Review: Ryan and Avery by David Levithan Rating: 5/5

"They have each found something, and they have each found someone. Both at the same time." 

When I heard David Levithan was going to revisit Ryan and Avery, two characters from his novel Two Boys Kissing, I was beyond excited. Way back in 2019 when I read Two Boys Kissing, I remember being captivated by the blue- and pink-haired boys. All I wanted was more of that world and those characters. I'm so glad that Levithan decided to give that to us. 

This was a poignant book, that reads more like interconnected short stories than a novel. Luckily, this is something Levithan does very well. I liked the way he weaved in and out of Ryan and Avery's dates, and I especially loved the way he'd write an aside directed to the reader. It was a brilliant use of second person perspective that called back to Two Boys Kissing in a subtle way. 

My one qualm with this book was that Levithan sets it now, rather than in 2013 when the first book was set. I feel like this was a wasted opportunity to remind people how far we've come since then. The world is so different now for queer and trans teenagers, in good ways and bad. Avery was one of the first trans characters I ever read about, and I didn't read Two Boys Kissing until 2019. It's bizarre to me that that's true. That's how far we've come.

But I would still recommend this to anyone who likes quiet, reflective contemporary YA or would just like a nice gateway into Levithan's style because this is him at his hopeful, measured, moving best.

JOMP BPC - November 21st - Pumpkins

~ books read in 2022 ~

#23: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

this was always going to happen.