Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (2015-08-06)

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" was my second "cancer book" in as many months. Although both Jesse Andrews and John Green had the same intention - to write a story about cancer that was different from those other tearjerky novels, in my eyes, Andrews was much more successful at stepping away from melodrama and cliches of the genre than Green. Of course, Andrews does not (yet) have a publicity platform of Green's magnitude to promote his novel, so I am glad to be able to help him out a little, because, from my perspective, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is a better, more honest, more real book than "The Fault in Our Stars."

It is better mainly because it does not try to force you into feeling all the obvious things we are expected to feel reading stories about young, terminally ill characters. There is a certain compulsion to idealize cancer kids, lives ending so tragically early and all that. It is also pretty common to practically guilt you into feeling sorry for their specific predicament. But I like that Andrews allows his characters, even his hero, to be resentful and maybe indifferent towards or burdened by the illness, that his cancer-stricken patient is not an ever-so-wise, heroic saint, that there are maybe no life lessons to learn from such personal tragedies. Maybe having a dying girl in your life is just an event that will affect you in a major way, or maybe it will not and that would be okay, too.

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is not all about cancer though, in fact, the dying girl subplot plays only a relatively small part in Greg's story. It is more about Greg defining himself, stopping to play so safe, about bringing a little more focus onto his future and about understanding of who he is. The author might be a little coy repeating again and again in his narrative that there is no point to this novel, but there is one.

Another good thing about "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is that it is very funny. The success of the book with a reader will depend a lot on what he/she finds funny though, because, admittedly, the novel is filled with jokes of the bathroom variety, you know, boogers, boobs and boners. But it was funny to me nevertheless.

Great dialogue, self-deprecating humor (albeit occasionally too self-deprecating to be not annoying), vulgarity, wacky secondary characters, fresh (to me) approach to portraying cancer - I enjoyed it all and I hope you will too.

Admittedly, I pursued this book after inadvertently encountering the trailer for the movie, the thought then being that I'd read the book and subsequently enjoy the movie. Unfortunately, the book (which is always better than the movie, right?), wasn't even as good as the trailer, which leaves me a bit lost, except to return the book and hope the next owner enjoys it more than did I. For older, crankier readers such as myself, I thought the character development was shallow, the humor never seemed really to connect, and the emotion was unengaging. But I treat my books well, so there will be a used book in excellent condition available at Powell's shortly...

The lady at Barnes and Noble handed me this book and called it "the really sad book". So of course, I went into reading it thinking that I was going to be crying my eyes out the whole time. I was caught by surprise when I did not cry at all reading it. This book was actually really funny. I was confused because I thought it was about a boy who became friends with a girl who had leukemia. It is, but, the author talks more about the boy's life, and less about the girl having leukemia. The author "joked around" with the topic of leukemia multiple times. I thought this lightened the mood of the book since it is about such a hard topic, but I could see how some people could be offended by this. I think that this book teaches many great lessons about high school and friendships during a hard time. I think that both girls and boys in high school should read this book. Also, I think that adults would really enjoy it. I think that the topics in the book may be too hard for kids around the middle school age or younger. Overall I really enjoyed this book and learned some great lessons while reading it.

This was a different sort of book for me as I felt the tempo of the book kept pushing me forward, making me feel hyper and anxious as I followed the mind of Greg. I didn’t exactly like this feeling as I read the book, I was hoping he’d calm down a bit somewhere and I could enjoy this book. His ideas and thoughts were all over the place, yet I continued on because here I was reading about a dying girl and I wanted to know exactly what happened to her. I hoped that by the time I got to the part where things got critical, I’d calmed down a bit because it was death and I shouldn’t be all jacked up. It was Greg’s whole attitude that had me in overdrive as I read. His detachment from anyone except Earl had me questioning what his whole purpose was. He floated around school not belonging to any one specific group yet he thought he was friends with everyone. He thinks that by not belonging, you have access to everyone, that the whole world is yours. I myself, think it sounds lonely. When Greg’s mom finds out that an old girlfriend of his has leukemia, she thinks that Greg should spend more time with her. So much for Greg’s detachment concept. So quiet Greg has now becomes this obnoxious guy who tries to humor Rachel to keep her spirits high. Greg tries so hard and it’s almost like this becomes his goal in life as everything else in his life fades away. Earl, Greg’s best friend enters the picture and the three of them have some great times together but time is slipping away. There are really great lessons in this book and some individuals are not listening because they only see the future and are not seeing the beauty right before them. I have to say that I enjoyed Earl. He was crazy and the words that came out of his lips were insane and demented but he was real. His quirkiness and his thoughts were jumbled but he really understood what mattered. He savored what was eminent. He wasn’t trying to create a big circus, he wasn’t trying to shine, nor trying to entertain, but he was living and trying to survive. The story was excellent but the writing and the satire got a bit old for me after a while. Greg’s pumped up style of always trying to be up, to be funny, to be on top, to be the man…. made me feel that he was hiding something, it just made me tired.

High School is all about choosing sides and finding allies, which inevitably makes you enemies. If you are a drama kid, the jocks will undoubtedly ignore you at best. If you are a Queen Bee, the goth kids despise you. But what if you could manage to be accepted on the outskirts of every single group? You would never be able to reveal your allegiance to another group, would have to avoid all areas of congregation like the plague, and would have to accept that in order to be friends with everyone, you can't have any real friends. Is it worth it? For Greg, it was a juggling act that was about to come crashing down in Jesse Andrews' Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl.

Greg is a pasty, overweight, nondescript kind of guy, but his philosophy for making it through high school is a unique one. If you can somehow manage to have a casual connection with every group on campus without actually committing to a single one, you can be relatively safe from the horrors of high school. For a kid like Greg who is awkward, can't talk to girls (actually, turns into a babbling idiot every time a cute girl walks into the room), and is obsessed with strange, obscure movies, this is really the best decision. He has always had Earl, the filthy mouthed oddball who shares Greg's love of strange movies and is his coproducer in their own miserable attempts at filmmaking, but you wouldn't exactly call Earl a "friend". He is more like a bad habit.

When Greg actually made attempts to get girls to notice him, they turned into poo-covered, flaming disasters. The only girl he didn't completely alienate was Rachel. Granted, he never accomplished much of anything, but at least she didn't think he was a drooling moron. When Greg's mother tells him Rachel has cancer, she forces him to spend time with her. In reality, it isn't so bad. Rachel is pretty cool, and she isn't appalled by Greg's bizarre antics, but this isn't like what you would expect from a boy who befriended a dying girl. It isn't some life-affirming, wisdom laden one-liner filled cream puff of grief and self-reflection. Greg insists Rachel's presence in his life has not changed him. But is it possible to live through something like the death of a girl who was the first person you let over your protective wall and not be affected? Greg insists it is!

OK, this was a strange book. It was strange in the same way Greg was strange- awkward, sometimes pretty funny, and surprisingly endearing. I actually loved it when I first started it, went through a period of being annoyed by Greg's silliness, and finished absolutely loving it. It was a strange experience, to tell you the truth. Even now, I am not sure how to describe the book that is going to truly do it any justice. Greg is just this big ball of awkwardness. He is so invested in blending in and not identifying himself to anyone, that is becomes terrifying to him to even consider openly befriending Rachel in school, but because he has a soft, gooey center, he does it anyway. And he insists over and over again that he is not affected by Rachel's leukemia, but you can see how it chips away at his resolve and his hard candy coating he uses to protect himself. Not in a "come to Jesus" kind of revelation, nothing that dramatic or expected, but just in small, tiny little ways where he allows Rachel to affect him. It was a really interesting approach. In fact, it made me think that this book was the antithesis to The Fault in Our Stars. Everything Greg made fun of, the deep, meaningful one liners, the emotional roller coaster, the grief, was hidden so well, you would almost miss it if you weren't looking carefully enough. And in the end, although Greg was totally ridiculous at times, it was a really great book.

