Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Rafe has been out since eighth grade, and he's fine with it, and so is everyone else. But sometimes he just wants to be a regular guy, not the gay guy. So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to become "openly straight" instead. The transformation works: Rafe revels in a new group of straight guy friends and the freedom of living without a label. But then he falls in love with one of his new friends... who doesn't even know that love is a possibility.

I was scrolling through my read books and apparently I've read this almost four years ago?? I literally have absolutely no memory of reading this. I swear I've never seen this cover a day in my life. The synopsis rings no bells. I'm so confused. I've never been more confused.

Someone call my FBI agents. I need an explanation.

This was soooo good!

I unexpectedly... hated this book. If you're looking for a cute LGBT+ romance - this isn't it. If you're looking for a likable protagonist - this isn't it. And that's the crux of the issue, I hate Rafe. He is in turns judgemental about everyone, woe is me about being ‘labled', and self-congratulatory about how open minded he is. It drove me nuts! I finished this book in the hopes of satisfying character growth. Alas, this did not happen.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and highly recommend it!

This is the story of Rafe a teenager who has been openly Gay in his hometown for quite a while. Rage decides he's tired of being the “gay kid” in his small town and takes the chance to go to all boys boarding school across the country for his Junior year and start fresh.

While at this new school he never outwardly admits to being Gay in his mind if he no one asks he won't tell and it won't be a lie. (This actually drives me nuts because then he actually does start lying, multiple times and still stubbornly doesn't see it as a problem or the same as being in the closet. But to each their own I guess)

While at school Rafe makes friends with the jocks, kids who would have never accepted him back home, and enjoys being just “one of the guys”. That is until he starts getting close to Ben.

Ben is different. Not judgmental like the other guys, and he doesn't care what anyone else thinks of him. He's deep and thoughtful and Rafe falls for him hard. That's of course where all the trouble starts.

This book was actually really sweet. And it was hard to not fall for Ben yourself seeing him through Rafe's eyes. I really enjoyed this book, it had me laughing at times and at others crying and I can't wait to pick up the sequel.