You Know Me Well

This book is as deep or as shallow as you make it. I would have never bought this, but it was so strongly recommended by someone with wonderful book taste and it was on theme with Pride month. If you like coming of age stories with well developed characters in unbelievable situations you'll love this.I don't think I'm giving away too much, but read the book as though this was retrospective. The characters act and think like adults. I thought there were even some indicators that aged the characters closer to my age then a high school graduate now. This is part of what I found so great about this book, it's a re-imagined high school experience if you knew everything you learn in the five years after. I think that if you are an adult (I'm 24) there are some great take-a-ways and you will not be bored.Also, Tegan and Sara (the band) are central figures in this book and important to understand one of the character's friendships. If you read closely some song lyrics and titles are scattered throughout the book. I thought this was a truly clever detail.

This book is trying to be girl guy but also gay love. Like Mark and kate thrive friendship find their other loves... But it fails. I feel like they wanted to appeal to straight people (like me) so they make it about Friendship between a guy and a girl but I'd rather read a real love story. I'm not sure if buy this lesbian and gay teens are friends. I usually like angsty YA.

Wonderful! A class of its own and in running with the times. It was an entertaining read.The funny bits will really, truly make you laugh it out (not the mental, soundless lol we've grown accustomed to thanks to the dawn of the technological age) and the realities it held within (quite a lot of reality) will hit you regardless of gender and especially if you've grown out of your youth a bit and is missing that certain tingly part of being so young and so untampered with by the incoming tidal wave of adult responsibilities (internal strained groaning here).P.S. I still think Ryan is a (cuss word here) and I just applaud Mark for being such a manly gay man who is gay.And Violet and Kate are just such beauties. So optimistic. Really, they are - in spite of all the emotional twiddle-dums they spurt out loud and inwardly.

This was the perfect “Jump back into reading” book. The two authors’ styles were perfectly balanced and created a wonderful love story. It was nice to see a story that had both a lesbian lead as well as a gay man, especially when they’re friends.

This is by far my favourite book penned by David Levithan to date. I like his novels, they have interesting characters, a gay narrative, build great relationships and end in some poignant positive note. ‘You Know Me Well’ was all that and more. I will be investigating some of Nina LaCour’s titles as well and see if they stack up.We get a young teen coming of age, laced with edgy sarcastic humour. But this time the portrayal felt more realistic to me than in many of Levithan’s other titles. And just when I was sure the direction the book would take – it shot off on a tangent. I wasn’t expecting the big Pride fest either. A little cheesy, a little overdone gayness, but had an easy flow and captured my interest from the get go – I could barely put it down. Not that its compelling, rather more engaging and heart-warming. I connected with Mark and Kate more than I have with any of the cast in Levithan’s previous novels. And it was great to have a lesbian perspective. Most of his books have been dominated with a gay male perspective – it was great to see more than one gender represented.Mark is an all American boy in love with his best friend. I like how he finds his sense of adventure, but never knows his destination. Kate was interesting, sensitive, yet with a strong sense of who she was. She just needed the confidence to say it out loud. To go for what she wants. And their relationship was beautiful. Instead of instalove, it took the shape of instafriends… and I have experienced that single moment of attraction to someone who has become a life-long friend. I understand the connection and feeling, and haven’t seen it represented so succinctly in a book before.We also get a great supportive cast, each with their own path.Honestly, it was touching to read a depiction of a friendship between gay and lesbian teens – it’s not something I see represented a lot in literature – or in real life. In the GLBT community there seems to be a segregation and cliques. It’s more common to see a gay man and his female best friend in this genre.Overall fantastic tension and angst – almost palpable. And a sensible (happy) ending. This kind of light-hearted, pleasant read is what keeps me coming back to YA contemporary when I need a lift and an afternoon in the sunroom reading.

Life is about perspective you get perspective from this they grow they learn they become themselves more and through wisdom know that they are not done growing i liked it

Loved all the different ways how people deal with stuff. How it's okay to just don't know. How you can grow. How you can become the person you wanted to be, but were afraid to become.

The story itself reminds me a lot of being a teenager. I liked it. However, the book’s jacket was a bit bruised & stained (?) so I’m a bit sad.

I did enjoy this book and was engaged with it enough to read it all in one sitting, but I can't say that it was particularly special or memorable. The two main characters were wonderful, definitely its strong point, and the book was generally well-written (though nothing spectacular), but unfortunately, the story was pretty average and a little dull at times. In spite of that, it's not a bad book by any means so if you're just looking for a light read or a cute little story (or if you're like me, making it your personal mission to read every lgbt-themed book out there) it's probably worth picking up if there's nothing else at the top of your priority list.

I really enjoyed the book .My friend also did. It’s a good book ,but it felt slightly rushed but that’s just my personal opinion.I liked how it had a different story line compared to other LGBTQ+ books. I would really recommend.

everything about this novel is wonderful - the two incredible humans who wrote it, of course, the vibrant interesting beautiful thoughtful characters, the adventure, the heartache...and the poetry. the poetry is the most incredible part, for sure.

This book was heart-warming and magical. It centres around two gay teenagers Mark and Kate, who are the narrator's and we follow them on their last week in high school where new relationships start and old die.

This book captivated me from the first page and I read it obsessively while on holiday, It took me one day. Both characters had wonderfully unique voices and I enjoyed the plot, the pacing, and the writing immensely.