Title: Noah Can't EvenAuthor: Simon James Green
Published by: Scholastic
Publication date: 4th May 2017
Pages: 365
Genres: Young Adult/Contemporary/LGBT/Humour
Format: Paperback
Source: Review copy from the publisher.
Poor Noah Grimes!
His dad disappeared years ago, his mother's Beyoncé tribute act is a totally unacceptable embarrassment, and his beloved gran isn't herself anymore. 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 relationship with someone - maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely - he'd be seen in a different light?
But Noah's plans for romance are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. And that's when things go from bad toworse utter chaos.
His dad disappeared years ago, his mother's Beyoncé tribute act is a totally unacceptable embarrassment, and his beloved gran isn't herself anymore. 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 relationship with someone - maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely - he'd be seen in a different light?
But Noah's plans for romance are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. And that's when things go from bad to
If you're like me and you're fast approaching the dreaded exam season, chances are that you're currently dealing with two things: stress, and less time to read. Like, much less time to read. And whenever you pick up a book, you immediately feel guilty that you're doing something for pleasure rather than revising. (Or maybe that's just me?...) I've read hardly anything lately, unless you count my Death of a Salesman textbook, which I don't. But, picking up Noah Can't Even and only intending to read the first couple of pages for the time being, I found that once I started, I couldn't put it down.
Readers, this is the perfect book to read during exam season! Give yourself permission to tear yourself away from your work, because Noah Can't Even is quite possibly the funniest book you will read this year. Seriously, it is constantly and consistently hilarious - I loved Noah and his quirks, and the awkward situations in which he often found himself.
In addition to being bloody funny - and, at times, painfully awkward and relatable - it also touches on important topics such as homosexuality and bullying. I don't think LGBT issues are prevalent enough in YA in general, but especially in UK YA. Have I ever read an LGBT book where the main characters are in their mid-teens? Uh... one, yeah. This one.
That's not all - there are so many clever twists and sub-plots weaved together in a way I very much envy, and it was clearly done well, because I haven't devoured a book so quickly for longer than I'd like to admit. Needless to say, I cannot wait for whatever's next from Green. The Inbetweeners meets Geekhood, Noah Can't Even is a wonderfully awkward and important book that will have you in stitches from start to finish.
Watch my videos with Simon below! The first is an interview, and the second is a game of Heads Up...