And the supporting characters were just as hilarious. Earl in all his foul-mouthed glory was so absurd you had to love him. Greg's parents were just as entertaining. I think I can see the exact kind of kid I would give this book to- the wise-guy kind of tough guy who hides behind his wise cracks and silly jokes, the class clown. The only concern is that there is a lot of profanity and sex talk in this book (nothing graphic, just gross teenage boys talking about boobs and whatnot). I personally wouldn't let that keep me from giving this to a younger student if I thought they would enjoy the book, because it is mostly in the form of silly jokes and ribbing, but some might not be comfortable with that, so I thought it was worth mentioning. I am still shaking my head about this book, but I will definitely read Andrews' next book to see how much of this story was his creation of the characters and how much was really Andrews!

Having not read "that other teen cancer" book, TFIOS, to which many reviewers compare Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, I cannot place this book in that context. This is the only teen cancer book I've ever read, actually.

The best thing about this book is how realistic it is, but that might also be the worst thing about this book. The main character, Greg, is emotionally disconnected from the world around him, on purpose. He wants to glide though life unseen. This is certainly a coping mechanism that people commonly use. His reactions to high school and Rachel and cancer are the most realistic I've seen, and for that reason, this book made me think long and hard about how much we ever care about anyone else except ourselves. How much empathy do we ever actually feel toward someone with cancer and how much of that empathy is actually fake? For that reason, I think this book has merit.

At the same time, I had a really hard time caring about any of the characters, in part because Greg has a hard time caring about the other characters. That is oddly a plus and a minus for this book.

I did like the fact that for all of Greg's resistance, Rachel's cancer did affect him and permanently change him, in a subtle way. A realistic way. And it changed Earl (who is a much more interesting character than Greg or Rachel).

Very different in style, tone and voice.

To say this book took me by complete surprise and wasn't what I expected is the understatement of the year. I heard about this from several friends on Goodreads and added it to my TBR months ago, I finally picked it up on a library trip and got to reading. I expected it to be a sad, sob worthy story about cancer because that's how most cancer books are. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is not technically a sob worthy cancer book but it was a beautiful story about so much more. I learned a lot while reading this book and didn't fully appreciate how awesome it was until after I had pondered it for a few weeks.

Greg Gaines isn't special. He's a normal, frumpy, weird, not so popular kid. His best friend Earl is a freaking nut job, hilarious, but a nut job. As for Rachel, she's not all that special either, save for the fact that she has cancer which surprisingly wasn't as big of a part in the story as I expected it to be. Together they taught me some valuable things and I think everyone should read this book because of it. Like I said before this book isn't a sob story, it didn't tug on my heart strings like I expected it to (it still did, just not as much or in the way I thought) but it did affect me in a very powerful way. It taught me that it's okay to not be extremely impacted by a strange girl you don't really know having cancer or maybe to be extremely affected by it. It taught me that it's okay to just focus on you and figure out what's going on with your life and future even if other people are having harder times around you and possibly don't have a future. We get to see Greg find himself and give a bit of direction to his life. We see Greg feel things that are dubbed as wrong and inappropriate when it comes to situations like knowing someone who has cancer. We get a different kind of sense of humor that is rarely in books I've read. We get all of this wrapped up into one awesome, unique, and refreshing story about cancer and so much more.

With all of that being said, if you're looking for something refreshing and new to the 'cancer book world' I suggest you read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. You'll be sure to enjoy the humor, the different side of emotions, and the journey we follow Greg and the other characters on.

It's kinda funny. It eschews notions of romance, and really, it's more about the friend, who reminds me of Tony Goldmark. I couldn't get that image out of my head -- the deadpan, Internet snarker-troll, self-deprecating, black comedy hamball.

And that's what the book is really about. This guy is a amateur filmmaker and he talks about his love of weird, foreign, independent cinema and his friendship with Earl, a black urban youth. And in the background is Rachel, an acquaintance who Tony is forced by Tony's mother to hang out with because she's dying of cancer. The story's not about her, but about Tony making films and then showing them to her. It's more about his student film-making.

I think it was published as a response to YA death-roms like "The Fault in Our Stars" and "If I Stay", but it's more like a parody of "A Walk to Remember". The thing is, at the end, I asked myself "did anyone learn anything?", "did anything change?" And I'm not sure anything did. Which may have been the point, but as far as the story goes, it left it a little hollow for me. Which was disappointing, because it started so well.

If you've seen the movie and want to read the book, I wouldn't bother. The book is boring. I couldn't get attached to any of the characters. I'm one of those people who usually likes the book a lot more than the movie but in this case, it's the opposite. The sequence of events and character development in the movie were great. The book, however, was all over the place. The main character is annoying; the self deprecating humor is only funny the first few times but by the end you have to agree that this book is a disgrace to the English language.

It does have some redeeming qualities. The screenplay writing style was interesting. There are a couple of points in the book that really do have an emotional impact. But, I don't think either of these things are really enough to make this a good book.

Overall, readable but not something worth reading. Three stars for effort and interesting writing techniques.

This was one of the worst books I think I have ever read. I merely finished it just because by the time I realized it was not going to get any better, I felt I had to prove it wrong that it would get better if I just finished it. Wrong move. It got worse.

I found no connection to any of the characters. Earl was probably the only one I even remotely cared about. And that was a marginal amount. Greg was kind of just a douche who whined the entire time and didnt really do anything but become a recluse, but not because of anything actually happening in the book, just randomly stopped being a functioning person. What I think was an attempt at humor just fell flat 99% of the time.

Was cancer just a flashy word to get people to read this book? Because it really had nothing to do with cancer. The death of Rachel was so anti-climactic and clearly her life and her death had absolutely no effect on any characters in the book except Gregs awkwardly emotional mother. You could have left everything to do with Rachel and cancer out of the book and it would be the exact same crappy book as it was with it in there.

And the whole "this book is so bad you should bash your head in and I wouldn't even be offended" EVERY GOD DAMN CHAPTER was just damn annoying. I got it the first, the second, the third and the 30th time you said it. Geezus just shut up already.

I've never not finished a book before, and I've read some pretty bad ones, and this now makes it to the bottom of the list.

To anyone who still wants to attempt to read this book, read the last chapter. In fact, just read the first page or two of the last chapter. It covers the entire plot of the book in much less time, covers all of the pathetic main characters, still manages to bash itself for the umpteenth time, and leaves you feeling worse then when you started.

I COULDNT EVEN FINISH IT! in my opinion, it was written terribly, terrible diction and colloquialism and no sense of when enough is enough!!! It was so boring! I felt like there was no plot and the story was going nowhere!

I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl because of all of the hype surrounding it, but it definitely did not live up to my expectations. Despite the fact that it deals with very heavy subjects such as illness, violence, and death, the author unsuccessfully attempts to lighten the dialogue with self deprecating humor, needless profanity, and countless, random ramblings. Upon reaching the end of this book, I could not help but think that it felt unfinished. The characters were flat and the plot never materialized. I have heard Me and Earl and the Dying Girl compared to The Fault in Our Stars, but it is not anywhere close to that book in terms of character development and story. I did not find this book particularly funny and actually thought that the attempts at humor were misplaced. Personally, I do not recommend this book, as it was a miss for me.

I was disappointed after all the hype. Usually when a movie is made from a novel, I enjoy the book more than the movie. I haven't seen the movie yet so I don't know how that's going to pan out. But based on past experience I probably will not go see it.

The POV is Greg and at the start, I kind of liked him. At the beginning of the book, he seemed to try to be honest with himself, and maybe a little introspective, but the more I read the less I saw him grow. He and his friend were - maybe typically - self-centered and shallow. He never really seemed to give anything back to anyone, which again may be typical of most boys his age, but then what was the point? I actually ended up being drawn more to Earl by the end of the story. He had more of an ability to show empathy, and seemed to be more of a friend than Greg.

My full review can be found on my blog, Reader Rayna, as well as my Goodreads.

I'm feeling particularly neutral about this book. Some loved it, others didn't. I'm just sort of in the middle. It wasn't ground breaking, it was often raunchy and hot headed, it was selfish, and it had very few heartfelt moments.

I honestly don't know what I read. I thought it was supposed to be about how these two guys were going to make a film about this girl cancer patient, not... What I just read. It felt like it was all over the place, but a lot of those places I liked and it worked together.

Confusing? I feel like the people in the book who watched "Rachel the Film" and didn't get it, either.

Overall, okay, not great, but an okay read. 3/5 stars.

