Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson
John Green and David Levithan
Publisher: Dutton
Released: April 10, 2010
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT
Pages: 310
Source: Bought

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 both legions of faithful fans.

Every once in a while, something truly great happens. Like when your two most favorite authors team up and write a book together. Crazy, right? I mean, who doesn't want that to happen? You can imagine my excitement for this book. I went to the bookstore the week it came out... and bought something else. The next several times I shopped for books I picked it up... but then set it back down. I broke down and finally bought it February, nearly a year after its release, and STILL waited weeks before finally reading it. Why am I so crazy? There's a reason for the madness, I swear.

What if it wasn't good?

What if John wasn't funny or David wasn't poetic or their individual brilliance clashed when brought together? Crazy talk, I know, but it could happen! I was so afraid of this book. Afraid of it not living up to my expectations, afraid of never being able to relive that first time experience if it did.

If there is anyone else out there feeling like I did, just pick the damn book up already! There's a reason it was a NYT bestseller and YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick! It's John Green and David Levithan! Do you really think they're capable of not delivering? Didn't think so. So save yourself any added grief by just reading it already.

Chapter one opens with John Green's Will Grayson: "When I was little, my dad used to tell me, "Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose."

Chapter two opens with David Levithan's will grayson: "i am constantly torn between killing myself and killing everyone around me."

After reading the first two chapters I breathed a sigh of relief and got comfortable. I don't think I've ever laughed as much while reading as I did with this book. John in particular is so good at making the tough, uglier aspects of life funny. This is so important, because if we can't laugh at ourselves, even when things are bad, then it's a lot harder to trudge through the crap.

Will and will are great on their own, but it's after they meet and Tiny becomes their link that the story really gets going. I wish I could describe Tiny Cooper for you, but words won't do him justice. He is a character you will never forget, but you really need to read it for yourself to understand.

This novel is, in a word, stellar. It is brilliantly funny yet poignant, and I wish I hadn't waited so long to read it.