Jesse Andrews

Jesse Andrew's hilarious, outrageous and truthful look at friendship, high school - and death. Now an award-winning movie.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Nunan bollen

Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.

★★★☆☆
3.00 STARS 

A weirdly, stupidly funny and extremely all over the place. I enjoyed this fun and lighthearted story enough that I finished it in less than a day despite my busy schedule. Maybe because it was short and quick-read, thankfully. It certainly break the stereotypical story of a dying character. It was hilarious in a lot of ways. It didn't attempt to romanticize the disease and the death that occured and it was refreshing to read it that way. Weird, honest and direct to the point. I dropped out two stars because as I said, it was extremely all over the place and I can't seem to pick up every pieces of the story. Still a fun read.

chloe rae

This book is actually one of the funniest books I have ever read. I honestly can't comprehend how freaking funny it is. I mean, GUYS. ITS SO GOD DAMN FUNNY. JUST GO READ IT RIGHT NOW.
But seriously, this book was honest and hilarious and heartbreaking and just awesome. It was an awesome book. I loved the characters, I loved the writing style. I haven't really read a book that fast in a while. It just captivated me, completely. And I kept laughing out loud like an injured seal, or making this weird abrupt honking sound but I didn't even care. The dialogue in this is just pure gold. Ugh, it's so good. Just GO READ IT.

Annika Arguemore

The opposite of The Fault In Our Stars in a way that it was not at all gushy and romanticized. The whole story was told with a blatantly honest and hilarious voice. I might have giggled more times than I could count.

I'm just gonna write my review like this.

-Funny book!!!!
-Not cliche
-Real life!!
-Made me think
-Made me realize something
-Awesome
-Underrated
-It's not TFIOS awesome
-It's more than that!!
-Tackles real shit!!!!
-YOU ALL SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

I'm gonna edit this review once I get to watch the movie.

**EDIT**
Oh man, I watched the movie 2 months ago and I wasn't expecting the last 15 minutes of the movie I WAS SOBBING AND I CANT BREATHE I WAS SO OVERWHELMED SO SO SO GOOD JESUS

Melissa Palmer

I laughed out loud several times while reading this book; I think teaching in a HS helped me find it entertaining. Greg (the narrator), Earl (his hilarious friend) make really bad movies. Greg's classmate Rachel is diagnosed with cancer and Greg's mom makes him spend time with her. Witty writing and lots of humor.

Briar's Reviews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is such a unique read with it's mix of story telling in typical paragraph format but also in screen-writing/script format.

This book hit hard. My Dad had the same kind of cancer "The Dying Girl" has and I honestly didn't realize this was going to be a book with cancer in it. Yeah, I should have known (what else was a teenager likely going to die from?), but boy... This one hit right in the heart. 

Regardless, this is an interesting contemporary tale of friends making memories together. It's a tough read emotionally, and it's kind of "make the best of what you can" kind of story. There's incredible sarcasm and horrible humour, and also lots of introspection near the end of when death really hits you. You can tell this book is just about kids in a really crappy situation.

Don't expect a love story. This is just a book about kids being kids.

Three out of five stars.

Nessa Luna

Actual rating: 4,5 stars - Ever since I read The Fault in Our Stars, I have started to notice that there are quite a lot of books about people suffering from illnesses. Cancer or Leukemia seems to be the most 'popular' choice lately, I believe. Honestly, I have been trying to avoid these books as much as I can - because I just don't like reading about people who have cancer. Fictional or not. But some of these books were starting to get rather popular, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was one of them. There is a movie coming out very soon (though my country won't get it until November), and I watched the trailer very recently and thought it sounded interesting. It did still have a bit of a TFIOS feel, but it also felt quite different (because TFIOS was more of a love story, and this book isn't a love story at all).

As you may have thought, this book is about a guy named Greg ('Me'), a guy named Earl (obvious) and a dying girl (Rachel). Rachel is diagnosed with Leukemia, which I always thought was the kids' version of cancer (but apparently it's to do with blood and though it's mostly common among children, it's not necessarily a children's version of cancer? The things you learn from books, eh?!). Greg and Earl are filmmakers, and that's basically what this book is about. One day, in his senior year, Greg is 'forced' to spend time with Rachel. He drags Earl along with him to visit Rachel one day, and that's how the three of them start 'hanging out', as far as you can hang out with someone who is ill. Yeah.