I was surprised by this book.
Despite tackling some heavier content, it remained light and amusing. I was thoroughly entertained by the random ponderings of the teenage boy protagonist. He was a bit of a jerk to read, which in my mind just made this all the more enjoyable. I loved that it told you what should happen in a young adult book, and then went in the opposite direction. It made for an unpredictable, fast paced book that made me laugh out loud. AMAZING.

This book follows Greg, who has made a career out of not being friends with or really noticed by anyone in his school. He has tried to have zero social impact in his life. He calls Earl his coworker, as they share a love of movies and have created several films themselves. Enter Rachel. Greg "dated" Rachel several years ago in an attempt to make another girl jealous. Now Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia, and Greg's mom decides that Greg needs to spend time with Rachel because it's the right thing to do. Greg introduces Earl to Rachel, and the two of them continue to visit her and try to cheer her up as her illness progresses. [This summary makes the book sound kind of lame, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.]

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. Greg is kind of obnoxious, but Earl is funny, and I appreciated their film-making obsession even if I didn't really understand it. And the sections of the book that are written in script form are not nearly as obnoxious as those in "Between You & Me," first because they are written correctly, and second because the bulk of the story is written in standard prose, so the scripted interruptions are not overwhelming.

My only problem with this book is that Earl is a stereotyped African-American character who has a horrible home life and lives in a bad neighborhood and speaks with stereotypical "ghetto" phrases and mannerisms. Why did the black character have to be the one from the ghetto? I think Earl's home situation definitely added to the plot, but the story could have been set up differently than a friendship between a middle class white boy and a poor black boy.

Red Flags: Lots and lots of profanity, also lots of references to sex and to bodily functions. The boys are pretty gross at times, and from my experience teaching, I can say that many teenage boys talk like this on occasion. However, these boys are a bit over-the-top, so if profanity in books bothers you, or you don't like gross "potty talk," then skip this book.

I would recommend this book as an alternative to the sappy, typical, Lurlene McDaniels-esque cancer stories, perhaps as a high-school not-G-rated version of Jordan Sonnenblick's "After Ever After."

I like this teen perspective on such an emotional topic as death/dying. It also reminded me what it's like to be in high school and how immature boys are at that age. (I could have done without all the gross, typical boy conversations presented in the book- like the ones about sex and sticking their faces in boobs and more.... but I suppose that's how teenage boys are.) One topic of conversation this should spark is the character of Rachel, the dying girl. She's actually very unremarkable in the story and you don't learn much about her except from the narrator's perspective but he is so focused on himself that he even realizes he doesn't know much about her. That might be a learning lesson for people- that when someone comes into your life, it's not just how they affect you and change you. It's a two-sided relationship and you should think about how they're affected and changed as well. I wish Rachel had more of a voice.

Seventeen-year-old Greg Gaines has perfected a way to fit into every clique at his Pittsburgh high school while not actually getting close to any particular person. Well, except for Earl, who could be considered his best friend, but they do not have much in common and they only converse in school at lunch time in a favorite teacher's office. His life changes when his mother tells him a girl from Hebrew school, Rachel, has leukemia. When she guilt-trips Greg into befriending Rachel, his life changes and hilarity ensues.

From the very beginning, Jesse Andrews indicates through his main character, Greg Gaines, that if the reader thinks Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will be a coming-of-age story, the reader has another thing coming. This is a theme throughout the novel and it makes for some very funny moments.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is unique in that it is like a conversation with the reader. Greg told stories about his life and funnily enough, the most poignant part of the book may have been when he told the story of himself and Earl at ten-years-old watching a meaningless movie that none of the other kids their age understood. At that point, Greg's dad called them the young nihilists. The whole book seemed nihilistic, but it was hilarious despite its mostly awkward moments. I also enjoyed how Greg often asked his audience why they were still reading his book because it was so stupid.

Along with throwing the coming-of-age moment of truth out of the window, Jesse Andrews, through Greg, switched writing styles often from prose to bullet points to script to headlines. I loved the diversity and it added extra charm.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is not meant to be meaningful, but at the very end, it felt meaningful to me as well as hopeful.

Recommended for young adult readers sixteen and older who want a meaningful contemporary story disguised as a hilarious mish-mash silly book. It does contain strong language, talk of drugs, and accidental drug use.

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Please note: Whatever I rate a book here, please check what the ratings mean on Goodreads, because those are what I go by.

If you don't like the narrator basically telling you a story, or one who keeps telling you that the book is stupid and you shouldn't be reading it, then this is not the book for you. If you find that amusing, pick it up! This is a book about cancer, yes, but it's done in a way that will have you laughing through most of it. I did end up shedding a tear or two along the way. There's still a kid with cancer after all. But this isn't a normal sob fest of a cancer book. And it's entertaining in a way I haven't really read before. I found myself reading passages to my husband (which is not something I normally do) just because they amused me so much I had to share with some one THAT second. I'm anxious to see how the film will compare to the book.

I read this book for my book club. It is young-adult fiction, and a book I probably would not have read if it hadn't been on our list. I liked what the author did with her main character although I thought he was a little bizarre. He was a good example of a male adolescent dealing with teen-age anxieties of fitting in with others, being liked by members of the opposite sex, being embarrassed by his parents, etc. It was a good read. And yes, there really is an Earl and there really is a dying girl!! It was a good read.

Let me preface by saying I did not enjoy this book. There was not one character I liked in this book, and I think it was because of Greg. Greg who narrators the book is smothering in his self-deprecation. He describes himself as chubby and pasty. These could be true things, but the way he says them is just horrible. He has no confidence in himself and is just bobbing along in life. He and Earl, who he admits are more like co-workers than friends, even though they have known each other since grade school. Greg seems to be too immature to deal with real life, and I think that’s what stunts his growth as a person. He goes around “pretending to be dead,” when awkward social interactions strike. What seventeen or eighteen year old pretends to be dead? It’s just not realistic. To say that Greg is weird is an understatement. He whines about how horrible high school is and that he just wants to be invisible to everyone so he can fly under the radar until graduation.
Then there is “co-worker” Earl, Earl’s character really upset me because the author perpetuates the stereotype of a black man. Earl is described as angry, violent and fatherless. He has a house full of brothers some share the same father, some do not. They live with their single mom, who drinks herself into oblivion and ignores her children, the live in squalor, and it’s just disheartening to read about a poor black uneducated boy.
Greg and Earl aren’t really friends they just make films together. Earl is always cursing up a storm and he chain smokes cigarettes. Somehow, Earl is always the voice of reason to Greg when he’s being an idiot. For example, Greg told Earl that his mother is making him hang out with Rachel who is dying. Greg whines about how he never liked her and how awkward to be around her because she’s dying. That’s when Earl explains to him that he’s being selfish and it won’t kill him to try to cheer up a girl who is dying.
Rachel, there really isn’t enough about Rachel in this book. When she’s mentioned it’s about her incessant giggling at Greg making a fool of himself, or about her watching the films Greg and Earl made that no one else gets to watch. When she gets hospitalized everyone tries to comfort and cheer her up, and then she dies. End of Rachel.
At the end of the book you think Rachel’s death will catapult Greg to get his life together, but it doesn’t. He still is failing his classes because he and Earl made Rachel the Film (a film especially for Rachel, because she enjoyed their other bad films, and because she’s dying) Instead Greg turns into a hermit, buys a lock for his door, and stays in his room instead of going to school. He doesn’t even abide by Rachel’s dying wish for him to apply to a film school, so he can make films professionally. Somehow, he manages to get into college (where he’s flunking out) and you as the reader realizes he wrote this book for re-admittance into college.
I didn’t like this book, but it did make me realized that someone dying on you makes you really contemplate your place in the world, and what to do with your life. It made me think about my life, and what I really want to do, and for that I am grateful.

I thought this book was going to be a heart-warming tear-jerker. I was wrong. Let me start by saying, if you don't want to read a book full of cursing and crude sexual references, then this isn't the book for you.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a hilarious book about an awkward teenage boy named Greg and the things he deals with in his life, including disease and death. He is the boy at school who is friends with everyone - he has the whole "school hierarchy system" worked out. First day back to school of his senior year, his mum tells him that his ex-girlfriend Rachel, from Hebrew school, has got a rare form of leukemia - and he has to be friends with her. This starts an awkward friendship between the two.

