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The New Boy
Alex thinks he has the perfect relationship with boyfriend Gary. When Dexter moves in next door to Alex, things start to get complicated. Everyone Dexter meets seems to develop feelings for him, and even though the new boy is straight, Alex can't help but start to fall for him. These concerns he outlines in his brutally honest diary, while also dealing with his psychotic best friend Andie and his parents' divorce.
157 pages, ebook
First published June 12, 2012
5 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
MaddyRawr10
8 books8 followersPseudonym of author Maddy Linehan
I write young adult gay love stories, no more, no less.
Lives in Cork
According to Facebook: Maddy. Twenty. Atheist. Vegetarian. Writer. Slash/yaoi. Strange. Music. Moody. Fucked up. Empathetic. Tired.
I write young adult gay love stories, no more, no less.
Lives in Cork
According to Facebook: Maddy. Twenty. Atheist. Vegetarian. Writer. Slash/yaoi. Strange. Music. Moody. Fucked up. Empathetic. Tired.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 8, 2023
To be honest, I struggled to finish this. The very beginning seemed promising, but it started to go downhill for me pretty fast.
I don't feel like listing all the things that didn't work for me, so I'll just say that everything about this story – the writing style, the storyline, the character development – felt very amateurish and juvenile.
On top of that, the story needs an editor to fix all the spelling/grammar mistakes and inconsistencies.
I don't feel like listing all the things that didn't work for me, so I'll just say that everything about this story – the writing style, the storyline, the character development – felt very amateurish and juvenile.
On top of that, the story needs an editor to fix all the spelling/grammar mistakes and inconsistencies.
May 29, 2022
3.5 cute stars
October 7, 2015
Oh I so needed this book it was a catharsis after the wonderful but emotionally draining series I had just read.
It is a beautiful and fun love story between two high school friends Alex and Dexter. The story is told mostly through diary and texts, which usually is unsatisfying for me because I feel it limits it to one extreme point of view. Not the case here you do get a sense of what both boys are feeling.
I really needed the sweetness of young love literally with the boy next door. I love YA stories for this very reason. I love reading about the initial meeting and the friendship developing and that connection with someone who has the same twerpy interests as you do. Then that realization that there is something more and what does this mean… I love it when an author gets that right.
My English friend Lori, who recommended -thanks sweetie, pointed out that the author uses a lot of American terms in a book set in England but I really wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t pointed it out. I just pretended it was an American section of England.
Very highly recommend when you need a great pick me up….
October 20, 2015
Omigod omigod omigod. I am so dead. So so dead! This is so hilarious and romantic and all kinds of adorbs and fuck it... I can't even write a proper review! I am in heaven right now. This was such a cool concept. I've read a lot of diary-ish novels but but but the end to The New Boy was so unexpected and good, I am totally speechless. *swoon* GIVE ME MORE ALEX AND DEX ACTION NOW!!! Kind of demanding eh? I can't help it. I'm in love with this book. This goes straight to the favorites shelf. Omigod I'm in cloud nine! And I'm acting like a giggling school girl and I don't effin care.
September 25, 2013
I really, really loved this story. I loved the first person voice it was written in, Alex is a great character and so funny. I absolutely 100% believed the romance between Alex and Dexter. Andie is one of the funniest and best written characters I have come across in a long time.
The dynamics of the friendship between the main characters was great, I thought the diary and IM format that was used to write this worked well. I loved how Alex's family were so laid back - what a nice change from over anxious parents!
This book was such a light, funny read I'd totally recommend it to anyone (and thanks Lolita for the recommendation).
This would totally have had a 5 star rating from me, if it wasn't for the annoying mix of English and American. The book was set in England - but too many of the words/facts were American. If it had been set in America this wouldn't have bothered me at all, but as it wasn't, it really did niggle after a while. Mom - mum, you can't drive here until you're 17 and Alex was only 16, mid term - half term, candied apples - toffee apples. Every one irked me and took me out of the story to have a little rant to myself, which was a shame because other than this I totally loved the story!
The dynamics of the friendship between the main characters was great, I thought the diary and IM format that was used to write this worked well. I loved how Alex's family were so laid back - what a nice change from over anxious parents!
This book was such a light, funny read I'd totally recommend it to anyone (and thanks Lolita for the recommendation).
This would totally have had a 5 star rating from me, if it wasn't for the annoying mix of English and American. The book was set in England - but too many of the words/facts were American. If it had been set in America this wouldn't have bothered me at all, but as it wasn't, it really did niggle after a while. Mom - mum, you can't drive here until you're 17 and Alex was only 16, mid term - half term, candied apples - toffee apples. Every one irked me and took me out of the story to have a little rant to myself, which was a shame because other than this I totally loved the story!
November 7, 2014
4.5
Adorable. The characters, the story, everything...adorable. I loved Alex and Dexter. And Andie and Teegan. Even Paulie and Dylan.
So sweet, in the "my heart is melting" kind of way, which is so much better than the "my teeth hurt" kind of way. And funny! I was grinning the whole way through.
Side note:
I'm creating a new shelf because of this book, which is a big deal because now I'll have to go through all my other books to see if they belong on it, too.
Adorable. The characters, the story, everything...adorable. I loved Alex and Dexter. And Andie and Teegan. Even Paulie and Dylan.
So sweet, in the "my heart is melting" kind of way, which is so much better than the "my teeth hurt" kind of way. And funny! I was grinning the whole way through.
Side note:
I'm creating a new shelf because of this book, which is a big deal because now I'll have to go through all my other books to see if they belong on it, too.
August 17, 2014
DNF@ 65%
I tried. I really did.
But there is a reason why I'm not a huge fan of YA genre.
Especially when the MCs are 16 years old, and use words 'like' and 'totally' way too much. It makes me cringe.
I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not for me. I need at least a more mature writing to enjoy a YA book.
I still wanted to finish it, because I liked that the story is set in a small town not far from where I live, which endeared it to me from the beginning (pathetic, I know!). But it wasn't enough, I'm afraid. :(
I tried. I really did.
But there is a reason why I'm not a huge fan of YA genre.
Especially when the MCs are 16 years old, and use words 'like' and 'totally' way too much. It makes me cringe.
I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not for me. I need at least a more mature writing to enjoy a YA book.
I still wanted to finish it, because I liked that the story is set in a small town not far from where I live, which endeared it to me from the beginning (pathetic, I know!). But it wasn't enough, I'm afraid. :(
September 25, 2013
Dexter
<3
ALEX
The novel is written through the diary of a teenager of 16 years old boy. It is given by the teenager’s point of view. It is well written through the teenager style. It brings the subjects which matters the teenagers.
It talks about Alex’s life after the divorce of his parents, and about arriving a new kid in town, who Alex will fall in love with.
The new boy is very interesting. But I just couldn’t understand one thing… how is it be that the newly gay guy is the one who is ready for sex, and not the guy who knew he was gay since ever? I don’t know, it didn’t make sense to me. But, maybe because of Alex’s psychological disturbance, maybe he is just confused…
the the characters of Alex and Dexter are adorable. The events which drew them to each others are very fun and fit to the main theme, and the atmosphere is great.
*********************************************************
December 19, 2017
Cuteish kinda felt like a fanfic
October 16, 2013
3.5 stars
Ah, teenage soaps and the group dynamic.
Alex and Andie are besties. When Dexter and Teegan (bro & sis) move in next door to Alex and start attending the same high school, the pot gets stirred and bonding begins. The new boy sets off new feelings in both Alex and Andie. This is told from Alex’s POV as a kind of diary… he puts everything down in writing, you see, though the story reads like a narrative, not like a diary.
Anyway, serious crushing ensues. Both Alex and Andie lust after Dexter, who is god-like in his appeal, even though Alex already has a b-friend, Gary, who is douche-like in his un-appeal, and Andie, well, she’s been keeping her options open up till now.
