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Always Joey

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Joey is forced to pair up with Jimmy for a school assignment. Too embarrassed to be seen with the school's biggest social outcast (who is also rumored to be gay), Joey agrees to go over to Jimmy's house to work on the project. Away from the scrutiny of their peers, Joey finds that he actually enjoys Jimmy's company. But Joey quickly realizes that Jimmy has developed a crush on him, and although Joey likes the attention, he doesn't want to lead Jimmy on. Will Jimmy's strong feelings ruin their newly formed friendship?

115 pages, ebook

First published October 21, 2002

12 people are currently reading
875 people want to read

About the author

Adelhardt H.

2 books9 followers
Author of:
"A Little Bit About Me, Alex" (college)
"Always Joey" (high-school)
"I know Danny" (adult friends)

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5 stars
158 (25%)
4 stars
201 (32%)
3 stars
189 (30%)
2 stars
45 (7%)
1 star
17 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
Profile Image for Bubbles  Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions .
1,314 reviews279 followers
November 13, 2011
I loved this story. Joey was a douche at first but I warmed up to and fell in love with him *dreamy sigh* he was a stud muffin. I would let him stuff my muffin (after he turns 18)

This link takes you to Laddie’s review. It is real and makes sense

No real what the fuck moments so I will make some up.

Maybe some Minor spoilers but this book was old school, dawg:

WTF Moment One: They research in something called a library, wtf?

WTF Moment Two: They look at porn in magazines. Instead of clicking a mouse they flip pages. You can’t make a sexy rhyme out of pages (or I can’t) not like “Grab your dick and double click for porn”

Well let me try one “I haven’t wanked in ages, better start cumming on those pages”

Yeah see not the same at all

WTF Moment Three: They rent something called video tapes that can only be rented by physically walking into a video store and renting them? WTF?

WTF Moment Four: These video tapes have to be rewound! WTH?

WTF Moment Five: After all that work you have to physically take this pain in the big asshole back to the store where they try to get you to rent more! What a sick world these kids lived in.
Profile Image for ♥Laddie♥ (Lee Lee).
353 reviews127 followers
November 13, 2011
I LOVED this story!

Joey is the popular boy in highschool and Jimmy is the boy that everyone spurns because they suspect he's gay. The boys get thrown together for a class project and that sets the stage for one of the most heartwarming stories I've read in a while.

Always Joey broke my heart and then pieced it back together again. I loved every minute of it.

Jimmy is so vulnerable, awkward and lonely that I just wanted to hug him. What I loved most about him was that though he was lonely he was so honest about his feelings and attraction. He was brave when it came to putting himself out there. I was rooting for him to be happy.

Joey was wonderful in the way that he understood the way Jimmy needed him. It was so sweet watching him grow to care to care for and appreciate Jimmy.

Reading about Jimmy and Joey finding happiness, friendship and love with each other really touched me. The ending to the story left me feeling fulfilled and happy. I was smiling so hard and I'm still smiling now.

This is an online free read but I would have happily paid for the pleasure of reading it. If you haven't read this yet than go and read it A.S.A.P.

This story is deserving of way more than five stars. I recommend!
Profile Image for Heather K (dentist in my spare time).
4,074 reviews6,601 followers
February 25, 2013
A sweet, GFY free read even though the writing felt very fan-fic-ish and amateur-hour to me. The relationship moved along pretty quickly and didn't quite seem realistic. I enjoyed it, the cute story won me over in the end, but it isn't up to publication stardards.
Profile Image for Elsa Bravante.
1,159 reviews195 followers
August 23, 2016
No sé muy bien cómo evaluarlo, es un relato corto con una redacción muy sencilla, con mucho diálogo, estilo fan fic, con unos personajes adorables pero un poco ingenua. De todas formas, un ratillo agradable.
Profile Image for Heather C.
1,480 reviews222 followers
November 14, 2011
Super sweet freebie about 2 teenage boys falling in love. Oh yeah, and one of them is straight. Ha! How long do you really think that's gonna last?! Anyway, its an enjoyable short read that should put a smile on anyone's face. And even though it's YA-ish, it's still pretty HOT! Um, perv much?
Profile Image for ❂ Endless.
163 reviews6 followers
November 17, 2011
Awww... This little story is pure sunshine! So sweet, so warm!

The slow build-up and discovery was quite nice. :-)

What I really really liked is that Joey's friends

All I can say is awwwww...So cute!
Many thanks to LA for recommending this lovely read!