This book isn't really about death. It isn't overly about Greg dealing with death. It doesn't really have a plot line - which is a refreshing change. Although, Greg's wisecracks and self-deprecation did get slightly tiresome, the way it's written, with bullet points and film script conversations makes for a fantastic read!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl surprised me with all the different perspectives it contains. Silly, interesting characters made me laugh out loud several times, but this story is also empathetic and emotional. The unique characters bring the book to life. Earl is blunt and sometimes gross. Greg is entertaining and sometimes struck with verbal diarrhea. Touching, emotional, silly and strange run through this book and make it a must-not-miss read!

the one I did read from my kindle had a totally different cover, I prefer that cover to this neon green/yellow one? what a great read, emotional, sad, but a fair take on a cancer story. it did remind me of "The Fault In Our Stars" apparently mean see that or think that as well. A book written in a point of view from Greg. there are many bits that caused me to laugh. I enjoy using laughter to take away from sad moments in life. Must read. Enjoy it so. ( ;

One blurb calls this book the "funniest book about death you'll ever read," and I'd like to say upfront that this is completely accurate. Greg Gaines is a high school senior who is proud to have gotten through his entire life not being friends with anyone, but just sort of skimming through all of the social groups at his school. The closest thing to a friend he has to a friend is Earl, who's more like a co-worker than a friend (Greg and Earl have been making terrible films since they were kids). But his mom decides to ruin Greg's carefully maintained social non-status by making him befriend Rachel, a classmate who has just been diagnosed with leukemia, and that's when things start to get messed up.

First off, I dare you to pick up this book, read the first three pages, and then not keep reading. You won't be able to put it down. Andrews nails Greg's voice just perfectly. He's snarky and sarcastic and very honest, and frankly, sometimes he's kind of a jerk. But his ramblings are very genuine, so you don't mind. Greg's descriptions of his family, pseudo-friends, the films he and Earl create, and his dialogue with Rachel and others is relentlessly entertaining and fresh. Andrews uses a mix of prose, lists, film reviews, and screenplay formatting to tell the story and it's all very in the moment and appropriate for each scene.

Every character in this novel is brilliantly done. My favorite character was Earl--his background is pretty bleak, but he's hilarious and straightforward and he doesn't take any s*** from anyone. Greg's mom is also pretty wonderfully realized, and his dad adds plenty of quirkiness without being over the top. But even minor characters who only make one or two tiny appearances in the narrative are distinct, and they round out the novel perfectly.

At its heart, this novel is about being self-centered. Greg is very self-centered, even when he doesn't realize it or when he flat-out denies it (he has what he calls Excessive Modesty Hour, during which he refuses to be acknowledged for doing anything nice or being a decent person at all, and he knows this can be annoying, but he can't help it). And Andrews explores this narcissism brilliantly through Greg's avoidance of allying himself with any social group, his refusal to acknowledge the people in his life as friends, and ultimately, through Greg's attempt to create a film for Rachel as she's dying. The books resists preaching and the notion that every s***ty experience is the perfect opportunity for character growth. Instead, the message seems to be more along the lines of, S*** happens. Sometimes it changes you. Sometimes you learn stuff from it. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes it just sucks. And Andrews does this better than other popular books that tackle the subject of teenage narcissism--like The Spectacular Now and Paper Towns. (He also doesn't cast Rachel in a manic-pixie-dream-girl archetype, which, just, THANK YOU.)

Basically--read this book. It's hilarious and sad, and I found it deeply relatable.

Greg Gaines chronicles his senior year on the fringes of high school society. His only friend is Earl, a foulmouthed, chain-smoking partner in creating films since they were in the fifth grade. His mom guilt-trips him into befriending a classmate, Rachel, who has been diagnosed with leukemia because he has a knack for cracking jokes that make her laugh.

Socially-awkward in extreme, Greg is irreverent and crude. His narrative is self-deprecating and cynical, yet there are laugh-aloud moments. His thoughts are probably those of a typical male teenager, and this is the sort of book that would appeal to reluctant teen readers (which I am not). It was a quick read that made me laugh, but not much happened as far as plot or character development, and I could not empathize with Greg.

I usually really like the Young Adult fiction genre. This book was decent and a quick read, but overall, I didn't feel extremely connected to the story. Something about it felt a little distant. I did like how the main character showed that everybody grieves differently, and how he felt like areas of his life were suffering, his grades went downhill, but he wasn't flat-out grieving or crying at that time, and he kinda tries to make sense of that at some point, and that's what real grieving is. It's not always a hit-you-in-the-face thing. It's being distracted and distanced from your life and the things that are important to you, and sometimes doesn't hit you until after the fact, because you are in shock at a point and just unable to express your grief, so I thought that was portrayed well, especially for the book's typical audience.

Sometimes the best books you read end up being the ones that you stumble across by accident, Me and Earl and the dying girl was one of those books. I hadn't even heard about it until my friend Maja started reading it (Maja certainly knows what she's talking about when it comes to great books) so I checked out the blurb and requested a copy. I'm so glad that I was accepted as Me and Earl and the dying girl was the funniest book I have read in a long time. It bought a smile to my face in just the first few pages, it had me laughing loudly that people started giving me strange looks on my way to work, but I didn't care because this book was totally worth it.

Rachel; a girl Greg knew from Hebrew school has been diagnosed with leukaemia. Greg's mum suggests that the best thing Rachel needs right now would be a friend and who better for the job than Greg. All he has to do is to be there for her, to talk to, make her feel better and just cheer her up. Greg's slightly taken back by this, he hasn't spoken to Rachel since their unfortunate incident at Hebrew school and he's a bit weirded out about spending time with a dying girl; won't it be awkward? And what the heck will he and Rachel talk about?

Greg was one of the most modest characters I have ever come across I thought Ed in I am the Messenger was modest, but he had nothing on Greg. Greg couldn't take a compliment at all whenever someone even complimented him, he would argue back with them trying to convince them that he wasn't, he was always down on himself referring himself as "fat", going on about his track record with girls or lack of. He was also one genuinely caring guy; was there for Rachel, making her laugh even though it wasn't the most opportune moment to visit her and despite the awkwardness and him making a prat of himself he kept trying. He was such a funny character; he made this book thoroughly entertaining.

I loved his friendship with Earl, how Earl so blasé about things, but they gave their all into their movies, how they always knew what the other was thinking. Earl was another extremely funny character, always running his mouth and never giving two hoots. But also showing he had a softer side towards Rachel, these two were the best comedy duo.

I liked the added extras this book brought, you would get conversations written in bullet points, written as overlapping conversations and also in scripted formats; so it was like you were watching a film, you would get a scene describing what the person was doing and what facial expressions they wore. These unique extras definitely gave this book the extra edge that a lot of books are missing these days. You would also get constant reminders from the author hinting at that you probably won't read any further or surprise at the fact you were still reading it. The thing was I couldn't stop reading it, as it was so much fun.
The thing about this book was that I was a little worried that as it was a book about a girl with cancer, it would be a really difficult and emotional read, but it wasn't. I found the only tears I shed whilst reading this book were those caused by laughing so much.

The cancer storyline was a central aspect of this book, but the book was also more than that, it was a book about two boys making their way through life, not really knowing what they want or what to expect, learning through their mistakes, making absurd yet hysterical films, experiencing hardships and picking up several battle scars along the way. Their journey despite not always being clear cut was certainly a thoroughly enjoyable one.

Me and Earl and the dying girl is a book which will have you in stitches from laughing so much, It's full of quirky characters and such an entertaining read.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Abrams books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews was an easy read for me, yet it was still interesting. The main character, Greg Gaines, is a senior in high school, and doesn't have many friends. His co-worker, Earl, is the closest thing he has to a friend. One day, Greg's parents inform him that his childhood friend, Rachel, has been diagnosed with leukemia. They make Greg go to her house and hang out with her, even though they aren't really friends anymore. Over time, Greg, Rachel, and Earl become good friends. All throughout the book, Greg is always trying to make Rachel happy while she is going through chemotherapy. This book combines humor and sadness in a way that I have never seen before. Jesse Andrews put a spin on a typical story of a high school loser becoming friends with the people he least expected to become friends with, and turned it into something worth reading. Normally I don't enjoy these types of books, but I liked the various ups and downs of this book.

