I appreciate that Patrick Ness tries different things and different styles with his writing. This is a very quick read and while I love that it can be read in one sitting I do feel that it perhaps leaves it feeling like things could have been fleshed out more.

I didnt get the chance to read this before it was archived, but I trust that I would have loved it, as I love absolutely everything Patrick Ness writes.

Really liked this cute and short graphc novel about two queer boys who have a terrible relationship, and how it all comes to a head

Was looking forward to this, but unfortunately I didn't even get starting it before it was removed from my shelf so I'm unable to review

CW: Homophobia
This wasn't for me.
I didn't like the whole black box thing, it just made this harder to read and didn't really add anything to the story. And for such a short story, this just repeated the same few things, threw in some homophobia which was obviously going to happen from page 1 and then had an predictable ending.

Patrick Ness is such an essential writer for past generations, present generations, and future generations to come. I really appreciate the realness he puts into his books regarding what it's like to be gay. This book was no different. He mentioned that it was not the typical story you see in most YA gay lit where the best friend falls for the main character and demonstrates the ugly side of how people still perceive gay people. A captivating read with organic illustrations.

This was a quick read not easy to read in some parts but I think that was the desired effect.
This would have been my nightmare if this is how I came out
The author really made you feel the emotions of the characters

Different For Boys was a weird one for me and all in all, it didn't quite work.

The narrative seemed very, very thin on the ground, perhaps because it's only a hundred odd pages and at least a third of those are pictures that didn't really add a lot. This led to there being very little in the way of character development or indeed plot. The three main characters are all pretty much cardboard cut-outs, so the minor bit players in the background suffer even more. It's Jock, Camp, Bully. And that essentially sums up the existence, or lack thereof, of character development here.

I also struggled with the narrative device of blacking out words, phrases and occasionally full sentences. If it were solely done for swear words, it would be annoying but dealable. I don't need to figure out exactly which swear word was used to know it's a swear. But it's also used for anything regarding sex. And being as this is a novel about being a teenager, gay and closeted or not, quite a lot of it revolves around sex. And my head hurt trying to figure out what was being 'said' when over half of the damn paragraph was blacked out. The censorship boxes quickly moved from being an annoying quirk to being seriously aggravating.

This... could be more. It should be more. Patrick Ness is a phenomenal writer; you only need to read A Monster Calls to figure that out. But this was lacking. It is supposedly a 'poignant and moving LGBTQ+ story that explores sexuality and masculinity with a touch of humour', but I really didn't get that. It doesn't evolve the characters enough to be poignant or moving. It struggles to explore sexuality as anything that hints at sex is blacked out. One of the characters displays toxic masculinity I guess, but mostly he's a standard bully and whilst a tragic homelife situation is hinted at, it's never explored. And the humour just didn't land for me.

I also found the illustrations simplistic and unnecessary. They didn't add anything to the narrative frankly. They just took up space that could have been used to really build up the characters and the narrative. For a hundred page book, this is probably only 60-70 pages of actual text and it suffers because of it.

So many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title, but it didn't work for me.

Different for Boys by Patrick Ness is an engaging novel about the struggle of accepting your identity whilst in an environment where most others don’t. It explores the complex emotions and experiences of LGBTQ+ teenagers in a way that’s authentic and relatable with nuanced characters. Ness captures the confusion and anxiety that often accompanies the process of coming out, as well as the profound sense of relief and freedom that can come from finally being true to oneself. The format and illustrations of the book add so much to it, letting readers fill in the blacked out words with what they see fit. Overall, it was easy to digest in one sitting and leaves you wanting to see more of the characters and their individual dynamics amongst one another. Highly recommend.

Thank you Publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Patrick Ness never missed! This book was beautifully written. And the humour... I loved it!

This is a very short novella that I read in about twenty minutes. It is so powerful and emotional and heartbreaking and I absolutely loved it. In such a few amount of pages it packs such a punch by examining male friendship and the impacts of one member of the friendship coming out, high school boy attitudes to homosexuality even now, internalised homophobia and the joys of young love through a gay lens. It’s an absolutely remarkable feat and an amazingly hard hitting read.

I remember reading this years ago when it was originally published as part of an anthology and I adored this updated version. The illustrations are ethereal and bring a wonderful new edge to the story. As per usual Patrick works his magic and oh my is this book magical.