Of course, recommended!
Profile Image for Sadonna.
2,706 reviews46 followers
November 14, 2011
I can't believe how much good free stuff there is out there! This is another one! Short, but so much said in so few pages. Really beautiful story - refreshing dialogue and boys with such tender hearts. Jimmy is so brave to be so honest with Joey and Joey is a little bit brave to let him. Loved the family dynamics of both sets of parents and Joey's slow realization. Really really lovely story of Jimmy and Joey. Just read it. You won't be sorry.
Profile Image for Ami.
6,213 reviews489 followers
November 14, 2011
3.5 stars
Thanks to Edina, who recommended this to me and then managed to make it possible for me to read (yes, my service provider blocked Nifty for porn content *pout*).

I don't think I can add things that haven't said before by my friends. As a short free story, this one is pretty cute. At first Joey is awkward around Jimmy, the gay kid from school. But after working with Jimmy on their homeworks a couple of times, Joey then recognizes Jimmy's hurt and loneliness, and they used to be friends in kindergarten, so Joey remembered the happier younger Jimmy, and he decides that he will try to be friends.

I must say there is a sense of disbelief, when I read how Joey (in quite a fast time!!) changes his attitude to become VERY comfortable around Jimmy, especially when Jimmy starts to flirt and tease outrageously, even encouraging for some action on the side. But overall, it is a lovely coming-of-age story. I can even see it being published, so it will get a better editing to make it better.
Profile Image for Nikyta.
1,454 reviews263 followers
December 5, 2011
I loved Jimmy. He was soooooooo cute and sooooooo honest. I fucking hated Joey. He was a douche that just kept leading Jimmy on even though he knew how much Jimmy liked him but then he still kept teasing. And shame on Jimmy for letting him. It also really pissed me off that Joey loved spending so much time with Jimmy and kept saying, "yeah, yeah we're friends" then wouldn't even acknowledge Jimmy at school. So more like 3.5 stars rounded up because it was a cute story and I did enjoy it but I still hated Joey even at the end, just a little less than I did in the beginning. Fucker. Pissed
Profile Image for Jess.
1,210 reviews39 followers
November 15, 2011
Ok everyone was giving this 5 stars. SO I got curious..surely the story couldnt be THAT GOOD????

I love being proven wrong (ok i do when it comes to books but not in an argument)

This story freaking rocks and everyone should read it. It made me teary at the start and then I totally and utterly fell in love with Jimmy & Joey...........TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THEM!!!!

Profile Image for Jeff Erno.
Author 71 books641 followers
November 9, 2014
I really enjoyed this sweet coming out story, which I felt dealt with a reality that often is not discussed in romantic fiction. The manner and rate at which people self-identify as gay or bisexual vary from person to person. Some of us know at a very early age. Others do not make sense of their feelings until they are teens or adults. And until they reach that point, by default they identify as straight. This is because we're raised this way, conditioned to believe that one day we will meet someone of the opposite sex, fall in love, and get married.

Most YA coming out stories depict characters who have already realized they have same-sex attractions. Their coming out is merely a matter of openly admitting this truth to those around them. In this story, though, the main character identified as heterosexual through most of the narrative. He first had to come out to himself before he was able to acknowledge his orientation to others.

In truth, the portrayal in this story is far closer to reality than most of what we read. Had someone talked to me about sexual orientation when I was sixteen, I would have insisted I was straight. Although I'd known I was attracted to boys since the onset of puberty, I did not acknowledge, even to myself, that this meant I was gay. And I know people who as adults continue to deny their identity. Often they state that they do not like "labels" or they even insist they are straight in spite of the fact that they have sex or even live with partners of the same gender.

Comments about how mean Joey was to Jimmy are extremely overblown. Yeah, he was a jerk in the beginning of the story, but by the end he'd worked through his homophobia, renounced it, and publicly stood up for his openly gay friend. Rather than presenting Joey as this larger than life hero who instantly had the courage to do the right thing, the author portrayed him like a normal teen, one who wanted to do the right thing and eventually did. It just took him a while to get to that point.

The only aspect of the story I wasn't completely pleased with was the way Jimmy repeatedly came on to Joey, openly acknowledging his attraction to him in spite of Joey's insistence he was straight. At first it seemed almost predatory, and wasn't exactly in character with who Jimmy was. He actually was shy and reserved and in all likelihood he'd have waited for Joey to make the first move. The secret crush he harbored toward Joey probably would have remained secret until Joey expressed similar feelings. Even then, I imagine Jimmy would have been cautious.

However, that being said, I do think that there are instances where a closeted guy who identifies as "straight" will openly flirt with a gay guy he finds attractive. This is what I think was being depicted here. And it was this dance that ultimately pushed Joey to a point where he had to at last be honest with himself about his identity.