Oh my god I hate this book so much. The last paragraph of this book is right. This book is a disgrace to the English language, and every language this book has been translated into. I honestly have no idea how Jesse Andrews made me hate every character except one. No idea.
And that's my first problem with this book. Everyone, except the blank slate that is Rachel, is totally unlikable. Greg is just mean, unfunny and annoying. Earl, and by further extension his brothers, is just one large stereotype. His character is literally just 'the black kid from a broken home'. And like I said before, even though I liked Rachel, she's a total blank slate, despite her being 'The Dying Girl' from the title, she actually has little to do here, throwing a comment here and there, but not much else.
The motivations are also non-existent. Greg's reasoning for having to be around Rachel is sketchy at best. And at one point, Greg and Earl have a fist fight at Earl's house for no good reason. They were friends one chapter, then they hated one another, and then they were friends again.
The story is also horribly executed. I can understand a cancer book not wanting to focus on the cancer aspect, but that means it has to be a character driven story, and if I hate all the characters, then I'll probably despise the story. I also don't get how people can compare this to The Fault In Our Stars, the one thing they have in common is a girl who has cancer, that's it. That's the one single thread of connection the two have.
This books one saving grace is it's cover. That's it. Whoever they hired to design the cover did a fantastic job and earned their paycheck.
This book was just strike after strike. It's not funny, it's offensive, borderline racist. I really don't want to be harsh, but the more I think about this book, the more I hate it.
And I still can't believe this is getting a movie. Ugh, count me out.

Really enjoyed this a lot. The narrator's voice is very authentic teen boy and the humor was unexpected given the heavy nature of the subject. I laughed out loud many times. It was a very enjoyable read. The sad parts were sad, of course, but they were honest and true, and left me with lots of feelings and thoughts, overall. Highly recommend this book to YA readers who can handle heavy subjects and who are not offended by plenty of language/crude content compared to lots of YA. Didn't bother me, but some readers may take offense.

"Me" is such a self-absorbed character that you really hope he will end up having some sort of redeeming quality, but alas, he does not. All I kept thinking while reading this book is that there must be some point to this book that will present itself other than showing us the type of person not to have in your life. If there is, I can't tell you about it. Fortunately, it was a short book.

This book is one of those books that require a tissue box because it's just that funny. Imagine one of your best guy friends that is the goofball decided to wrote a book with no filter, it'd be hilarious and outrageous. I liked The Fault in Our Stars but this book tops it, it's not so serious that it feels like your heavy heart can't take another word but not overly silly that makes you that it's too ridiculous for you. It felt like Greg, the main character, was talking to me personally and telling me his story, I was completely sucked into the story. Jesse Andrew's writing style has a way of making me feel like I'm still in high school, it sucked me in and I was happy to be taken away to this kooky adventure; while it was funny, however, it was also sad in its own way. It felt like a realistic situation of finding out someone you've known for a long time has cancer and there is nothing you can do about it. It has that sense of helplessness but with an upbeat rhythm to it, even if there is nothing that can be done you can still have a little fun along the way. If you loved The Fault in Our Stars and have a sense of humor, I highly recommend this book to you.

This book was freaking ridiculous.

Here you are opening a book knowing that this is about a death. It's been covered many times, but I can guarantee you that it has not been covered in the way Jesse Andrews covers it because this book about death is freaking riduciously HILARIOUS!

I know what you're thinking. How can a book about a girl who has cancer be funny? Well, because you have Greg who is this kid that doesn't really have friends. I mean he gets along with everyone and follows whatever crowd he's with. I take that back - he does have one friend. Earl, this pint size guy who cusses worse than a sailor and could make anyone turn red with his blunt mouth. I get it though. Being short sucks and sometimes you just have to have a tough exterior to deal with a tall-type of world. Greg's mom gets him to befriend Rachel, someone he hasn't been "friends" with forever, because she's dying.

Besides being a hilarious book, it's kind of weird. It bounces around here and there with scenes of Greg's life that in some ways don't make sense to the plot, but since Greg is the one telling the story, he'll point out that he doesn't know what he's talking about. But yet, it was perfect for the plot because this isn't just a story about him becoming friends with Rachel again. This is his life. His odd life of having a very angry best friend who love to make movies together. Horrible movies, but yet I wish they existed because they sound genius. Especially since there are sock puppets involved. But back on track here: Greg doesn't really understand friendship or what to do with life. Sometimes it's hard to relate to him, but I still really liked him as a character and reading his story.

Going into the book even though Greg tells you flat out this isn't going to be a sappy kind of moments. There isn't going to be some big reveal of life or self discovery. Even towards the end I thought there could be, but it's not what the book was about. I'm glad that it never turned into some BIG MOMENT where all the characters finally realize what's so grand and important in life. Don't get me wrong - I like those stories, but not every story needs it because not every horrible experience in actual real life changes you as a person. And if it did, I think we'd all be saints by now. Sure you can learn from those horrible experiences and I think Greg, Earl, and Rachel did learn things about life in their own way whether they were moving or not, but it wasn't needed to fit the type of story I think Greg was trying to tell us.

There are a few authors who I can tell from reading a debut will stand out on their own. Jesse Andrews is one of those authors. His writing is blunt. He has the ability to touch on some dark times yet make you laugh about them too. It's crazy to say I laughed in every chapter when a big chunk of the story was about a girl dying of cancer. But that's how good his writing is. It's realistic, it's in your face, but this read definitely isn't for everyone. There is loads of language and some scenes where drugs are used. I won't lie - if Greg and Earl were real and I had went to school with them, I would have totally gotten stoned with them. Those boys were cracking me up in some scenes so much I about peed myself!

So basically to sum up this review that I have tried to write four times, and I still think doesn't sound the best and doesn't do it justice, but that's what happens when you wait too long to talk about a book you loved, I will say: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was ridiculous in that really good, you must go out and buy it now, type of way.

I finished this book a few days ago. I'm not a young adult but I love reading YA books, especially in the summer by the pool. They're a nice mindless change from adult literature.

I think preteens and teens will probably like this book because of the humor and writing. The narrator, Greg, has a really distinctive voice and the author did a great job of making the book sound like it was written by a 17-year-old boy. If you are a teen, you'll "get it" more than an adult, but it's still a pretty funny book.

However, this book is very different from the other cancer book (I won't name it but it's mentioned in the other reviews!). To me, the book's theme was more about socioeconomic and class differences because of Greg and Earl's different backgrounds than about any illness. Rachel's character was not well developed in the book and certain parts were not believable. I found it odd that students weren't aware of Rachel's cancer until the movie was shown. I just don't see that being realistic in any high school, no matter how big the school is. Most schools are little communities within themselves and have fundraisers for those who are sick, etc.

I found the book a little lacking, just felt like different characters and the story could be more developed.

If you're looking through a romantic sob story that'll cause you to waste tissues and mascara, then I suggest finding another book. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" has been compared to "The Fault in our Stars" multiple times, but the only thing they have in common is a girl with cancer. TFIOS paints death to be romantic, tragic, and beautiful, but Me and Earl paints it for what it really is - random and painful. Andrews' take on death is so refreshing and his humor will leave your stomach in pain because you'll be laughing so hard. Greg Gaines, the story's protagonist, is the perfect embodiment of the socially awkward and confused high school boy. His friendship with Earl thrives off of violent video games, stupid movies, and a shared humor consisting of vulgar and inappropriate jokes. The friendship that develops between Rachel, the dying girl, and Greg doesn't involve ANY romance or chemistry, which is why Andrews did such a good job of truly capturing the friendships developed in high school. While TFIOS centers around cancer, Me and Earl addresses much more. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore TFIOS and Augustus and Hazel, but I absolutely love Me and Earl and his humorous approach to a dark topic.

