What do you think?
Rate this book
Belle #1
Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NEED AND CAPTIVATE
Winner of the 2008 Maine Literary Award! Dylan is Belle's true love-maybe even her soulmate. Until one day when Dylan drops the ultimate bomb; he's gay. Where, Belle wonders, does that leave her? And how will the rest of their small town deal with an openly gay Homecoming King? This beautifully written debut explores what happens when you are suddenly forced to see someone in a new light, and what that can teach you about yourself.
"Provocative . . . The author's poetic prose ably captures her heroine's emotional upheavals." -Publishers Weekly "It's good to have [Carrie Jones'] talent in the field." -KLIATT "Jones offers an atypical perspective of the coming-out story by legitimizing the love that is not lost, but changed, when young people grow up and apart." -School Library Journal "From the first sentence of Carrie Jones' novel I could tell that here was a bright new writer who was going to set the world of young adult letters aflame." -Kathi Appelt, award-winning poet and author
Winner of the 2008 Maine Literary Award! Dylan is Belle's true love-maybe even her soulmate. Until one day when Dylan drops the ultimate bomb; he's gay. Where, Belle wonders, does that leave her? And how will the rest of their small town deal with an openly gay Homecoming King? This beautifully written debut explores what happens when you are suddenly forced to see someone in a new light, and what that can teach you about yourself.
"Provocative . . . The author's poetic prose ably captures her heroine's emotional upheavals." -Publishers Weekly "It's good to have [Carrie Jones'] talent in the field." -KLIATT "Jones offers an atypical perspective of the coming-out story by legitimizing the love that is not lost, but changed, when young people grow up and apart." -School Library Journal "From the first sentence of Carrie Jones' novel I could tell that here was a bright new writer who was going to set the world of young adult letters aflame." -Kathi Appelt, award-winning poet and author
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
11 people are currently reading
845 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Jones
84 books4,093 followers***SO MANY APOLOGIES***
I had been unable to get into my Goodreads account for years. If you have friended me, I have just friended you back (July 2021). If you have messaged me, I'm going to be working through those in the upcoming weeks.
Thank you all for reaching out and I'm so sorry.
Now onto the regularly scheduled bio:
Carrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgsicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgsicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives with her cute family in Maine, but she grew up in Bedford, NH where she once had a séance with cool uber-comedian Sarah Silverman.
The Meyers brothers are from Bedford, too, so you’d think it would make Carrie funnier, coming from Bedford N.H. Obviously, something didn’t work.
Carrie has always liked cowboy hats but has never owned one. This is a very wrong thing. She graduated from Vermont College’s MFA program for writing. She has edited newspapers and poetry journals and has recently won awards from the Maine Press Association and also been awarded the Martin Dibner Fellowship as well as a Maine Literary Award.
Here’s the lowdown about Carrie…
1. Carrie can not drink coffee. It makes her insane. Do not give her caffeine.
2. Carrie is very responsive to loving strokes on the hair, kind of like a puppy. However, do not do this without asking first unless you are a ridiculously handsome man or an editor who is about to offer her a trillion dollars for the first draft of her novel.
3. Carrie is secretly really, really shy even though she’s pathetically outgoing in person. She has a very hard time calling people. So, if you want to talk to her, make the first move. And, if you’re her in-Maine female best friend, Jennifer, do NOT get mad at her because she is so bad at returning emails.
4. Carrie sometimes wears mismatched socks, if you do not think this is cool, do not tell her. You will hurt her feelings.
5. Carrie really, really wants you to like her books. Please like her books. PLEEEAASSSEEEE. She’ll be your best friend forever. That is, if you want a friend who is shy about calling and emailing and who wears mismatched socks and can’t drink caffeine and likes being pet on the head. Hhmmm….
6. Carrie is not above begging.
7. Carrie, like Belle in TIPS ON HAVING A GAY (ex) BOYFRIEND drinks Postum. It’s for the same reason, too.
8. Carrie loves Great Pyrenees dogs. They are huge and white, and furry and it looks like they have white eyeliner and mascara on, which is way too cute. Do you have one? Send a picture!
9. Carrie lives in Maine. She has a hard time with this in the winter. It is bleak in Maine in the winter. Imagine everything shades of gray and brown and no green anywhere except for in people’s noses. This is Maine in Winter. Maine in summer is the best place in the world, so it’s a trade-off. Feel free to invite Carrie to your house in the winter, but not if it’s in Greenland, Canada, or anywhere north of Florida.
10. Forget that. She’d still probably come.
I had been unable to get into my Goodreads account for years. If you have friended me, I have just friended you back (July 2021). If you have messaged me, I'm going to be working through those in the upcoming weeks.
Thank you all for reaching out and I'm so sorry.
Now onto the regularly scheduled bio:
Carrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgsicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgsicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives with her cute family in Maine, but she grew up in Bedford, NH where she once had a séance with cool uber-comedian Sarah Silverman.
The Meyers brothers are from Bedford, too, so you’d think it would make Carrie funnier, coming from Bedford N.H. Obviously, something didn’t work.
Carrie has always liked cowboy hats but has never owned one. This is a very wrong thing. She graduated from Vermont College’s MFA program for writing. She has edited newspapers and poetry journals and has recently won awards from the Maine Press Association and also been awarded the Martin Dibner Fellowship as well as a Maine Literary Award.
Here’s the lowdown about Carrie…
1. Carrie can not drink coffee. It makes her insane. Do not give her caffeine.
2. Carrie is very responsive to loving strokes on the hair, kind of like a puppy. However, do not do this without asking first unless you are a ridiculously handsome man or an editor who is about to offer her a trillion dollars for the first draft of her novel.
