Review Catch-Up: Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Divergent

Doing a little catch-up on my back-log of reviews!  First up, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Goodreads Summary:
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.

Last week for my Teaser Tuesday I used the opening lines of the book (because you have to admit, they're quite awesome) and mentioned that thankfully, nose-picking was not a part of the book.  If I had managed to read through ALL of chapter 1 without interruption I would have discovered that the book does indeed involve picking friend's noses...and that, oddly enough, upon finishing the novel I'm quite glad that it does!

Anyways, this book is just wonderful.  The characters have depth and are so real.  The dialogue is fantastic (as is the inner monologue).  Basically the writing is just superb, both authors did a great job of portraying the two Will Graysons and their friends.  Oh and the musical bits...hilarious!  Gah, Tiny Cooper is such a fun character.  Okay, sorry...gush-time is over.   :)

While I am no longer a teen, I can easily relate to these characters.  Perhaps because music snobbery was just as integral to my High School experience (or at least to my circle of friends).  No, what makes the story and characters so relatable is the honesty of emotions and the slowly unfolding self-realization that occurs in the novel.  Anyways, I highly recommend this book to all readers (younger readers FYI - there's quite a bit of swearing).  It will make you laugh, leave you a little misty-eyed and very, very satisfied.  Now I need to go check out these authors' other books ASAP!

5/5 stars
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Divergent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads Summary:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

I'm gonna gush again - but, wow is this book amazing and totally deserving of the hype!  You know you've just read a good book when you are extremely disappointed when it ends...just wanting the world and its characters to continuously live on through endless amounts of pages.  You know it's an especially good book when you reach this conclusion after reading nearly 500 pages.  Luckily for me, and all you lovely readers, this is just the first installment of a trilogy.  Now, I know that some peeps are starting to complain about the current trilogy fad and that others are beginning to tire of dystopian books...but seriously do not skip this gem of a novel!

I really have no qualms with the book, it is magnificently executed.  The main characters are well-drawn and the pacing is perfect.  Also, the story is not a variant of something that is already out there - it's quite unique.  As usual, I'm not going to touch on the plot - but I will say that I can't wait to see what will happen!  Again...this is a must read :)

5/5 stars