You Know Me Well
By David Levithan & Nina LaCour
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance, LGBT
ISBN: 978-1250098641
Source: Received From Publisher
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Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. Until, on the first night of Pride – far from home – their paths cross in the most unexpected place.
Mark is making what feels like one last effort to win the heart of his best friend, Ryan, who he has been in love with, secretly, for years. Katie is running away from the girl of her dreams on the one night she might actually get to meet her in person, finally, after years of pining from afar.
When Mark and Katie find one another, its friends at first sight. In the course of one week, the two will journey through heartache and exhilaration, they will open their hearts to new ways of being, and they will do it together.
Told in alternating points of view, YOU KNOW ME WELL is a celebration of what it means to find someone who truly knows you, who understands exactly what you need, as you navigate the joys and heartache of first love and the uncertainty of the future ahead of you.
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When I found out that David Levithan was writing a book with Nina LaCour, I was so excited! I’ve heard nothing but good things about Nina LaCour (and plan to read her work soon) and I am a fan of David’s work so I was totally on board to read this.
Through dual POV, this novel tells the story of Katie and Mark who sit next to each other in class but have never spoken a word to each other until they meet in the city, on the first night of Pride Week. This whole book takes place over Pride Week and I think this is the first book that I’ve read with that time stamp so it was really special to see.
I really enjoyed following Katie and Mark, whose two separate journeys converge at just the right time. I related to Katie who knew a good thing when she saw it but was stuck in a cycle of self sabotage… and at one point in time in my life I would not have been so fine admitting that I also related to Mark who, on his journey, is proving to himself and to others just how honest he is willing to be with himself, with the people closest to him and with the world.
This story is about pride, about confidence. It’s a beautiful story about taking chances for love, fighting for the people that we love no matter what. It’s a story about what we do when that love has been defined among us. It’s a moving story about creating happiness and making an effort to thrive in that wave before, during, and after with support rather than drifting alone in the unknown.
I love, love, love that You Know Me Well is a story about friends, best friends, new friends, friends with benefits, friends with secrets, friends with hope in each other. Friends who will be there when they understand you and when they don’t.
The dynamic relationships really drove me in this story and I was really satisfied with how everything played out and concluded. I can’t say that I ever really connected to the love interest for Katie, Violet. She didn’t seem as three dimensional as the other characters. And I love poetry but I didn’t connect as much to the poetry (which is near the end of the book) as much as I thought I would. Overall, this book was solid and I highly recommend you pick it up if you’re considering reading this.
You Know Me Well by David Levithan & Nina LaCour is available today.