3. Carrie is secretly really, really shy even though she’s pathetically outgoing in person. She has a very hard time calling people. So, if you want to talk to her, make the first move. And, if you’re her in-Maine female best friend, Jennifer, do NOT get mad at her because she is so bad at returning emails.
4. Carrie sometimes wears mismatched socks, if you do not think this is cool, do not tell her. You will hurt her feelings.
5. Carrie really, really wants you to like her books. Please like her books. PLEEEAASSSEEEE. She’ll be your best friend forever. That is, if you want a friend who is shy about calling and emailing and who wears mismatched socks and can’t drink caffeine and likes being pet on the head. Hhmmm….
6. Carrie is not above begging.
7. Carrie, like Belle in TIPS ON HAVING A GAY (ex) BOYFRIEND drinks Postum. It’s for the same reason, too.
8. Carrie loves Great Pyrenees dogs. They are huge and white, and furry and it looks like they have white eyeliner and mascara on, which is way too cute. Do you have one? Send a picture!
9. Carrie lives in Maine. She has a hard time with this in the winter. It is bleak in Maine in the winter. Imagine everything shades of gray and brown and no green anywhere except for in people’s noses. This is Maine in Winter. Maine in summer is the best place in the world, so it’s a trade-off. Feel free to invite Carrie to your house in the winter, but not if it’s in Greenland, Canada, or anywhere north of Florida.
10. Forget that. She’d still probably come.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
Read
December 18, 2007This is why I cannot finish this book:
Page 24: [Em's] always taking pictures ever since her dad died.
Page 40: Em started taking pictures a couple years ago when her father died.
Is the reader that stupid that he or she needs to be reminded why Em takes a lot of pictures? This [lack of editor presence] annoys me. I may have been able to overlook it and continue reading if I found the protagonist a teeny bit sympathetic. Instead, I kept thinking "Get over it! You're 17! You're going to date dozens of guys!" But then if I was 17 maybe I would feel differently.
Two other things (wow, lots of rants for only reading 40 pages):
1) Why does everyone have a dead dad?
2) I don't believe that teenages really refer to sex as making love. I'm 30 and I don't refer to sex as making love. Did you ever hear a 17 year old say "And then after our bubble bath, we made love. We could see each other's souls" (paraphrasing, but you get the gist)?
Page 24: [Em's] always taking pictures ever since her dad died.
Page 40: Em started taking pictures a couple years ago when her father died.
Is the reader that stupid that he or she needs to be reminded why Em takes a lot of pictures? This [lack of editor presence] annoys me. I may have been able to overlook it and continue reading if I found the protagonist a teeny bit sympathetic. Instead, I kept thinking "Get over it! You're 17! You're going to date dozens of guys!" But then if I was 17 maybe I would feel differently.
Two other things (wow, lots of rants for only reading 40 pages):
1) Why does everyone have a dead dad?
2) I don't believe that teenages really refer to sex as making love. I'm 30 and I don't refer to sex as making love. Did you ever hear a 17 year old say "And then after our bubble bath, we made love. We could see each other's souls" (paraphrasing, but you get the gist)?
March 26, 2008
Something about this book just did not work for me. I was annoyed at all the gay stereotypes embodied in her gay ex, I mean, he loves STREISAND?! What a cliche. Also, I didn't like how the character gets her heart broken and immediately has another boy there to catch her when she falls (literally, because she has a fainting problem...). I liked the idea of the book, but that's about it.
September 30, 2011
I liked the title more than the book. The characters were pretty flat and the book was rather slow. The plot was minimal and could have been better developed. It was pretty unrealistic that she got over her boyfriend of two years in about two days. I liked the lists though. And......uhm I can't actually think of much else I liked. Fairly adequate description of 15 year old maturity and thought process....except the characters were 17......
June 2, 2008
I couldn't even finish this one, which is saying a lot, because I finish nearly everything, no matter how bad. Characters didn't make sense, I couldn't relate to the narrator, and the plot became way too predictable in an unrealistic and unsatisfying way, so I just quit. This is going back to the library posthaste.
May 19, 2013
as usual carrie jones has done a bang up job of writing a whole load of crap.
forget about the characters, forget about the gay ex boyfriend, forget about the intriguing title and book cover/collage thing they've got going on. put the book back down, remove it from your wishlist. click the tiny (x) on the top right corner of the web page. DO IT NOW!
basically do whatever you have to do to avoid the torture that is reading this vile excuse for YA Literature.
its not literature. I know you've all (well maybe not all) have been numbed to quality writing since the travesties of twilight and the twilighterate cohorts have come out but im telling you now that this is not how quality writing looks.
the sentences that aren't run-ons are fragments. the sentences that are run-ons are also fragments. she gives human abilities to inanimate objects like porch lights and clocks. this book is not in the fantasy/science fiction genre. in fact I believe its what you call "realistic fiction". what does that mean? real world rules apply and coffee tables cant attack you.
does anyone else notice the weird things that inanimate objects do in all the jones lady books? in the third sentence of this novel a porch light "wishes us well" how does a porch light wish anything? its a porch light for crying out loud? god awful writing. I cant believe they let her books be published.
let me give you some examples of the horror:
pg. 18 "We looked at each other and then this weird, good beam of golden light shifted out of Dylan's eyes and touched my beam of light. They just stayed there, mingling for a minute. They just stayed there and with them came peace and comfort and all those Hallmarky cheese ball things."
pg. 46 "Eddie had been totally in love with Hannah, always holding her tiny, little hand when they walked down the hall, even carrying her books and her lunch trey, completely spoiling her."
pg. 22 "What if he starts dating someone and then everyone realizes that my quote-unquote One True Love likes boys?"