Summary: No book has ever made me laugh this much! Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews is one of the best books I have read in 2013. I honestly did not know what to expect when I picked up this book. However, I was surprised by how funny Greg was and how this sad situation could be humorous as well. Greg is a high school senior who lacks confidence and tries to avoid belonging to any one social group. But, this causes him to have only one close friend Earl. Earl is very blunt and sometimes violent. However, he also is less concerned with public appearance than Greg which leads him to being the catalyst for the main theme behind this book. The dying girl is Rachel who Greg sort of dated. Greg is forced to reconnect with Rachel after his mom learns she had leukemia. After they begin forming a new relationship Greg continues to be hilarious and become a better version of himself. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is not your typical cancer related book. The two characters do not fall in love. There are not any amazing insights about life that happen in this book. All the characters do evolve, but their transformation seems natural, not forced. This is a book that will leave you laughing, gasping and pondering until the last page.
My thoughts: I have read several books that deal with the topic of teenage cancer. However, most of them have been insightful and saddening with moments of hilarity, but none remained humorous throughout the entire book. This book never tries to be pretentious. It is vulgar at times and the narrator is dumb and selfish occasionally. However, teenagers and adults can be vulgar and silly and selfish. I liked all the characters but I have to say Greg was my favorite. His answers to people's questions and his thoughts were very comical. Jesse Andrews also writes an accurate portrayal of high school. The ending was not what I thought it would be. However, maybe that was the point of a novel. Death and dealing with death does not always produce epiphanies nor does romance always happen during this emotional time. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the films that Earl and Greg made. They were so funny and how they did not want to show them to anyone was very realistic I thought. I also like the realization that Earl had at the end of the book. I think it was a very important lesson for both of them to learn. Overall, this might be the funniest book I have ever read! Warning: it may offend some readers due to language and certain activities. However, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy hilarious contemporary novels that deal with a tough subject. Very Hilarious!

I did not enjoy Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. The narrator literally tells you the protagonist is not going to learn anything from this experience. And he doesn't. The dying girl is merely a plot device. She shows little to no personality. I felt Earl was written as a very stereotypical black person from a person who likely has no experience with anyone of the black culture. And the narrator/protagonist. I hated him. He did not act like a high school senior. He acted like a socially inept child. He is selfish, thoughtless and constantly regards himself as a subpar human being which I must agree with. Would not read again. Would not recommend.

Greg Gaines, the titular "me" in Jesse Andrews's debut novel "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," is a high school senior with no friends and no enemies. That's the way he likes it: it's a careful balancing act, but it's the best way he's come up with yet to deal with the "universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks." He gets along well enough with all the cliques and social groups at Benson High, without ever getting so closely affiliated with any of them that he becomes a target for a rival group. "One must," he opines, "be at the periphery at all times. Befriend the goths, but do not under any circumstances dress like them. Participate in band, but avoid their hour-long jam sessions in the band room after school. Make appearances at the church's ridiculously decked-out rec room, but shun any activity wherein someone is actively talking about Jesus." The closest thing he has to a real friend is Earl Jackson, a profane, perpetually angry schoolmate with a horrible home life, with whom he enjoys watching (and attempting to make) films. When his mother tells him that her friend's daughter, Rachel, has been diagnosed with leukemia, Greg doesn't know what she expects him to do about it. He's barely spoken to Rachel since the sixth grade, when he flirted with her for a while in an attempt (unsuccessful, like all of his romantic endeavors) to make a much hotter girl jealous. His mother, however, insists that he call her up and start spending time with her. The rekindling of this rather empty friendship will set events in motion that undermine all Greg's careful defenses against the brutal high school social world.

This novel should not, even for a moment, be confused with that other young-adult novel published in 2012 with a terminally ill teenage girl in it: this book is about as far from "The Fault in Our Stars" as it's possible to get. "I learned absolutely nothing from Rachel's leukemia," Greg tells us emphatically on page 3. "This book contains precisely zero Important Life Lessons, or Little-Known Facts About Love, or sappy tear-jerking Moments When We Knew We Had Left Our Childhood Behind for Good, or whatever." He's not kidding. There's no romance in "Me and Earl," no deep conversations, not a single lick of anything remotely like sentimentality. This isn't a novel that will make you cry, but there's a good chance it will make you laugh out loud every few pages. Greg's cynical, self-deprecating wit drives the narrative, while Earl's vulgar gross-out humor belies a surprising depth of character. There are some serious themes at work in this book, and it is both beautiful and surprising how poignantly Andrews deals with them in a novel with so light a touch. By the end, Greg has gained more wisdom and maturity than he thinks he has, but it's a gradual and subtle a process as growing up actually tends to be: there are no epiphanies, no perfect resolutions. There's just a young man who knows a little more about life than he did a few months earlier, and has, without thinking about it, adjusted his existence accordingly.

Although I found much of the later part of the book relatively weak after such a strong beginning, and the vulgar humor was sometimes a bit over the top for my tastes, I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent with this novel. Greg's narrative voice was such a pleasure that I wouldn't have minded listening to him ramble on for 300 pages even if he didn't have a story to tell. I would recommend this novel to teens and adults who enjoy sharp, irreverent humor. Whereas it's definitely not an automatic must-read for fans of "The Fault in Our Stars," I believe many readers will indeed enjoy both, as I did. If you're looking for a tragic love story to cry over, you'll be disappointed by - and probably hate - "Me and Earl." However, those who enjoyed "Fault" as a coming-of-age story centered around a smart, witty protagonist will find Greg and Earl almost as compelling as Hazel and Gus.

This book demonstrates a very unique for of copywriting that I have not even been able to completely explain to myself yet, so sorry I can't explain it to you. Just read it trust me. You will either really hate it and put it down the first time he tells you to poke yourself in the eye or you will like it and finish it all the way through. There is honestly no way to tell.

I found a copy of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl at my local library and decided to pick it up. If it didn't live up to the hype and I didn't like it - I was only out of the time spent reading it. As you probably have guessed, I actually enjoyed reading it... and here's why:

The story is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although I am not native to the Pittsburgh area, my entire family is - parents included. I have a highly romanticized notion of Pittsburgh in my head - every major holiday was spent there, some of the only times that I spent with my extended family were in Pittsburgh, and... well, its just a great city. The setting was instantly familiar to me and I felt an easier connection to the characters. I knew what Andrews was talking about (I wouldn't consider any of my family "yinzers") and have been to most of the areas mentioned.

The main character, Greg Gaines, very much read like one of the teen characters from movies such as Super Bad or Juno. In fact, most of the time I pictured Greg as Jonah Hill's character from Super Bad: a self proclaimed fat kid who is incredibly awkward and who more often than not says the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate time. Granted, the crass sexual jokes were slightly toned down in MaEatDG (the title is just too dang long to keep typing out) but I'm pretty sure the word "pussy" appears at least three times. If you're a fan of the aforementioned movies, chances are you'll probably enjoy this book... but if you're not a fan and tend to be offended by the crude language? I'd steer clear.

Rachel's cancer kind of takes a back seat in this story. After the trauma of reading John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, it was refreshing to read a book that had cancer in it... but wasn't about cancer. Let's be honest - one can only take so much of a Hazel/Augustus-type story without crumbling into an emotional heap of ashes. Greg does indeed react to Rachel's cancer and does have to deal with it eventually, but when she dies... it's a simple line in the book - almost an after thought. We knew she was going to die, knew it from the title, and so Greg didn't make a massive deal out of it. After all, the story is about his growth - not Rachel's.

The characters read like true teenagers. The only reason that Greg interacts with Rachel to begin with is because his mother forces him to... and he doesn't act like a hero about it either. In fact, he reminds the readers throughout the entire story that he doesn't fall in love with Rachel, he didn't really want to be there to begin with, and that he'd really rather be anywhere else than hanging out with a sick girl. Yeah, he's kind of a jerk but I really appreciated reading a character that could actually exist.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is very unique and unusual---certainly not your typical teen novel about a girl dying of cancer. Greg Gaines is a high school senior, who enjoys being on friendly terms with everyone but having very few true friends. He and his one friend Earl make movie parodies of films they've watched. Greg's life is turned upside-down when his mother tells him to get reacquainted with an old friend, Rachel…because she has leukemia. Greg reluctantly does, and is surprised to find that he enjoys spending time with Rachel.

I would be interested to see the film version of this book, because the book reminded me so much of a movie. It may be the first time I've read a book and thought, "Hmmm, I might enjoy the movie version of this more!" I did like elements of the story and characters. I thought Greg's narration was very realistic--teenaged boy, loud and clear. There were some very funny lines and moments in the book, but some of the humor was just not up my alley (but comedy is very subjective, so it might be that you find it hilarious--I know many reviewers did!). It was very hard for me not to compare this book to The Fault in Our Stars, since it dealt with the same subject matter. This book is in no way like The Fault in Our Stars, so if you enjoyed that book and are looking for more of the same, this isn't it! But if you're interested in a quirky YA book dealing with death and cancer in a funny way, give this one a shot.

