Published by Alfred A. Knopf on 09 Sep 2003
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This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
When it comes to true dancing, it doesn't matter what you look like--it's all about the joy you feel.
Though this story took place in a high school setting, it felt more like middle school. This gay utopia was sweet, maybe too sweet, maybe a little naive. But I suppose this story is unique and kinda revolutionary for portraying such an idealistic society where being LGBT+ is so normal, especially when you consider when this book was originally published.
I loved Tony and got more into the story 3/4 of the way through when I got to learn more about him. I think his arc gave this light story more depth.