I seriously don't think im going to finish this. I might come back and finish it later. I doubt it though, its just so awful.
ooooh also the back inside cover of the book has a little blurb (you know the spot where the author writes about themselves?)well here it is for you (I spelled all words exactly as I found them):
"Carrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives with her cute family in Maine. She has a large, skinny white dog and a fat cat. Both like fudgicles. Only the cat likes potatoes. This may be a reason for the kitty's weight problems (Shh... don't tell). Carriehas always liked cowboy hats but has never owned one. This is a very wrong thing. She graduated from Vermont College's MFA program for writing. She has edited newspapers and poetry journals and has won awards from the Maine Press Association and also been awarded the Martin Dibner Fellowship as well as a Maine Leterary Award.
She is still not sure why."
now that I have officially verified that there is, in fact, no method to the madness and much madness to this method... well im not sure what I was going to say. just don't read this book. and if you still want to read it borrow it from somebody or get it from the library. don't waste your money.
(bytheway upon reading the inner left corner of the dustjacket I have discovered that the book cost $16.99 for hardcover. ridiculously expensive for a book of 278 pages. please don't waste your money people. that $16.99 *plus tax* could feed a small African nation *village?* for a year probably... send it to them. it would be much better spent that way.)
forget about the characters, forget about the gay ex boyfriend, forget about the intriguing title and book cover/collage thing they've got going on. put the book back down, remove it from your wishlist. click the tiny (x) on the top right corner of the web page. DO IT NOW!
basically do whatever you have to do to avoid the torture that is reading this vile excuse for YA Literature.
its not literature. I know you've all (well maybe not all) have been numbed to quality writing since the travesties of twilight and the twilighterate cohorts have come out but im telling you now that this is not how quality writing looks.
the sentences that aren't run-ons are fragments. the sentences that are run-ons are also fragments. she gives human abilities to inanimate objects like porch lights and clocks. this book is not in the fantasy/science fiction genre. in fact I believe its what you call "realistic fiction". what does that mean? real world rules apply and coffee tables cant attack you.
does anyone else notice the weird things that inanimate objects do in all the jones lady books? in the third sentence of this novel a porch light "wishes us well" how does a porch light wish anything? its a porch light for crying out loud? god awful writing. I cant believe they let her books be published.
let me give you some examples of the horror:
pg. 18 "We looked at each other and then this weird, good beam of golden light shifted out of Dylan's eyes and touched my beam of light. They just stayed there, mingling for a minute. They just stayed there and with them came peace and comfort and all those Hallmarky cheese ball things."
pg. 46 "Eddie had been totally in love with Hannah, always holding her tiny, little hand when they walked down the hall, even carrying her books and her lunch trey, completely spoiling her."
pg. 22 "What if he starts dating someone and then everyone realizes that my quote-unquote One True Love likes boys?"
I seriously don't think im going to finish this. I might come back and finish it later. I doubt it though, its just so awful.
ooooh also the back inside cover of the book has a little blurb (you know the spot where the author writes about themselves?)well here it is for you (I spelled all words exactly as I found them):
"Carrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives with her cute family in Maine. She has a large, skinny white dog and a fat cat. Both like fudgicles. Only the cat likes potatoes. This may be a reason for the kitty's weight problems (Shh... don't tell). Carriehas always liked cowboy hats but has never owned one. This is a very wrong thing. She graduated from Vermont College's MFA program for writing. She has edited newspapers and poetry journals and has won awards from the Maine Press Association and also been awarded the Martin Dibner Fellowship as well as a Maine Leterary Award.
She is still not sure why."
now that I have officially verified that there is, in fact, no method to the madness and much madness to this method... well im not sure what I was going to say. just don't read this book. and if you still want to read it borrow it from somebody or get it from the library. don't waste your money.
(bytheway upon reading the inner left corner of the dustjacket I have discovered that the book cost $16.99 for hardcover. ridiculously expensive for a book of 278 pages. please don't waste your money people. that $16.99 *plus tax* could feed a small African nation *village?* for a year probably... send it to them. it would be much better spent that way.)
September 9, 2008
There were some things I liked about this book. The premise is a situation I've kind of lived through, albeit in reverse; the main character was often funny; her best friend was kinda cool. But I hated the straight love interest, I ended up hating the gay ex-boyfriend, I hated the soap-opera-ish turns in the plot and I hated the badly drawn caricatures that served as characters. And oh, my, did I hate the ending.
January 23, 2011
An endearing and absorbing romance that will appeal to gay and straight readers alike. Funny, suspenseful, and romantic, I didn't want to say goodbye to any of the characters when I got to the end.
July 9, 2014
No baseball? No Jewish?? No gay baseball playing Jews?? Why would anyone even THINK about wanting to read this book????
September 23, 2009
Rating C
Review My thoughts on this book could not possibly be more mixed. No siree. That would not be feasible.
On the plus side: I am so hard-core loving the relationship between Belle and her rebound guy (Tom) that I'm going to rush to the library tonight and get the second book in this little saga (Love (And Other Uses for Duct Tape)). And I'll probably read it tonight. Other pluses are that I totally think that Dylan's angst is semi-believeable (in so much as I know what it's like to come out as a gay guy in a small town at the age of 17); I like a lot of the other supporting characters and the narrator doesn't completely get on my nerves. Several of her lists are well-balanced (whiny, depressed, etc., without being too whiny, depressed, etc.).
On the hugely negatively side: I cannot stand the author's writing. I read the back flap which says this lovely lady used to edit poetry magazines and it comes through in her writing (I think). And not in a good way. In a way that she tried to make this prose sound like poetry and was repetitive. I was over, over, over it. (Because she did that thing I just did where she uses the same word three times.) She does this over, over, over again in the book. It drove me batty!
