Bill Konigsberg

From the award-winning author of Openly Straight, a story about two teens falling in love over a summer that throws everything possible to keep them apart.

The Music of What Happens

Nina Herder

Jamieson

Hmm I started this book and liked it and then the further I went along the more things started to annoy me. This is more of a 2.5 star rating as some of the grievances are personal. I'm just gonna dot point this out. 

plot

This follows two boys, Jordan and Max. Jordan works on the food truck his parents owned, but when his mum suddenly quits he needs someone to help him run it. Enter, Max, who is hired to work on the truck. The two are complete opposites. Max loves sports, gaming, gym and he hangs out with "dudebros". He's also Mexican-American. Jordan is quiet and weird, he likes poetry, hangs out with two girls he calls "his wives" and is a hopeless romantic. The two grow closer while the outside drama in their lives explodes - a night Max doesn't want to talk about, Jordan's mum's mental illness and the threat of homelessness, and friendship issues for both. 

what I didn't like

- One of the main characters (Jordan) is probably one of the most annoying and like 'if I knew you in real life I would hate you and not hang out with you' characters I've read about in ... a while. Here is where I'm saying my grievances with this book are personal. Because flaws in characters are good - but oh my god, so many of the things he does are kinda framed as like just 'dorky' or 'weird' and like 'annoying but cute' when I just found them infuriating. overdramatic !! melodrama !! whiny !!

Some examples: 
- He goes outside in the heat and then like, has to get Max to carry him back to the car because he's 'about to die' like ... you were outside for like 10 minutes
- Constantly asks Max if he hates him / why he hates him / if he's hanging out with him out of pity / ect. Insecurity is a good flaw to explore but I don't think it was explored well, and it was Extremely annoying. Like, Every Scene They Have Together He Does This
- Automatically assumes after one kiss they're dating now ??
- Just whiny. Whines when people try to get him to do new things, sulks and acts passive-aggressive when he's upset about doesn't ever confront/address it, whinges anything they do anything (but wants people to do what he wants all the time). URGH
- A self-centred moment that is a spoiler but made me SO ANGRY

Anyway I really hated his character like is he a realistic character and do people like this exist? Yes? But he also annoyed me so much and Everything he had going on about him was hardly unpacked with only the tiniest character growth so What Is the Point. I don't usually rant about charaters and books but this felt good

some other things I didn't like

- Execution: Too much "tell not show" which I know is a cliche but it cost us some good moments. Like, characters saying "oh don't worry we smoothed over that whole fight that happened off page!!" I think is just poor execution? I'd rather see the issues resolved on page in a good moment then just keep it moving like that
- Resolutions: I didn't think many of the loose ends were tied up well and the emotional pay-off or moments I was looking for didn't come. A lot of things were set up and poorly or not resolved well. Like one conversation or line doesn't cut it
- The representation of Jordan's mums mental illness and how her story ended ... bad taste. I get that can and does happen to kids, but I thought more could have been done with that plotline
- "The wives" I hated them and reading about them (u hurt the dog, ur dead to me forever!). They were controlling and rude and it was never addressed right. Max's friends are kinda dumb boys so I expected them to be annoying. 
- There was just some weird one liners and things that didn't hit right ... kinda just left me like uhhhh that wasn't cool but moving on. There's a lot of causal homophobia, sexism, racism, ableism and while it's not Supposed to be good I was like .... why did you put that there when you didn't need to? and it added nothing to the story??

what I did like

- Max! He was a good character and I liked reading about him. I also think we don't see a character like that much which was fun. Much more down to earth and chill and likeable than Jordan
- The scenes on the food truck. It was an original concept and I liked following them developing the food truck and the ideas behind it and making it all work
- The way rape was handled and the discussions about masculinity/feminity and being able to open up and discuss things. I thought the focus on men and feelings and encouraging the idea that talking about how you feel and your experiences are okay and healthy
- Max's mum. legend
- the cover
- there was parts of the writing I liked, and some good scenes, and some good character work. The first half especially was great and fun and the lead and to their relationship and the slow-burn romance aspects were on point

conclusion

this was ranty but it's reading rush and I don't have ALL DAY. Anyway, I don't know if I would recommend this. If you're looking for an m/m contemporary romance, there's just been ones out there I think. With less annoying characters. Then again, food truck plot is unique and if you like opposites attract you might like it.

tw: a detailed rape scene, representations of bipolar disorder, depictions of racism/homophobia/sexism and ableism.

It's always refreshing to read an mlm story where the main focus isn't coming out. I loved the dual pov, and the fact Max and Jordan had plots that did not revolve around each other or their relationship. The both had their own story and neither was just reduced to the romantic partner for the other.