Like I said, I thought it would be a TFIOS repeat, with Greg and Rachel falling in love and him being hopelessly heartbroken after she'd died (come on it's not a spoiler, it's literally in the title) - but it was actually the exact opposite of them, and that is probably why I liked this book so much. This book is not about Rachel, it's not about her being ill, not about her dying - it's about Greg and Earl and them making a movie for her (okay technically still a bit about her). And the characters didn't feel 'perfect', like Hazel and Augustus kind of did (apart from them having cancer obviously) (sorry not sorry) - they don't use weird metaphors or stick unlit cigarettes into their mouths just because they can. Greg and Earl and Rachel are real people and that is probably why I am going to admit that I think I like this book a bit more than TFIOS. (Why didn't you give it five stars then?) Because the characters in this book are flawed, and I did actually want to slap both Greg and Earl at some points, and yeah the book was a bit messy at some points that I just skipped paragraphs because I had no idea what was written down. So yeah, not a perfect book.

The writing style is a bit strange, to be honest, because the author wrote it so it looks like Greg actually wrote the book. Of course, when a book is in first person narrative, I always think the story was written down by the main character - but in this book it's actually mentioned several times that Greg is actually writing it. And he's not very good at it, his writing is messy - the dialogues are sometimes a bit strange, sometimes two characters are talking through each other and you miss half of a sentence, some parts of the dialogue are written like it's a script of a movie (which makes sense), and he sometimes uses bullet points to sum up things that happened at that time. I really liked the way it was written, so much I actually got through it as fast as Quicksilver runs ("You didn't see that coming?"). (I did see that ending coming, of course, because it's in the title already).

And really, the design of this book is just marvelous. Just look at the cover! Look how awesome that is. The chapter titles are really awesome as well and I just loved looking at them. The chapter titles are hilarious and yeah wow, just all the points to the people who designed this book!! (Also just, I love books that mention the fonts they used, because sometimes I just see a font that looks AMAZING but I have no idea what it's called, and I just cry every time I see a book mentioning this at the beginning or end of it, wow yes!)

Honestly, I find it difficult to read cancer books (my granddad died of cancer a couple of years ago, and though I have come to terms with it, I still can't really read books or watch movies about people having cancer. TFIOS was hard to watch, Before I Die was very hard to read - I liked both of them but I also hated them you know what I mean?), but honestly I loved Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Because this book doesn't feel like a cancer book at all. It feels like a silly book about three friends doing friend things. Rachel's death wasn't a bit thing in this book, it was actually just mentioned very briefly near the end - and that was about it. So yeah, I didn't find this book difficult to read at all (the movie will probably be a different story).

In the end, I really enjoyed Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and I will definitely be checking out the movie as soon as it comes out. Seriously, go and watch the trailer! And read the book! And watch the movie when it comes out!

My opinion on this book in one gif:


(In fact it was amazing)

The book that inspired the hit film! Sundance U.S. Dramatic Audience Award Sundance Grand Jury Prize This is the funniest book you'll ever read about death. It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he's figured it out. The answer to the basic existential question: How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl. This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg's mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg's entire life. Praise for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl STARRED REVIEW "One need only look at the chapter titles ("Let's Just Get This Embarrassing Chapter Out of the Way") to know that this is one funny book." -Booklist, starred review STARRED REVIEW "A frequently hysterical confessional...Debut novelist Andrews succeeds brilliantly in painting a portrait of a kid whose responses to emotional duress are entirely believable and sympathetic, however fiercely he professes his essential crappiness as a human being. Though this novel begs inevitable thematic comparisons to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (2011), it stands on its own in inventiveness, humor and heart." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review "It is sure to be popular with many boys, including reluctant readers, and will not require much selling on the part of the librarian." -VOYA "Mr. Andrews' often hilarious teen dialogue is utterly convincing, and his characters are compelling. Greg's random sense of humor, terrible self-esteem and general lack of self-awareness all ring true. Like many YA authors, Mr. Andrews blends humor and pathos with true skill, but he steers clear of tricky resolutions and overt life lessons, favoring incremental understanding and growth." -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Awards Capitol Choices 2013 - Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices 2013 list - Young Adult Fiction YALSA 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers YALSA 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults YALSA 2014 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition)

Julia

I could easily see a lot of people hating this book. Ultimately, I liked it. It was ridiculous and funny and blunt. I recommend this book for someone who wants something honest.

reading the reviews on here makes me feel like the joker. you wouldn’t get it...