Also, I was thoroughly annoyed that we got fantastic "remembrances" of romantic and/or hot scenes between Dylan and Belle and I can't get a second base with Tom? C'mon. That's why I'm reading the second book. I need to see if this girl can do her business with a straight guy. (Plus, have I ever mentioned that I have a very weird interest in reading books about sexually-confused young adults? Please do not speculate in the comments regarding what you think that may or may not mean about me.)
Recommendation I'm holding off on this until after I've read the next book. Check back later for edits.
Review My thoughts on this book could not possibly be more mixed. No siree. That would not be feasible.
On the plus side: I am so hard-core loving the relationship between Belle and her rebound guy (Tom) that I'm going to rush to the library tonight and get the second book in this little saga (Love (And Other Uses for Duct Tape)). And I'll probably read it tonight. Other pluses are that I totally think that Dylan's angst is semi-believeable (in so much as I know what it's like to come out as a gay guy in a small town at the age of 17); I like a lot of the other supporting characters and the narrator doesn't completely get on my nerves. Several of her lists are well-balanced (whiny, depressed, etc., without being too whiny, depressed, etc.).
On the hugely negatively side: I cannot stand the author's writing. I read the back flap which says this lovely lady used to edit poetry magazines and it comes through in her writing (I think). And not in a good way. In a way that she tried to make this prose sound like poetry and was repetitive. I was over, over, over it. (Because she did that thing I just did where she uses the same word three times.) She does this over, over, over again in the book. It drove me batty!
Also, I was thoroughly annoyed that we got fantastic "remembrances" of romantic and/or hot scenes between Dylan and Belle and I can't get a second base with Tom? C'mon. That's why I'm reading the second book. I need to see if this girl can do her business with a straight guy. (Plus, have I ever mentioned that I have a very weird interest in reading books about sexually-confused young adults? Please do not speculate in the comments regarding what you think that may or may not mean about me.)
Recommendation I'm holding off on this until after I've read the next book. Check back later for edits.
July 17, 2010
Overall, enjoyed this book and dialogue rang (mostly) true. Sometimes, the tone is uneven, alternating awkwardly between fluff and deadly serious. The story is told in the first person by Belle (where have we heard that name before?!) who is dumped in the opening chapter by her gorgeous, perfect boyfriend of several years - Dylan. The chapters are divided into sections corresponded to the days of the week following the breakup. Turns out, Belle missed a lot of signs that Dylan really prefers boys. All this takes place in a small Maine town where everyone knows everyone and the reactions of students, adults and teachers provide the background to Belle's painful emotion journey over the course of the week.
This book raises some interesting issues about homophobia, tolerance and honesty, and I even learned to like the the uneven voice, as it seems right for the emotional rollercoaster Belle is on. But I was disappointed that that Belle simply went into the arms of another guy to make everything better, even though the new love interest of Tom (childhood friend, longtime flirt) is a decent guy. Belle needed to stand on her own feet for about 10 minutes before being someone else's girlfriend.
This book raises some interesting issues about homophobia, tolerance and honesty, and I even learned to like the the uneven voice, as it seems right for the emotional rollercoaster Belle is on. But I was disappointed that that Belle simply went into the arms of another guy to make everything better, even though the new love interest of Tom (childhood friend, longtime flirt) is a decent guy. Belle needed to stand on her own feet for about 10 minutes before being someone else's girlfriend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 14, 2009I thik Carrie Jones did a great job. It was a little odd but I think Belle was a good character to sping this on, and when her and Dylan broke up if course there was going to be drama especially when they found out he was gay. It was alittle surprising that she was aloud to move on so quickly but with a great guy at least. One thing i think was a little unreal was the fact that her and Dylan were still close it was awkward in the beginning that i can believe but to have stayed friends...i dont think so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2023
This is nostalgic for me. Some parts didn't age well and are cringy to read, but it's like reading a time capsule. Part of the cringe is enjoyment seeing the growth of LG(BTQIA+) characters in YA fiction over the last 16 years, for this 2007 book it feels like gay and lesbian are the only options for anyone who doesn't fall into the heterosexual category.
October 25, 2009
not worth reading - i didn't even finish it. there are so many other great queer YA books out there, don't waste your time on this one.
August 23, 2021
Soooo terribly written that I think I would rather roll down a hill of razors into a lake of lemon juice than finish reading this book. Yea, that bad.
September 6, 2011
Blech. The sexual orientation and relationship stuff didn't seem realistic at all, nor did the characters work for me.
July 24, 2022
I got twenty pages in and I could NOT with the writing style. Maybe its just me, but the flow was totally off. I'm usually all for experimental and lyrical writing - love it, actually - and know when it comes to fiction and poetry a lot of what is taught in hs English class can be thrown out the window, but oh man, this was a struggle. Choppy, jarring sentences, unnatural dialogue, repetitive and reduntant writing (I've seen repition done well. I've also seen choppy/jarring done well, but this ain't it), poor metaphors/similies that make zero sense or are just plain awkwardly worded ("the cold shrieks my teeth,"....i don't think that word means what you think it means, Carrie Jones), random details that add nothing and kills the tension of the opening scene. One or two, fine, whatever, it can help create atmosphere, but Jones just loads the scene and it's distracting af. Theres the common first person issue of too many 'I's and little explanations and asides and repeated thoughts that leaves me questioning if Jones thinks her readers are stupid. I'm also wondering if most of these flaws can be chalked up to some kind of style over substance type thing; like there was an attempt to come off as poetic, but the majority of it doesn't actually makes any sense. I want to tell Jones to go read Annie Proulx or Daniel Woodrell or Virginia Woolf to understand what it means to have a poetic writing style that still makes sense and adds to the story and atmosphere instead of detracting from it and making it feel like im reading the rough draft of someone's attempt at beat poetry.
