You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Reading The Riot Act Blog

You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour
Published June 2nd by Macmillan Children's Books
Paperback 247 Pages

I am not a huge David Levithan Fan...Levifan?

Never have been, there's no reason why, his writing has just never spoken to me. I'm also not a fan of books written by multiple authors. I find them lacking the connection, that sometimes authors are too different or there is one style I really don't like. However, Nina LaCour is the perfect author to write alongside Levithan. They complimented each other and it actually made me enjoy Levithan's writing which is pretty incredible.

We follow two protagonists, Kate and Mark, both gay, both in love with people they can't have. During the last week of senior year they create a friendship that is so strong you forget it has only been a week. Mark is in love with his best friend, they fool around a lot, but when his friend gets a new boyfriend he relies on Kate to bring him back. Kate on the other hand is in love with a girl she's never met. She's fantasied about meeting her for years and finally, on the night she's waited for, she runs away and stands her up. Between love misconnections and fear for the future, the friendship that blossoms between these too is innocent and real and stunning.

I had an issue with some parts of the story, but only because I'm reading it from an older point of view. I find that a lot these days when teens have an existential crisis, I tutt and click my tongue like I never felt that way and sometimes, I just find it frustrating. These characters stand in the way of there own happiness, they overthink and worry and it drives me crazy, but it's also the beauty of this story. The conflict is internal and self-destructive and that is why this book stood out for me.

Overall, this book did not change my life,  but I do think it did a fantastic job of representing the LGBT community without stereotype or shyness, that's why I have given it a totally respectable 3 Stars! 

Happy Reading.