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A review by books_first_
Noah Can't Even by Simon James Green
5.0
-------- Edit: Re-read June 2020 ---------
Loved it just as much as I did the first time!! This awkward dork has the most special place in my heart!
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I do not know how to write a review that will praise this book enough. That's what it deserves: the highest praise.
Why? Because it's light-hearted, it's funny, it's witty and I have no idea how not to fall in love with the characters in this book. Noah is awkward, adorable and dorky (and always just so done with everything). Harry is equally as adorable and simply lovely and pure. But there are so many more characters to love than just the two of them: Noah's grandma who is – quite frankly – the absolute best. There is Noah's mother who tries so hard and always tries to give her best even though that sometimes embarrasses Noah (but let's face it, that's just a normal mother-son relationship, right?). There is Sophie who is nothing short of lovely and supportive and a very good friend to Noah. You get it. Loads of fantastic characters.
Now. The story is an absolute ride in the best possible sense. There is drama, there is confusion, there is pining (and who doesn't like a bit of pining?), there is banter, there is wit and there is adventure. What I probably loved most was the way how Noah comes to terms with his sexuality. In the beginning, he thinks he needs to get himself a girlfriend because that is the normal thing to do at his age. He doesn't even have a girl he likes, he just needs a girlfriend because everyone else has one (seemingly) and he feels like he has to do the same (hello peer pressure). I think this book does two things at the same time: It tells you that no, it is absolutely not vital to have a girlfriend (or boyfriend) at a certain point in your life just because it's 'the normal thing' to do. It also tells you that no, just because heterosexuality is considered 'the norm', doesn't mean that you have to fit that norm. And I think the way this book explores those themes (and a lot of other themes such as the absence of a parent, dementia, cheating and teen pregnancy) is quite extraordinary. In short: Go buy this book, read it and love it.
This book is seriously so uplifting and wholesome that I can't even (hah). It brought me absolute happiness. When I read it, I was constantly smiling or aww-ing, or laughing out loud (to my horror, this happened involuntarily more often than not on the train). I am sure that I will re-read it a thousand times because it's just the kind of book to fall in love with – and fallen in love I have. I encourage everyone to do the same.
Loved it just as much as I did the first time!! This awkward dork has the most special place in my heart!
-------------------------------------
I do not know how to write a review that will praise this book enough. That's what it deserves: the highest praise.
Why? Because it's light-hearted, it's funny, it's witty and I have no idea how not to fall in love with the characters in this book. Noah is awkward, adorable and dorky (and always just so done with everything). Harry is equally as adorable and simply lovely and pure. But there are so many more characters to love than just the two of them: Noah's grandma who is – quite frankly – the absolute best. There is Noah's mother who tries so hard and always tries to give her best even though that sometimes embarrasses Noah (but let's face it, that's just a normal mother-son relationship, right?). There is Sophie who is nothing short of lovely and supportive and a very good friend to Noah. You get it. Loads of fantastic characters.
Now. The story is an absolute ride in the best possible sense. There is drama, there is confusion, there is pining (and who doesn't like a bit of pining?), there is banter, there is wit and there is adventure. What I probably loved most was the way how Noah comes to terms with his sexuality. In the beginning, he thinks he needs to get himself a girlfriend because that is the normal thing to do at his age. He doesn't even have a girl he likes, he just needs a girlfriend because everyone else has one (seemingly) and he feels like he has to do the same (hello peer pressure). I think this book does two things at the same time: It tells you that no, it is absolutely not vital to have a girlfriend (or boyfriend) at a certain point in your life just because it's 'the normal thing' to do. It also tells you that no, just because heterosexuality is considered 'the norm', doesn't mean that you have to fit that norm. And I think the way this book explores those themes (and a lot of other themes such as the absence of a parent, dementia, cheating and teen pregnancy) is quite extraordinary. In short: Go buy this book, read it and love it.
This book is seriously so uplifting and wholesome that I can't even (hah). It brought me absolute happiness. When I read it, I was constantly smiling or aww-ing, or laughing out loud (to my horror, this happened involuntarily more often than not on the train). I am sure that I will re-read it a thousand times because it's just the kind of book to fall in love with – and fallen in love I have. I encourage everyone to do the same.