I'm honestly really disappointed in this book because a lot of these are issues you see in amateur writing or in a first draft and shouldn't be in a trad pub book by someone who recieved an MFA in creative writing. I can really see where she is trying to be poetic. Sometimes it lands, or almost does, but mostly it just misses. I also understand that writing is totally subjective, but this just gave me a headache. I guess its a myth that all poets = good writers.
I have no notes on the characters/actual plot because the writing kept throwing me off.
June 3, 2023
I found this book after I found myself in a situation where the boyfriend I loved came clean and told me he was gay and had cheated on me with our friend. I was devastated and at a loss for sources of comfort because nobody I knew had experienced a similar situation. This book helped me cope with the loss of first love and understand what my gay (ex) boyfriend might have been feeling and going through and I found a deep sense of closure. Thank you for writing a book like this for someone like me
September 23, 2025
This book was sweet and cute for the most part but I think it did not handle the more serious plot points well at all. Why are the gay characters awful? (Cheater violent jealous ex or ableist loser boy) Why is there lowkey bi erasure? Why does the girl just ignore her being stalked and assaulted by her neighbor?
The book is also repetitive to an annoying degree — she says the same thing over and over IN THE EXACT SAME WAY. Like girl at least switch it up— show instead of tell please!!
The book is also repetitive to an annoying degree — she says the same thing over and over IN THE EXACT SAME WAY. Like girl at least switch it up— show instead of tell please!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2016
Belle's range of emotions in the week following her boy-friend of two years breaking up with her after admitting that he is gay seemed believable though the following assortment of events seemed overdone. Still, an interesting read, and a reminder that my high school years are far far in the past and nothing like this book existed at that time.
April 27, 2021
If there was just a bit more to the ending, it would be perfect.
June 17, 2013
I accidently read the sequel, Love and Other Uses for Duct Tape, for this book about a year ago, so I am finally reading this one. Yet, even a year later, I can see a drastic difference between the two books.
While the sequel was actually nice and decent, this book seemed repetitive and amateurish. I'm not sure if Jones realized it, but she did repeat a lot of things. Em's reason for always taking pictures is said like 3 times, Dylan's singing to the MC is said maybe 30 times, and Belle's shoes are described in detail way too many times. I also didn't understand these random breaks that Jones kept throwing in. You'd think that they're there to move from one scene to another, to show the start and end of a memory or something, but sometimes the breaks would happen in the middle of a scene, of a conversation, even a thought that connected with the passage before the break. I guess she did it just to add emphasis to a certain scene, but it just made the reading process jolty and irritating.
The story itself was vague. I thought this book would express the acceptance of gay people in there community, but the whole book seemed to focus solely on Belle and her relationships. At the end of the book, we know that Belle is accepted and loved, but Dylan is just moved to the corner. We know that Belle and her circle of friends accepts him, but the rest of the school? They're too busy cheering for Belle to kind of look at see that Dylan is in fact still gay, and literally a couple days before the end of the book 37 different people called him a fag. (Of course, I've read the second book already, so I know he really is accepted, but why didn't Jones express that?)
And even then, the relationships in here moved way too fast. A day after they break up, Dylan is with Bob, and four days after that, Belle is with Tom. I mean, I guess I can see how fast Dylan was able to move on, seeing as he never actually loved loved Belle, and being gay and all he just didn't feel for her anymore. But Belle? All she could talk about was how much she loved him and how her entire life was changed, and grossly about how much sex they had and how their souls belonged together, and then four days later she's kissing another boy. Apparently her and Tom have always had feelings for each other, but they were just "suppressed for the duration of Belle and Dylan's relationship. Regardless of that little fun fact, I just thought it was too fast, too soon, even if Belle has always liked Tom, and vice versa.
I really didn't even get into the book until the end of it. It was then that most of the action and drama happened, with Belle's confrontation of Mimi, Eddie's attack, Belle's seizure, and then Dylan and Eddie's fight.
But, enough of all this. I can't exactly go hard on this book because I know the sequel's a little better, and it is an original story that has it's drama and little town-ness going on. It's just a mellow, easy read, even if it somewhat lacks a driving message.
While the sequel was actually nice and decent, this book seemed repetitive and amateurish. I'm not sure if Jones realized it, but she did repeat a lot of things. Em's reason for always taking pictures is said like 3 times, Dylan's singing to the MC is said maybe 30 times, and Belle's shoes are described in detail way too many times. I also didn't understand these random breaks that Jones kept throwing in. You'd think that they're there to move from one scene to another, to show the start and end of a memory or something, but sometimes the breaks would happen in the middle of a scene, of a conversation, even a thought that connected with the passage before the break. I guess she did it just to add emphasis to a certain scene, but it just made the reading process jolty and irritating.
The story itself was vague. I thought this book would express the acceptance of gay people in there community, but the whole book seemed to focus solely on Belle and her relationships. At the end of the book, we know that Belle is accepted and loved, but Dylan is just moved to the corner. We know that Belle and her circle of friends accepts him, but the rest of the school? They're too busy cheering for Belle to kind of look at see that Dylan is in fact still gay, and literally a couple days before the end of the book 37 different people called him a fag. (Of course, I've read the second book already, so I know he really is accepted, but why didn't Jones express that?)
And even then, the relationships in here moved way too fast. A day after they break up, Dylan is with Bob, and four days after that, Belle is with Tom. I mean, I guess I can see how fast Dylan was able to move on, seeing as he never actually loved loved Belle, and being gay and all he just didn't feel for her anymore. But Belle? All she could talk about was how much she loved him and how her entire life was changed, and grossly about how much sex they had and how their souls belonged together, and then four days later she's kissing another boy. Apparently her and Tom have always had feelings for each other, but they were just "suppressed for the duration of Belle and Dylan's relationship. Regardless of that little fun fact, I just thought it was too fast, too soon, even if Belle has always liked Tom, and vice versa.
