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You and Me and Him
“Do not ignore a call from me when you know I am feeling neurotic about a boy. That is Best Friend 101.” —Nash
Maggie and Nash are outsiders. She’s overweight. He’s out of the closet. The best of friends, they have seen each other through thick and thin, but when Tom moves to town at the start of the school year, they have something unexpected in common: feelings for the same guy. This warm, witty novel—with a clear, true voice and a clever soundtrack of musical references—sings a song of love and forgiveness.
Maggie and Nash are outsiders. She’s overweight. He’s out of the closet. The best of friends, they have seen each other through thick and thin, but when Tom moves to town at the start of the school year, they have something unexpected in common: feelings for the same guy. This warm, witty novel—with a clear, true voice and a clever soundtrack of musical references—sings a song of love and forgiveness.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2015
55 people are currently reading
2306 people want to read
About the author
Kris Dinnison
3 books70 followersKris Dinnison learned to read when she was five years old. She grew up reading weird books and listening to weird music and thinking she was weird, which she kind of was. She spent nearly two decades as a teacher and librarian working with students from kindergarten to graduate school. The bulk of that time she spent teaching High School English while dreaming of becoming a writer. She lives in Spokane, Washington with one husband, one daughter (when said daughter is not living in some foreign country or other), two cats, and a lab named Lou
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
June 14, 2021
i honestly don't remember much about this book -thank god- but something i can't forget is the fat shaming, low self-esteem issues (not addressed correctly), and stereotypes thrown in the story that ruined the whole thing since page 1.
August 3, 2017
Let's get one thing straight from the very beginning: I am not one of those shrinking-violet fat girls. I don't sit alone in my bedroom playing Billie Holiday albums while drowning my sorrows in a carton of ice cream.
Those are the first two sentences of the book. And then the main character, Maggie, spends the rest of the book showing that, in spite of the first two sentences of the book, she IS going to sit alone in her bedroom playing Billie Holiday albums while drowning her sorrows in raw cookie dough.
I fucking hated this book. But unlike the narrator (who seems to know that she is in a book, because to whom is she speaking otherwise?), I am not going to spend the rest of my review saying that I, in fact, enjoyed this book. Because I did not.
The book started out promisingly enough. Oooh, a fat girl who doesn't give one shit about what people think about her body? Yes please! Except then she quickly devolves into talking about how she picks outfits to try to hide her body in so others won't see her love handles and etc. Meh. That got the book into "this is not going to be rated more than three stars" really quick. But wait! It gets worse!
So Maggie's best friend is Nash, a gay guy. Neither of them have had a relationship or been kissed yet. Nash seems incredibly lonely, with Maggie a little less so (but only a little less). And, according to the front cover, Nash is apparently Maggie's soul mate. Or something.
Except Nash is a seriously shitty friend. But I will get to that in a moment or two.
So there's a new kid on the bus, and Maggie and Nash play a game of "dibs" to see who gets to crush on him (because they apparently cannot crush on the same guy at the same time). Nash calls "dibs" on the new kid first. Seems rather harmless. No one knows the new kid's name, much less his sexual orientation. But then Nash and Maggie quickly befriend the new kid, whose name is Tom, and Nash essentially starts throwing himself at him. But Maggie gets feelings for him too! Oh noes, the drama!
And here is when it becomes obvious that Nash is a shitty friend. Spoilers tag for anyone who actually gives one rat's ass about not being spoiled for this stupid book.
Yeah, so I am supposed to believe that THAT is the epitome of amazing, strong friendship? That Nash is Maggie's "soulmate?" Sounds like he is a rotten friend to me, and I was rooting for Maggie to dump his ass by the end of the book. Not that I cared much for the character of Maggie, either; she was annoying as hell.
And then, since the author apparently realized that this already crappy book needed more drama for no reason (or perhaps it needed more pages), there was a bunch of shit tacked on at the end. And, uh, stuff, and things. To be honest, this book was solidly in one star territory by this point, and I just wanted it to be over, so I was skimming like mad.
Like I said, I didn't care for Maggie, either. She was annoying, frustrating, and, well, boring. And she tried to make it seem like she was a super special snowflake because she - gasp! - works in a vintage record store and listens to music that no one listens to, like Billie Holiday and U2 and other Grammy award winning artists who, apparently, in spite of being SUPER FUCKING POPULAR EVEN TO THIS DAY, no one listens to at all.
Moron.
The only person I remotely could tolerate in this book was Quinn, and he was just too...much. Even he got on my nerves by the end.
So, basically, I'd recommend you skipping the hell out of this book. I wish I had.
Those are the first two sentences of the book. And then the main character, Maggie, spends the rest of the book showing that, in spite of the first two sentences of the book, she IS going to sit alone in her bedroom playing Billie Holiday albums while drowning her sorrows in raw cookie dough.
I fucking hated this book. But unlike the narrator (who seems to know that she is in a book, because to whom is she speaking otherwise?), I am not going to spend the rest of my review saying that I, in fact, enjoyed this book. Because I did not.
The book started out promisingly enough. Oooh, a fat girl who doesn't give one shit about what people think about her body? Yes please! Except then she quickly devolves into talking about how she picks outfits to try to hide her body in so others won't see her love handles and etc. Meh. That got the book into "this is not going to be rated more than three stars" really quick. But wait! It gets worse!
So Maggie's best friend is Nash, a gay guy. Neither of them have had a relationship or been kissed yet. Nash seems incredibly lonely, with Maggie a little less so (but only a little less). And, according to the front cover, Nash is apparently Maggie's soul mate. Or something.
Except Nash is a seriously shitty friend. But I will get to that in a moment or two.
So there's a new kid on the bus, and Maggie and Nash play a game of "dibs" to see who gets to crush on him (because they apparently cannot crush on the same guy at the same time). Nash calls "dibs" on the new kid first. Seems rather harmless. No one knows the new kid's name, much less his sexual orientation. But then Nash and Maggie quickly befriend the new kid, whose name is Tom, and Nash essentially starts throwing himself at him. But Maggie gets feelings for him too! Oh noes, the drama!
And here is when it becomes obvious that Nash is a shitty friend. Spoilers tag for anyone who actually gives one rat's ass about not being spoiled for this stupid book.
Yeah, so I am supposed to believe that THAT is the epitome of amazing, strong friendship? That Nash is Maggie's "soulmate?" Sounds like he is a rotten friend to me, and I was rooting for Maggie to dump his ass by the end of the book. Not that I cared much for the character of Maggie, either; she was annoying as hell.
And then, since the author apparently realized that this already crappy book needed more drama for no reason (or perhaps it needed more pages), there was a bunch of shit tacked on at the end. And, uh, stuff, and things. To be honest, this book was solidly in one star territory by this point, and I just wanted it to be over, so I was skimming like mad.
Like I said, I didn't care for Maggie, either. She was annoying, frustrating, and, well, boring. And she tried to make it seem like she was a super special snowflake because she - gasp! - works in a vintage record store and listens to music that no one listens to, like Billie Holiday and U2 and other Grammy award winning artists who, apparently, in spite of being SUPER FUCKING POPULAR EVEN TO THIS DAY, no one listens to at all.
Moron.
The only person I remotely could tolerate in this book was Quinn, and he was just too...much. Even he got on my nerves by the end.
So, basically, I'd recommend you skipping the hell out of this book. I wish I had.
July 26, 2015
Ladies, first imagine that you had a gay best friend. You are on a school bus, talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company, when in comes a new student. You both know it's a new student, you all know each other, and this student isn't just new but he's male and very attractive. Your best-gay-guy-friend announces he calls dibs on the new guy, and you, being the nice doormat that you are, say okay.