Overall, I loved it.
Profile Image for TrashConnoisseur.
231 reviews16 followers
August 29, 2013
Don't get me wrong, I liked this short but sweet book. Not enough to want to read it again, but it was nevertheless and alright to good read. It was sweet, but the plot wasn't especially deep, which is one of the reasons why I gave it two stars.
Joey is a complete asshole at the beginning and I couldn't really warm to him until the last page. The change of his attitude went from 'ugh I don't want to have anything to do with that fag' to 'wow, Jimmy is really great' a bit to fast for my liking.
Both their way of thinking and acting irritated and baffled me.
Way to go Jimmy! What you're doing to your first friend in quite a while is really astounding and not really in a good way. I mean really Jimmy, dry humping Joey?
And the best moment was when Joey's mind just went. "Nah, it's alright when he does that after all he's a friend"
Okay Joey, so it would be alright when all of your friends dry humped you?
This is the main reason why I didn't like this book as much as I could have.
Before I can go on and on let me try to make it short. It's alright to read in between, when you don't want to think too hard about the plot (except maybe question Joey's and Jimmy's way of thinking).
Profile Image for Madison Parker.
Author 6 books282 followers
December 26, 2012
Jimmy is a seventeen-year-old boy who is ostracized at school because he's rumored to be gay. He hasn't had any friends in three years. Others perceive him to be sarcastic and mean, but that's purely a defense mechanism. He's very sensitive and longs for someone special in his life.

Joey is a popular kid, and like everyone else at school, avoids Jimmy like the plague. Much to his dismay, he's forced to partner with Jimmy for a project, and decides to work with him at Jimmy's house to avoid being seen with him in public. That kid could ruin his reputation.

Over the next several weeks, Joey begins to see the cracks in Jimmy's armor. He sees the boy who is desperately lonely and trying to latch onto whatever kindness Joey has to offer. He realizes how much he cares for Jimmy and wants to be his friend. He accepts that Jimmy is gay and that Jimmy has a crush on him; he is flattered by the attention. He even goes so far as to allow flirting between them, although he makes it clear to Jimmy that he's straight.

It's heartbreaking to see Jimmy so desperate for affection that he'll take whatever he can get, even if it means crushing on a straight boy. At the same time, it's heartwarming to see Joey befriend him and be so affectionate and comfortable with him, even though he just wants to be friends.

Jimmy gives Joey much cause for self-reflection, as Joey struggles to accept newfound feelings towards his friend.

This is a beautiful coming out story. Both characters are really sweet. If you enjoy young adult fiction with sweet, intimate moments, I highly recommend this one for you!

And it's a FREE read! Why is this story not published?? It can be found here (in two parts): http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highsc...
Profile Image for Yue.
2,490 reviews30 followers
May 18, 2016
I always enjoy reading this kind of fanfic: coming of age, the gay who suffers a lot and the straight guy who falls in love with the gay boy.

Jimmy is a sweet outcast in school just because it is rumored that he is gay (ughhh how I hate prejudice against gay people). Among these jerks is Joey, who is forced to do a paper work with him. While meeting Jimmy at his house, and doing the work and spending time together, Joey realizes Jimmy is a kind, nice, misjudged boy, and they become friends. He also knows that Jimmy is actually in love with him but he does not care; he even encourages Jimmy in all the teasing and he enjoys their flirt.

The way Joey behaves -being friend with Jimmy, having a great time together, but ignoring him at school- is understandable at that age. He is a teenager after all, and he does not want to be teased by his friends because he is hanging out with a gay. And slowly, he falls too because Jimmy flirts a lot, and he is so cute.

The story is too short though. It is not too rush, but there are things that needed to be better developed. However, I liked this fanfic a lot, and their love made me go all "aaaaawwwww".
Profile Image for karlakolumna.
502 reviews46 followers
May 11, 2012
3.5 stars

This was very sweet free short story. It's funny, cute and lovable and I was smiling almost through the whole read.

Jimmy is such a sweet guy and him not having any friends--'cause hanging out with the gay guy is apparently very uncool in higschool--is very sad and not very understandable.

Lucky him that his drama teacher involuntarily ended up playing Cupid when putting him in an two man study group with Joey, his dream guy.