I really didn't even get into the book until the end of it. It was then that most of the action and drama happened, with Belle's confrontation of Mimi, Eddie's attack, Belle's seizure, and then Dylan and Eddie's fight.
But, enough of all this. I can't exactly go hard on this book because I know the sequel's a little better, and it is an original story that has it's drama and little town-ness going on. It's just a mellow, easy read, even if it somewhat lacks a driving message.
June 17, 2013
The story is told entirely from Belle Philbrick’s own point of view, so we see the full spectrum of her emotions. The author has given her a rather lyrical, almost poetic, turn of mind, making her more stirring than most teenaged protagonists.
But I was a little ambivalent about her. I thought it rather unrealistic that she gave herself only one week to whine and complain about her losing her boyfriend. She’d loved this boy for years; did she honestly expect to get over him in one week? Also, her best friend Emily’s attitude was a little annoying. At one moment, she came off as a superior know-it-all, prattling advice to the lovelorn and urging Belle to start dating again so as to stave off being a Mallory (a self-involved type given to the aforementioned whining and complaining). On the other hand, she acknowledged that Belle was vulnerable and she needed Emily as a comfort and should beware of rebounding. Huh?
I also felt less and less sympathetic towards Dylan. Yes, he’s gay and, yes, gay people get persecuted and it was terrible that people who originally seemed to like him started calling him “faggot” in the hallways. But it struck me as being highly selfish and whiny for him to barge into the local Amnesty club, punch in a wall and state that his problems should be put before those of people in foreign countries getting jailed, interrogated and tortured.
It also didn’t escape my attention that the day after he confessed his homosexuality to his girlfriend he was spotted by someone else kissing a boy in the parking lot. Unless he really is the fickle type, it’s clear that Dylan was having an affair behind Belle’s back and used his coming-out speech as a cover for his cheating. He confessed the former so he wouldn’t have to admit to the latter. So he got to pose as a beleaguered victim of other people’s homophobia instead of the cheating bastard he actually was. Neat trick, that.
Also, Belle gradually admitted that she smothered certain parts of her personality when she was with Dylan, making him just another ex-boyfriend who wasn’t quite as great as she thought he was. So Dylan’s homosexuality actually gets buried as the book continues, since Belle almost immediately finds herself falling for a boy she had a crush on for years. Therefore this is no longer about one poor boy’s heroic struggles at dealing with his homosexuality—just another story about teenaged love gone wrong.
No heroes and no villains in this story. Just a bunch of mixed-up adolescents sorting themselves out and trampling over other people in their rush to self-realization. Oh, and, yes, there is singing.
But I was a little ambivalent about her. I thought it rather unrealistic that she gave herself only one week to whine and complain about her losing her boyfriend. She’d loved this boy for years; did she honestly expect to get over him in one week? Also, her best friend Emily’s attitude was a little annoying. At one moment, she came off as a superior know-it-all, prattling advice to the lovelorn and urging Belle to start dating again so as to stave off being a Mallory (a self-involved type given to the aforementioned whining and complaining). On the other hand, she acknowledged that Belle was vulnerable and she needed Emily as a comfort and should beware of rebounding. Huh?
I also felt less and less sympathetic towards Dylan. Yes, he’s gay and, yes, gay people get persecuted and it was terrible that people who originally seemed to like him started calling him “faggot” in the hallways. But it struck me as being highly selfish and whiny for him to barge into the local Amnesty club, punch in a wall and state that his problems should be put before those of people in foreign countries getting jailed, interrogated and tortured.
It also didn’t escape my attention that the day after he confessed his homosexuality to his girlfriend he was spotted by someone else kissing a boy in the parking lot. Unless he really is the fickle type, it’s clear that Dylan was having an affair behind Belle’s back and used his coming-out speech as a cover for his cheating. He confessed the former so he wouldn’t have to admit to the latter. So he got to pose as a beleaguered victim of other people’s homophobia instead of the cheating bastard he actually was. Neat trick, that.
Also, Belle gradually admitted that she smothered certain parts of her personality when she was with Dylan, making him just another ex-boyfriend who wasn’t quite as great as she thought he was. So Dylan’s homosexuality actually gets buried as the book continues, since Belle almost immediately finds herself falling for a boy she had a crush on for years. Therefore this is no longer about one poor boy’s heroic struggles at dealing with his homosexuality—just another story about teenaged love gone wrong.
No heroes and no villains in this story. Just a bunch of mixed-up adolescents sorting themselves out and trampling over other people in their rush to self-realization. Oh, and, yes, there is singing.
June 6, 2016
I'm pleasantly surprised by this book. Picked it up at a local thrift shop, I thought it would end up being a stupid book that was just something to read. Fortunately, I can say that's not the case. If you're the kind of person who likes books like "Planet Janet" then you'll like this book. I have to say, this book hits a little close to home for me in many ways. It's like, I decided to read this book at the right time in my life. Belle, the main character of the story, has seizures, like I do. She deals with a lot of the problems that I deal with in having seizures, and she even has similar seizure tendencies (She shouts, demanding to know where the dogs are, and something about babies, and I tend to shout and demand that everything is okay, and where are certain things) Belle is also close to my age, she is just a few years younger than myself. Belle, in a huge way, reminds me of myself, and I really like that I was able to relate so well to this book. The few things I didn't like about this book were really minuscule things. I think the title of the book was very misleading, as they really only bring up the whole "Tips on having a gay (ex) boyfriend" once in the very beginning. They could have simply made a comment about how she likes to make lists, because that would have summed it up better, and wouldn't have made it so misleading, and making readers think that the book was a book about how to handle having a gay ex-boyfriend. The only other thing that really bothered me was the time line of the book. The way that the book plays out, you can get kind of confused about it's timeline. I'll be honest when I say it took me until I was about halfway through the book to realize that the time span was only over the course of week. The way it reads out would make someone thing that it took the time line of at least a few months. All in all, aside from those little things, I really liked the book, and I would recommend it.