That's the story. It wouldn't be a terrible story, however, I have some serious beef with the characters. Maggie lets everyone bully her, including her supposed bestie, Nash. First of all here is my real issue: there is a 50% chance that the new guy would be attracted to Nash. Nash and Maggie didn't even know Tom's sexual orientation, let alone ask him... instead they spent all this time with him, but under the assumption that Nash was trying to work it... I mean really? That's insane. Then when it turns out that Tom is not gay, and might like Maggie, Nash goes ape shit and kind of slut shames Maggie. Not only did he treat her like crap but then all their mutual friends sided with Nash... I mean, come. on! Terrible friendship.
1 star. Thanks Edelweiss.
That's the story. It wouldn't be a terrible story, however, I have some serious beef with the characters. Maggie lets everyone bully her, including her supposed bestie, Nash. First of all here is my real issue: there is a 50% chance that the new guy would be attracted to Nash. Nash and Maggie didn't even know Tom's sexual orientation, let alone ask him... instead they spent all this time with him, but under the assumption that Nash was trying to work it... I mean really? That's insane. Then when it turns out that Tom is not gay, and might like Maggie, Nash goes ape shit and kind of slut shames Maggie. Not only did he treat her like crap but then all their mutual friends sided with Nash... I mean, come. on! Terrible friendship.
1 star. Thanks Edelweiss.
August 8, 2015
This was an okay book. Nothing too special about it. I actually regret investing my time on it, it's a little immature so i'd totally recommend it to younger people. The writing made the book very gripping which made me fly through it, but I did not do it for the sake of the story but only because I was enjoying the writing. However, it was still lacking a lot of details.
There is a very serious issue for me here; why does every gay guy in books like art?!! Is it like a new stereotype or something?! Anyways maybe people just generally link art to gay. . *Smh* that sounded weird.
There is a very serious issue for me here; why does every gay guy in books like art?!! Is it like a new stereotype or something?! Anyways maybe people just generally link art to gay. . *Smh* that sounded weird.
July 18, 2015
This review was originally posted on Book Blog Bird
You, Me and Him is the story of Maggie and Nash. She’s overweight and he’s gay and they’re social outcasts in their high school, but that’s okay, they don’t want to be part of the popular set anyway. They’re both non-starters as far as romance is concerned, so when stunning new boy, Tom, joins their school and showers both of them with attention things start to get awkward.
So, I enjoyed this book and I really liked the author’s writing style. I thought it was quite interesting that Maggie was overweight and Nash was gay, but that her weight and his gayness weren’t really what the book was about. It wasn’t an issues novel, at least in that respect. It was more about friendship and the things that can wreck it or save it and about finding a way to be happy with yourself. It was also centred around a love triangle, which is usually something that makes my shoulders slump in despair. The love triangle wasn’t done too badly here, but I did wish that there had been other aspects to the plot too.
I did like Maggie. She was quite sarky and fun and she had a good heart. She obviously thought the world of Nash (although God knows why) and was mortified when she thought she might have ruined her friendship with him. I wasn’t really sure why she had such a massive downer on Kayla: I get that Kayla was mean to her in middle school but that was like four years ago and considering she wanted Nash to forgive her for what she did to him, she didn’t seem to be keen on practising what she preached. All in all, though, she was a lot of fun. Her narrative was great and had some really funny moments.
I wasn’t that keen on Nash. He basically made self-obsession into an art form and his and Maggie’s friendship seemed to be all about him all of the time. Moving straight past the bit where he called ‘dibs’ on a boy he liked (which is weird), the hissy fit he threw when Maggie and Tom kissed was just bizarre. I kept wanting to tell Maggie, ‘You’re better off without him!’ He didn’t seem to understand that it’s just wrong to try and control who other people kiss.
Nash knew he had no chance with Tom. Nash is gay; Tom is straight. That’s not really something you can compromise on in a relationship! I tried so hard to feel sorry for Nash - it must be such a nightmare if you’re the only gay guy in a small town - but his overwhelming sense of entitlement made it so difficult.
Tom ... eh. He was very charming and I could see why two people who were unlucky-in-love like Maggie and Nash would fall for him, hook, line and sinker, but I never really got a sense of him as a person. And then he turned into a massive dickweed about 75% in and I just wanted him to fall off a cliff.
So, for me, Maggie and her witty narrative were what I enjoyed the most, but overall I thought this was a fun read, and I’ll definitely look out for other books by this author.
I received a copy of You Me and Him in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Houghton Miffin Harcourt and Netgalley
You, Me and Him is the story of Maggie and Nash. She’s overweight and he’s gay and they’re social outcasts in their high school, but that’s okay, they don’t want to be part of the popular set anyway. They’re both non-starters as far as romance is concerned, so when stunning new boy, Tom, joins their school and showers both of them with attention things start to get awkward.
So, I enjoyed this book and I really liked the author’s writing style. I thought it was quite interesting that Maggie was overweight and Nash was gay, but that her weight and his gayness weren’t really what the book was about. It wasn’t an issues novel, at least in that respect. It was more about friendship and the things that can wreck it or save it and about finding a way to be happy with yourself. It was also centred around a love triangle, which is usually something that makes my shoulders slump in despair. The love triangle wasn’t done too badly here, but I did wish that there had been other aspects to the plot too.
I did like Maggie. She was quite sarky and fun and she had a good heart. She obviously thought the world of Nash (although God knows why) and was mortified when she thought she might have ruined her friendship with him. I wasn’t really sure why she had such a massive downer on Kayla: I get that Kayla was mean to her in middle school but that was like four years ago and considering she wanted Nash to forgive her for what she did to him, she didn’t seem to be keen on practising what she preached. All in all, though, she was a lot of fun. Her narrative was great and had some really funny moments.
I wasn’t that keen on Nash. He basically made self-obsession into an art form and his and Maggie’s friendship seemed to be all about him all of the time. Moving straight past the bit where he called ‘dibs’ on a boy he liked (which is weird), the hissy fit he threw when Maggie and Tom kissed was just bizarre. I kept wanting to tell Maggie, ‘You’re better off without him!’ He didn’t seem to understand that it’s just wrong to try and control who other people kiss.
Nash knew he had no chance with Tom. Nash is gay; Tom is straight. That’s not really something you can compromise on in a relationship! I tried so hard to feel sorry for Nash - it must be such a nightmare if you’re the only gay guy in a small town - but his overwhelming sense of entitlement made it so difficult.
Tom ... eh. He was very charming and I could see why two people who were unlucky-in-love like Maggie and Nash would fall for him, hook, line and sinker, but I never really got a sense of him as a person. And then he turned into a massive dickweed about 75% in and I just wanted him to fall off a cliff.
So, for me, Maggie and her witty narrative were what I enjoyed the most, but overall I thought this was a fun read, and I’ll definitely look out for other books by this author.
I received a copy of You Me and Him in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Houghton Miffin Harcourt and Netgalley
May 7, 2015
Early on, Kris Dinnison’s novel, You and Me and Him gives off a similar vibe to many other YA books about high school misfits. If you’re at all familiar with the genre, then you know the drill - chubby girl, gay best friend, cruel jocks and vapid prom queens, with the obligatory whistle blowing, hard-nosed lady PE instructor, just in case there wasn’t enough here for the Gleeks to feast on. The only thing it seemed to be missing was a night out at The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
But, as I read more, something interesting happened. For the first time ever while reading a YA novel, I actually recognized myself in the protagonist. Not just a little, either. A lot.
The storyline is pretty simple. Maggie and Nash (her GBF) both fall for an attractive new student whose flirty behavior leads to a host of misunderstandings, rumor-mongering and general teenage drama. And, while fairly engaging, it isn’t the story that makes this one sing.