Isadora Cal

If you ask me what this book is about, I wouldn't know how to answer. It isn't a love story, as Greg states from the beginning, although it is about friendship, which is love. It's also about... I don't know, understanding ourselves and our failures. It's so cruelly honest that it is disgusting sometimes – emotionally, at least. Until the very last sentence, the author follows through with its honest premise. No Nicholas Sparks-isation. Not even a John Green-isation.
It just leaves you like Greg on Rachel's deathbed, wishing everything was different, even though you know this different version would also be a lie.

Alexa M

This book was okayyyyy. I liked it but didn't love it and it definitely did not live up to the hype. I really wanted to love this book but/: I can't wait to see the movie though

Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia. 25,000 first printing.

Savindi Jinasena

Cover Gushing Worthiness:I simply adore the cover of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. The illustrations, the typography and the colours give off a fun and endearing quality to the book. It’s an awesome cover for a new favourite book.

Review : 
  You may have already figured out that it’s about a girl who had cancer. So there’s a chance you're thinking “Awesome! This is going to be a wise and insightful story about love and death and growing up. It is probably going to make cry literally the entire time. I am so fired up right now.” If that is an accurate representation of your thoughts, you should probably try to smush this book into garbage disposal and then run away. Because here’s the thing: I learned absolutely nothing from Rachel’s leukemia. In fact, I probably became stupider about life because of the whole thing.


If you're planning on reading this book thinking that it’s going to be like John Green’s The Fault in our Stars, then you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. Like Greg says, this book is anything but TFioS esque. I first heard about this book from Stacey over at  Pretty Books and then I watched  Raeleen's Video about the book. In the end I decided to buy it and I’m so happy I did because its amazing!

Narrated by Greg S. Gaines, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl follows Greg, a senior in High School who is happy to be invisible in High School, Earl who is his “co-worker” and they create movies together. Rachel, a girl from Greg’s High School and Hebrew School when he’ was younger has been diagnosed with Leukemia. Greg is then forced to spend time with her. Throughout the book we’re open to Greg’s thoughts about everything and anything about his whole experience.

Plot wise I really enjoyed this story. I loved it for its honesty and humour, despite it being so crude. It is not a book that forces you to feel sorry for Rachel. While Rachel is the character in the centre because Greg is talking about his experiences in relation to Leukemia, the story is very much Greg’s since we see how he is constantly battling with himself over his feelings towards Rachel’s illness. While A Monster Calls left me in a state of constant tears, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl moved me in its realistic portrayal towards some deaths we encounter in our lives. Not all the time are people going to be moved by deaths during certain moments of life, yet there are those moments that death profoundly moves people in ways that were unexpected. I think that’s one of the main strengths of this novel; its ability to portray the different stages in life where death truly has an impact on you,especially in the life of a teenager. Apart from its realistic look at cancer and death, what makes this book successful and appealing is its humor. I admit that sometimes the humor is so random and disgusting to the point where you it makes you go “WHAT?!” and of course there’s a multitude of swearing going on, which might turn off some readers. I’m not someone who is fond of swearing and I personally try my best not to swear if possible, however without the swearing this book would lose its magic because it’s so much a part of Greg and Earl’s characters. Almost every page had cuss words, often appearing more than five times, but it made you laugh so much. I will say that the humor is very much teenage boy humor where there’s constant references to breasts and other genital areas, but like I said it makes you go “WHAT” and you'll most likely find yourself laughing so hard and trying to figure out a way to stop. I was a little surprised and disappointed at the end, but I understood it because it was another indication that even in the smallest ways death has a way of changing a person, even though they may stubbornly say that it did not. Another element that I really liked in this book was how the story was written at times using script format. It made perfect sense since Greg loves making movies. The typography and the titles for the chapters too were great and ridiculous.

I adore both Greg and Earl as characters. Greg is such a weird, honest and endearing narrator. He had me laughing from start to finish because of the things he says. I’ve talked about the honesty in this book a lot and it’s what makes Greg such a great narrator. He leaves no stone unturned in his experience. He tells you the truth; the awkwardness he feels around Rachel at times, the lack of emotion he feels towards Rachel and Leukemia, his fear and confusion; everything is laid out in front of the reader. As a reader you do empathize with Greg because of the honesty he shows, despite his constant rantings about how horrible this book is and how he has no clue why he keeps on writing it. One of the passages that has stayed with me, not because it’s profoundly moving or anything , but because it made me raise my eyebrows a little bit.


