Ryan and Avery

 Book 120 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from December 20 - 26

Ryan and Avery

by David Levithan

Summary (via the book jacket)

When Ryan and Avery meet at a queer prom, they feel an instant connection. But what about what happens next?

This is the story of their first ten dates.

The tender hopes.

The skittish fears.

The difficulty of introducing someone into your pre-existing life.

The strange wonder of having someone else make you see your life in a new way.

The possibility of heartbreak. Always, the possibility of heartbreak.

And that possibility's opposite: the change that maybe, just maybe, you've found the right person to love.

My Opinion

4 stars

I could've sworn that the first chapter (the snowed in date) was something I'd read as an essay or excerpt in another collection but I didn't see anything when I looked it up so maybe it's just a similar concept.

It was a good story with many strong, fully realized characters.  Having the dates run out of order threw me off a little so I had a little adjustment with each chapter to recognize what had already happened and what was yet to come.

As Avery is approaching Ryan before they've met, the author wrote a great line..."He has started their story before Ryan even knows it exists."