Dinnison’s narrator, Maggie Bowers, isn’t just another played-out stereotype – the plus-sized nerd who worships at the altar of her outrageous GBF while they both dream of getting out of small-minded suburbia. Nope, not at all. Maggie is a fully realized, three-dimensional human being with her own issues, hopes and dreams. Like Maggie, I lost my best friend early in seventh grade when she crossed over into the “boy-girl party” crowd when I could not. Like her, I hated my fourth grade class picture. Like her, I had a healthy and loving relationship with my parents which probably prevented me from falling into the trap of self-loathing, even despite my extreme lack of popularity. The history of this character is so specific and finely-drawn, I can’t help but wonder how much the author drew on her own life. Honestly, it’s pretty astounding to find myself relating so strongly to a sixteen-year old character at my age, but I suppose that’s what good writing can do.
That’s not to say the book is without its flaws. The story itself is a bit thin and there were a few things that didn’t quite ring true in the behavior of several characters, although these inconsistencies did not extend to Maggie who is believable throughout. And neither did they prevent me from enjoying this breezy, charming novel.
All in all, I give this one high marks.
But, as I read more, something interesting happened. For the first time ever while reading a YA novel, I actually recognized myself in the protagonist. Not just a little, either. A lot.
The storyline is pretty simple. Maggie and Nash (her GBF) both fall for an attractive new student whose flirty behavior leads to a host of misunderstandings, rumor-mongering and general teenage drama. And, while fairly engaging, it isn’t the story that makes this one sing.
Dinnison’s narrator, Maggie Bowers, isn’t just another played-out stereotype – the plus-sized nerd who worships at the altar of her outrageous GBF while they both dream of getting out of small-minded suburbia. Nope, not at all. Maggie is a fully realized, three-dimensional human being with her own issues, hopes and dreams. Like Maggie, I lost my best friend early in seventh grade when she crossed over into the “boy-girl party” crowd when I could not. Like her, I hated my fourth grade class picture. Like her, I had a healthy and loving relationship with my parents which probably prevented me from falling into the trap of self-loathing, even despite my extreme lack of popularity. The history of this character is so specific and finely-drawn, I can’t help but wonder how much the author drew on her own life. Honestly, it’s pretty astounding to find myself relating so strongly to a sixteen-year old character at my age, but I suppose that’s what good writing can do.
That’s not to say the book is without its flaws. The story itself is a bit thin and there were a few things that didn’t quite ring true in the behavior of several characters, although these inconsistencies did not extend to Maggie who is believable throughout. And neither did they prevent me from enjoying this breezy, charming novel.
All in all, I give this one high marks.
November 16, 2015
Told in the first person, the main character of this YA novel is Maggie Nash. Maggie is overweight and always feels as if she is in the outside looking in most of the time. One good thing she has is that her best friend Nash is right there by here side. However, when a new kid named Tom starts school, the two best friends find themselves on the outs with each other for the first time.
I don't know what else to say about this one besides I was pretty bored throughout the book from beginning to end. It was a perfectly serviceable story, however, there was no real push/pull for me while reading it. I just felt mostly irritated by the character of Nash and then severely aggravated by him and then I found myself getting annoyed with the character of Maggie for letting her so-called best friend shut her out over a boy that he had no chance with.
I also thought that the book was just a bit too cliche for me at times. I mean of course Maggie was overweight, and of course Nash was gay. There didn't seem to be much discussion about that besides Maggie lamenting her appearance and her going over how many times Nash has been hurt by having an object of his affection reject him. Maggie I think was supposed to be a deep person, but I just wasn't getting that sense at all. I do get why she was attracted to Tom though. He made her feel seen.
And I am just going to say it. I really really disliked the character of Nash. Nash is gay and has a crush on Tom. However, Tom makes it readily apparent to Maggie and others he is not gay. Just because Nash called "dibs" and man oh man that was annoying, doesn't mean that Maggie and other girls are somehow not allowed to date Tom. Nash acting like Maggie did this great big betrayal I found exhausting to just read about. Nash is definitely a high drama friend that I would ditched years ago, because being around somehow that always has to make it about themselves, it's exhausting. And then you realize that you are not really friends with the person, you are just a sounding board that is forced to listen to them go on and on about themselves.
The writing was okay, but I really didn't like the flow. I think that was because of the fact that Maggie was getting jerked around by Tom from beginning to end, so she had to deal with that, her job, and with Nash shutting her out. By the end of the book I was just ready for this thing to end already.
The ending when it comes just sort of happens. I guess I wanted a new understanding by Nash and Maggie about teenage friendships (most are fleeting and most of us outgrow them) but instead that does not seem to be the message that Ms. Dinnison wanted to portray.
I don't know what else to say about this one besides I was pretty bored throughout the book from beginning to end. It was a perfectly serviceable story, however, there was no real push/pull for me while reading it. I just felt mostly irritated by the character of Nash and then severely aggravated by him and then I found myself getting annoyed with the character of Maggie for letting her so-called best friend shut her out over a boy that he had no chance with.
I also thought that the book was just a bit too cliche for me at times. I mean of course Maggie was overweight, and of course Nash was gay. There didn't seem to be much discussion about that besides Maggie lamenting her appearance and her going over how many times Nash has been hurt by having an object of his affection reject him. Maggie I think was supposed to be a deep person, but I just wasn't getting that sense at all. I do get why she was attracted to Tom though. He made her feel seen.
And I am just going to say it. I really really disliked the character of Nash. Nash is gay and has a crush on Tom. However, Tom makes it readily apparent to Maggie and others he is not gay. Just because Nash called "dibs" and man oh man that was annoying, doesn't mean that Maggie and other girls are somehow not allowed to date Tom. Nash acting like Maggie did this great big betrayal I found exhausting to just read about. Nash is definitely a high drama friend that I would ditched years ago, because being around somehow that always has to make it about themselves, it's exhausting. And then you realize that you are not really friends with the person, you are just a sounding board that is forced to listen to them go on and on about themselves.
The writing was okay, but I really didn't like the flow. I think that was because of the fact that Maggie was getting jerked around by Tom from beginning to end, so she had to deal with that, her job, and with Nash shutting her out. By the end of the book I was just ready for this thing to end already.
The ending when it comes just sort of happens. I guess I wanted a new understanding by Nash and Maggie about teenage friendships (most are fleeting and most of us outgrow them) but instead that does not seem to be the message that Ms. Dinnison wanted to portray.
June 21, 2015
"But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored and sorrows end." - William Shakespeare
Nash Taylor is gay and Maggie Bower is overweight. having been friends since they were kids, Maggie and Nash are like two peas in a pod and are as thick as thieves. now seventeen, the two continue to wish for the One who will sweep them off their feet. when they see Tom Pierce, the New Boy, at the start of their junior year, both call dibs at the same time but Maggie gives way to Nash. what started as a "running joke" between them turns serious when each falls hard for Tom who just might turn out to be the One after all. who gets who though?
this novel takes a look into the joys and pains of friendship, growing up and family dynamics through the eyes of teenagers living in a small town. Maggie narrates the story from beginning to end. through her voice, the reader learns what it is like to be different, what makes one stand out or ignored and what are the ties that bind or break us. the reader is invited as well to examine closer what and/or who is important in our lives that will make us better, happier persons in the end.
author Kris Dinnison is a keen observer of societal relationships and has a clear insight into the inner workings of a teenager's mind. she had the right ingredients to make this book sweet, endearing and poignant. the plot was engaging and its characters were memorable and realistic. in addition, there were enough humor, music (that's right!) and wisdom thrown in to balance the angst and drama.
i had a great time reading this book and i think a lot of people can relate to Maggie, Nash and the rest of the troop. i hope young and adult readers alike end up enjoying the story as much as i did.
