Ollie is so baffled by Will's refusal to acknowledge knowing him. Even if they pretend they were not an item, they could still have known each other as friends. But Will is so entrenched in his persona at school, that Ollie finds himself put off by Will's sarcastic, jokester behaviour. Ollie begins to see a side of Will that differs from the boy he fell for, summer Will was sweet, caring, tender. Was summer Will his real personality, or is school Will the real deal? Ollie's family is accepting of who he is, whereas Will believes his family would not be so understanding. Will feels he needs to fit in to the box that he was sorted since childhood. He is a jock, a star basketball player, he will use this to gain a scholarship to a College. He hides everything about himself, even his desire to become a nurse and help others. It was gutting reading about this teen who is so terrified to be himself, so he pushes away the one person who has come to understand and love him for who he is. Ollie's perspective at first paints Will as a villain, who used him over the summer. Slowly though, Ollie begins to realize the depths of Will's anxiety and fear, often allowing him to be the shoulder for Will to lean on in terms of being truthful about his future. Ollie is often times a crutch for others, especially his family and Will. Even his new crew of friends use Ollie for their own benefits. Ollie's family life is complicated. He was often the most mature in the bunch, taking on responsibilities well beyond his age. A couple of times I felt such anger towards his parents, when they took out their frustration and anger on him, when he was simply trying to help, waking up, or when he voiced sadness about not being home for his senior year. He was expected to do whatever was asked of him, without complaint or apology. I felt this did not get addressed or resolved properly, until the very end he had to control his emotions in front of his parents. This made the relationship with Will that much more important, as Will was the only one to listen and understand him, while also allowing him to still be a teen. The story line with his Aunt had me in tears. Ollie was so expressive about his fear for his Aunt, his missing who she used to be, thinking of how she must be feeling worrying she will miss her kids growing up. As well, he is continuously caring for his younger cousins, trying to help with their pain and confusion. It gave this novel a depth that complimented the laughter and teen dramatics. A very cute take on Grease, with moments of sadness and honesty. I was ho hum on the side stories of Ollie's new friend crew. Most of those stories could have contained a bit more substance or been left out entirely. Felt very much like unnecessary filler. But, overall, a great read!
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