You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour & David Levithan

Publication Date: June 7th, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

“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.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour and David Levithan, You Know Me Well is a story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time. ”

Review:

Mark and Ryan head out to a club in the city unbeknownst to their parents. Mark and Ryan are something and then, they’re not. Mark wants Ryan, and Ryan doesn’t know what he wants. He wants someone who isn’t afraid to live. However, Ryan is in the closet still. There is a underwear competition at the club, and Mark wants to show Ryan that he can be the life of the party. After the competition, Mark makes eye contact with the girl he’s sat next to all year in calculus, Kate. Kate understands not to tell anyone that she was there and vice versa. This is a story of friendship and the struggles of coming out.

I flew through this book in a day. It was so, so, so good. I love this story and how important it is to have people that support you around you in life. The friendships that this book portrays is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. I was hooked right from the start.

The character development in this story was phenomenal. I went back and forth with these characters, especially Ryan. I also struggled with Kate for a little, as well. The best character was Mark. He was absolute favorite. He knew what he wanted from day one, and his head was always on straight. There were times where Mark would be struggling with love and I would be in tears. The authors did such a great job with the characters.

My favorite part of this book was how it was written. Nina LaCour and David Levithan began writing this book back and forth for a few years. They would send a chapter back and forth electronically until it was finished. I think that is the coolest thing ever and I would love to co-write with someone like that one day. I think that takes real talent to pick up where someone left off.

I was going to give this book a five star rating, but I feel like there was just one tiny thing missing. If I say what I think was missing, it would be a spoiler. The book was amazing the way it was, but personally, I wish the ending had a little bit different of a finish.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars