"Openly Straight" by Bill Konigsberg is another very cute, very well written, very up-to-date boys-who-love-boys book.
Rafe has been out and proud since he was in eight grade. His parents took it in stride, and that's putting it mildly. But sometimes he doesn't want to be the "token gay guy", sometimes he wants to be normal.
So when he starts at an all-boys boarding school, he becomes "honestly straight" (aka, back in the closet). And for the first time in years, he's normal, he's one of the guys...
That is until he falls in love with one of his best friends, one of his straight best friends, one of his best friends that doesn't know he's gay.
Unfortunately, "Honestly Straight" doesn't end in a super happy ending. Sure, Rafe learns to re-love himself, learns to once again be okay being openly gay, but will be get the guy?
"Openly Ben" is the sequel everyone needed. Ben, Rafe's best friend (the one he was in love with), is struggling to understand Rafe's confession and struggling to figure out his own sexuality. Can he be straight but enjoy kissing his best friend/in love with his best friend? And what will happen when his conservative, small-town family finds out he's questioning?
Don't even bother buying "Honestly Straight" if you're not going to buy "Honestly Ben". Honestly. If you don't, you'll only be blaming yourself, after all, I warning you about the cliffhanger.
These books are about boys trying to figure out life and love, sexuality and school. They felt so...honest, so real. The struggles of not knowing, of navigating life (social life, school life, family life).
#honestlystraight #honestlyben #billkonigsberg #bookstagram #books #bookphotography #ilovebooks
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