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Honestly Ben
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
19 posts | 26 read | 1 reading | 3 to read
Ben Carver is back to normal. He's working steadily in his classes at the Natick School. He just got elected captain of the baseball team. He's even won a full scholarship to college, if he can keep up his grades. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg the past semester is in the past. Except... There's Hannah, the gorgeous girl from the neighboring school, who attracts him and distracts him. There's his mother, whose quiet unhappiness Ben is noticing for the first time. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. And there's Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else . . . and maybe the real normal that Ben needs. Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Andrew Smith, and John Green, Honestly Ben is a smart, laugh-out-loud novel that will speak to anyone who's struggled to be "honestly ____________" in some part of their lives.
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Zoe-h
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Bailedbailed

Disappointing. When I went into this book‘s profile on Litsy, it had an 62% picks. And then I read a review on here saying that the book totally erased bi people, and honestly, I was getting that vibe already from the 43 pages I read. I mean the whole premise of the book is that Ben has to choose between liking girls or guys. I loved the first and loved it so this was really disappointing.

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Zoe-h
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Nutmegnc
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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And quite possibly one of longest-and funniest-author bios on Amazon.

charl08 Harrumph, says Bill. 🤣 4y
Reggie Lolol I‘ve only read his The Music of What Happens, but it was great. 4y
14 likes1 stack add2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Pickpick

Honestly, I think it‘s impossible to read this sequel to the fantastic Openly Straight without falling a little bit in love with Ben Carver yourself. Junior year is a challenge—there‘s a girl Ben really likes but he can‘t get Rafe out of his mind, he‘s won an award & a scholarship he might lose as his grades slide & what‘s with all the labels people want to slap on him... Can‘t he just be Ben? And what about a Rafe? A very good read. Recommended.

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yourfavouritemixtape
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Mehso-so

I have to admit, I liked the Hannah-Storyline the best. The Rafe and the dad one was too much tell, too little show.

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yourfavouritemixtape
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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The reason why I don‘t like reading books in series: even if I don‘t like it I kind of want to know how the story progresses. Openly Straight was ok, and I couldn‘t not read this as well.

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Catiebugs
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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“Careful, I told myself. You don‘t want to set yourself up for a fall. Be happy. Just not too happy.”

cherinium Missed you today. 💔 6y
Catiebugs @cherinium I missed you too 💚 6y
TK-421 Welcome to Litsy! 6y
8 likes3 comments
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Crinoline_Laphroaig
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg

“And I think what it all comes down to is a simple question, people. Are you in, or are you out? Do you accept that we are all in this together, and do you greet your fellow person with the dignity they deserve? Or do you spurn them?"

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Crinoline_Laphroaig
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Pickpick

This is a case of I picked 1st book on a Kindle deal and had to know how Rafe and Ben's story ends. Definitely a window into a world I know nothing of. Mostly a pick. However Reviews like yours @okthislooksbad gives me something to think about. I see what you were saying. I like that Ben takes responsibility for his actions. I would have liked an epilogue from a few years down the road. I wanted to see how the story really ends.

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Mindelan
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Pickpick

Man 2018 has been really exhausting so far between spouse surgery, nursing a sick cat and a crappy work environment. Luckily I have lots of credits to race through! Have finished all of these, the new Kopp Sisters book, American Panda, and finishing the listed one right now! Have liked them all, though the writing in Geekerella was a little shaky at times. Hoping for time to post individual reviews later. Now to find the next download.

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WanderingBookaneer
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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#LitsyReadingChallenge 10 / 25 officially completed, but really I am just waiting to add something special in the Free Space, otherwise it would be 11.

LeeRHarry Can ask what Nancy Horan book you read? We have Loving Frank for book group later in the year 😊 6y
WanderingBookaneer @LeeRHarry : That‘s the one! 6y
WanderingBookaneer @LeeRHarry : I liked it, especially compared to 6y
readinginthedark Pretty! 6y
103 likes5 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Dinner with the in-laws means I‘m cutting it close. #24in48

Tadams4 Best of luck! 6y
Eggs 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
Andrew65 👏👏👏👏👏 6y
137 likes3 comments
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okthislooksbad
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
Mehso-so

I'm so conflicted about this one. I loved the story - raced through it in a day, same as I did with Openly Straight. But the bi erasure, you guys. The goddamn bi erasure. This book is filled to the brim with it, and it ruins the experience completely. 😕😑

looseleafbooks Same!! I loved the first book, but really? Was his one necessary? 6y
okthislooksbad @Looseleafbooks I really don't think it was. Better just to leave well alone 😥🙁 6y
16 likes1 stack add2 comments
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brownekr
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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"When would I get to stop sacrificing to make other people happy?... And how the hell was I going to forget about everything that was going on, and study for this stupid test?"

THAT TRUEST TEENAGE FEELING, ughhhhhhh. Sometimes YA books remind me how great it is to be an adult.

2 likes1 stack add
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bookishkai
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
Pickpick

So, I really was disappointed in Openly Straight, but I wanted to see how things resolved. And I LOVED this book. I love it because it's imperfect, and because I see a lot of myself in Ben. Or Ben in me. Either way, I felt this book deeply. We are all imperfect. We are all works in progress. And sometimes labels just don't fit. #queerbooks

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bookishkai
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Uuuuugh, this book! I still haven't figured out how to manage this, how to stop sacrificing to make others happy.

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bookishkai
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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I'm totally Ben. I also would have actually been thinking about the Revolutionary War, because that's how I roll.

48 likes1 stack add
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Apinlibraryland
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Loving this sequel to Openly Straight. Just a sweet story.

4 likes1 stack add
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thatbookboi
Honestly Ben | Bill Konigsberg
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Mehso-so

Oh I just loved having these characters back! I've always thought about Openly Straight as I wasn't fully onboard with the whole idea. I liked it a lot and I think this weird idea was done tastefully. Having a sequel in Ben's perspective seemed worrisome to me at first but it really did come through. I feel like some things felt really rushed with Rafe-- although the pacing of the father/ son chapter is was spot on. ⭐️: 3/5