*received a copy for review from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers via NetGalley
Nash Taylor is gay and Maggie Bower is overweight. having been friends since they were kids, Maggie and Nash are like two peas in a pod and are as thick as thieves. now seventeen, the two continue to wish for the One who will sweep them off their feet. when they see Tom Pierce, the New Boy, at the start of their junior year, both call dibs at the same time but Maggie gives way to Nash. what started as a "running joke" between them turns serious when each falls hard for Tom who just might turn out to be the One after all. who gets who though?
this novel takes a look into the joys and pains of friendship, growing up and family dynamics through the eyes of teenagers living in a small town. Maggie narrates the story from beginning to end. through her voice, the reader learns what it is like to be different, what makes one stand out or ignored and what are the ties that bind or break us. the reader is invited as well to examine closer what and/or who is important in our lives that will make us better, happier persons in the end.
author Kris Dinnison is a keen observer of societal relationships and has a clear insight into the inner workings of a teenager's mind. she had the right ingredients to make this book sweet, endearing and poignant. the plot was engaging and its characters were memorable and realistic. in addition, there were enough humor, music (that's right!) and wisdom thrown in to balance the angst and drama.
i had a great time reading this book and i think a lot of people can relate to Maggie, Nash and the rest of the troop. i hope young and adult readers alike end up enjoying the story as much as i did.
*received a copy for review from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers via NetGalley
August 10, 2016
I don't care what people say, I thought this was freaking sweet.
Yes, this begins as a love triangle story, but it's really a book about honesty and self-confidence. I loved the hell out of Maggie and her voice. Her frustrations and fears were so real and her self-deprecating humor was funny and painful to read.
I felt like this was a combo of a great romance and a nod to Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. Cute, fun, entertaining.
Yes, this begins as a love triangle story, but it's really a book about honesty and self-confidence. I loved the hell out of Maggie and her voice. Her frustrations and fears were so real and her self-deprecating humor was funny and painful to read.
I felt like this was a combo of a great romance and a nod to Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. Cute, fun, entertaining.
July 13, 2015
A copy of this novel was provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for review via Edelweiss.
That’s it. I am officially cursed with incorrect synopses.
When I requested You and Me and Him, I thought that it would be told from two perspectives: a straight girl, and a gay boy. I also thought that they would both fall in love with the same bisexual guy.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. You and Me and Him is told only from the perspective of the straight girl, and the guy that both friends fall in love with is also straight.
So I am more than a little annoyed that this book seemed to be LGBT+ from the synopses and then turned out to be something I would have had little to no interest in if it was not for my synopsis curse.
I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. Maggie is constantly in a state of “woe is my life” over her weight, and this does not change by the end of the book. I appreciate the fact that she wasn’t your typical character that is gorgeous and blows everyone away with her physique, but I was also really disappointed that nothing was touched on regarding the fact that being overweight doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unfit. Or that being overweight definitely doesn’t mean that you’re unattractive, or that people would never want to date you. The number of times Maggie said “I mean, look at me” when she was talking about never having a boyfriend or never having been kissed was outrageous. The body shaming in this book was a huge let down.
I did not warm to Nash. I thought he was a bit of a Manic Pixie Dream Boy with a side of extreme drama queen. When Maggie was lamenting over the fact that they were fighting, I thought that she might have been better off without Nash, anyway. He said some pretty shitty things to her, and he overreacted to the nth degree.
Tom wasn’t anything. I didn’t see him as anything but a love interest for both Maggie and Nash. I had no clue who he was supposed to be as a character. He shamelessly flirted with everyone, giving the wrong idea to Nash and even to Maggie, to an extent. And then he tried to pass it off with some story about how he was a completely jerk in the past? Uhm, leading someone on is also a jerk move, you idiot. Even though I didn’t warm to Maggie or Nash, they both could have done better.
The owner of the record store that Maggie worked out was a flat two dimensional character straight out of a fairytale. I don’t even remember his name. The only purpose he served was providing sage, out of this world wise advice to Maggie, and to care about her more than anyone else. To be honest, I think some of his character would have been better off as a parent, because I also found it a little creepy.
You and Me and Him ended openly, and was just the cherry on top of this mediocre cake.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
That’s it. I am officially cursed with incorrect synopses.
When I requested You and Me and Him, I thought that it would be told from two perspectives: a straight girl, and a gay boy. I also thought that they would both fall in love with the same bisexual guy.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. You and Me and Him is told only from the perspective of the straight girl, and the guy that both friends fall in love with is also straight.
So I am more than a little annoyed that this book seemed to be LGBT+ from the synopses and then turned out to be something I would have had little to no interest in if it was not for my synopsis curse.
I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. Maggie is constantly in a state of “woe is my life” over her weight, and this does not change by the end of the book. I appreciate the fact that she wasn’t your typical character that is gorgeous and blows everyone away with her physique, but I was also really disappointed that nothing was touched on regarding the fact that being overweight doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unfit. Or that being overweight definitely doesn’t mean that you’re unattractive, or that people would never want to date you. The number of times Maggie said “I mean, look at me” when she was talking about never having a boyfriend or never having been kissed was outrageous. The body shaming in this book was a huge let down.
I did not warm to Nash. I thought he was a bit of a Manic Pixie Dream Boy with a side of extreme drama queen. When Maggie was lamenting over the fact that they were fighting, I thought that she might have been better off without Nash, anyway. He said some pretty shitty things to her, and he overreacted to the nth degree.
Tom wasn’t anything. I didn’t see him as anything but a love interest for both Maggie and Nash. I had no clue who he was supposed to be as a character. He shamelessly flirted with everyone, giving the wrong idea to Nash and even to Maggie, to an extent. And then he tried to pass it off with some story about how he was a completely jerk in the past? Uhm, leading someone on is also a jerk move, you idiot. Even though I didn’t warm to Maggie or Nash, they both could have done better.
The owner of the record store that Maggie worked out was a flat two dimensional character straight out of a fairytale. I don’t even remember his name. The only purpose he served was providing sage, out of this world wise advice to Maggie, and to care about her more than anyone else. To be honest, I think some of his character would have been better off as a parent, because I also found it a little creepy.
You and Me and Him ended openly, and was just the cherry on top of this mediocre cake.
© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
July 8, 2015
Read Full Review Over At fANGIRLconfessions
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
After finishing A Million Miles Away, I jumped straight into You And Him And Me, and I immediately noticed a subtle " connection " between both books. While their stories were completely different, they shared common concepts or aspects as I like to call them, and because they were so similar, I decided to create what I call a " Contemporary Mashup " for this review.
So sit back, relax, and let's break these titles down!
A Million Miles Away is centered around two twins. Kelsey and Michelle. Kelsey is the wild child of the two, the popular party girl, handstand-keg-drinker, and co-captain of her high school's dance team. Michelle -- my personal favorite, is more laid back. She's a bit of a hipster, is incredibly artsy, and had an obsession with my FAVORITE artist Andy Warhol. Both had boyfriends, (OF COURSE) Kelsey with the wannabe comedian Davis, and Michelle with Peter, a guy enlisted in the military. The story takes a turn for the absolute worst when Michelle suddenly passes away, leaving her twin sister behind to pick up the pieces. Well if you ask me, Kelsey picked up one piece too damn many, but we'll get to that.
#girlwhatareyouthinking?
You And Me And Him follows our main character Maggie, and her best friend Nash. Being overweight and having a gay bestie really isn't the formula for " popular " in their small hometown, so our duo is casted as the " outsiders ". Mags works at a vintage record shop, which is pretty dope, while Nash worked as the over-bearing friend, meaning he did nothing but irk my nerves. In comes Tom, the new guy on the block, and soon the story becomes a tangled mess of feelings and wrecked friendships.
#thisbookwasoverdramaticallyconfusing
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
After finishing A Million Miles Away, I jumped straight into You And Him And Me, and I immediately noticed a subtle " connection " between both books. While their stories were completely different, they shared common concepts or aspects as I like to call them, and because they were so similar, I decided to create what I call a " Contemporary Mashup " for this review.
