“When I was little, my dad used to tell me, ‘Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.'”

From John Green and David Levithan’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

Living in Chicago, Will Grayson is your average high school student: he just wants to live his life without being noticed. This Will is perfectly content for people to notice anything about him. However, Will’s large and gay best friend Tiny, who does well both as a football player and theater nerd, makes obscurity just about impossible. Tiny is also producing a musical about his life the upcoming high school play which has left Will feeling vulnerable and alone with Tiny’s focus on the play. Meanwhile living in Naperville just outside of Chicago, lives Will Grayson. This other Will has a rather terrible life where nothing goes right except his developing online relationship with a boy named Isaac. As his virtual boyfriend seems to be a perfect match for him in every way, Will is excited to meet him in person and sets up a face-to-face date in Chicago. However, Will quickly learns that his growing relationship with Isaac is not at all what he thought which leaves him angry, confused, alone, and in place to meet his fellow namesake: the other Will Grayson. Both Wills find their lives pushed together in the most unexpected of ways, and once they meet their lives, friends, and experiences seem like they might be connected forever.

Split between the two authors (with Green taking Chicago Will and Levithan taking Naperville Will) creates a story that is distinct between the two parts, but also interestingly connected as a whole. Many readers will be drawn to the book because of Green’s famous writing style and popular stories, unfortunately his contributions to this book are not his best work when paired with his co-author’s work. The characters are (for the most part) honest and engaging built into a story that is entertaining, especially for those seeking something with LGBTQ characters. Will Grayson, Will Grayson is an interesting story that pushes readers to be brave enough to take that first step outside a comfort zone and to never take good friends for granted.