Book Review: Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Greg Gaines has led a life with the motto stay under the radar, be known by no one and just make it through. He has no real friends, well except for Earl, and while he would love a girlfriend he realizes that he is not the type of guy who the girls really look at that way. He's hoping to skate through his senior year of high school unnoticed, and unremarkable.

Then his mom tells him that Rachel Kushner has leukemia, and he should go over and hang out with her. At first he doesn't know what to do, and slowly things get worse, even though people are saying he is doing nice things. Then she finds out about the films he and Earl make, and before long she gets to watch them. Greg is mortified, and goes from being invisible to being the guy who is dating the cancer girl. But he's not sure they are dating, and Rachel isn't getting better, and he's not even sure they are friends.

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl (contrary to popular belief) is not the book you give someone who just read The Fault in Our Stars. While both deal with high school relationships and cancer (and dying), there is a huge difference in tone and feel. Greg is really trying to make sense of what happened, and while maybe he does grow and change a bit from this, he is still a teenage boy with no clue, who would rather blame this all on having a brain fungus.

With the movie coming out today, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl would make a great summer reading book. It has laugh out loud moments, and while there is sadness in the reality of Rachel's leukemia, and Greg's own unraveling because of it.

I'll see you @ the library!
Katie (Now reading Forever for a Year by B.T. Gottfred.)