  Marla Weissman Gaines is very Jewish. She is the executive director of Ahvat Ha’Emet, a nonprofit that sends Jewish teenagers to Israel to work on a kibbutz and lose their virginity. I should point out that the virginity-losing part is not technically in the mission statement of Ahavat Ha’Emet. I’m just saying, you do not leave Israel without getting laid. You could have an eight-inch-thick titanium diaper bolted to your pelivs, and you would still somehow get laid. It should be their official tourism slogan: Israel. Where Virginity Goes to Die. 

Israelis get it on.


Greg was also believable because he is so flawed as a character. There are times when even you think “can’t you have at least a little sympathy”, but his character development is so well done. You see him go through different stages in his experience with Rachel and with Earl and they’re moving and hilarious all at the same time. Sure you do want to dislike him at times, but surprisingly as a reader I didn’t want him to change. He set the tone in the beginning of the book that he didn’t change. I personally think he did change, he just wasn’t aware of it.

Where do I even start with Earl. Earl is in a constant state of pissed off which has varying levels depending on the scenario. Out of the two Earl is definitely the one with more of a crude sense of humor and he constantly reminded me of one of those gifs which has the saying “ain’t nobody got time for that.” Yet the funny thing is that in comparison to Greg, Earl actually cares. I wish we got to see his character develop more because towards the halfway point of the book it did feel like Earl took a backseat, but there are somethings that he said that me laugh and tell my brother. One of the things that he says is about Rachel when she goes for Chemotherapy and it made me have a “WHAT” moment.

 oh i went to see your girl again
she got a bald-a** head right now
she look like darth vader without the helmet
chemo is no joke son.

Yes Earl really does say things that are disgusting and may make some wonder what is going on in the minds of teenage boys (I think we've all wondered that at some point), but he says some things that are profound. That you wouldn't expect him of all people to say. One of the things he says is

You don’t know s*** man. I hate to get on you for this. I’m not getting on you for this, but I’m just telling you. This is the first…negative thing that has happened to you in your life. And you can’t be overreacting to it and making big-ass expensive decisions based on it. I’m just saying. People die. Other people do stupid s***. I’m surrounded by family members doing stupid s***. I used to think I had to do s*** for them. I still wanna do s*** for them. But you gotta live your own life. You gotta take care a your own s*** before you get started doing things for errybody else.”

When Earl talked about his own family I really felt for him, like I hadn’t in the beginning of the book. In the beginning it did feel like he was used for comedic purposes, but then it was like he had some “way of the force” moment and I think I began to understand him. It felt like making movies was his escape from his broken family life and once he realized that he owed it to himself to have a better life, he took matters into his own hands. I liked the unconventional friendship between Greg and Earl.

As for Rachel, she did feel like a secondary character despite Greg’s whole book revolving around her and his experience being friends with her. In all honesty I was indifferent towards her. She wasn't like Hazel from TFioS who I really did dislike. It wasn't that Rachel was a bad character, which she wasn't at all, but because she wasn't prominent it was difficult to come to terms with what you should feel for her. I think Rachel signified that not everyone could go to battle with cancer so to speak. There are some battles that you just can’t win and going for chemotherapy as well as stopping chemotherapy is very much a personal decision. In a way I admired her for her decisions because she was strong enough in her own way to accept death for what it is, instead of trying to fight it off which would cause her more pain and grief.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Me and Earl and the Dying Girl for its unique way of portraying Cancer. I was moved by Greg and Earl in a way I probably thought impossible for a book with such humour. I’m not sure if fans of TFioS would necessarily like it because of the humor and because of Greg, but I still encourage taking a chance on this book. Jesse Andrews did a fantastic job with his debut book and I can't wait to read his future works.

My Rating: 5/5

Would I recommend it? Absolutely

Ivy X

Amelia 

I don’t know how I feel about this book.

Rachel Braithwaite

this book was terrible. after reading it, the only thing i can think about is “what did i just read?” i mean there was absolutely no point to any of it. it didn’t teach me anything, it didn’t inspire me, it wasn’t even a good story. it was a boring story with a narrator that made me laugh 10% of the time and the other 90% i was uncomfortable. i found myself unable to connect or relate to any of the characters and did not like them. to anyone considering reading this book, don’t. it’s a waste of time. maybe watch the movie. i haven’t seen the movie but it’ll tell you the same weird, boring story in a shorter amount of time. that’s definitely an improvement to the waste of time that is this book. sorry not sorry. that being said, this wasn’t the worst book i’ve ever read but it’s not a book i would recommend to anyone who respects themselves. keep looking kids, there are much, MUCH better books out there.