I really recommend reading it, it will bring a smile on your face..
Profile Image for Mel.
331 reviews534 followers
November 13, 2011
Very cute on line fiction about Joey, popular kid, who is forced to do a school project with Jimmy, who's rumored to be gay.
I really liked the premise and with some tighter writing and a little less need for suspension of disbelief, this would have gotten 5 stars.
Still: sweet and endearing.
3,5 stars
Profile Image for Major English (Laura).
92 reviews
January 22, 2013
The dynamics between these characters was just too unrealistic to me.. And It felt way too "insta-gay." I could write more, but since I didn't like the story that much, I don't have much more to say without giving spoilers...
Profile Image for Anke.
2,505 reviews97 followers
January 25, 2012
What a wonderful story! Better than many I paid good money for - yap.
Profile Image for Regina.
202 reviews11 followers
January 7, 2015
I found their interaction quite awkward, I mean, seriously Jimmy told Joey out of the blue first time they meet he had dreamed about him? No way , sorry, but no, that is just creepy.
Profile Image for Danni.
Author 10 books99 followers
May 14, 2013
Awwwwwwwwwww, such a cute story - loved it!
Profile Image for Rose B.L..
238 reviews3 followers
July 22, 2022
Very cute! Hard to find and somewhat amateur writing, but the story gets better as it progresses.
Profile Image for Penumbra.
1,180 reviews19 followers
April 3, 2015
Always Joey is a sweet, heart-warming story of two high school boys, Jimmy and Joey and the discovery of themselves and each other. Their personalities jumped from the page as soon as I read them. I can’t believe that such a great story is a free read.


Profile Image for Siina.
Author 35 books23 followers
November 4, 2014
Dammit, I'm such a sucker for stories like this! It was an utterly cute and wonderful coming out story. In a way this was a really fanfiction-like setting, though better written. Yes, the story had clichés, but all in all it still worked out nicely.

Considering this was written in 2002, the lack of cell phones and computers didn't bother me that much. I was about the same age as the characters in this story in 2002 and at that time I didn't have my own computer either. Thus I understand the porn mags too.

What bothered me though (and what bothers most of fanfiction altogether even though this isn't fanfiction) is that the supposedly hetero guy can't stop admiring the beauty of the gay guy and doesn't find it weird. Especially, since Joey was doing it all the time. He didn't think anything was seemingly gay with his logic at all until the end of the story. Also, magically Joey's friends were suddenly OK with everything and Dusty even guessed the seriousness of the relationship between Joey and Jimmy. This screams "cliché" all over it, but I must say that I couldn't care less. This was wonderful and great, and the voice inside my head screaming justice for reality is suddenly suppressed by giddy happiness that starts from my toes and travels to my scalp.
Profile Image for Manly Manster.
239 reviews8 followers
July 12, 2019
Nothing about his story is realistic in any way. It's about the same as writing a story about a person who falls in love with a shoe or a piece of fried chicken.

There is no reason to say anything negative about this story, because it was a fantasy. In a fantasy, anything can happen no matter how unrealistic. There were no fantasy creatures like unicorns, just a boy who was straight one minute and gay the next.


Profile Image for Tiaskye.
2 reviews
March 2, 2015
This is is sweet and simple story about Joey, the popular kid in high school, and Jimmy, the outcast gay kid that Joey gets partnered with for a school project.
Joey starts out as a total wanker, although not that unusual in his actions as a teenager in la world that too often focuses on the superficial, but being forced to spend time with Jimmy initially, and later wanting to spend time with him, redeem him as a character. Luckily, Jimmy is there in all his cuteness to help Joey evolve.
The story is short, so it moves quickly over issues that could have made the story so much richer and heartfelt if developed further, but in the end it was as it promised to be, a short, sweet, rose colored story about two very different high school guys falling in love.
1 review8 followers
December 17, 2013
Oh my goodness, I've just finished this book and it was so beautiful. I've read many lgbtq books and this one was different. It doesn't have the same chase that other love stories in general and it was so original. It's not an up and then a down and a fight for someone's love- it is purely building up as one big beautiful realization. Maybe that's not the best explanation, but I cannot stress how wonderful this story is. And the characters are lovely as well- Joey is just such a sweetheart, and Jimmy makes me laugh. The two together make me laugh.
I'm no good at reviews, but I felt like I needed to give this story praise.
Sigh.
Sad it's over.
Profile Image for melek.
1,191 reviews10 followers
January 11, 2015
Story of joey and jimmy so cute sweet hate love but not to deep. Joey is the story teller. Joey is partnered with jimmy to do an school project. Of course jimmy is the unpopular kid that people don't talk to sit. A loner, plus because his gay. Jimmy is an funny guy i really loved him, he joked around. Joey was joey didn't wanna be there basically but he come around. For jimmy it was love, for joey he didnt come terms with everything he question himself. But all in all a fun read. I love to think they happy still now.
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