ONE DAY | Book Review

Title: One Day
Author: David Nicholls
Genre: Fiction / Contemporary
Published by: Hodder 

Originally Published: 2009
Page Count: 435

Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? 
Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

(Source: Goodreads)

My relationship with this book is a rather fond one. It will from now on remind me of long soaks, train rides, and my time in the Lake District last summer. I've been reading it for so long in theory; having had to put it down after I initially started it as it belonged to the cottage I was staying in. 

Although the storyline is one of cliché, I still enjoyed it immensely. The character of Emma is incredibly likeable and reminded me of myself a great deal. It's scary at how much, I just hope I don't have the shitty jobs she seems to end up in, although, I feel that is an inevitable part of my upcoming future. She was fresh and witty, with strong emotions and a definable personality. She has an identity crisis, almost, at the end of the book, which shows how life changes you. Dexter was infuriating at times and sometimes a boring cliché, it was a little predictable the paths he would take. Dexter probably typifies the male lead in this genre of romance or chick lit, but because I've not read much of this genre he's predictable but not something I have encountered often. I can see why avid romance readers are a bit bored of the Dexters in romantic fiction. 

The writing was colloquial and perfect. It wasn't overly pretentious or stupidly simple, it had the right balance that related well to its protagonists. The main issue I had with the book, inevitably, was its premise. It is 'one day' of this couple's life, the same day, year after year. And like normal people, not every day is interesting, it becomes tedious and sometimes infuriating that we did not get to witness the immediate impact of the events. The chapters that stood out came at the beginning and the end of the novel. The book is split into five parts and the last part was brilliant, if not a bit too sentimental. 

Overall, a fun read for someone uneducated in the genre. 4.5 stars. 

Review: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Title: Boy Meets Boy

Author: David Levithan

Genre:YA / LGBT / Romance

Published by: Alfred Knopf 

Originally Published: 2003

Page Count: 185

"I was the first openly gay president of my third-grade class. I have seen men holding hands walking down the street in a big city and I have read about women getting married in a state that's not so far away. I have found a boy I might just love, and I have not run away. I believe that I can be anyone I might want to be. All these things give me strength." 

Boy Meets Boy follows the protagonist, Paul, an openly gay sophomore in high school. At the beginning of the book the captivating Noah tumbles into his life, and the pair are soon romantically linked as they both develop feelings for each other.  The town they live in is a paradise, an idyllic refuge for gay, bisexual, transgender, and frankly, every type of person. The book epitomises "YA romance" but has a whole cast of characters who are growing in character in each and every page.

The setting of this town is completely science-fiction, yet somehow believable. Every one in Paul's town seems wonderfully accepting and beautiful, they all embrace difference, and there's no one who epitomises difference than the homecoming queen and star quarter back Infinite Marlene (formally known as Daryl).

What I adore about this book is its collection of characters. You obviously have Paul at the centre of the story, he is the root that stems to each connecting character. Paul is likeable and relatable, he's your typical teenager. Noah is interesting and loveable. But besides these characters you have Tony (who I personally adored), he lives in the town next to Paul and lives in a religious household, where his parents try to ignore his homosexuality. His friendship with Paul is completely platonic and utterly perfect, the pair do not judge each other and are always there for each other.
You also have Joni, Paul's former best friend, isolating herself from her friends due to her boyfriend, Chuck. (We've all known a Joni, haven't we?)
You have Kyle, Paul's former ex who is now straight and claims Paul 'tricked' him. And you have Paul's parents, Tony's parents, Paul's brother Jay and Noah's sister Claudia.
Throughout the 185 pages you get a glimpse of people you have known in real life, fictionalised in Levithan's work but so beautifully. It's so sad that we don't see more of some characters. I personally would love to know more about Tony and Claudia.

There's not much I can say about this book, it follows and confines to certain tropes such as boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy tries to win girl back. But no, we have two males at the centre and its refreshing and original. It's a juxtaposition of the norm, yet it is completely the same. With Paul's town being so accepting, the novel portrays a gay relationship as similar and as typical as any other, and that's what I like about this book. I believe it is a few years before its time. It perfectly depicts what teenagers go through and it has nice references to popular culture and certain issues, such as the US's boy scouts issue, in which gay boys had been excluded from the scouts (something which has now changed). It refers to Paul's town having 'Joy Scouts', which I think is just wonderful.

The novel is a very character-driven book, like I said, and it has become one of my favourites, which I feel is a necessity for all gay teenagers. If I had read this at fifteen, I would have treasured it so much. Sadly, 15-year-old me was not much one for books, nor one to be suggested this kind of book by the people I surrounded myself with.

A quirky little book with a lovely ending. 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. (NO SPOILERS)

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Genre: YA / Romance 
Published by: Penguin books
Originally Published: 2012
Page Count: 318


I've only recently got around to reading one of the most-talked about and anticipated book from 2012, and wow am I glad I did actually buy and read it.

The book is written in first person, from the perspective of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old girl suffering from Thyroid cancer, as a result a tank of oxygen is constantly trailing by her side. Hazel's life almost certainly changes instantly when she meets Augustus Waters, a seventeen-year-old plot twist in remission after losing his leg to osteosarcoma. It is a cancer support group where they meet and it is from there that this story develops into a breathtaking adventure about love and the meaning of life.

First of all I completely avoided this book after reading Paper Towns by John Green as I thought this book would almost be the same; annoying, a let down and incredibly pretentious. Now this book doesn't shy away from its dabble in pretentiousness, but you have to allow John Green to do this, as it adds to the likability and allure of his two main characters.

I had very little idea of the plot when going into this, in fact I thought it was going to be the same basic idea of a film I'd recently watched, Now Is Good, which starred a 'British' Dakota Fanning, and the gorgeous Jeremy Irvine. However, this book had so much more substance than the film I had watched. The film I had watched was very much counting down to the day the protagonist died, this book however may have had cancer at its core, it is the agent that pulls Hazel and Augustus together, but it doesn't necessarily drive the novel all the time.

The two main characters is where my love for this book initially came. Hazel and Augustus have this almost witty way of speaking and they're incredibly clever and well-spoken. In Paper Towns you could argue 'Q' is the same, but frankly he's boringly irate compared to these two. It may be said that this is not typical teenage behaviour or speech, but these two protagonists are not typical teenagers. Hazel has this view on life that is so refreshing and raw, she's not afraid to say what she thinks about those who treat her differently because of her cancer, she's not afraid to be blunt or hide away due to cancer. You end up respecting Hazel, she's just a teenager who happens to have cancer, and is terrified she's a grenade. A word she uses to describe herself, she feels if certain people form attachments to her its a matter of time until the grenade explodes and they are all left inconsolable and heartbroken. It's heartbreaking when you hear Hazel describe herself like this, as as a reader you want nothing more than for her to be happy and safe.
Augustus or 'Gus' is another wonderful character, he's witty, charming and in my head, he's incredibly attractive. He's not afraid to joke about what may be seen as sensitive issues, he finds humour in everything and he'll be damned if anything stops him from doing what he wishes. He's romantic and charming and you can see why he's so appealing to Hazel.

The plot follows the two as they get to know each other, we meet their mutual friend Isaac, who sadly is about to lose his eyesight due to his condition. Isaac is another heartwarming and funny character you can't help loving and feeling sorry for.

There's a quote on the edition that I own by Jodi Picoult that describes this book perfectly:

"Electric... filled with staccato bursts of humour and tragedy."

If a book can make me feel emotions and make me long for these characters then to me, it's a pretty good book. This book plunged me deeper into my emotions than I cared to think a book could take me.
I found myself laughing out loud several times, and I found myself crying at 1am over this book, actually not being able to breathe properly because my heart was breaking. Even in moments of sheer heartache this book still manages to make you laugh and immediately whimper after it.

Closing this book was like leaving friends behind. It was a journey that struck a note with me. It's filled with so many wonderful quotes that you can take with you on your way, my favourite being something that I associate with this book:

"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." 

I don't want to be cheesy but this quote resonates so much with me for this book, you come accustomed to the wonderful writing and the magnificent characters John Green has created and you feel yourself being succumbed to the book's charm. And then you suddenly realise when you close this book that its nothing like anything else. It is perfect:  ★★★★★