Except, Dex already has a girlfriend, Olive (who happens to be deaf):
“I don’t know if she’s (Andie) decided to be benevolent and accept this love rival into the group magnanimously, or if it’s some sort of sneaky girl trick to lull the deaf chick into a false sense of security.” -- Alex
Then, of course, all hell breaks loose with breakups and mixed signals…
And as Andie says, “… you’d have to be mad not to get a crush on Dexter. He’s gorgeous and he’s lovely, and he’s totally cool. He’s the trifecta.”
There you have it… the set-up.
New Boy starts off well. I like all the characters, even the girls, and they figure pretty prominently. Andie is a good friend without being annoying. New boy, Dex, has a subversive side to his glowing good looks which makes him more interesting. But mostly, I like Alex. In the beginning we get him dealing with his parents’ break up, his insecurities about Gary, his job working in a senior center, and his falling for Dex. I really like his voice. He has interesting insights; he’s a bit of a brat mixed with a bit of onset maturity:
“The fact that you associate niceness with sexuality is worrying, Andrea.”
The middle of the story gets too mushy and juvenile for my taste. It takes a turn into a ‘does he/doesn’t he’ mish-mash. It’s less about who Alex is and it loses the satisfactory rich character building that made the beginning endearing. Then, there is a big character reveal out of the blue (for us and Alex), that feels manufactured to keep this in YA-land. But, it is an interesting development none-the-less.
Things do pick up again towards the end, and aside from some structural and editorial stuff, this was a pleasant read. Those who want a sweet coming-of-age YA story will like this very much. (References to red vs blue and the gay short movie ‘Starcrossed’ were greatly appreciated :D)
October 1, 2012
4.5 *
Alex thinks that his life is perfect with Gary, even though Gary can be very manipulating. His world is slowly coming down, as their relationship crumbles and he has to deal with his parents divorce. But wait, something is shinning a positive light over him. Could it be the new boy next door? Yes. Dexter is the opposite of Gary. He is funny, understanding and very extrovert. He is the life of the party and the guy you want to have around. The main idea of the story is beautifully told by Maddy Linehan since she is a new fresh voice in the YA world. On the down side, there were a few mistakes, but nothing that would make your eyes bleed. I would recommend this story to anyone who wants to experience High School drama, first true love, more drama and coming to terms with your own sexuality.
Alex thinks that his life is perfect with Gary, even though Gary can be very manipulating. His world is slowly coming down, as their relationship crumbles and he has to deal with his parents divorce. But wait, something is shinning a positive light over him. Could it be the new boy next door? Yes. Dexter is the opposite of Gary. He is funny, understanding and very extrovert. He is the life of the party and the guy you want to have around. The main idea of the story is beautifully told by Maddy Linehan since she is a new fresh voice in the YA world. On the down side, there were a few mistakes, but nothing that would make your eyes bleed. I would recommend this story to anyone who wants to experience High School drama, first true love, more drama and coming to terms with your own sexuality.
November 21, 2012
:) <--- my face when I finished reading.
Definitely had issues that an editor could have corrected but Alex's voice won me over.
Definitely had issues that an editor could have corrected but Alex's voice won me over.
July 31, 2012
What this book needs is to go back to the author.
The author then needs to find two pre readers and an editor, go over the whole thing and re post the book on line.
Once that is done, typos & spelling fix, verbs in the correct tense and all the other grammar misconceptions sorted; then this book will get 4*.
The idea is sweet, the High school drama and first love, coming out and coming to terms with your sexuality.
Is a great book, but so many mistakes that it was hard to move past them.
And if that was for me, that English is my second language and I made mistakes all the time, imagine how will it look for someone whose first language is English.
The author then needs to find two pre readers and an editor, go over the whole thing and re post the book on line.
Once that is done, typos & spelling fix, verbs in the correct tense and all the other grammar misconceptions sorted; then this book will get 4*.
The idea is sweet, the High school drama and first love, coming out and coming to terms with your sexuality.
Is a great book, but so many mistakes that it was hard to move past them.
And if that was for me, that English is my second language and I made mistakes all the time, imagine how will it look for someone whose first language is English.