Greg Gaines is able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics - until Greg's mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. She has been diagnosed with leukemia - cue extreme adolescent awkwardness - but a parental mandate must be obeyed. When she stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. All at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight ...

Douwe

The quickest I’ve ever read a book, and in a foreign language too. It left me feeling over and underwhelmed at the same time. I feel like it could’ve achieved more. But I kinda get that that was not the meaning of the writer.

Emelie

2,5owls

Im a little disappointed with this book. Could be because My expectations was pretty high but i Didnt like it as much as i hoped i would.

First, i dont get why the book is called me and earl and the dying girl. It should've been called a memoir by Greg or something. 

Second, the way he wrote the book kinda annoyed me a lot! Why tell the reader they're stupid or that this book is boring etc? Yes, it made the book boring cause Greg had so low thoughts of it.

Third, even if i felt bad for Rachel, i dont feel like we've got enough information about her cancer, treatment och life (based on the books title, she obviously is a big part of the book according to the author). 

Hopefully the movie adaptation is better :)

**Now a major motion picture** It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he's figured it out. The answer to the basic existential question: How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl. This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg's mother forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg's entire life.

I did not think it was possible for a book to be absolutely hilarious and absolutely emotionally devastating at the same time, but I was wrong.

Delaney LaFalce

Aaliyah Jenkins

So, this book was unnecessarily crude and generally nonsensical. The only reason I finished is because in the beginning it made me laugh, and I have a semi-strict policy that mandates I finish every book I start. Truth is, I didn't hate this book, but I didn't like it either. I'm not extremely sure HOW I feel about it. I haven't formed a coherent opinion. What I can tell you is that the book offered unique characters that will leave a lasting impression, and the last few pages were beautiful. Beyond this my feelings become murky and incomprehensible. My advice? Read it yourself.

Nicole Dykeman

Great book. Nice and easy read, I finished it in about two hours. It's also hilarious, I was cracking up while reading it.

Tracie McMurray

Lots of vulgarity in this book. It is a bunch of random one liners strung together. The narrator is an 18 year old boy so he talks about boobs and boners. Not one I can put on the classroom shelf in good conscience.

Allison Garrett

Hilariously funny and a fresh insight to a teenage perspective that hasn't been done before.

Jaclyn

*4.5*

 "If after reading this book you come to my home and brutally murder me, I do not blame you."  

What a different,hilarious, and realistic book. Honestly I don't think I've ever felt like I was in a teenage boys head,more then when reading this book. The characters were just SO realistic and I loved it! 

Don't go into this expecting some great big epic romance, or ready to witness some big self discovery path. It's not like that all. This is a story about LIFE and FRIENDSHIP. Friendship is a really important element to the story and it's very funny and sweet. Theres VERY little romance, but really this book is more about life. And how confusing and weird it could be. Especially in high school.

"This is the last year, and then you're gone. Let me tell you this: After high school, life only gets better. You're in a tunnel right now.Theres a light glimmering there at the end of it. You gotta make it to that light." 

It's a very accurate portrayal of high school, but takes a very serious issue and puts a little humor into it. Greg was HILARIOUS to follow through his senior year. And I loved how it was HIM writing the book to YOU, the reader. And how he would contradict himself as he was writing this, was just so so funny.

"Look I was an idiot. I didn't want people to think that I had a crush, so I decided to give everyone the impression that I truly,honestly, hated Madison Harter. For no reason. Just thinking about this makes me want to punch myself in the eyeball." 

He's just such a BOY. And it was highly entertaining reading in his point of view. Earl and Rachel were also really great to read through his eyes and the ending was definitely SAD, but that was expected. 

"There was just something about her dying that I understood but not really understood, if you know what I mean. I mean you can know someone is dying on an intellectual level, but emotionally it hasn't really hit you, and then when it does, that's when you feel like shit."  

Really funny, sarcastic, honest and quick book to read! Loved it! And now I'm super excited to see the movie!!! 

"When you convert a good book to film, stupid things happen."  

How ironic that his book actually became a movie? HAHA. So excited!

Nicki

Maybe I'll finish reading this eventually.