Although at first I was a little taken aback by the redacted lines, I very quickly understood the importance of why Ness had decided to do this. I loved how he had used the redacted lines to show the danger of censorship, especially relating to homosexual relationships. The book follows a group of 'typical' lads in a secondary school setting, who are dealing with the struggles of teenage life alongside questions about their sexuality. This is a really short book (about 125 pages) with some pages taken up with illustrations.

Patrick Ness has another smash hit on his hands with Different for Boys. A very simple story that has so much impact and will be so relevant for young people today.

From the author of A Monster Calls, comes this tale about a group of teenage boys as they navigate hormones, friendship and identity.

A thoroughly engaging read, written in a unique style, that I would recommend for KS3.
I could not stop reading Different for Boys, yet at the same time did not want it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Patrick Ness is one of my instant buy authors; I adore his books.
Different for Boys is another 5 star read!

I loved this book and am so glad that a book of this nature has been written…it’s been a long time coming! This books is accessible to all but has been needed by boys like Ant, Charlie, Jack and Freddie.

I’ve read quite a few reviews that describe the characters as stereotypical or underdeveloped but I personally just don’t think that’s the case. These boys are real, they exist. I’ve met so many of these boys in the 13 years I’ve worked in education; often without always knowing I’ve met them or that this is the reason for their behaviour. This book shows boys like Ant, Charlie, Jack and Freddie that it’s ok to think the way they do and act the way they do, (maybe not Charlie’s actions but I understand why he’s acting out) and to not have any answers. That it’s ok to unashamedly know who you are and own it but it’s also ok to be questioning and unsure and not have any answers and to want to explore that.

Ness’s use of redacting any words that deal with sex or swearing is effective. It’s easy to fill in the blanks yourself, and even though you might not be 100% accurate, you’ll definitely be thinking along the right lines. The breaking of the fourth wall really made me chuckle and highlights how ridiculous it is to try and censor young people who already know these words and need to be educated on the topics they’re discussing rather than hiding everything under a shroud, which is far more dangerous in my opinion. It was particularly effective that Ness didn’t censor the homophobic slurs used by some of the characters, perfectly highlighting the hypocrisy that exists surround appropriate language.

The illustrations on the book really add to the story. I love how they’re slightly scruffy, and sometimes difficult to first realise what you’re looking at, reflecting the emotions and thoughts of the young people in this story.

This was an easy read at just over 100 pages but incredibly enjoyable and a book I think I’ll come back to again; I feel like it’s book you’ll take more away from after each read. I can’t recommend this book enough!

Different for boys is an honest depiction of the awkward teenage years as friends hormonal desires kick in and relationships develop and fray. Brutally sincere and engaging, Ness has created a stunning portrayal of coming to terms with your sexuality in all its messiness. Issues of homophobia, toxic masculinity and untapped anger are all dealt with in a realistic way.

The illustrations are very much the story echoing the bewildering and disconcerting nature of exposing your true identity to those closest to you.

A great read for a secondary school library. Main character Ant is trying to navigate his way through school and his increasingly complex friendships with three different boys. He has been best friends with Charlie forever - but Charlie is homophobic and a complicated home life is affecting his friendship with Ant, which has developed in a way neither saw coming. Jack has been friends with Ant and Charlie since primary school, but changes as he has grown up have attracted Charlie's rage. Freddie is returning after moving away several years previously - he just wants to play rugby with Ant, but Charlie (who is worried he will loose Ant's friendship) is determined to prevent this. Patrick Ness has created a believable and emotive story that carefully considers multiple aspects of friendships and relationships.

It's an important book that talks about the discovery of sexuality by teen males and it talks about sex and life in a realistic way.
The author is talented storyteller and develops three great characters and a thought provoking story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I love love love Patrick Ness so I was incredibly excited to read this book and I wasn’t disappointed even a little bit.
I first and foremost loved the story and the exploration of sexuality trough the eyes of the protagonist Ant and his friends. I really liked that it was handled kind of crude in the way that’s real. Like I can see this happening in real life.
The writing style was awesome! I loved the kind of breaking of the fourth wall and the characters speaking to the reader.
Definitely a rec for everyone!