It was an interesting concept and I really wanted the author to really delve deeper into the idea of kids being trapped by gender or sexual orientation stereotypes. I wanted to like Art, but after awhile he seemed more like a stalker. ( )

Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Not Recommended
Level: High School

Zee is a straight girl who everyone thinks is a lesbian because of her masculinity. Art is a straight boy everyone thinks is gay because of his femininity. Over the course of this novel, told in alternating viewpoints, the two fall in love but don't quite succeed in getting everyone else to accept them for who they are. You may have noticed that our couple's names are combined to form "artsy," and that's part of the novel's problem. The book is so committed to its quirkiness and cutseyness that it begins to lose the reader early on. Art's family communicates by yelling IN ALL CAPS, which makes the journey from funny to tiresome rather quickly. Art also likes to express his life in pie charts, and the quirky pizzerias and tics of the novel practically scream for you to imagine a manic pixie dream girl in each and every scene. The abbreviated point-of-view changes make for a choppy reading experience. It's like someone wrote a novel based on an algorithm for what contrivances teens like these days, which is unfortunate because I found myself unable to connect with characters due to the novel's many distracting stylistic choices. While it's admirable that this book tries to take on gender roles and fluidity, there are far better novels of its like out there who tackle the subject with more sincerity and subtlety. ( )