Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this book features a gay protagonist who ultimately meets his first boyfriend. Along the way, he has sex with a girl, makes out with a bartender, and dares two girls to kiss. There's also plenty of underage drinking, some swearing, and mentions of chain stores and fast food outlets.
Families can talk about the rise in the number of books about gay and lesbian teens. Who reads these books? Is it just gay kids, or do you think straight kids feel comfortable reading them, too? Do you think they also might popular with gay adults, who didn't have books like this when they were kids? Do these books present an accurate reality? Do you know kids like Jonathan who are able to be out -- and fairly popular -- at your school?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kate Pavao
OK, the premise could never really happen. It's fun but farfetched: A popular girl bribes a gay boy to be her boyfriend, hoping to maintain her "place on the social hierarchy ... by dating the newest, hottest guy on the market."
But readers who are willing to accept it will get drawn into energetic Jonathan's often wacky suburban life, which includes a Kylie shrine in his room, shopping for cheesy tourist t-shirts, and dancing and singing to pop songs in his beat-up car. Outrageous characters breathe life into this story -- like his bisexual best friend Carrie, who introduces herself by slapping his booty and shouting "Oh, baby is this seat taken?!" And readers will have some good laughs along the way (at a Halloween party, for example, he tells his fake girlfriend that his Madonna combat costume is really an Italian GI Joe).
Be warned: There is lots of mature material here -- drinking, swearing, sex -- and the plot does follow a fairly predictable path. But in the end, Jonathan not only learns that he can't play it straight -- he also needs to meet other gay guys, including a first boyfriend.
From The Book
Oh my God. This was seriously almost too good to pass up. All I had to do was pretend to be Laura Schulberg's boyfriend, and I'd get to see Kylie Minogue -- the queen of pop, the Australian Madonna, one of the loves of my life -- in London!...I had to do it. Had to.
"And I don't have to have sex with you?" I asked, wanting to reconfirm.
"No. We'll have to make out in public every now and then."
Plot Summary:
Jonathan knows he's gay, but he agrees to pose as the boyfriend of a popular rich girl in order to see his favorite pop star in concert. But after fighting with friends -- and falling for a cute boy -- he begins to wonder if he made the right choice.
Related Books:
More Books about Gay Teens:
Getting It by Alex Sanchez
Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies / Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies by Brent Hartinger
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Sexual ContentThe book begins with gay Jonathan having drunken sex with a girl. He also kisses two guys, including his first real boyfriend. He makes out with his pretend girlfriend and challenges her to kiss another girl. |
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Violence |
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LanguageSome swearing including "bitch" and "f--k." |
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Message |
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Social BehaviorThis book features a gay protagonist who is out to his supportive family and friends. |
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CommercialismJonathan works at Target. He eats at McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, etc. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoLots of underage drinking at parties. |
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