July 3, 2012
Laugh out loud hilarious! Loved every word of this YA romance.
October 9, 2012
I really liked this book and Maddy Linehan is an Irish author which is great. I found this book a nice ride and was hoping the couple would make it. :)
Want to read
September 5, 2012Cover model is seriously doable.
June 17, 2012
I found this book while idly surfing on smahswords looking for fresh releases.
For an indie novel, this one was quite good. For a free read, this was exceptional.
The story told in "The New Boy" isn't even that original: we meet Alex, a 16-year old boy who has been dating the 2 years older Gary for 2 years... but things can't seem to go right for them. Gary is controlling and aloof, not paying Alex the attention he needs and deserves.
Then, Dexter moves in next door. He's the virtual opposite of Gary: tolerant, funny, and outgoing.
Alex immediately has a crush on the good-looking bad boy... but Dexter is already taken - by a girl.
While the story was more 2.5 to 3 star-ish, the character developpment was quite impressive.
I liked both Alex and Dexter, but also the minor characters.
Both the main characters went through a good deal of developpment and I quite liked how Alex turned out to be.
Actually Alex was all the things I wish young adult book heroines were like: yes, he wasn't the most outgoing person in the world and he was quite self-conscious, but in the end he manned up and didn't let anyone talk down to him. That totally made my day. I don't want to insult him as a character, but he was very girly, so putting him up as a positive role-model for all retarded girls in books dating vampires/werewolves/elfs/bears isn't all wrong, I guess.
I would definetely recommend this book for pretty much anyone who isn't a total prude and can handle some guy on guy action. The writing style is very engaging, as well.
4 stars total. I wish I could read more of the author's work but I don't have a credit card so I can't make purchases from smashwords. I hope she'll put it up on amazon soon, so I can buy all of it :D
For an indie novel, this one was quite good. For a free read, this was exceptional.
The story told in "The New Boy" isn't even that original: we meet Alex, a 16-year old boy who has been dating the 2 years older Gary for 2 years... but things can't seem to go right for them. Gary is controlling and aloof, not paying Alex the attention he needs and deserves.
Then, Dexter moves in next door. He's the virtual opposite of Gary: tolerant, funny, and outgoing.
Alex immediately has a crush on the good-looking bad boy... but Dexter is already taken - by a girl.
While the story was more 2.5 to 3 star-ish, the character developpment was quite impressive.
I liked both Alex and Dexter, but also the minor characters.
Both the main characters went through a good deal of developpment and I quite liked how Alex turned out to be.
Actually Alex was all the things I wish young adult book heroines were like: yes, he wasn't the most outgoing person in the world and he was quite self-conscious, but in the end he manned up and didn't let anyone talk down to him. That totally made my day. I don't want to insult him as a character, but he was very girly, so putting him up as a positive role-model for all retarded girls in books dating vampires/werewolves/elfs/bears isn't all wrong, I guess.
I would definetely recommend this book for pretty much anyone who isn't a total prude and can handle some guy on guy action. The writing style is very engaging, as well.
4 stars total. I wish I could read more of the author's work but I don't have a credit card so I can't make purchases from smashwords. I hope she'll put it up on amazon soon, so I can buy all of it :D
January 2, 2013
I will be the first to say that I don't normally read YA books but I saw this one on Smashwords and had to read it. I'm glad I did. This is a very good story about two 16-year-old boys... one gay, one straight... who go from quick friends to more. There is a great set of secondary characters that complete the story.
Overall, a very good read. I love the cover. ;)
Full review (with slight spoilers) can be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
Overall, a very good read. I love the cover. ;)
Full review (with slight spoilers) can be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
May 17, 2018
An adorable book with very interesting characters. I loved Dex and Alex and I would love a series with these guys. The supporting characters were funny.
Very cute story
Very cute story
April 24, 2013
I really enjoyed this very sweet, coming of age, young adult novel. It was quite a change from the books I usually read, and was like a breath of fresh air.
to-read-pruned
April 11, 2013This choose-your-own-price thing is interesting.
Want to read
September 5, 2014Love it
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews