Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Love story: 💖💖💖💖 (4/5)
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5)
Happy ending? Yes
Is it about coming out? Yes
Available as audiobook ✔
mlm books, contemporary fiction, trans mlm rep
Summary: Based on a true story, Harry and Craig are two 17-year-olds about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.
While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.
Thoughts: The story of two boys kissing to break a world record is poignantly narrated by unnamed gay men lost to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. You feel the pain and heartbreak of these men: watching your friends around you slowly die in a world that hates them, and the hope and optimism of seeing a new generation of gay boys grow up in a world with a little more love and acceptance. The book follows the stories of many teenage mlm - one who is homeless, one who is transgender, one who is struggling with suicidal thoughts.
I loved that one book could show many dimensions of being a gay boy and man in different times and places, punctuated by the story of Harry and Craig breaking the record for the world's longest kiss at 32 hours.
Warnings: ⚠ proceed with caution
Homophobia - from family, friends, the public’s reaction to the spectacle of the kiss
Family abuse - domestic violence, son kicked out of his parents’ home
Pedophilia tw - teenage boys in chat rooms with older men who are trying to groom them
Attempted suicide tw
Discussion of AIDS crisis, death from AIDS
Unsanitary - 32 hours of kissing with no bathroom breaks, etc.