So sit back, relax, and let's break these titles down!
A Million Miles Away is centered around two twins. Kelsey and Michelle. Kelsey is the wild child of the two, the popular party girl, handstand-keg-drinker, and co-captain of her high school's dance team. Michelle -- my personal favorite, is more laid back. She's a bit of a hipster, is incredibly artsy, and had an obsession with my FAVORITE artist Andy Warhol. Both had boyfriends, (OF COURSE) Kelsey with the wannabe comedian Davis, and Michelle with Peter, a guy enlisted in the military. The story takes a turn for the absolute worst when Michelle suddenly passes away, leaving her twin sister behind to pick up the pieces. Well if you ask me, Kelsey picked up one piece too damn many, but we'll get to that.
#girlwhatareyouthinking?
You And Me And Him follows our main character Maggie, and her best friend Nash. Being overweight and having a gay bestie really isn't the formula for " popular " in their small hometown, so our duo is casted as the " outsiders ". Mags works at a vintage record shop, which is pretty dope, while Nash worked as the over-bearing friend, meaning he did nothing but irk my nerves. In comes Tom, the new guy on the block, and soon the story becomes a tangled mess of feelings and wrecked friendships.
#thisbookwasoverdramaticallyconfusing
October 14, 2015
This was going really great for me until about 3/4 through when every character but Maggie turned into a huge douchebag for basically no reason. I loved Maggie, and I completely identified with her in a way I typically don't with YA protagonists. She's quirky in that hip, sarcastic way that seemingly all YA protagonists are nowadays (she listens to vinyl, jazz no less, for instance), but she's so raw and realistic and sweet and conflicted as well. But when there's very little story other than a love triangle, the characters need to all ring true, and that got lost for me somewhere in the final act. Tom's personality takes a 180 from charming to nasty; Nash goes from slightly dramatic to downright cruel; and Maggie goes from confident to weepy, all with barely any resolution. It was still a fun read, and I really loved Dinnison's writing, but I don't think it fully clicked.
March 13, 2015
Dinnison's fantastic novel is about friendship, teenage angst, and the confusion of attraction. Her main character Maggie is a force of nature! I found her to be very deep, and consequently did not mind following her tangled, confused thoughts and feelings. The humor and several charming characters gave a nice balance to the drama and intensity. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
December 20, 2014
Full disclosure: I'm buddies with Kris Dinnison and just got to read her galley a few months prior to publication (thanks, Kris!). I loved the narrator of this book, who learns to embrace her inherent confidence even in the face of peer mockery and self-doubt. This book has a giant, brave heart. Preorder now!
December 17, 2017
Best Friend oder Boyfriend - Das ist hier die Frage :D
Dieses Buch war eine sehr niedliche Geschichte mit liebenswürdigen Charakteren. Ich mochte den Schreibstil sehr gerne und dass die Autorin gezeigt hat, dass das Leben eines Jugendlichen auch hart sein kann und nicht immer schön ist.
Dieses Buch war eine sehr niedliche Geschichte mit liebenswürdigen Charakteren. Ich mochte den Schreibstil sehr gerne und dass die Autorin gezeigt hat, dass das Leben eines Jugendlichen auch hart sein kann und nicht immer schön ist.
Want to read
September 9, 2014This book reminds me of an episode of Will and Grace! Fingers crossed I love this one!
May 1, 2023
Okay so this book was interesting. kinda. maybe. anyways lets talk about the characters
Maggie (im gonna call her maggie noodles. indians will understand this refrence): Maggie is "overweight" She literally isnt but she talks about her "fat" body like she weighs 982374892374 pounds. probably bc everyone else are built like Morticia from the addam's family and they bully her bc shes not like other girls. I hate maggie shes so annoying
Also maggie has this OBSESSION with baking. I completely understand if you like to bake. BUT NOT EVERY FREAKING DAY. SHES LITERALLY A WANNABE MOTHER TERESA. SHE BAKES 30 COOKIES A DAY AND SHARES THEM WITH THE ENTIRE WORLD. ISTG. SHE MADE GARLIC COOKIES. GAR. LIC. LIKE WTF WHAT. HOW DO HER PARENTS ALLOW THIS????????????? "I ate all the cookies for today. guess its time to make more. I whip out some eggs and chocolate chips and get baking" STFU. NO ONE WANTS UR DUMB CRUSTY COOKIES. AT THIS POINT SHES ASKING FOR DIABETES. she also makes breakfast bars for Nash because hes a loser and needs attention bc he doesn't get it from his mom and his dad went to get the milk. and we all know how that goes. his dad never came back............. L
Next theres Nash (what an idiotic name). Nash is maggie's best friend whos gay. I hate nash. NOT BC IM HOMOPHOBIC.
And then theres the love interest. His name is Tom. what are you?? Tom sawyer?? literally sounds like he's from the 1800's. anyways he just moved into the town
now time for the lame plot. Nash and Maggie do this dumb thing when a new guy comes to their school. they call dibs on him. BE SO FR RIGHT NOW. HE'S A PERSON. NOT AN OBJECT. YOU CAN'T CALL DIBS ON A PERSON. so Nash calls dibs on Tom. which means maggie can't have any romantic feelings towards Tom bc dumb Nash already called dibs on him so only he can like him now.
"hey maggie do u see that hottie in that seat 🥵🥵🥵"
"ohmygosh hes so hawt 🥵"
"DIBS"
"DIBS"
*intense staring for a million hours*
"ugh fine nash bE LikE ThAt🙄🙄🙄. I guess i'll just let you call dibs on A LITERAL PERSON without even knowing which one of us he would like back bc that's totally our choice right."
anyways Nash spends half the book on cloud nine thinking he has a chance with Tom without even knowing if he's gay or not.
"OH MY GOD MAGGIE DID YOU JUST SEE THE WAY HE BREATHS??? ITS SO HOT IM ON MY KNEES 🥵"
"Yes nash. I did. I totally didn't get butterflies in my stomach and hiding it because I didn't wanna burst ur dumb bubble"
also they all became friends. also they are in their senior year of high school.
in the meantime, Tom begins to develop a crush on maggie. and maggie feels the same way about Tom. So they kiss on a hike that Nash didn't come to because he has mommy issues. what an absolute loser. anyways.
"This didn't feel right....what about nash.......but why oh why do I still want to kiss him? As he pushed me closer to him than we already were, his lips crashed onto mine like thunder. It sent an electric wave through me blah blah blah"
A new character named kayla gets introduced. shes one of those popular/pick-me girls. Maggie tells her about the kiss that Tom and her shared. she promised she wouldn't tell anyone else. and guess what. SURPRISE SURPRISE SHE TELLS THE WHOLE SCHOOL but she twists it and makes it seem like they went farther than kissing. WOAH 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 I TOTALLY DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
So now Nash is completely pissed off at her and won't listen to anything she says when she tries to tell him none of that stuff happened except for the kiss. ugh. classic nash. always thinking like the world revolves around him.
"OMFG NASH WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME. IM UR BEST FRIEND. TRY AND LOWER UR EGO😡😡"
"maggie don't you dare ever talk to me again. IM the one who called dibs. IM the one who needs attention. IM the one you betrayed. enough already...................all bc i choose to believe a rando over my bestie for 9 years.......goodbye maggie............😖😖😖*Runs away dramatically* (its obviously a fruity run)"
Good riddance. Nash literally disapproved of everything maggie did. so. HE HAS PROBLEMS WITH LOOKING AT ANIMALS IN THE ZOO. i get it you have trouble looking at yourself in the Zoo but dw honey it's okay i know the truth hurts sometimes. thats the real world
Tom is a confused little golden retriever in this whole thing bc maggie AND nash are ignoring him and he doesn't know why. and since they are his only friends, hes a loner now. LOSER
What does maggie do to fix this? well the first thing she does is bake her stupid cookies and sulk in her room chugging them down along with brownies and twinkies and what not. shes basically a depressed persona with diabetes and in a very soon future she'll have a metal tooth bc all her real ones would've fallen out
well in the end she confronts Kayla, gets Nash to listen to her, and idek what happened with Tom. I think they're in a situationship the author didn't clarify. WOOHOO congratulations you couldve just dropped Nash but wtv. its ur life ur ruining
Maggie (im gonna call her maggie noodles. indians will understand this refrence): Maggie is "overweight" She literally isnt but she talks about her "fat" body like she weighs 982374892374 pounds. probably bc everyone else are built like Morticia from the addam's family and they bully her bc shes not like other girls. I hate maggie shes so annoying
Also maggie has this OBSESSION with baking. I completely understand if you like to bake. BUT NOT EVERY FREAKING DAY. SHES LITERALLY A WANNABE MOTHER TERESA. SHE BAKES 30 COOKIES A DAY AND SHARES THEM WITH THE ENTIRE WORLD. ISTG. SHE MADE GARLIC COOKIES. GAR. LIC. LIKE WTF WHAT. HOW DO HER PARENTS ALLOW THIS????????????? "I ate all the cookies for today. guess its time to make more. I whip out some eggs and chocolate chips and get baking" STFU. NO ONE WANTS UR DUMB CRUSTY COOKIES. AT THIS POINT SHES ASKING FOR DIABETES. she also makes breakfast bars for Nash because hes a loser and needs attention bc he doesn't get it from his mom and his dad went to get the milk. and we all know how that goes. his dad never came back............. L
Next theres Nash (what an idiotic name). Nash is maggie's best friend whos gay. I hate nash. NOT BC IM HOMOPHOBIC.
And then theres the love interest. His name is Tom. what are you?? Tom sawyer?? literally sounds like he's from the 1800's. anyways he just moved into the town
now time for the lame plot. Nash and Maggie do this dumb thing when a new guy comes to their school. they call dibs on him. BE SO FR RIGHT NOW. HE'S A PERSON. NOT AN OBJECT. YOU CAN'T CALL DIBS ON A PERSON. so Nash calls dibs on Tom. which means maggie can't have any romantic feelings towards Tom bc dumb Nash already called dibs on him so only he can like him now.
"hey maggie do u see that hottie in that seat 🥵🥵🥵"
"ohmygosh hes so hawt 🥵"
"DIBS"
"DIBS"
*intense staring for a million hours*
"ugh fine nash bE LikE ThAt🙄🙄🙄. I guess i'll just let you call dibs on A LITERAL PERSON without even knowing which one of us he would like back bc that's totally our choice right."
anyways Nash spends half the book on cloud nine thinking he has a chance with Tom without even knowing if he's gay or not.
"OH MY GOD MAGGIE DID YOU JUST SEE THE WAY HE BREATHS??? ITS SO HOT IM ON MY KNEES 🥵"
"Yes nash. I did. I totally didn't get butterflies in my stomach and hiding it because I didn't wanna burst ur dumb bubble"
also they all became friends. also they are in their senior year of high school.
in the meantime, Tom begins to develop a crush on maggie. and maggie feels the same way about Tom. So they kiss on a hike that Nash didn't come to because he has mommy issues. what an absolute loser. anyways.
"This didn't feel right....what about nash.......but why oh why do I still want to kiss him? As he pushed me closer to him than we already were, his lips crashed onto mine like thunder. It sent an electric wave through me blah blah blah"
A new character named kayla gets introduced. shes one of those popular/pick-me girls. Maggie tells her about the kiss that Tom and her shared. she promised she wouldn't tell anyone else. and guess what. SURPRISE SURPRISE SHE TELLS THE WHOLE SCHOOL but she twists it and makes it seem like they went farther than kissing. WOAH 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 I TOTALLY DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
So now Nash is completely pissed off at her and won't listen to anything she says when she tries to tell him none of that stuff happened except for the kiss. ugh. classic nash. always thinking like the world revolves around him.
"OMFG NASH WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME. IM UR BEST FRIEND. TRY AND LOWER UR EGO😡😡"
"maggie don't you dare ever talk to me again. IM the one who called dibs. IM the one who needs attention. IM the one you betrayed. enough already...................all bc i choose to believe a rando over my bestie for 9 years.......goodbye maggie............😖😖😖*Runs away dramatically* (its obviously a fruity run)"
Good riddance. Nash literally disapproved of everything maggie did. so. HE HAS PROBLEMS WITH LOOKING AT ANIMALS IN THE ZOO. i get it you have trouble looking at yourself in the Zoo but dw honey it's okay i know the truth hurts sometimes. thats the real world
Tom is a confused little golden retriever in this whole thing bc maggie AND nash are ignoring him and he doesn't know why. and since they are his only friends, hes a loner now. LOSER
What does maggie do to fix this? well the first thing she does is bake her stupid cookies and sulk in her room chugging them down along with brownies and twinkies and what not. shes basically a depressed persona with diabetes and in a very soon future she'll have a metal tooth bc all her real ones would've fallen out
well in the end she confronts Kayla, gets Nash to listen to her, and idek what happened with Tom. I think they're in a situationship the author didn't clarify. WOOHOO congratulations you couldve just dropped Nash but wtv. its ur life ur ruining
October 28, 2017
MY OPINION: *****
I really loved this book. I picked it up while browsing in the library one day and I found it a real gem.
This book was so sweet and gorgeous. It's about a girl and a boy who are best friends. They are both the outsiders. The girl, Maggie, is overweight, and the boy, Nash, is gay. Maggie and Nash both have had their share of crushes and unrequited love.
Then a new boy comes to their high school and they're left with a problem. Both Nash and Maggie start to have feelings for this mysterious boy who has moved from school to school many times. Nash immediately befriends this boy, Tom, and Maggie and Nash become Tom's friends.
Tom is SO nice and at some points, when he wasn't nice, it was just shocking. Tom also kind of annoyed me because he seemed shallow and he didn't really care about Maggie and Nash's feelings.
Maggie was sweet and is one of the few protagonist's that I actually loved. She was honest and kind and she loved to bake. She is aware of her weight but she's learned to be happy and to be herself, despite the comments from her mom that I thought were really cruel to say to your own daughter. I love Maggie's oblique taste in music and I love the way she is determined to make things right all of the time.
Nash. I need to say one thing: I HATED NASH. Ever since I FIRST met him, I disliked him immediately. No offense, but I thought he was pushy, needy, whiny, rude, and WAY too overdramatic. He immediately "calls dibs" on Tom and then makes it seem like Maggie CANNOT talk to Tom. He also blows people off and is just mean sometimes. He also said MANY things that annoyed me.
And Kayla. Her role in the story didn't completely make sense to me but I'm glad that she was in the book because it helped Maggie to learn about the idea of trust.
However, I did love this book. It was so honest and real to life and I love how Maggie and Nash finally found themselves and each other. I did not like the ending.
I would recommend this book to realistic fiction lovers.
Main Character: Maggie
Sidekick(s): Nash, Quinn, Tom (at some points), etc
Villain(s): Nash (at some points), Tom, Kayla, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
I really loved this book. I picked it up while browsing in the library one day and I found it a real gem.
This book was so sweet and gorgeous. It's about a girl and a boy who are best friends. They are both the outsiders. The girl, Maggie, is overweight, and the boy, Nash, is gay. Maggie and Nash both have had their share of crushes and unrequited love.