Nora de Jong

Rachel Evans

(3.75/5) Audiobook - 4 hours 36 minutes - This wasn't quite what I was expecting - it was a lot heavier than it seemed in the synopsis, exploring darker themes than a book just about a summer romance would. I liked Max's character - it took me a little longer to like Jordan. There were some elements I didn't like at first but I realised towards the end of the novel that a fair few of these were intentional and specifically commented on as part of the conclusion. There were parts of this book that were extremely hard for me to read - Max's story in particular hit far too close for home and upset me a lot, but that is on me for choosing this audiobook at random without researching the content warnings. But overall, I liked the structure of this book - it diverted from the 'automatically happy ending' that I've come to expect from YA novels, and it was a refreshing change, that made sense within the context of the book.

Louise

This novel is so fantastic that it was my main focal point in my bachelor thesis in Literary Studies in EFL. The trauma aspect presented in the novel and how it affects Max is so well written and eases the processes of understanding survivors of rape. Not only does Konigsberg show supportive families and friends in regards to being gay, he also portrays the struggle of having undergone trauma. And the internal focalisation? *chef’s kiss* Will definitely use this novel in my own teaching in the future.

ash <3

** spoiler alert **
           the first time i read the word “dudebro” i laughed cause i use that word to describe jock types all the time. the 25th time i read it, i was crying and puking on the floor. i am officially put off that word forever. It felt like the author googled “how teenagers talk” 10 minutes before they wrote the book and decided that that was enough research. 

Don’t even get me started on the cringey nicknames and the insufferable characters. Jordan has apparently never heard of the term “work ethic” in his life and i spent the entire book wishing i could punch him in the face. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if the most annoying 3 characters in existence were best friends, look no further cause this is the book for you. Their whole convo about “butt sex” was actually painful to read. Pretty much every interaction he had with his friends had me wishing i could build a time machine and go back to the moment right before i purchased this book and force myself to not waste my money.

i’ve never dnf’d a book in my life and i wasn’t going to start with this one. BUT DEAR LORD I WISH I WOULD HAVE. 

I would’ve given it one star but i like max. he is pretty much the only thing i liked about this book.

Kailey Rios

my favorite thing about this book were the characters. they felt so real and authentic, it made the reading experience so much more enjoyable. 

nothing ever felt fake or forced and it did a pretty decent job of shedding some light on some heavy topics without weighing down the entire novel; there were still plenty of lighthearted and fun moments to sort of break up the darkness.

i found a few of the side characters to be utterly unlikeable but maybe that’s just me??


(tw: rape)



  4 stars

Ben Bastow

first things first: I'd give this book three major trigger warnings! TW: rape, addiction, racism 

ngl the first half of this book is kinda boring but you'll grow to like the characters a little more with every turning page. the ending was rather surprising and the whole idea of two queer boys running a food truck? I mean... How could you dislike this? 
  

Amanda Kordeliski

Apollo Nyx

This book definitely wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I thought this was going to be another MLM YA contemporary romance and it is but it's also more.
This book is about teenagers having to deal with adult problems, and how some adults have failed them. I love that this book discusses the subjects of sexual assault, mental health, toxic masculinity, internalized homophobia, toxic home dynamics, etc. I think it also has a great portrayal of casual discrimination and how people deal with it.
The characters are my favorite part of this story. Every character has so much more depth to them than you think and they compliment each other in great ways.
Also, I love the "explanation" for the title. So, if you're into that, read this book.
I'd recommend this book to someone that is looking for a more casual read or someone that wants a book that shows you a new perspective and makes you look at life from a different angle.

fallinallinlines

Vielen lieben Dank an den One Verlag und Bloggerjury für Bereitstellen des Rezensionsexemplars! Ich war sehr gespannt auf diese Geschichte, denn dies war das erste Buch, das ich aus dem LGBTQ+ Community gelesen habe und ich kann ruhig sagen, dass ich Maxs und Jordans Geschichte sehr mochte! 

Der Einstieg in das Buch war ein bisschen holprig, denn ich musste mich an den Schreibstil des Autors gewöhnen. Doch nachdem ich in die Geschichte reingekommen bin, bin ich nur so durch die Seiten geflogen! Max mochte ich auf Anhieb super gerne und es war wundervoll, seine Charakterentwicklung mit ihm zu erleben. Ich habe so sehr mit ihm mitgefühlt und konnte seine Gedanken zu hundert Prozent nachvollziehen. Ich fand es sehr authentisch, wie seine Gefühlslage und Verwirrtheit beschrieben wurde. 

An Jordan musste ich mich ein bisschen gewöhnen, doch sobald ich ihn besser kennengelernt habe, mochte ich ihn auch super gerne! Auch mit ihm konnte ich mich so gut identifizieren und fand es einfach toll, wie er sich weiterentwickelt hat und eine bessere Person durch Max wurde. 

Die Beziehung zwischen den beiden fand ich so süß und sie passten irgendwie gar nicht, aber doch so gut zusammen. Sie unterscheiden sich charakterlich und äußerlich auch stark voneinander, aber sie ergänzen sich so harmonisch, dass man sie gar nicht anders als lieben kann. Besonders großartig fand ich, wie ehrlich und realistisch die Charaktere beschrieben wurden, denn so konnte ich sie perfekt vorstellen. Auch die Handlung mochte ich soo sehr, vor allem die Szenen, wo sie in dem Food-Truck arbeiteten. Ich fand es großartig, dass sie ihren Job so ernst nahmen und dass sie sich das alles alleine aufgebaut haben. Auch die Entwicklung 
zwischen Max und seinen besten Freunden und zwischen Jordan und seine besten Freundinnen fand ich sehr stimmig und passend und ich freute mich auch darüber, denn so mochte ich die Nebencharaktere viel mehr. Davor haben sie ein bisschen genervt, doch das war nicht weiter schlimm.

Jordans Gedichte und die Beschreibungen über Maxs Zeichnungen waren wunderschön und poetisch und haben mir mehrmals Tränen in die Augen getrieben. Das Ende war bittersüß, doch ich mochte es sehr. Dadurch wurde die Geschichte nochmal realistischer.

Fazit: Alles in allem, ich mochte die Geschichte von Max und Jordan richtig gerne und finde es toll, was für ernste Themen aufgekommen sind. Ich kann das Buch echt weiterempfehlen.

Tiffany Robinson

This book was just so good! I really enjoyed the interactions between Max and Jordan. I do wish it was longer though so I could read more about them.

I received an ARC of this book.

Antonia Sonntag 

this was a really mixed bag for me, some cute and heartwarming stuff and some necessary conversations but also a fair share of heavy eyerolls. 
same goes for the audiobook, the Max narrator was brilliant but I'm not quite sure what the Jason narrator was going for...

Britt Jansen 

Anjana Madhusoodanan

This book deals with some really hard topics, which were dealt with in a really good way. Some scenes, esp by the end, I thought could have been elaborated better. But overall I loved the book. I loved Max and Jordan. The two polar opposites who are a perfect fit! They both bring out the best in each other and that was really good to read. Also I loved how we could read both their POV's through out the book. The narrative style also changed with the person which I enjoyed. This book deals with topics like rape, addiction (gambling), depression, consent, etc in a beautiful way.

Anina

There are so many reasons why I dislike this book. 
First of all, just because the book includes LGBT+ characters doesn‘t make it automatically good (though I feel like the ratings for this would be much lower if one of the protagonists was a girl and both were straight.

I hated one of the two protagonists. Jordan was, in my opinion, a whiny little bitch. And I mean, flawed characters are great! But how am I supposed to root for him if he‘s just annoying af and there‘s absolutely no character development/growth? I did like Max, but since Jordan was so annoying to me, I didn’t really ship them. Like, at all.

Jordan‘s friends were very unlikely as well. And while we’re talking about their friends: Just because you point weird shit out doesn’t make it okay. Like, Jordan‘s friends are exactly like Max‘ friends, just female and more annoying. And it is mentioned in the book. But that‘s so very unlikely, and it just feels like lazy writing to me. Like, one scene that Max has with his friends happens a bit later nearly exact the same way with Jordan and his ‚wives‘? Nah, thank you.

Also, lazy writing: I felt like they only found each others appearance attractive and I didn’t understand why they liked each other. Just letting one of the characters say that in the beginning, he only liked the others appearance but now he meant more than that doesn’t like explain that? What does he like then? 

And which broke ass teenagers (like, so broke that they‘re on the brink of homelessness) constantly drives around with Uber? I mean, what the actual fuck? Ever heard of walking, public transport or bicycles? 

The characters weren’t relatable at all. And I am a teenager. If you wanna write Young Adult stuff, authors, I beg you: Either be a young adult yourself or at least close to it like Alice Oseman, or write stuff that doesn’t pretend to happen in this decade like Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I really don’t know anyone that would act or talk the way these teenagers do. Especially not to this extent. Especially Jordan‘s friends felt like a caricature of actual teenage girls.

And what the fuck was that title? SPOILER ALERT!
To me, it honestly felt like the author wanted a quirky cute title, and just explained that it was from a poem in the end. And to make up for the fact that the title has nothing to do with the book except for that they read this poem, the scene where they finally talk about it just drags itself out instead of keeping it short and tie up the loose ends that kind of just were left loose. 

I had huge hopes for this book. But as it’s probably obvious, I was very, very disappointed in it. Wouldn’t really recommend.

The Music of What Happens

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