by Nina LaCour & David Levithan
Published by Macmillan
Paperback (purchased)
YA, LGBT, contemporary
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.
There were various things I really liked in this story. Mark was adorable, and I felt for him so much because of his unrequired love for his best friend - which was portrayed so well, because the person who does not love you back the same way you do, does not make them a bad person. In a way, I think this is the most real and relatable story about unrequired love, and it showed the both sides very well. I also liked Mark and Kate's friendship; how they just clicked and how well they understood each other, and were there when the other needed them, even if they had just known each other for a few days. Kate, however, was not as big hit for me as Mark because I struggled to relate with her. I still think the authors portrayed well how it is to struggle with being true to oneself when you feel pressured to do something you are not ready for.
So, there were very good themes, lots of emotions and feelings, good diverse set of characters, and basically everything was good. Something was missing, though, because I didn't feel overwhelming love for the story or the characters. Something lacked - maybe action, maybe some big emotion, maybe just something. You Know Me Well was a very good, solid story, and I would recommend it to those who want to read something good about friendships, taking the big steps of life after high school, and unrequired love. It might click for you. For me, sadly, it was a good story but it wasn't something that swept me off my feed or made my heart race. That's the only reason why I'm giving it only three stars.
3of 5 stars.
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