January 4, 2016
I must admit that the title and the blurb was enough to make me buy the book. The premise was interesting. The action all takes place within a week, and while the events that happen plot-wise are kinda slow, Belle's progression in moving on to another guy was kind of fast. There also seems to be some stereotyping of gay guys. What's freaky is that the author seems to anticipate the reactions that readers might have and a justification or reason follows these questionable events. At least the author isn't so delusional about her characters.
Bella is not overly dramatic, makes a conscious effort not to be a "Mallory" (i.e., too emotional, whiny and self-centered), and I like how her feelings are conveyed with descriptions of things/places around her. There's a little poetic rhythm going on in the prose, and it's a good thing. The heroine's emotional roller-coasters are punctuated with (a lot of) epizeuxis. We don't get treated to that kind of writing too much in the usual YA fare (but I might be wrong as I haven't really read a lot of young adult books) so I really enjoyed reading this.
It's not perfect, though. There were some editing lapses, including one your vs. you're switching, and Em's reason for taking pictures all the time. The said reason was mentioned three times, and I think only the last instance, with its brief explanation by Belle, should've been enough. Despite that, Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend is still an interesting read, with humor and good prose all over.
Bella is not overly dramatic, makes a conscious effort not to be a "Mallory" (i.e., too emotional, whiny and self-centered), and I like how her feelings are conveyed with descriptions of things/places around her. There's a little poetic rhythm going on in the prose, and it's a good thing. The heroine's emotional roller-coasters are punctuated with (a lot of) epizeuxis. We don't get treated to that kind of writing too much in the usual YA fare (but I might be wrong as I haven't really read a lot of young adult books) so I really enjoyed reading this.
It's not perfect, though. There were some editing lapses, including one your vs. you're switching, and Em's reason for taking pictures all the time. The said reason was mentioned three times, and I think only the last instance, with its brief explanation by Belle, should've been enough. Despite that, Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend is still an interesting read, with humor and good prose all over.
February 4, 2016
In the small town of Eastbrook, Maine, everyone knows everyone’s business. But there’s one piece of business that’s a huge surprise to high school senior Belle Philbrick: Her longtime boyfriend, Dylan, is gay. Turns out he meant it sincerely every time he said he’d never love another woman. Hours after Dylan reveals his secret to Belle, he’s spotted in a parking lot with his boyfriend, band geek Bob. Although devastated, Belle refuses to wallow in self-pity and allows herself only seven days of whining.
The book charts Belle’s course through those seven days as she deals with the emotions of the break-up, reactions from the kids at school (who call her a “fag hag”), and revived interest from Tom, the star athlete who’s had a crush on her since middle school. To cope, Belle writes a series of honest and funny lists: Reasons why calling me a fag hag is not cool, tips about Postum (Belle’s favorite coffee alternative), reasons not to have a crush on Tom Tanner, and of course, tips on having a gay (ex) boyfriend.
Essentially, the book is a love story about many different kinds of love – the love between boyfriends and girlfriends, the love of a best friend, and learning to love yourself. Although the book ends on a somewhat melodramatic note, it’s an entertaining and realistic slice of high school life with important themes of self-empowerment and tolerance. Like Belle, readers will wonder, “Is everyone as wrong about me as I am about them?”
The book charts Belle’s course through those seven days as she deals with the emotions of the break-up, reactions from the kids at school (who call her a “fag hag”), and revived interest from Tom, the star athlete who’s had a crush on her since middle school. To cope, Belle writes a series of honest and funny lists: Reasons why calling me a fag hag is not cool, tips about Postum (Belle’s favorite coffee alternative), reasons not to have a crush on Tom Tanner, and of course, tips on having a gay (ex) boyfriend.
Essentially, the book is a love story about many different kinds of love – the love between boyfriends and girlfriends, the love of a best friend, and learning to love yourself. Although the book ends on a somewhat melodramatic note, it’s an entertaining and realistic slice of high school life with important themes of self-empowerment and tolerance. Like Belle, readers will wonder, “Is everyone as wrong about me as I am about them?”
December 1, 2008
Belle believes that Dylan is the one that she'll marry, but one day, Dylan tells her that he is gay. Belle wonders where does this leave her. Dylan and her have been best friends since they were little in their little town in Maine. Since they started dating, Belle has been known as Dylan's girlfriend or the other half of their couple hood.
Belle and her other best friend, Emily decide that she can only have a week to cry, because she doesn't want to become like Mallory. As the week goes on, Belle finds a possible relationship in a guy that she least suspects and it turns out that he has liked for her for a long time. Bella also finds that having a gay ex-boyfriend isn't so so easy. She starts to find that both her and Dylan are getting harassed. This story is original and amazing.
If you haven't read this, go pick this up and get somewhere comfortable. It is a fairly short, yet amazing read. The characters are really amazing and well developed. I could relate to them. This is amazing for a debut novel and I need to get Carrie Jones' other books, as soon as possible. If you like Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, you will probably like this and vice versa. The characters are both getting attention for past relationships and it has similar humor.
Belle and her other best friend, Emily decide that she can only have a week to cry, because she doesn't want to become like Mallory. As the week goes on, Belle finds a possible relationship in a guy that she least suspects and it turns out that he has liked for her for a long time. Bella also finds that having a gay ex-boyfriend isn't so so easy. She starts to find that both her and Dylan are getting harassed. This story is original and amazing.