Then a new boy comes to their high school and they're left with a problem. Both Nash and Maggie start to have feelings for this mysterious boy who has moved from school to school many times. Nash immediately befriends this boy, Tom, and Maggie and Nash become Tom's friends.
Tom is SO nice and at some points, when he wasn't nice, it was just shocking. Tom also kind of annoyed me because he seemed shallow and he didn't really care about Maggie and Nash's feelings.
Maggie was sweet and is one of the few protagonist's that I actually loved. She was honest and kind and she loved to bake. She is aware of her weight but she's learned to be happy and to be herself, despite the comments from her mom that I thought were really cruel to say to your own daughter. I love Maggie's oblique taste in music and I love the way she is determined to make things right all of the time.
Nash. I need to say one thing: I HATED NASH. Ever since I FIRST met him, I disliked him immediately. No offense, but I thought he was pushy, needy, whiny, rude, and WAY too overdramatic. He immediately "calls dibs" on Tom and then makes it seem like Maggie CANNOT talk to Tom. He also blows people off and is just mean sometimes. He also said MANY things that annoyed me.
And Kayla. Her role in the story didn't completely make sense to me but I'm glad that she was in the book because it helped Maggie to learn about the idea of trust.
However, I did love this book. It was so honest and real to life and I love how Maggie and Nash finally found themselves and each other. I did not like the ending.
I would recommend this book to realistic fiction lovers.
Main Character: Maggie
Sidekick(s): Nash, Quinn, Tom (at some points), etc
Villain(s): Nash (at some points), Tom, Kayla, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
April 6, 2023
YA romance novel. Lots of highschool drama, but the story is well-written and the main character, Maggie, is pretty terrific.
July 2, 2015
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
You and Me and Him is a young adult contemporary that explores the age of old question of what happens when two best friends like the same guy. Will he come between the two friends? This review is going to be a bit different than my normal reviews because of the nature of the book, I don't want to give away any specifics, because I fear if I say something, anything at all it will give you some idea of how the whole Tom situation is going to turn out. And that would just not be any fun. So I will give you a basic rundown of You and Me and Him and leave the enjoyment of reading it and finding out what is going on with Maggie, Nash and Tom all for yourself.
First I need to start out by talking a bit about how much I love this cover. I think it fits the story perfectly, and I like that it isn't like multitudes of other YA contemporary covers out there. Ok, so the story. Maggie and Nash have been best friends forever. (and ever) They have an interesting friendship because their interests and personalities are pretty different. One thing they do have in common is their taste in guys. And whenever they see a guy that they like they calls dibs on him. (never mind asking the guy, if he himself prefers guys or girls. Maggie and Nash dibs away.) So when the new guy Tom shows up in town, they both spy him on the school bus and Nash calls dibs. And guess what...both Maggie and Nash end up crushing hard on Tom.
Tom seems like a genuinely nice guy, right off the bat, which I totally loved about him. I can easily see why Maggie and Nash like him so much. I am not going to say who I wanted Tom to end up liking, but I will say that the book is told entirely from Maggie's point of view, so it is kind of hard not to connect with her a little more- at least in the beginning. (and really the whole thing for me, but me liking Maggie more didn't necessarily influence who I wanted Tom with.) Have I confused you yet?
You and Me and Him is a really cute book about friendship and guys always inevitably seem to worm their way in between friends. Those high school years are rough. So yes, there are some immature moments, and some general teenage brattiness, but overall You and Me and Him is a great read that I would recommend to a wide range of fans of young adult. People that like overall light reads that will make you smile. Did you and Me and Him blow me away and change my life? No, but I did really enjoy it. I have really been into books with interesting friendship dynamics and You and Me and Him is a great book for that. That was my favorite part of the story, and I think Kris Dinnison did a fantastic job with Maggie and Nash.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
You and Me and Him is a young adult contemporary that explores the age of old question of what happens when two best friends like the same guy. Will he come between the two friends? This review is going to be a bit different than my normal reviews because of the nature of the book, I don't want to give away any specifics, because I fear if I say something, anything at all it will give you some idea of how the whole Tom situation is going to turn out. And that would just not be any fun. So I will give you a basic rundown of You and Me and Him and leave the enjoyment of reading it and finding out what is going on with Maggie, Nash and Tom all for yourself.
First I need to start out by talking a bit about how much I love this cover. I think it fits the story perfectly, and I like that it isn't like multitudes of other YA contemporary covers out there. Ok, so the story. Maggie and Nash have been best friends forever. (and ever) They have an interesting friendship because their interests and personalities are pretty different. One thing they do have in common is their taste in guys. And whenever they see a guy that they like they calls dibs on him. (never mind asking the guy, if he himself prefers guys or girls. Maggie and Nash dibs away.) So when the new guy Tom shows up in town, they both spy him on the school bus and Nash calls dibs. And guess what...both Maggie and Nash end up crushing hard on Tom.
Tom seems like a genuinely nice guy, right off the bat, which I totally loved about him. I can easily see why Maggie and Nash like him so much. I am not going to say who I wanted Tom to end up liking, but I will say that the book is told entirely from Maggie's point of view, so it is kind of hard not to connect with her a little more- at least in the beginning. (and really the whole thing for me, but me liking Maggie more didn't necessarily influence who I wanted Tom with.) Have I confused you yet?
You and Me and Him is a really cute book about friendship and guys always inevitably seem to worm their way in between friends. Those high school years are rough. So yes, there are some immature moments, and some general teenage brattiness, but overall You and Me and Him is a great read that I would recommend to a wide range of fans of young adult. People that like overall light reads that will make you smile. Did you and Me and Him blow me away and change my life? No, but I did really enjoy it. I have really been into books with interesting friendship dynamics and You and Me and Him is a great book for that. That was my favorite part of the story, and I think Kris Dinnison did a fantastic job with Maggie and Nash.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
June 20, 2016
I'm confused about what I was meant to feel by the end of this book, and the book seemed to just play with a lot of established tropes at the beginning, which is the reason it's not a perfect book.
But, in all honesty, I actually really enjoyed it. While shelved with LGBT, I wouldn't really consider this so much an LGBT book so much as a book that has a stereotypically bitchy queen gay teen character as a sidekick to the main protagonist.
Also the owner of Square Peg was just a bit too perfect to be truly believable.
I was actually far more interested in the way that she, Maggie, a fat young woman was portrayed. This book had a lot of interesting things to say about the cycle of fat shaming. I loved the interactions we got early on of the picture Maggie's mother and father made as grown adults in this book, but I was even more happy when her mum was shown to not be a perfect character and was still capable of learning something from her differently educated daughter. That made me really happy.
Likewise, I kind of loved the non simplistic view on love and kissing and boyfriend-girlfriend relationships that this book looked into. Tom is the new kid to Maggie and Nash's school, and this is the 9th school in 10 years. Of course he's jaded. And of course he's primed to be leaving off to the next school wherever his dad's job next takes them. And this is explicitly stated in the text.
But it's also not explicitly stated yet also shown in his behaviour at other points. Tom is pragmatic enough to know that if he falls in love with Maggie, he's likely going to just have to leave and get both their hearts broken. But he really likes her, and he wants to kiss her, even as he keeps a part of his heart removed and protected. I liked the portrayal of this. At least, that's what I read into it anyway. As I said, it's never stated that this is what he's doing in so many words.
We don't get a happily ever after from now on between Maggie and Tom, and I'm happy for that because the best teenage books (*cough* Eleanor and Park *cough*) show teens as half baked and confused. There are few happily ever afters forever endings for an age group who are just starting their lives, and I love when that gets articulated in a novel without bashing its reader over the head.
But, in all honesty, I actually really enjoyed it. While shelved with LGBT, I wouldn't really consider this so much an LGBT book so much as a book that has a stereotypically bitchy queen gay teen character as a sidekick to the main protagonist.
