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Content snapshot
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Violence
None
No violence
Language
Barely any
Mild language in the YA register; Rafe's voice is sharp and funny
Sexual Content
Barely any
YA romantic content; Rafe's feelings for his roommate and the complications that follow
Substance Use
Barely any
Some teen drinking at the boarding school
Emotional Intensity
Some
The psychological complexity of choosing to hide a part of yourself — and the costs of that choice — is the novel's honest and warm subject
What this book is about
Bill Konigsberg's YA novel follows Rafe Goldberg, an openly gay teen in Boulder who transfers to an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts to escape the labels and preconceptions — and to be just a regular person. What happens when he falls for his straight roommate complicates everything. Konigsberg writes with sharp humor and genuine emotional intelligence; the novel is warm, funny, and honest about the costs of hiding. Appropriate for older YA readers.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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