Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan Review

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story, by David Levithan
Publication: March 17, 2015, by Dutton Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, LBGTQ
Pages: 200
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

It’s Tiny Cooper’s turn in the spotlight in this companion novel to New York Times bestseller Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Jazz hands at the ready! Tiny Cooper (“the world’s largest person who is also really, really gay”) stole readers’ hearts when he was introduced to the world in the New York Times bestselling book Will Grayson, Will Grayson, co-authored by John Green and David Levithan. Now Tiny finally gets to tell his story—from his fabulous birth and childhood to his quest for true love and his infamous parade of ex-boyfriends—the way he always intended: as a musical! Filled with honesty, humor, and “big, lively, belty” musical numbers, the novel is told through the full script of the musical first introduced in Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

If someone told me a year ago that David Levithan would be writing about Tiny Cooper in a play-musical format, I would've laughed and thought that they were joking. It's not that his character isn't fit for the role and for a musical, it's just different and absurd. Overall, this wasn't my kind of book and I wish we had more of a "memoir" kind of base here so there would be more detail coming from his side of the story and all of the guys that he dated.

If you want original songs, two acts, to see the ghost of Oscar Wilde, and to meet each and every one of Tiny's exes, then this book is for you. A big issue that Levithan focused on throughout the whole book was Tiny being proud of who he was and that being gay is normal today. And the best thing is, this wasn't one of those stories where the parents of the kid don't allow the gayness to happen. Honestly, I think, what can you do? This was a fantastic example of diversity and I believe that it absolutely fits the LGBT community of 2015. High-five, Mr. Levithan! You've impressed us all with the way you took Tiny's matter and struggles and put them into a hilarious novel.

"That's the thing about life and love—every time you take another look at them, there's something else that can be revised. For now, let me just say this: My name is Tiny Cooper, and it's time to raise the curtain on my bombastic, baffling, and hopefully stupendous story."

The plot really couldn't be simpler, but I understand that this novel was a companion to Will Grayson, Will Grayson, also with John Green. That was one of the best books ever, and though I read it a long time ago, I'll always remember how much I loved Tiny's character. Who thought that in 2011 that there'd be a sequel four years later? *laughs* And really, this wasn't a sequel where stuff happened in the first book that you'll need to know before reading this. Okay, so I don't recommend reading this before the first book, but I find that it's more about Tiny's life and how many people have affected it.

Another thing that I love about Levithan's novels are that they're really short, and get straight to the point and message quickly. And that's why he's one of my favourite authors, as his books are always fluffy and easy to read, and I'm always able to pick them up at any time. They're like remedies to books that are trying to put you in a reading slump. But enough of the useless compliments at the moment—this was a very quick read. I think I finished it in an hour, since it's 200 pages with lots of spacing and crazy stuff. Get ready for lots of songs, belting, yelling and roller coaster rides of fun, because this surely was a read that got me laughing and smiling from head to toe.

To be honest, I did expect it to be better than it was. I usually love every single one of Levithan's books, but this was a 3 star for me. Why? Well it certainly isn't my type of read and I feel that it didn't signify the true meaning of a sequel well enough. This is something that could've been added onto Wattpad as some fanfiction and then people would read it. Stating this as a companion? Eh. We already knew the ending of the first book, and it's not like something else happened here. It was simply just filler and we got to find more about Tiny, which I don't mind.

"Love is the most common miracle. Love is always a miracle, everywhere, every time. But for us, it's a little different. I don't want to say it's more miraculous—it is, though. Our miracle is different because some people say it's impossible. But let me tell you—it's possible. Very possible."

Can I even say that there was a plot in this situation? Does this musical even have a plot? *laughs* As I said, it's not for me, so I kind of lost interest of what was happening and felt that it was kind of boring since half of it was actually song lyrics. And since Tiny is and always has been a confident guy, there was no development from him being some tiny squirt who's shy into a big belting guy. It was all smooth like pavement. The meaning of this all was actually wonderful and I'm proud to admit that I'm sticking by it and I'm nodding my head continuously, praising the work and who Tiny became.

