Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: duct tape man, fag hag, gig bag, Herr Reitz, Eddie Caron, Tom Tanner (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Senior Belle Philbrick is known as one half of her rural Maine high school's most established couples; everyone in town just assumes that she and Dylan will get married after college. When he confesses to her that he is gay, Belle doesn't know how to react. She wants to be there for him, the boy who had been her best friend for longer than they had been lovers, but his coming out is devastating for her. She knows that being an openly gay student in her small school is not going to be easy for Dylan; however, she didn't realize how difficult it would be to be known as his former girlfriend. Soon, Belle, too, is the target of stares and taunts and, as she tries to get through that first week after their breakup, she finds support from an unexpected ally who seems to offer a new chance at romance. The provincial Maine setting is richly described as a natural haven with the potential to both encourage and impede growth, and Belle's challenge to find nourishment there is well realized. The novel suffers a bit for its length; however, it introduces fully three-dimensional characters facing and reacting to Dylan's difficult decision to, by Belle's observation, be gay in a world where gay is dangerous…where gay means you can die because you've loved. Jones offers an atypical perspective of the coming-out story by legitimizing the love that is not lost, but changed, when young people grow up and apart.–Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Winner of the 2008 Maine Literary Award

It isn’t every day that my high school boyfriend, Eastbrook High School’s Harvest King, tells me he’s gay. It’s not every day that the Harvest Queen is dumped in the middle of a road with the stars watching the humiliation and the dogs barking because they want to come help tear my heart out and leave it on the cold gray ground. It isn’t every day that my entire world falls apart.

Belle believes that Dylan is her true love—maybe even her soulmate. Until one cold night when Dylan drops the ultimate bomb: he’s gay. Where, Belle wonders, does that leave her? Should she have somehow been able to tell? Is every guy that she loves going to turn out to be gay?

This beautifully-written debut explores what happens when you are suddenly forced to see someone in a different light, and what that can teach you about yourself.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Flux (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738710504
• ISBN-13: 978-0738710501
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,338,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A smart, big-hearted Young Adult novel, June 4, 2007

By	Kelly Herold "Big A little a" (Smalltown, Midwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Carrie Jones' "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" adds a twist to the YA breakup novel.

High school senior and singer-songwriter, Belle Philbrick, is dumped. And not in your usual way. Her boyfriend Dylan--Harvest King to Belle's Harvest Queen--announces that he's gay. And, needless to say, dumps her. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" chronicles Belle's story in first-person narration over the course of the week that follows.

Why a week? In an inspired piece of character development, Belle doesn't want to turn into a Malory--a girl who whines about a boy for an extended period of time. Instead, she spends time with her best friend, Emily, and becomes closer to Dylan's best friend, Tom. And, because she lives in a small Maine town--her breakup and Dylan's announcement that he's gay remain their secret for about 24 hours before everyone knows everything. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" is a tale not just of Belle's coming to terms with her gay (ex) boyfriend, but also the entire town's adjustment to Dylan's announcement.

Carrie Jones has created an admirable heroine in Belle. While her breakup with Dylan is understandably painful, social justice and her true love for Dylan win over her pain. As one of the leaders of her school's Amenesty International chapter, Belle can't overlook when other students call Dylan "fag" (or her, weirdly, "fag hag"). Belle is a compelling character, very real despite the fact that her situation may seem unusual. One doesn't expect your first and true love to be gay. Fortunately, Belle has a good friend to turn to--a level-headed girl named Emily. Here is a revealing conversation between the two girls:

"'You know. It's a big deal what's happening to you and Dylan and everything. That's hard to adjust to. You love him for, like, forever and then--boom that love's gone.'

I stare into Emily's blue eyes. She stares back with sympathy. I say as undramtically as possible. 'It was a lie, Em. It was just a fairy tale. You don't have to recover from a fairy tale.'

She exhales, plucks off the lens cap again and twirls it between her fingers. 'Yes, you do.'"

Carrie Jones has teenage speak--even the discourse of smart, self-aware teens like Emily and Belle--down pat. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" is highly recommended for older teens. (There is some sexual content.) This is one smart book with one smart heroine.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An inspirational book!, July 2, 2007

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Erin Keith (age 16) for Reader Views (6/07)

When a relationship between two people ends, it's usually really bad for one person and not so much the other, but what if your boyfriend turned out to be gay? That's exactly what Belle Philbrick learns when the love of her life, Dylan, tells her he is gay. She decides that she can't be mad about Dylan's decision, so she makes a list of tips on what to do and what NOT to do in a situation like this. She is in a constant battle throughout this book because she can't figure out why she was attracted to a gay guy in the first place.

When she is suddenly over Dylan and discovers a new crush, she is scared but very excited. Her new crush turns out to be the one guy who has always had liked her a lot. In the back of her mind she begins to feel sad and worried that she got over Dylan so quickly. That's when things begin to get bad at school. She goes through so many traumatic things, but in the end she is able to pull through and prove to everyone that she is a tough person with real emotions. I would recommend "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" to anyone who is going through a tough time and needs some inspiration. Belle's character is full of strength and knowledge, but at the same time she is a very real person.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tips for reading this book......., June 10, 2007

By	Rhona L. Westbrook (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

1. Keep a tissue handy because if you were ever a teenager, ever in your life, this story will touch your soul and you'll probably cry.

2. Find a comfortable place to sit because you won't be able to move until you've finished the book and unless you read very fast, your butt will hurt.

3. Build a small shrine on which to place the book when you've finished because it forced you to look inside and really see yourself and you don't want to forget that feeling. Ever.

I LOVED this book and I don't even read this genre! Carie Jones has joined my list of favorite authors and I can't wait for her next book!