Is He Or Isn't He?

July 3, 2006
With overtones of last fall's M or F?, this tale centers on a cute new high school student who becomes the crush of two best friends-a guy and a girl. But 17-year-old Paige and Anthony cannot decide if Max is straight or gay; Anthony's "gaydar" does not work on Max. Even as their friendships with Max develop, they remain unsure: Max agrees to play the gay lead character in Anthony's film, Not All Italian Boys Are Straight, but also accepts Paige's invitation to spend a weekend at her house in the Hamptons. Despite the playful set-up, most of the plotting seems scripted; readers may not be able to guess the answer to the title question, but they will have no problem figuring out how Paige and Anthony will eventually end up, and what lessons they will learn along the way. Sensible Paige and dramatic Anthony's friendship has a fun dynamic ("Did you dress in the dark?" Anthony hisses at Paige when she wears sweats to a movie night that Max is attending), but it is hard to understand what they see in boring Max, beyond his good looks. Even glamorous details about the characters' Manhattan lives (their parents are celebrities, they buy designer clothes and attend fancy parties) do not contribute much energy to the story. In the end, readers may not stick around long enough to find out if Max is or isn't. Ages 14-up.

August 1, 2006
Gr 9 Up -Best friends Paige and Anthony are seniors at a New York City high school, and they -re both looking for boyfriends. Anthony is still trying to get over being dumped by Ian, and Paige can -t seem to attract a nice guy. Into their lives walks Max, who is friendly to everyone and extremely attractive. Anthony and Paige are both interested in him but they can -t tell if he -s gay or straight -Anthony -s -gaydar - seems to be off, giving rise to the book -s title, so they come up with a series of contrived ways to find out if Max likes guys or girls. Other than the main characters - occasional internal struggles to stay true to themselves, most of this fluffy romance centers around how others are never quite what they seem. By the time Paige and Anthony learn Max -s sexual orientation, they have discovered that their interest was just an infatuation and that it no longer matters. Paige discovers she enjoys the company of Anthony -s brother, and Anthony discovers that his coffee-shop server is both gay and interested. Fun summer romance reading and that -s about it." -Karen Hoth, Marathon Middle/High School, FL"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 14, 2006
With overtones of last fall's M or F?, this tale centers on a cute new high school student who becomes the crush of two best friends-a guy and a girl. But 17-year-old Paige and Anthony cannot decide if Max is straight or gay; Anthony's "gaydar" does not work on Max. Even as their friendships with Max develop, they remain unsure: Max agrees to play the gay lead character in Anthony's film, Not All Italian Boys Are Straight, but also accepts Paige's invitation to spend a weekend at her house in the Hamptons. Despite the playful set-up, most of the plotting seems scripted; readers may not be able to guess the answer to the title question, but they will have no problem figuring out how Paige and Anthony will eventually end up, and what lessons they will learn along the way. Sensible Paige and dramatic Anthony's friendship has a fun dynamic ("Did you dress in the dark?" Anthony hisses at Paige when she wears sweats to a movie night that Max is attending), but it is hard to understand what they see in boring Max, beyond his good looks. Even glamorous details about the characters' Manhattan lives (their parents are celebrities, they buy designer clothes and attend fancy parties) do not contribute much energy to the story. In the end, readers may not stick around long enough to find out if Max is or isn't. Ages 14-up.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.