I guess this book gave us a better vision of who Tiny is. Since he was a side character in the first book, we didn't get much information of him, and he was simply there. But here, the spotlight was absolutely on him and we got a description of him, and what he's been doing since the events of the last books and memories of his horrific dates that he's been on. *chuckles*

Last thing—I'm glad that we got to see Phil Wrayson. *laughs* And Will Grayson. If you don't understand what I'm saying, I'm seriously asking you to go and read the first book as you'll then get it and be proud that I said this inside joke out loud. And now I feel that I look like a fool. Oh, well.

I guess the only aspect and thing that stuck with me after reading this 'play' is Tiny's character and the theme of diversity and praising the LGBT community, which I'm totally up for. Other than that, the book probably would've been a catastrophic event for me, but we all know that David Levithan would've never let that happen. Hey, after this, I feel that I'm going to hold my copy of the first book closer to my heart, because NOW I realize how much that book changed my few of contemporary YA fiction written by two of my favourite authors. 

Have you ever read a book written in a play-format? Do you enjoy these kinds of books?

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith Review

Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith
Published On: February 11, 2014, by Dutton Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, LBGT
Pages: 388
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.
To make matters worse, Austin's hormones are totally oblivious; they don't care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He's stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it's up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition. 

The real funny thing here is that my background is Polish. So guess what? I totally ended up with the laughs and giggles here when reading those funny words. And the history of Austin’s family was so weird but cool. Grasshopper Jungle was absurd, strange but my type of novel since I got the jokes. *grins sheepishly*

This book had it all. It was a contemporary romance with craziness, theories and grasshoppers with weird voodoo skills. The characters were struggling but hilarious and total gangsters. You felt like you were living in an alleyway since they were so rebellious and funny. I’ll be sure to read more from Smith in the future after giving this one a try. 

So this all began with a bunch of grasshoppers and a simple Polish legacy. Okay, okay, there were some struggles with orientation and hormones, but that was the main story and it kept me busy for a few hours. Austin Szerba is sixteen and spends most of his time with his best friend, Robby and his girfriend Shann. Please, please don’t forget about those hormones as well because they were like Austin’s best friend as well. There wasn't a chapter without a mention of hormones, haha.

In a regular, non-absurd novel, you would've thought that the weirdness that this book kept on going wouldn't have fit—but it sure did in this situation. Most of the time, I kept thinking about how this book didn't really have a main concept, but it was really about the feelings and thoughts of the characters. Don’t forget about the character development as well, and the fact that this is a large book, one of the thickest that I’ve read at the time.

What I loved about this book was the fact that I could relate to it. This was teenage innocence and rebellion. You could've seen the most random things in the plot, but in the end, it all made sense to the characters. Remember what happened to Austin’s brother’s parts? Um, that was a little disturbing and weird, but it all made sense because fate is just strange like that. It also had a strong idea going on that the world was ending, but to tell you the truth, that was confusing and I was like whaat-the-heck because it didn't show any signs in the plot at all. What was this praying mantis stuff as well? (That, I can call weird and not really likeable for me.)

The book began with a boom and a stud. It seems really easy to like this book. Smith’s writing style is very unique and took contemporary to a whole new level in the point of view of a crazy teenage boy—which I have to deal with everyday since school. So now I guess I can say what it’s like in the minds of the guys that I go to school with—and now I’m a little scarred. Scarred as in “What the hell are they thinking half the time” kind of thing. This plot was very fast-paced and cool and chill. I liked this story and its stuff. I had a ton of favourite scenes, and I could barely find myself bored most of the time. 

The characters were the thing and idea I would choose to stay away from if I were you. Austin, the main character, was quirky and adorable, but he was a little too self-centred and kept questioning his existence and what he should do in every situation. Like dude, you’re a human being, and what happens at the moment happens. You can’t change it later. He overthinks things too much and worries about what Robby or Shann would think when they both love him, both more than a friends-way. Robby was a little too rebel but then scared at the same time while Shann was like the mother of the trio. She knew what she was doing.

The romance? Haha, it was awkward but sweet. Shann and Austin were like Bonnie and Clyde and tested things out and how it worked for them. They always tried to get their love to work as best as possible but they didn't realize until the end that it takes time to create. Okay, I’m sounding like Oprah or some love therapist here, but it’s the truth.

