Meg & Linus Hardcover – April 18, 2017

I had the opportunity to read Meg and Linus when it was first being considered by SwoonReads for publication. I loved it then; I love it now as a finished product.There are few teen stories where friendship is the bedrock to the story and this story celebrates friendship. Yes, there is romance (and it is delightful), but the real charm to the story is the friendship and the support between Meg and Linus. Even when they are hurt by the other's actions, they pull together. Even when they are in romantic relationships with others, their friendship is still vitally important.I really hope to see more from this author. She gets the YA genre well and I appreciate the the LGBTQ themes embrace more than coming out.

My nephew devoured this book overnight

My daughter loved this book She is 14! Great read!!!!

Meg and Linus have been best friends from the moment they met. They love studying, Star Trek, cookies, pizza and coffee. Linus is still single, but has met a boy he likes a lot. His name is Danny and he works at a coffee shop. Meg and Sophia have been together since Meg was fifteen years old and Meg dreams about getting married after college. She's shocked when Sophia breaks up with her at the end of the summer. It isn't the start of the school year Meg has envisioned. Sophia is a year ahead of her and already in college and doesn't want to give a long distance relationship a try. Meg is devastated, but is determined to try new things. Together with Linus she joins the drama club. However, she might have another motive than just having fun. She wants Linus to find a boyfriend and Meg is going to help him to get together with Danny. Meg isn't even sure Danny is gay, so is this really a good plan?Meg and Linus have a precious kind of friendship. They are both kind and caring and they have a lot in common. Because Meg has been dating Sophia for a very long time, Linus is used to hanging out with both of them. When their situations reverse and Linus is hanging out with Danny, while Meg doesn't have anyone special in her life, their friendship is starting to become awkward. Meg has a broken heart and she has no idea how to deal with this and Linus doesn't know how to help her. This is an interesting topic for a story and I couldn't wait to find out where it would lead and read Meg & Linus in one sitting because of it.Linus is adorable. He's incredibly sweet and a little bit shy. He keeps challenging himself though and I loved how naïve and brave he is at the same time. Danny is just as cute and they are endearing together. Meg is having a tough time and she's lonely, but she doesn't let anyone help her. My heart ached for her and I kept hoping she'd find happiness again. I loved that Meg & Linus is about friendship mostly. Of course love is part of the story, but reading about what it means to be a good friend is the most important aspect of Meg & Linus and it's what I liked best about the book.Hanna Nowinski's writing flows easily. She alternates between Meg and Linus and I equally liked reading both points of view. Their last year at high school brings plenty of changes and I loved how Hanna Nowinski writes about major and minor things in the same empathic way. Meg & Linus is a lovely story filled with amazing friendship, insecurities, uneasy situations, happiness and change. I really enjoyed reading this wonderful story.

3.5 stars!If I had to describe Meg & Linus in one word it would be – CUTE! Above all else, this is a story about friendship and Meg and Linus are major friend goals. They have that sort of friendship people strive to have in their life and it was a joy to read. They study together, join clubs, and set up movie marathons to watch. They have a deep compassion for each other and it showed on every page. When Meg’s girlfriend breaks up with her suddenly before the new school year, she has a tough time dealing with it and basically suppresses her feelings and distracts herself by trying to set up Linus with a cute new boy he has a crush on. And this is the backbone of the story.The chapters flop back and forth in points of view between Meg and Linus. We get to see both characters sort of transform and come of age. Both characters are extremely smart and have a passion for learning. They love coffee, and Star Trek and I definitely noticed a reference to Lord of the Rings and Lembas bread thrown in. Meg is a little more outgoing and is determined to try new things and distract herself from the breakup. Her number one distraction comes in the form of trying to push Linus towards his new crush, Danny. Linus is the definition of adorkable. He is incredibly adorable but oh so nerdy and I loved him. His social awkwardness was so cute and man did I resonate with him on that. His chapters were my favorite. Unfortunately, Meg gets a little too pushy in her quest at times and I think I felt just as uncomfortable as Linus as I remembered my experiences with that in high school. But the thing was, it was never done maliciously. It always came from a place in her heart with the best intentions and that is exactly why this friendship worked so well for me. Even when the characters made mistakes, they always genuinely wanted happiness for each other and could realize their mistakes themselves.Something else to love about Meg & Linus is the progression of friendship for Linus and Danny. Linus was crushing hard on the new boy before school even started but lacked the confidence to talk to him, feeling himself too nerdy and not so sure Danny was interested in boys romantically. Their interactions were so adorable as they formed a friendship that got Linus out of his comfort zone. It was slow goings for Linus to come around and be a little more himself (holy awkward convos, Batman!) around Danny but I did love this part of the story a great deal and had a big ol’ smile on my face whenever they graced the pages together.There were a few little things that didn’t work for me as well as I hoped. It lacked somewhat in believability for teenage characters. Everything- conversations, inner dialogue, actions- seemed just a little too clean. I wish the characters felt a little more like teenagers and had that bit of edge to them. The plot is on the simpler side and focuses on the evolution of the characters but I would have liked to have seen a little more conflict thrown in to help the pacing.I love reading a novel that represents the LGBTQ in such a normalized way like Meg & Linus. There was so much to enjoy with this read – learning to step outside your comfort zone to make new friends and opportunities, learning from mistakes, the art of moving on, supportive family, strong friendships, adorkable characters, and embracing your nerdiness. If you are looking for a cute coming of age novel than this is one to check out.