March 2012 by Amulet Books
295 pages
Three stars
"Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight." -Goodreads
I knew very little about this book going into it. I heard a lot of people on BookTube talk about how much they loved it, but never really specified the plot. I went into it pretty blind, but still was a little let down.
Greg Gaines is just an average Joe who makes bad films with his best friend Earl. When a friend from the past, Rachel, is diagnosed with Leukemia, his mom forces him to spend time with her to cheer her up.
One of the things I loved the most about this book is the formatting and storytelling. Greg talks to the readers directly, which I think was done fantastically. This book is him looking back on the past, and telling us what we should expect from the story. There are bullet points, lists, and scripts among other things throughout the regular narration. It really breaks up the story and keeps your attention.
In so many books that deal with such a heavy subject matter, it's emotionally draining to read. Rachel's sickness is such a sad an unfortunate thing, but Greg keeps it lighthearted and the story isn't just about Rachel being sick. It's about the friendship between these three people and how Greg grows up when faced with this hard situation. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl is hilarious at times and I found myself literally laughing out loud.
Greg is a very interesting character, and I have to say, I don't like him very much. He is socially awkward and aggravatingly modest. Most of the time he comes off as inconsiderate and a little too blunt. He isn't very respectful or appreciative of the people in his life, although that does change towards the end. He just seems to be a typical clueless teenage boy, who knows nothing of the world. I think Jesse Andrews did a great job at writing his character, I just can't connect to him. I know I am the unpopular opinion in this, because a lot of people really do love Greg. While he was funny, and by the end I had warmed up to him, I just didn't love him.
I really would have loved to see the film they made at the end turn out better than it did. I wish they had been able to make something that really honored Rachel but I don't think that would have been true to the characters in this story. I liked Earl, but they both were just a little too clueless. I really did appreciate the honesty in the story and the consistency in the characters.
I watched the film recently to see how it would compare to the book. In some ways, I connected to the movie more. I found Greg to be more likable and less frustrating. I liked book Rachel better though. I think they complimented each other well, but were definitely different stories. Both the movie and the book had parts that I liked better than the other.
I do recommend this book. I think most people will love this story, it just wasn't my cup of tea at times. I know I am the unpopular opinion and maybe if I were to reread this story a few years from now, I'd appreciate Greg a little more than I do now.
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