I loved this audiobook....not your typical listen. There are many different voice talents, and it really makes it enjoyable. Thomas Mann truly brings Greg Gaines to life. I really wonder if I would've enjoyed reading the physical book, as I did the audio book. This not a retelling of A Fault In Our Stars. This is hard as nails baseball bat approach coming of age story. When an aquietance from Hebrew School is diagnosed with luekemia, Greg's mother forces him to go over to her house to cheer her up. Thus begins the weird and rather awkward relationship between Rachel and Greg. In between all the Rachel visits, Greg gives the listener a run down of his love of film making. I want to talk about Earl, but I think Greg does an awesome job. I will just say Earl is the baseball bat in this story. Everyone needs a friend like Earl. One of the best audio book experiences I have ever had. Can't wait to check out the movie...

This has so much voice it makes me want to puke.

And I laughed so hard reading this, while I had the kind of post-flu cough that makes you feel and sound like a dying yak (because really, everyone knows yaks are the most pathetic animal, even their name sounds like an accident or punishment of some kind, depending on who actually named the ridiculous creatures...anyway, I laughed so much it activated my yak-cough-death-rattle so badly) that I almost puked.

Anithero? Check. And not an almost antihero. Nope. Consistent from start to end. So consistent I now hate every novel I've ever written so much that I want to go puke. While confronting my own inadequacy and inability to light even a tiny match beside the bonfires of the greats is a daily part of my writing life, I prefer not to be reminded of it in such a brutal, soul-crippling way. Mostly because it makes me want to puke.

The side characters are eccentric and neurotic and unexpectedly lovable. (=puke)

I'd read this again, and it would probably be better. But I already feel queasy thinking about it. This might have been all the awesome I can consume for now without my head exploding, which would make all of you puke.

So to summarize, this novel is puke-worthy at the most intense levels, and I recommend it to everyone with a strong stomach, not because it's gory or something stupid like that. Just because it's so freaking amazing it will wreak havoc on your previously simple, book-nerdish life in the most delightful but stomach-twisty-makes-you-want-to-yak kind of ways.

The beginning of the book was extremely funny but all of a sudden it was just flat. The jokes in the middle and end were just horrendous, there was far too much cursing and the characters were just not developed. I really can't describe any of the characters as more than just "blah". The book had no love, no excitement, no ending; it was completely shallow and underdeveloped as a plot. I literally stopped reading the page before the last page because I just could not finish (honestly the only reason I lasted that long was because I kept hoping it would get better, but realized that one page won't change 100+ pages of disaster.)

Like all of Jesse Andrews' novels, the experimental format and conversational language of this book make it refreshing and relatable, especially to teenage readers.

The book is funny. In several parts laugh out loud funny, but mostly just quiet internal chuckling, and there's nothing wrong with that. The characters are all quirky yet relatable, and one of Andrews' biggest skills as a writer is giving each of these characters their own distinct voice and conveying that in the way they speak and the way they act. It's impossible to hate any of his characters.

Yes, there's a dying girl in this book, but no, it isn't sad. There's one depressing scene at the climax of the book that almost made me tear up, but for the most part this is a pretty funny feel good book that is going to lift your mood rather than depress you.

The writing is great, the pacing is great, the plot is unpredictable, but in an intentional, interesting way. I definitely enjoyed reading this book, and I'd recommend it along with all of Jesse Andrews' novels.

When I started reading it, I really had high hopes. It got worse and worse as the book went on. It was incredibly anti-climactic and it did not cause me to become attached to any of the characters whatsoever. Then, it had one of the worst endings of all time. I highly suggest you don't waste your time with this read. I have no idea how anyone is giving this book anymore than 2 stars, 3 at the absolute most!!

Jesse Andrews is one funny guy. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" has serious subject matter, but Andrews proves you can still have a wicked sense of humor even in the face of trauma. The book's protagonist, Greg Gaines is your typical 17 year-old. He cusses, he's anti-social, awkward-looking, and kind of jerk when he wants to be. Greg's controlling mother insists he spend quality time with a fellow classmate, Rachel who is currently batting leukemia (Greg and Rachel used to be causal friends in elementary school). I like this book but I wish I knew more about Rachel's life. Her personality is lacking in this story. I enjoyed Earl even though he's got a bigger potty mouth than Greg! Greg and Earl are "co-workers". They make low-quality homemade movies in their downtime. They don't have much in common besides their love of unpopular cinema. Greg and Earl both bond with Rachel amid her struggle with cancer. Earl is a more sympathetic person whereas Greg feels that his friendship with Rachel feels more like a burden than anything else. This book is hilarious, touching, and a million times better than "The Fault in our Stars". Just saying. I highly recommend it. I can't wait to see the movie. Enjoy!

I was so disappointed in this book. After reading tons of reviews about how amazing and funny this book was I went into it expecting to love it.

Likes:
The overall storyline was really promising. I feel like this could have been a great book if it hadn't fallen short in so many other ways. I also liked how short the chapters were. I read this book very quickly because I kept telling myself "hey this chapter is only like three more pages you may as well read it". As you may have guessed this resulted in my staying up until midnight reading this book even though it definitely wasn't because of my pure enjoyment of the book.

Dislikes:
Oh where do I begin? Well first off, I hated Greg. I thought he was the most stupid and selfish main character I've ever read. Everything had to be about Greg. I mean this girl is DYING and he the only reason he does anything for her is because of his own selfish reasons and it made me so angry. I didn't like Earl either it seems like he was just there to curse a lot and encourage Greg to act like an idiot. Which leads to another issue I had with this book; the profanity. The author would use curse words in ways that didn't even make sense and all the constant cursing succeeded in doing was making me get even more aggravated with the characters.

Overall I really disliked this book and I don't think I would ever recommend it.

Despite it being a "crying buckets" kind of book I laughed hysterically for at least 80% of the book. I love the writing style, how Greg talks to the reader, how they add lists and snippets of screenplay. And the cussing teen. Way to my heart right there haha.

It's a fantastic debut novel and I can't wait to see what Andrews comes up next.

There are a lot of funny books out there within the Young Adult Literature. Funny and comical books are pretty expanse in terms of quantity. However, I find it quite difficult to read a book that's genuinely funny. I'm talking big fat happy tears and oxygen shortage from laughing so much. Those books that make you go "I'm really glad that I picked this up". Well, this book was all of that and more to me.

Let me start off by saying that I was seriously mislead when people kept telling me "oh that's a cancer book" when I asked them what the book was about. I picked it up with that mindset in mind and was consequently very pleasantly surprised to see that the book is actually a lot more than just a "cancer book". Actually, I don't really consider this to be a "cancer book" at all. To me it was more about the main characters life and his senior year of high-school experience. After finding out that his old friend, Rachel is diagnosed with Leukemia, Greg's mom forces him to hang out with her. Greg isn't too keen on the idea, but after a while he realizes that he actually likes spending time with her.

Here's the thing about this book: it doesn't really have an order. And by this I mean that there is like a ton of back-story. Greg, the main character, tells us a lot about his past experiences, mainly about school, but also about life in general. Hes a bit of a misfit with only a couple of friends although he tries his best to remain on good terms with every social group in school. He was a really awesome main character and a really hilarious one too. He provides a lot of info on his best friend, Earl whom is also a great character and just as funny too. I found myself laughing a lot at the things he said and did. Overall the characters were amazing in their own quirky ways. Especially Rachel. I found her to be so cool and witty! And the way she handled her being sick and everything was pretty cool and anew take on the whole cancer spectrum.

Something that was totally note-worthy about this book was the writing. The author incorporated a lot of different writing styles, like for example, a lot of the dialogue was written in film-script style. Which I guess was there purely because of the two main character's interest in films and film -making. That played a big part in the story so yeah. Anyway, it was completely new and different to me and I really appreciated it's singularity. Also,a lot of the time, the author referred to the reader and it was sort of like he knew exactly what I was thinking and it was wonderful.

This book was highly entertaining and I would recommend it to absolutely everyone! Also, if Jesse Andrews were to write another book, I would definitely read it.

