. Evan and Erik are already in a year long relationship when the story begins), but the story does look at the strains of keeping at a relationship (both romantic and friendship based). I loved the first real fight Evan and Eric had, it felt very real and I liked that this was shown and exp ...more
This is a very well written book, great for a YA audience.
While the main characters are gay, this story deals more with issues of belonging, acceptance and trust. I wouldn't classify this as a romance, (i.e. Evan and Erik are already in a year long relationship when the story begins), but the story does look at the strains of keeping at a relationship (both romantic and friendship based). I loved the first real fight Evan and Eric had, it felt very real and I liked that this was shown and exp ...more

Evan is gay. So is his best friend, Davis. They are not a couple, but the get beaten up and bullied mercilessly regardless of this fact. Davis hears about a group called The Chasers who meet at the Rainbow Youth Center. This group seems to offer hope for standing up to bullies, but it turns out that they have a much more sinister purpose. Meanwhile, Evan has a secret boyfriend, Erik. They have been together for a year, but Evan has told no one about him, including best friend Davis. Erik has bee
...more

This book was interesting, to say the least. The plot of this story was unlike anything I had ever read before. I know that I would not use this book in a classroom because the language is quite derogatory. The book as a whole sort of bothered me. The plot surrounding Davis and the Chasers was the most disturbing part of the novel. I just did not understand why the plot had to include the males trying to catch HIV. This book did not meet my taste in general. I can see why this book won an award.
...more

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This book was well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. There's something holding me back from giving it a 5 and I think that's only because I know I've read better books, however it's also a lot better than other books that I've rated 4 star. I find this whole rating thing really difficult.
...more

So I think this is a book that people need to be exposed to. It's not a perfect book but I think it says more than other books I've forced people to read.
...more

Probably more like 3.5 stars, for some big ol' holes in the plot; but, credit is deserved for tackling a subject I've never seen examined in YA before.
...more

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Brian Farrey writes whatever pops into his head. Sometimes, it's books for children. Sometimes, it's books for adults. Sometimes, it's screenplays. He's never quite sure what will come out next but it's been quite a ride finding out.
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