Picture a grasshopper jungle. That’s right, you can’t, really. At least not clearly. That’s what this book was. It was unique and unthinkable of because it was a contemporary. No, there wasn't any fighting or action of course, so anything could happen because it was just so real and like fate. You should honestly really go for this if you need a relaxing break in your life. Take a sip and indulge!

Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, LBGTQ, Romance

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Publication: August 27, 2013, by Knopf Books

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. 

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

Review:

"We were once like you, only our world wasn't like yours. You have no idea how close to death you came. A generation or two earlier, you might be here with us. We resent you. You astonish us."

  I must say that this wasn't David Levithan's best novel, but I still loved it. Every book he writes is with such passion and always ends up unique. This man is literally one of my favourite authors. I would read his shopping list.

   I just found out that this story is actually based on true events! That even adds more awesomeness to the awesome factor. This story was truly beautiful. It's about different people, different gay couples who are insecure about themselves and their relationships. One of the couples, Harry and Craig, are about to take part in a thirty-two hour kissing marathon to set a new world record. This is their story where they find more about themselves and love.

    

       

     This book made me squeal a lot, very often. It was very cute, but dark at the same time. In this book, David Levithan is representing many teenage lives out there who are insecure with who they are and their sexual identity. He has mastered the truths and the thoughts of these people. The idea was literally perfect.

      But I wouldn't call this my favourite Levithan book. It did have its cons, and that basically was all about the plot. This was a 200 paged book, and not too much was happening, except finding the meaning in these people's thoughts and behaviour and about their relationships. This was a very, very light read and there wasn't too much going on. This is one of the lightest contemporaries I've read to date.

      "We do not want to haunt you too somberly. We don't want our legacy to be gravitas. You wouldn't want to live your life like that, and you won't want to be remembered like that, either. Your mistake would be to find our commonality in our dying. The living part mattered more. We taught you how to dance."

       I loved the characters. Craig and Henry would have to be my favourite, since their relationship was the cutest and most strongest. Ryan would take place in second, with his wittiness and sass. But really, all of David's characters end up relatable to whom they are like, and I really believe that few gravitate to your highest liking.

       This was a very quick, but inspirational and beautiful read. I absolutely recommend it, and if you're a fan of LBGTQ like I am, then this might become your new personal favourite.

        Other Gorgeous Quotes:

        "People like to say being gay isn't like skin color, isn't anything physical. They tell us we always have the option of hiding. But if that's true, why do they always find us?"

         "When Neil is through, Peter smiles and holds up his hand, gesturing Neil to wait there, to not say a word. He picks out two books from the YA section, then runs to the fiction section for a third. He is still smiling when he returns to Neil and shows his selections one by one."

         "This is what we don't admit about first kisses: One of the most gratifying things about them is that they are proof, actual proof, that the other wants to kiss us. We are desirable. We desire. Every kiss that matters contains a recognition at its core."

          "It does not bring back the twelve-year-old who put a gun to his head. It does not bring back the fourteen-year-old who hung himself. It does not bring back the nineteen-year-old strung up on the side of an empty highway and left to die. It does not bring back the thirteen-year-old who took a stomach full of pills. It does not bring back any of us. But it does bring back Cooper."

             "There will come a time--perhaps even by the time you read this--that people will no longer be on Facebook. There will come a time when the stars of your favorite teen TV show will be sixty. There will come a time when you have the same unalienable rights as your straightest friend. (Probably before any of the stars of your favorite teen TV show turn sixty.) There will come a time when the gay prom won't have to be separate. There will come a time when you will look at someone younger than you and feel that he or she will know more than you ever did. There will come a time when you will worry about being forgotten. There will come a time when the gospel will be rewritten. If you play your cards right, the next generation will have so much more than you did."

             "There is the sudden. There is the eventual. And in between, there is the living."

              "We do not start as dust. We do not end as dust. We make more than dust."

"This is the power of a kiss:

It does not have the power to kill you. But it has the power to bring you

to life."