If you haven't read this, go pick this up and get somewhere comfortable. It is a fairly short, yet amazing read. The characters are really amazing and well developed. I could relate to them. This is amazing for a debut novel and I need to get Carrie Jones' other books, as soon as possible. If you like Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, you will probably like this and vice versa. The characters are both getting attention for past relationships and it has similar humor.
September 7, 2009
This book was very satisfyingly complex; I stayed up late waiting for heartburn medication to kick in and ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. (I didn't make it to bed until one am and now I'm really tired.) Carrie Jones did a good job of making the characters emotional and upset is a realistic way, without making these teen's crises seem trivial or immature or whiny. The novel opens when the main character, who has dated (and slept with) her boyfriend for two years, finds out her boyfriend is gay. Part of what made the book so satisfying is that the relationship they'd had together was so strong, so good: they laughed together and lip-synched and snuggled and spent time together every day. And they still love each other, even though this information makes makes Belle feels completely unmoored; she feels like nothing and no one is trustworthy. His coming-out shocks the entire small town where they live, and it was interesting to see how their community (as well as all of Belle's peers) deal with this situation. My only complaint is that everything got resolved fairly quickly, time-wise, as only a week passes in the book from inciting incident to resolution. This was good stuff.
October 7, 2015
Belle and Dylan have been going together for two years. In their small town of Eastbrook, Maine, everyone has them married and settled down with a house and a St. Bernard dog. Belle wishes that were true.
When Dylan breaks up with her, Belle is hurt and confused. Confused, because the reason he gives for the breakup is that he is gay. He loves her, he will always love her, but he is gay. How could she spend two years of her life loving a guy who is gay? How could she not know? Is she really that stupid?
Now the entire school knows, and along with her hurt and confusion, Belle experiences fear. Some people in Eastbrook believe being gay is evil. She worries about Dylan and the boy he is seeing, but maybe she should be worrying about herself.
Belle tells her story about the week after their breakup, with the emotional ups and downs and the fears and anger she feels for herself and Dylan and the town she lives in. She learns that loving Dylan means accepting him for who he is. Dylan learns that he must be honest with himself as well as those around him. And they both learn that their love doesn't die just because their relationship has changed.
Tips on Having a Gay ex-Boyfriend is a well written story with the forever current theme of being true to yourself.
When Dylan breaks up with her, Belle is hurt and confused. Confused, because the reason he gives for the breakup is that he is gay. He loves her, he will always love her, but he is gay. How could she spend two years of her life loving a guy who is gay? How could she not know? Is she really that stupid?
Now the entire school knows, and along with her hurt and confusion, Belle experiences fear. Some people in Eastbrook believe being gay is evil. She worries about Dylan and the boy he is seeing, but maybe she should be worrying about herself.
Belle tells her story about the week after their breakup, with the emotional ups and downs and the fears and anger she feels for herself and Dylan and the town she lives in. She learns that loving Dylan means accepting him for who he is. Dylan learns that he must be honest with himself as well as those around him. And they both learn that their love doesn't die just because their relationship has changed.
Tips on Having a Gay ex-Boyfriend is a well written story with the forever current theme of being true to yourself.
Read
May 31, 2010Belle and Dylan have been dating for years, and their entire small town things they're destined to be together. So when Dylan tells Belle he's gay, she is shocked. Was their entire relationship a lie? Is it fair to be mad at your boyfriend for being true to himself? Belle journals her journey to acceptance and understanding. She finds that even though her heart really hurts, things will eventually be okay and she will find love again.
Jones is excellent at capturing the emotions a girl feels when her boyfriend comes out to her as gay--wondering if she'll always be the girl that guys date before they come out and wondering how long she's been lied to--but also reminds the reader that life moves on. Belle's voice is compelling and realistic. I did have one quibble with the book--it's set out as the journal of a seven day period after Dylan and Belle break up. I found the timeline to be a little compressed and unbelievable--would Belle really have a new boyfriend that quickly after a breakup with her boyfriend of two years? However, if you ignore the timeline and pretend it's happening more organically as far as time is concerned, it seems very realistic.
Jones is excellent at capturing the emotions a girl feels when her boyfriend comes out to her as gay--wondering if she'll always be the girl that guys date before they come out and wondering how long she's been lied to--but also reminds the reader that life moves on. Belle's voice is compelling and realistic. I did have one quibble with the book--it's set out as the journal of a seven day period after Dylan and Belle break up. I found the timeline to be a little compressed and unbelievable--would Belle really have a new boyfriend that quickly after a breakup with her boyfriend of two years? However, if you ignore the timeline and pretend it's happening more organically as far as time is concerned, it seems very realistic.
November 9, 2010
This book started out weak and ended up strong. The writing was a little different and took some getting used to, but it wasn't obnoxious. There seemed to be some editing issues. For example, the main character said that her friend liked to take pictures because her dad died and she realized she wanted to have pictures of everyone to help remember them. Then, a few pages later, she says that her friend likes to take pictures because her dad died and they help her remember people from all angles because she only remembers her dad when he was smiling. Then it goes on later to say that her friend has tons of pictures of her with her dad when she was little because her mom was always taking pictures. It was things like that which made it seem more like editing issues and less like she was repeating for effect.
That being said, I blew through this book. I literally did not want to put it down. I read more than 3/4 of it in one sitting and then got up and read the rest of it the next morning. It seemed like a pretty realistic story, and the random lists throughout were quirky. Overall a very good read with major editing issues that really bothered me.
That being said, I blew through this book. I literally did not want to put it down. I read more than 3/4 of it in one sitting and then got up and read the rest of it the next morning. It seemed like a pretty realistic story, and the random lists throughout were quirky. Overall a very good read with major editing issues that really bothered me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews