Review: You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

Expected Publication: June 7, 2016

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

My Thoughts

You Know Me Well is the story of Kate and Mark who have never talked but know each other from school. They “meet” one night during Pride week at a bar while Mark was with his best friend/crush. They meet up under circumstances they didn’t expect but this could end up being the best friendship either of them thought was possible.

Mark is trying to figure out his love life, he has been in love with his best friend forever but doesn’t know if he can continue living in limbo when it comes it. You see his best friend doesn’t know if he is ready to be in a relationship, so Mark being patient is willing to wait. Until that faithful night at the bar he discovers it isn’t that his friend doesn’t want to be in a relationship he simply doesn’t want to be in one with Mark. This utterly crushes Mark but with help with his new friends especially Kate he is determined to put his heart on the line once and for all.

Kate is there to finally meet up with a girl whom she has been crushing long distance when the girl finally comes back in town she is so scared she backs away like she always does. Kate is an artist and lives her life painting and is afraid to tell her parents she doesn’t want to go to college, this is really a crossroads in her life and she doesn’t know want she wants to do. In meeting Mark that faithful night she finds a confidant, someone who can really listen to her and give her an honest point of view when it comes to her life.

What I loved most about this book was the actual friendship between Mark and Kate. While they attended the same school they have only know about each other from afar and in some cases that made it easier for them to be so relaxed and free with each other. Like they say sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger than those who are close to you.

You Know Me Well is a great coming to age read that shows us while we can be confident about somethings we all have those doubts when it comes to finding out who we are and what we want out of life. That we should never be too scared to put everything on the line when it comes to getting what you want especially in love.