Ryan and Avery is the third David Levithan Book I’ve read, and this one was every bit as magical as the first two. It also happens to be the first of his books I’ve read since coming out. While this isn’t necessarily relevant to the plot, it did result in a lot of self-reflection while reading. I adored Every Day when I read it in high school and now maybe I’m closer to realizing why!
That being said, as a standalone novel (which it is), Ryan and Avery was absolutely incredible. This was the adorable story of two high schoolers falling in love as they navigated their friends, parents, and getting to know each other. Ryan is a cis gay teenager whose parents are toxic and not all that accepting. Avery is a trans gay teen whose parents are kind and loving, although at times a tad bit overbearing. When Avery and Ryan meet for the first time at a gay prom, sparks fly instantly and they can’t help but become a central part of each other’s lives.
The plot shifts back and forth through time, opening on date five but telling the story of dates 1-9 before the story ends. This non-linear way of exploring their relationship worked surprisingly well. It allowed me to become even more invested in their story than I would have been had I read it in order, and it provided additional insight into why each of the characters behaved the way they did.
It was cute to see an example of supportive parents who allowed their teenager to both transition and to date who he wanted. Avery was at times annoyed by his parents, which makes sense given that he’s a teenager, but overall their relationship was beautiful and nice to see. We rarely see examples of supportive parents in literature—even straight kids tend to alienate their parents for the plot. It was so important to see that some parents really do let their children be who they are, and David Levithan delivered in giving us that.
On the other hand, Ryan’s parents were terrible. They were overall manipulative of him and tried to punish him for no real reason. Parents such as these are real, and Ryan was lucky because he has someone supportive in his life, in the form of his Aunt Caitlyn. Caitlyn was straight, but reading this book made me so deeply excited to be the supportive gay aunt for all of my nieces and nephews in the future. I just want to be an old gay person who can mentor the youth!
Ryan and Avery’s love story felt real to me, and I love that the book settled at just giving an overview of their first few dates. There was no cliched Happily Ever After, because there didn’t need to be. These are teenagers, and there’s magic in watching them fall “in like” and then “in love” with each other. It felt real, and it’s exactly what I wanted to read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a realistic high school romance.
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I received a copy of this book from the Libro.fm influencers ALC program. All opinions are my own!
