Customer Reviews

Is He Or Isn't He?

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're cute and the new guy at school, watch out for Anthony and Paige.
These 17-year-old bestfriends at Peppington High in NYC are determined to have dates for their senior prom by year's end.
Their object of affection: the new kid on the block, the ever-adorable Max.
But there's one tiny setback - they can't tell if Max bats for Anthony's team or Paige's. So the bestfriends embark on a year-long quest to find out if Max is or isn't gay.
Their mission, with help from the richie-rich-wanna-be reality-TV star twins Rachel and Bianca Torres and plus-size teen model Colleen who loves her full figure, sends the daring duo on covert operations that involve a guy-to-guy kiss for Anthony's play, a weekend at Paige's father's home in the Hamptons, a good-bad movie night, and a win-a-date-with-a-bachelor auction.
While author John Hall humorously plants the reader in the life of today's teens, with their abbreviated vernacular (No prob!), Hall also explores some deeper issues with his young cast of characters.
Paige, who is sweet and pretty, doesn't want to stand out for her looks because of her strained relationship with her absent starlet mother, who has made a living off her looks on The Yields of Passion daytime soap opera.
Anthony tries to fit in with his click of friends even though he feels different from them because he likes guys. As a gay male teen, he can't seem to find other cute guys like himself in his small social scene at school and that only frustrates him. It's so much easier for his girlfriends, he says, because as a gay teen, sometimes it's difficult discerning who is gay or not. He also wrestles with having a super butch and guy's guy older brother Paolo who is in college and seems to have all the right answers and an easier time dating girls.
And then there's Max, who keeps himself guarded as the new kid in school and that only drives Paige and Anthony to find out who he really is.
But it's Anthony who shines the most here. You can't help but love this little guy, with his flair for fashion and throwing outdoor parties for his friends. He has big dreams of being a filmmaker and he hopes to find real love one day.
When he sees some gay couples in a supermarket late at night after a gay birthday party where he saw his ex with a new boyfriend, Anthony becomes hopeful that he too might find that right guy one day.
Hall writes, "Watching these couples, Anthony suddenly felt hopeful. Here was proof that you didn't have to be part of the gay party scene in order to be happy. You could be a regular person who washed clothes, cooked pasta, clipped coupons, did weekly grocery shopping and happened to be gay.''
The book moves at a nice pace and keeps the reader engaged and asking all along, Is Max or Isn't Max? The writing is also very conversational, making the reader feel like he's eavesdropping on a conversation among friends. You are right there in the school hallways, the highrises, the parties and even the Frosted Cupcake shop with the gang.
For teenagers struggling with fitting in at a new school or a social scene, Is He or Isn't He might help them realize that you're never alone for long, especially if you are lucky enough to come across friends like Anthony and Paige.

Paige and Anthony are two best friends who are both rather desperate to find boyfriends before they end up going with each other to their Senior Prom. When Max moves to New York and becomes a part of their social circle (made up of rich New York teenage children of famous people), they are both entranced.

One of them has got to end up with this super-cute and charming guy. Who, though? It all comes down to answering one question: is he or isn't he? If he's gay, Anthony and he will certainly end up together. The same holds true of he and Paige if Max is straight. Right? It would be too simple to just ask, though, so Paige and Anthony come up with a number of
entertaining schemes to figure it out, from buying new clothes to asking him to star in a movie as a gay character. The truth has got to come out sometime!

IS HE OR ISN'T HE? is a fun read, although predictable; from the first couple of chapters it will be pretty obvious how it's all going to turn out. It's still fun, though, and Paige and Anthony's schemes had me laughing out loud at points. The characters themselves, however, are a little flat. But if you're looking for a few hours of entertainment, you'll definitely enjoy this book!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

IS HE OR ISN'T HE? is a wonderful page-turner. I connected with both Anthony and Paige--loyal friends extraordinaire. There were many funny moments in this story, and all the while I was cheering for Paige and Anthony. I love the ending and wonder which rising stars will get to play our protagonists and their friends in the movie version.

As a former high school English teacher, I can attest that there aren't many books that hold a teen's interest. But "Is He or Isn't He?" is bound to do just that.

John Hall has taken the very contemporary topic of homosexuality and blended it with the tried-and-true YA theme of "poor little rich girls/boys" and the familiar teenage angst of possible unrequited love.

His main characters, best friends Paige and Anthony, are realistically drawn and their openess with each other is typical of today's younger generation.

This book is not your mother's "Trixie Belden"!

I started this book tonight, and except for dinner and an hour on the computer, I have not been able to put it down. It's great from the start and keeps you wanting to turn the page.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first read the description, but I decided to take a chance anyways. And I was not dissapointed.

Is He or Isn't He, is a great quick read. If you really don't want to think too hard, this is a great book. I think that teens will find it a really great read. The characters are well done, if a little stereotypical.

The story takes place in the upper class of New York High Schoolers. The characters are sons and daughters of Major executives, fashion designers, soap stars, and the like. After all at one point, one of the characters rents out an entire NY Gay club for his birthday party.

The story revolves around answering the eternal question of "Is He or Isn't He?" As two best friends try to figure out if the new kid at school is gay or straight. They do some pretty corny stuff. They even sneak into the new kid's home to rifle though his room. The plot is predictable, and I knew how it was going to end after not reading for very long. But it was still worth the read.

You're not going to have a long deep discussion over this book, but if you want to be entertained, this is definitely a good choice.

From reading the back of the book you are able to figure out the ending. After two or three chapters I absolutly knew the ending. Well written but predicitable.

The wrighter used good words, he includes what the people are thinking. Creating a new lifelikeness to the book. Its funny, creative, and gut busting. There are so many corners turned in this book, its such an adventure!

Buy this book! You will love it!

I don't know if it was just me, or what, but this book drove me nuts! The main characters are these pompus inter-city snobs who I just wanted to smack upside the head! I actually felt sorry for the kid that they were both after because I personally wouldn't have been interested in either of them too! Personal convictions side, the book was written fairly well, but I didn't find it to be very plausible. If teenagers in the east are really this stupid, then I am -glad- I grew up a mid-western girl!