You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

You Know Me Well by David Levithan, Nina LaCour
Published by St. Martin's Press on June 7th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA, Young Adult, YA
Goodreads

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.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of Hold Still and The Disenchantments, and David Levithan, the best-selling author of Every Day and co-author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green), You Know Me Well is a deeply honest story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

I received a copy of this book for review, this does not influence my thoughts on the book or this review.

When I heard two of my favourite authors are working on a collaboration, I knew I had to read it. To the shock of no one, I loved it! You Know Me Well tells the story of a friendship forged over San Francisco Pride Week and yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds.

Mark and Kate sit next to each other in calculus, but they don’t really pay attention to one another. That is, until Kate sees Mark in an unexpected place. Mark is in love with his best friend, while Kate is about to meet the girl she thinks will be the love of her life. The two quickly become friends and what ensues is a fun novel about friendship, first love and what it means to know someone.

Most novels that feature alternating POVs have two main characters that end up falling in love, but I loved that these POVs just featured two characters who are friends. It was refreshing to read two entirely different, but unique, stories within one novel. I just loved the friendship between Mark and Kate.

I also loved the individual romance arcs that the main characters have. Kate’s story was so cute and swoony. Mark’s story was a bit more complicated, but still as engaging and interesting. While the novel takes place over one week, I loved how the characters changed and grew as a cause of their experiences.

Overall, You Know Me Well is a lovely novel from two fantastic authors. If you’re looking for a good friendship story, I highly recommend it.