Also the owner of Square Peg was just a bit too perfect to be truly believable.
I was actually far more interested in the way that she, Maggie, a fat young woman was portrayed. This book had a lot of interesting things to say about the cycle of fat shaming. I loved the interactions we got early on of the picture Maggie's mother and father made as grown adults in this book, but I was even more happy when her mum was shown to not be a perfect character and was still capable of learning something from her differently educated daughter. That made me really happy.
Likewise, I kind of loved the non simplistic view on love and kissing and boyfriend-girlfriend relationships that this book looked into. Tom is the new kid to Maggie and Nash's school, and this is the 9th school in 10 years. Of course he's jaded. And of course he's primed to be leaving off to the next school wherever his dad's job next takes them. And this is explicitly stated in the text.
But it's also not explicitly stated yet also shown in his behaviour at other points. Tom is pragmatic enough to know that if he falls in love with Maggie, he's likely going to just have to leave and get both their hearts broken. But he really likes her, and he wants to kiss her, even as he keeps a part of his heart removed and protected. I liked the portrayal of this. At least, that's what I read into it anyway. As I said, it's never stated that this is what he's doing in so many words.
We don't get a happily ever after from now on between Maggie and Tom, and I'm happy for that because the best teenage books (*cough* Eleanor and Park *cough*) show teens as half baked and confused. There are few happily ever afters forever endings for an age group who are just starting their lives, and I love when that gets articulated in a novel without bashing its reader over the head.
March 11, 2024
i hate that the only book i read for pride month was two stars, but what can i say, this was book was shit.
the book is basically shown as a love triangle, a straight girl (maggie) and a gay boy (nash), crushing on the same guy (tom). in the beginning of the book, nash claims 'dibs' on tom, saying that he wants tom first. maggie backs off, but as the book progresses, we see how tom and maggie grow closer, as friends and maybe something more. soon, we learn that nash still has feelings for tom, even after learning that tom isn't even gay/queer. unfortunately, literally, nothing else happens in the book... nash gives maggie so much shit for liking tom. maggie is always so self-deprecating. maggie constantly mentions her "fat" and her body image. it's honestly a train-wreck of a book. we see the toxic friendship of nash and maggie, but it never goes anywhere!! maggie should have left nash for how much crap he gave her. tom is probably the WORST love interest. his only redeeming quality is being 'nice.' this book somehow has nothing in it, even though it explores good topics, like LGBTQ+ characters, body image, and more!! such lost potential. i was honestly about to DNF too. (sorry this review was all over the place)
do not recommend! (2 stars)
the book is basically shown as a love triangle, a straight girl (maggie) and a gay boy (nash), crushing on the same guy (tom). in the beginning of the book, nash claims 'dibs' on tom, saying that he wants tom first. maggie backs off, but as the book progresses, we see how tom and maggie grow closer, as friends and maybe something more. soon, we learn that nash still has feelings for tom, even after learning that tom isn't even gay/queer. unfortunately, literally, nothing else happens in the book... nash gives maggie so much shit for liking tom. maggie is always so self-deprecating. maggie constantly mentions her "fat" and her body image. it's honestly a train-wreck of a book. we see the toxic friendship of nash and maggie, but it never goes anywhere!! maggie should have left nash for how much crap he gave her. tom is probably the WORST love interest. his only redeeming quality is being 'nice.' this book somehow has nothing in it, even though it explores good topics, like LGBTQ+ characters, body image, and more!! such lost potential. i was honestly about to DNF too. (sorry this review was all over the place)
do not recommend! (2 stars)
May 6, 2016
oh my goodness, this book is just the right amount of funny and passion. I needed to read this kind of book for a while. it was really good thank you to my friend that said i needed to read this book. my favorite character from the book is the record shop owner Quinn he was so funny and caring throughout the entire thing. I wish Nash would have realized what Maggie was doing for him sooner but it also would have changed the ending entirely. Tom what do i have to say about him so many things I don't even know how to start man I really wanted to strangle him so bad in some seances but in other places he was a good balancing character for Nash and Maggie. a 4/ 5 stars
March 8, 2015
In this well written heartwarming YA novel, we are treated to a friendship between two teens, the brooding, gay, Nash and the overweight, kindhearted Maggie. But when a new guy moves into town, Tom, both of them have feelings for him. Will this guy come between their friendship? I really liked the way all of the characters were written, especially the main characters. Each one had very memorable and distinct personalities, and I really thought the plot flowed very nicely. All in all, a sweet, pleasant and enjoyable read.
May 28, 2016
Another book to remind me of the pain of my high school years. Fairly even handed explorations of gender, sexuality, body image, and the awkwardness of friendship and romance in the teen years. I really liked all of the characters in this book, particularly the rad brave main character who hands out cookies as a hobby.
January 20, 2015
I highly recommend this book to people who like character driven novels and cookies. Please give us the recipes!
This is a story about friendship and identity and forgiveness. The characters are unique, believable and you want to root for them the whole way through.
This is a story about friendship and identity and forgiveness. The characters are unique, believable and you want to root for them the whole way through.
September 4, 2015
"you guys are better than reality TV" -Quinn
The writing style is nice but the story of this novel seem silly, not too dumb. I can not understand the main character. Some things are not clarified. Does this book have a sequel?
The writing style is nice but the story of this novel seem silly, not too dumb. I can not understand the main character. Some things are not clarified. Does this book have a sequel?
November 12, 2014
A perfect next-pick for people who like Eleanor & Park or (the oldie but goodie) My Heartbeat. A true romcom but smartly written with satisfying banter--a truly heartwarming best friendship, too.
July 31, 2017
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!!! I LOVED ITTTT!!! It was so cute and interesting. 2 best friends, a girl and a guy whose gay, both fall for the same new guy. The new guy seems perfect in every sense and he joins these 2 misfits and becomes their friend. They start hanging out individually and eventually they both fall for him. The guy Nash has already dibbed him so Maggie can't like him even though she does. Maggie is struggling with being overweight and everyone telling her to lose weight and to just exercise. She is an amazing baker and she bakes to kind of destress and she gives her cookies out to everyone to make their day. Her and Nash are best friend goals they do everything together and even though they are both misfits they still work together and are goals. Tom, the new guy, kind of ruins everything. I am not going to spoil anything but as usual- appearances are deceiving and no-one is ever as perfect as they seem. Plus, you should never let a guy come between friendship- an age old lesson yet this problem occurs on the daily. You have to choose if the guy is worth more than your friendship. It's super interesting and there's lots of drama- your typical high school read. I think you will enjoy it if you want an easy, quick read, and are just in the mood for some good old drama to make you feel better.
July 3, 2017
You and Me and Him was an average book. I thought it was quite fun and light hearted and I managed to read the majority in one sitting. I thought that Maggie was an okay character, but she was a gold star compared to Nash. He was so...frustrating, and I hated how he A) believed the first thing someone told him about his lifelong best friend and B) got mad at said best friend for liking an attractive, mostly nice, smart, STRAIGHT guy because he 'called dibs' on someone who was never going to like him back. It was like she was a puppet and her mood solely depended on Nash. I was happy that she didn't get the guy in the end, and instead got her friend back, but I was a bit upset with how little Nash cared that he had hurt her and how much Maggie cared for hurting him. I wish that Nash's life was a bit more fleshed out, and how his mum was just kind of there to make Maggie and Tom feel bad that he couldn't hang out with them, basically just helping along the story in the romance department. Some of the things I enjoyed were Maggie standing up to Tom, Kayla and her mum, when she could've just left it alone and gone on with her life, as well as the ending that talked about taking control of your life. Overall, a good quick read, but the writing and characters could've been so much better. 3/5 stars. Also Quinn and Maggie's dad were by far my favourite characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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