Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Summary: One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans. (from goodreads.com)

Review: Loved this book. It took me a minute to get into reading the two stories, especially because one Will Grayson does not use capital letter (for some reason this bothered me)- but after those first few chapters I was sucked right in. Both Will's are great charecters and it was interesting to watch them come together and grow together and really build a relationship built off of nothing more then a name.

For me though, it was the secondary charecters that really made the book. Both Will's are slightly depressed and are going through alot and struggling to fit in. So charecters like Tiny really brought a sense of fun to the book. His musical, which the performance of ends the story, bringing everyone together is hilarious. The lyrics to his musical made me laugh out loud, and I loved the fact that in the end Tiny realizes that it's not about him neccessarily, but that through his musical he may be able to actually make a statement that could change some lives.

Jane was great as well- she was that steadfast friend who is trying to figure her shit out too, but remembers that she has to be there for others as well. I was happy that her and Will figured it out together in the end.

The charecter I hated was Will Grayson's friend Maura (I think that's her name- the book is not in front of me, so I hope I'm not remembering wrong, because that will make for an unfortunate review). What she did to him was horrible. She had to know that it would not end well, and the fact that she did it anyways really made me angry. It did bring Will Grayson to Will Grayson though, and that led to alot of other great things.

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the meeting of Will Grayson and Will Grayson. I thought the location was brilliant. I knew that eventually the two would meet, but porn shop never crossed my mind. I thought it was woven into the story really well too, and not used just for a laugh, both Will's had a decent reason to be there at that moment.

Overall this was a great book. It's not for everyone though. Swear words abound and if you are uncomfortable with sexuality, this is not going to be your cup of tea. I loved it though and think it's totally worth reading!

About the authors:
John Green-
Website

Twitter

David Levithan-
Website
Facebook

Rating:

Whatcha Thinking Thursday

It's time for Whatcha Thinking Thursday, hosted by me! Here's how it works. Each Thursday I'll simply blog about something book related that's weighing on my mind. Feel free to comment away if you agree or disagree (just keep it clean, okay?), or if you want to post to your site either on the same topic or about whatever it is you're thinking about go right ahead. I just ask that you link back to here. Also, make sure you let me know in the comments if you've participated so we can find you!

This week is a kind of continuation of last weeks post, where I talked about genre's. It got me thinking about why you get caught up in a genre to begin with. Which made me think of gateway books. Much like gateway drugs, these are books that get you hooked and lead to more and more books. finding the next great book in the genre is almost like an addiction, it keeps you reading.

I'll pick just one genre to run with here, but I can pinpoint the book for each of the genre's I talked about last week. I'm going YA here, because that's what I'm reading most of right now. For me, the gateway book was Twilight. I suspect that the same can be said for many other readers. I read Twilight while on bedrest for a week. I devoured it. All four books (twice) and the first movie (several times) and then I thought "now what". Luckily I found TwilightMoms and the lovely ladies there were generous with their recommendations. Pretty soon I was grabbing everything YA I could get my hands on. I was hooked. Looking back, after reading alot of YA, I have to admit that Twilight is not the best book out there, it's not the best written book and the plot is not tops either. However, it give you a bit of everything and does a phenomenal job at hooking you, sucking you in and making you want more. I LOVE Twilight for those reasons. It opened my eyes to a whole genre of books I was ignoring and not only have my reading habits changed, but my whole life is changed (which is a seperate and lengthy story- but to summarize, it made me quit my job and become a librarian).

Do you have a gateway book that sucked you in and made you want more of a particular genre? Sound off in the comments!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. The idea is to share what books you got your hands on in the last week.

I had a pretty good book week! One from the library, one borrowed (from Donna!) and one win.

Book Win: Lauren Conrad Style: In her first-ever style guide, Lauren offers tips on how to create your own unique look, shares her favorite sources of inspiration, and identifies the absolute must-haves for any fashionista's wardrobe. Along the way, she examines her fashion evolution, from California-casual teen to camera-ready style icon and clothing designer.

From beauty advice and hair secrets to how to shop vintage or find the perfect T-shirt, Lauren Conrad Style unlocks the mysteries of being effortlessly chic. With Lauren's guidance, you'll look and feel stylish every day.

Library Book: These is my Words by Nancy Turner:

Inspired by the true story of the author's pioneering great-grandmother, this mesmerizing saga tells of the emotional, intellectual, and romantic awakening of a spirited young woman of the late 19th century in the American West.

Borrowed: Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single guy in his spring semester at Pemberly Academy must be in want of a prom date.

After winter break, the girls at very prestigious, very wealthy, girls-only Longbourn Academy are suddenly obsessed with the prom, which they share with the nearby, equally elitist, all-boys Pemberly school. Lizzie Bennett, who attends Longbourn on scholarship, isn't exactly interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.Lizzie is happy about her friend's burgeoning romance, but less than impressed by Will Darcy, Charles's friend, who's as snobby and pretentious as his friend is nice. He doesn't seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it's because her family doesn't have money. It doesn't help that Charles doesn't seem to be asking Jane to be his prom date, or that Lizzie meets George Wickham, who tells her that Will Darcy sabotaged his scholarship at Pemberly. Clearly Will Darcy is a pompous jerk who looks down on the middle class--so imagine Lizzie's surprise when he asks her to the prom!Will Lizzie's prejudice and Will's pride keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? From Elizabeth Eulberg comes a very funny, completely stylish prom-season delight of Jane Austen proportions.