REVIEW: Noah Can't Even by Simon James Green

Pages: 365
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: May 4th 2017
Buy The Book: Book Depository

Poor Noah Grimes! His father disappeared years ago, his mother's Beyonce tribute act is an unacceptable embarrassment, and his beloved gran is no longer herself. He only has one friend, Harry, and school is...Well, it's pure HELL. Why can't Noah be normal, like everyone else at school? Maybe if he struck up a romantic relationship with someone - maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely - he'd be seen in a different light? But Noah's plans are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. That's when things go from bad to utter chaos.

My Thoughts:

I can't even. With this book. It's charming and funny, and also completely adorable all at the same time. This type of book just feels very home to me. My teen years used to be filled with UKYA books set in typical British high schools and filled with plenty of laughs, so Noah Can't Even reminded me of the books that helped shape me into the reader I am today.

Noah Can't Even follows Noah Grimes, who just want to be an average, 'normal' high school student. He's tired of trying to fit in, only to have some aspect of his life exposed to and mocked by his classmates. When Sophie, someone Noah has always admired from afar for her cool and quirky attitude, finally speaks to him, he decides that this is his ticket to normal. So he tries to win her over romantically, with his, um, charm? But then his best friend Harry kisses him and throws Noah's life into even further turmoil.

This is such a brilliant coming-of-age story and I adore the way that sexuality is discussed so openly, all the awkward stuff included. Noah and Harry are such close friends, but they're also very different when it comes to being themselves. Once Harry kisses Noah, he's honest with his best friend about being gay, confessing that he's only attracted to other boys. But then we have Noah, who hasn't got a clue what to make of anything that's happening, and doesn't really acknowledge being interested in anyone who isn't a girl as a possibility for himself until Harry kisses him. I love that this book shows those two variations of teens coming to terms with their sexuality. It shows that sometimes it's clear-cut, and other times it's confusing as heck, but that's okay.

All of the characters in this story are so vibrant and they make an interesting mix of different personalities. Noah's relationship with Harry and how their feelings develop is just so genuinely sweet that you can't help but love them. They're too precious for this world, honestly. Noah himself is an extremely funny protagonist and some of the stuff he came out with when he was in awkward social situations had me giggling. I also loved seeing Noah's relationship with his mum change throughout the book. Though they have their difficult moments, they make a great team when it really matters.

Noah Can't Even is a wonderful mixture of humour, romance, and awkward adolescence that hits home with a few important topics along the way. I've been in a huge reading slump lately, but once I got started with this one, I couldn't stop! If you're looking for a fun read complete with a bunch of seriously loveable characters, then this is the book you should pick up next.

Royal Rating: