Boy Meets Boy

David Levithan

Sarah Sammis

Geoffrey Froggatt

When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he's found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul's not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right. Content warning for homophobia and transphobia. This book is clearly meant for a younger LGBT+ audience, but I couldn’t get past the way the friendships fell apart in this book. It was realistic but it wasn’t what I needed to read at that time in my life and it soured my experience with this story. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a story focused on LGBT+ teenagers.

There isn't really a gay scene or a straight scene in our town. They all got mixed up a while back, which I think is for the best...and whether your heart is strictly ballroom or bluegrass punk, the dance floors are open to whatever you have to offer.

abbie j

3.5 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this! Would've given more stars but I hate love triangles and cheating.

Katherine Yang

One of the most-praised novels in the LGBT genre, Boy Meets Boy weaves a lovely story about a gay high-school boy figuring out his love life and friendships, a twist on a number of plot devices, including the boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl trope. The language alternates effortlessly between hilarious and thoughtful and paints pictures that come alive and pull the reader into the world of this small town and its charming characters. The plot itself isn't spectacular or very unpredictable, but the way Levithan writes makes the story so engaging and beautiful. Really loved this :)

The unforgettable debut novel by co-author with John Green of Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Lacy W

For such a short novel, this was incredibly impactful and made my heart happy. I had no idea what I was going to be getting into it. I had only seen a few reviews and they were meh at best. Normally, I shy away from 200 page novels. I find that they just don't have enough meat. By the time I get into the story, it's over. There isn't enough time for character development or anything like that. I usually just ended up disappointed. 

I experienced none of that with this book. Within its short 200+ pages, I got a sense of who everyone was and how the played a part in Paul's life. No character was just there for the sake of being there. There was no filler, which is good. Because with a 200 page novel, filler would have destroyed it. Everything that was done, was done with reason. I loved that. I hate it when things happen for no reason.

What I loved so much about this book was how accepting everybody was. Paul was accepted for who he was right away. The high school Paul attended was just so chill. The town he lived in was open and accepting. I mean, it was so incredibly. If only we could live in such a wonderful place. What this book offered for a setting is seriously a dream that I wish we could make happen.

Paul, as a character, was good. I do find it hard to connect to teenage boys because well...I'm not a teenage boy. I liked how he knew himself and made no apologies for it. He is simply just a normal teenage boy trying to make it through high school and the changes it brings, like losing friends and finding new loves. I thought he handled everything that was thrown his way remarkably well. He truly just wanted to do the right thing for everybody and I can't find fault in that. 

I hope that everybody takes a couple hours (because that's how long it took me. Your results may vary) and read this book. Sure, it takes place in a pretty unrealistic setting but who doesn't love a feel good coming of age story? I know I sure do!

Jude Moon

Adoro a Paul y a Tony y a Noah y a Kyle y realmente a todos los personajes de este libro (menos a Chuck). También adoro a David Levithan por crear estas maravillosas historias. 10/10

listened to this next to my mom for hours, wouldn’t have it any other way 

Kaia Mann

Tameka Young

I absolutely adored this story. It was so refreshing and real and honest. The main characters were young and the world was one of the author's own making, but man I wish I lived in it. This is a love story but it's also an insightful portrait of how hard it is to discover who you are, and it's even harder to stay true to it once you figure it out. Definitely a keeper for me.

Flavia Louise

4.25 stars
My first read for DiverseAThon.
I thouroughly enjoyed this very real but also kind of whimsical story.

Kevin Bertolero

Alexa Jade

Actual rating: 3.5

Parts of this I loved and parts of this I thought were super unnecessary. Overall a decent book.

Also, I listened to this on audiobook and the experience was actually so freaking hilarious. Whenever the main character was thinking to himself his thoughts would be screamed in the audio and it sounded like he was yelling from a different room hahaha.

Archita Birla

THIS BOOK WAS REALLY GOOD!!

it had a bit of a slow start, and i was hesitant going into it (i even thought about stopping reading, but i am so, so happy i didn't!)

the premise and the stories told are so interesting, i felt that every character was unique and special and i wanted to hear more about their lives. still, i liked the way that the book ended, and it felt complete. 

i loved the last bit about infinite darlene, it made me very happy!

Georgia Carr

This book was strange. I liked the characters, especially Noah. He was the calm amongst all the craziness, I think. Lots was unresolved at the end, which always annoys me. The universe they live in is so surreal that it confused me a whole lot. I mean, sure, teenagers would love to be in that place but the fact they aren't might make everything seem a bit worse. Not my favorite of Levithan's books. I think it would have been a whole lot better if it was a little longer, too. On the whole, not bad but not life-changing either.

alex arias

oh, what a delight. one that i pretty much knew going in that i’d adore—but that didn’t make the journey any less wonderful. at one point while reading i had to stop and write down the sentence: “i think i love this book so much because this is the type of book that i so badly want to write.” it fans the flames of that desire to create and sparks inspiration and really just feels like a warm hug. this is probably the earliest-written ya gay romance i’ve read and i can see how it influenced the genre. david levithan is an admirable wordsmith, and his characters feel as real as anything. also, this isn’t just a book about romance. it’s a book about friendship and coming of age and embracing your flaws right alongside your strengths. i know the hype these days is for books written very recently, but this is a true gem.

Jordan Robinson

I like this book less than I did when I first read it. I did enjoy the characters but I wasnt very invested in them. And the ending left a lot of unfinished business. But I still liked it alot.

Tera West

*3.5 stars* 
I love this book. A lot actually. But there’s just not enough. It’s too packed in and could honestly be at least 50 pages longer. Other than that though, it’s beautiful and I can’t believe it took me so long to finally pick it up.

Becca Futrell

i’m pretty sure in a few days i’m gonna forget about this book. there’s really nothing wrong with it; it was cute, but i just didn’t care about it.

Chelsea Breher

Cutesy love story that follows Paul's journey over a very short period of time. It's fairly unrealistic and kind of problematic in a few ways (something about it just doesn't feel right) but overall super cute story.

Sophie Shrimpton

A sweet YA book set in a unrealistic-but-god-I-wish-it-were-real world where being queer and in healthy relationships is the norm!

I would've loved this when I was younger (now it's a bit too simplistic to give it a higher rating unfortunately - predictable love story plot) 

A lovely book that I wish all young queers could read and get security from.

An extra star for all the queerness

Boy Meets Boy

Reviews