I have a feeling that many, many people are going to be head-over-heels crazy about this book. As much as I wanted to fall in love with this book, I just didn't. I am, however, still in love with this colorful cover.

Let’s do a breakdown on a few of the main aspects of ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, shall we?

We have a self-degrading male POV that makes for hilarity through crude humor and shocking statements (and quite a bit of cussing). This kind of setup is usually right up my alley! But here’s the thing: I didn’t like the main character, which is post-ironic because I think we’re supposed to like him even though he doesn’t really WANT us to like him. He’s quite self absorbed and I kept waiting for some character growth through the incredible situation he finds himself in. Alas, it did not happen. I thought the end was quite anti-climatic, in fact.

On the other hand, we have Earl. Earl is a character I really loved. Earl comes from an incredibly dysfunctional family yet is the voice of reason throughout the book. Another piece of irony! Earl knows who he is and owns it. This is complete contrast to Greg and was a welcome addition to the story.

Our dying girl is just….there. We don’t get to know much about her because Greg doesn’t take the time to get to know her like I really wish he would. This was one of my biggest frustrations with the story, honestly. I want to know more about her! This goes back to the fact that our main character is a little too self absorbed to care about this missing piece.

There is a nice switch up in writing formats in this book. A good majority of this story is told in first person POV, but every so often the dialogue is presented in movie script format. This ties in nicely with the movies Greg and Earl make, which was probably my favorite thing about this story. I may not be a fan of Greg, but I am a fan of the movies he makes with Earl.

After writing this review, I’ve come to realize that I like this book more than I originally thought I did. Huh, funny how that works. That just goes to show that just because I wasn’t head-over-heels crazy about it doesn’t mean it isn’t a good book. I hope you find it to be an enjoyable read!

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” follows the almost tragically awkward story of high school Senior Greg as he rekindles a friendship with a girl suffering from Leukemia. Though notably similar to “The Fault in Our Stars,” Andrews writes the book from a male perspective that gives the book its own uniqueness. Though at times the writing style seems a bit juvenile, this only serves to make the book an easy and engaging read for teenagers. By directly addressing the reader, it seems as if the narrator is having a conversation with you personally, which draws you in even more as the book progresses.
Overall, I would give the book 4 stars. Though it’s a bit too similar to “The Fault in Our Stars” and the writing style is not always appropriate to the topic at hand, in many ways this makes Greg hopelessly relatable, and much of what he describes is really not far from the realities of high school. Not a bad read, but don’t be fooled into thinking the target audience is pre-teens.
review by Ryan P., age 17, Mensa 76

I don't read a lot of comedy books. I mean, some of the novels that I've read have been funny, but comedy has not been their primary objective. I wasn't really quite sure of what to expect when I started. To my surprise Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was quite funny while still a bit sad at the same time.

Reasons to Read:

1.Comedy:
I have to say that some of the comedy in this book is a tad innappropriate. When I read jokes like that, I was worried that the whole book would only be funny because of those kind of jokes. I found, though, that there were other kinds of humour. The main character, Greg, was particularly funny. His dialogue added to the whole thing and made the situations seem crazier and the people just hilarious. I did find myself laughing outloud at some of the jokes that were made as I was reading it. I think that there's different kinds of humour for everyone.

2.Characters:

The main characters in this book are really fleshed out. A couple pages are dedicated to most of the main characters when they first appear, and again, Greg's commentaries are really funny. Each characters has a reason for acting the way they do. We get to know their little quirks and flaws, and we know their past. You can definetly tell how the past affected each one to make them into the person they were. I was really impressed how a comedic book was able to make such fairly complex characters.

This book was actually a lot better than I was anticipating. The dialogue was funny, the situations were funny, the whole book was funny! While I will admit that some parts of the book just seemed kind of unnecessary, it was pretty good overall. I definitely reccomend this to anyone who really likes comedy books, or is just looking for something a bit different.

ARC received from Manda Group for review.

When I first started reading this book, I thought I would like the story told in first person by an awkward highschooler. You normally can't go wrong with that, but this book hardly mentioned the dying girl, Rachel, and just did not really seem to have a plot. The dialogue was very immature I thought for Greg's age, talking about alien barf and talking with his stomach. Just not a good read. The book itself even said to stop reading and how awful it was and boy was it right.

One of those few instances where the movie is just faithful enough to the book but is it's own work. Both are awesome. Read this, learn nothing from the tragedy that is childhood cancer, laugh, cringe, cry, come out more human, and attempt to recommend to others.

I had a feeling this book was going to be good. I hadn't heard much about it, but the cover and title are amazing, and the premise is great too. And I was right - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is hilarious!

Really, hilarious is the only way to describe this book. I was laughing out loud on almost every page, and there were scenes where I literally could not stop laughing. My family is used to me laughing while reading (and crying and screaming and just reacting way too strongly to books), but they still regularly came in to check whether I'd gone crazy while I was reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, because, well, sitting alone in your room and laughing hysterically does not count as normal behaviour. It's impossible not to while reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, though.

Greg is a great character. He's quirky and his sense of humor is unique. His insight on high school life and the way he tries to stay invisible is hilarious. I can't even explain what makes him so funny, there's just something about his self-deprecating style and his crazy ideas and his unique way of thinking. If you want to know how funny he is, you should check out the author's website - the entire book is written like those four paragraphs on the home page. Only better.

An even more funny character is Earl. Earl is unlike anyone I've ever read about. I don't even want to say too much about him because no way can my descriptions even come close to Greg's, but the paragraphs describing Earl and his family life are probably the ones that had me laughing the most.

For the first half of the book or so, there's no real plot, just Greg describing his life and Earl and everyoyne around them in that hilarious way of his. And while that sounds boring, it totally isn't. It reads quickly and is one of the most entertaining stories I've ever read.

The second half of the book is when stuff starts happening. You'd think it'd be the other way around, but I actually didn't like that part as much as I liked reading about Greg's everyday life. Since it's about Rachel's leukemia, the plot gets more serious, and I just don't think the style fits the serious content as well as it fits Greg's everyday life. I was kind of disappointed by the whole making-a-film-for-Rachel storyline - the description says "Greg must abandon invisibility and take a stand," but that's not really the way it happens in the book. I don't want to say too much and spoil it for anyone, but Greg and Earl don't decide to make a movie for Rachel and show it to the world; the world decides that for them. Therefore, the character development I was hoping for is lacking, and I enjoyed the second part of the book less than the first one.

One more thing I appreciated: Earl and Greg remake a German movie, so there's some German in the book, and except for one tiny mistake, the German is actually correct! I'm often annoyed by how authors use foreign languages and make simple mistakes - really, how hard can it be to get a native speaker to check whether what you wrote is correct? - and I'm glad that's not the case in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Despite the problems I had with some parts of the plot, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a great book. It's not the most deep or meaningful story you'll ever read, but, well, that's kind of the point. Read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl if you're looking for a hilarious story with quirky characters. (But don't read it where anyone can hear/see you, unless you want to end up in a mental hospital. You will be laughing so much people will think you're crazy.)

I rarely read books within a day. It has to really get my attention for me to want to never put it down. And maybe it was the author's "reverse psychology" of constantly saying "This book sucks. Put me down" that made me never want to put it down. It was charming and funny and I basically had a goofy smile the entire time I was reading it. For a debut novel, it was actually pretty good even though it didn't really have a constant plot. The storyline was kind of all over the place but maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much

This is a special book, but since I saw the movie adaptation first (the screenplay for which was written by the book's author), my impressions of the novel could not help but be affected by the film. I found the film absolutely magical; the book, merely great. I love what writer Andrews and director Gomez-Rejon did with the story, changing some parts in subtle ways, other parts in major ways. And yet, in spite of my preference of the adaptation over the source, I still have mostly praise for this debut work. It is one of those pieces of art that manages to tackle a weighty (and potentially depressing) subject with humor and grace. It's a comedy about cancer, which is hard to pull off.

Greg Gaines is a high-school senior who has managed to avoid human connections for most of his life. He has a best friend, Earl, whom he calls his "co-worker," with whom he makes movies inspired by the masterpieces in his father's DVD collection. When his mother insists that Greg spend time with Rachel - a classmate with whom he used to hang out when they were younger - because she has been diagnosed with leukemia, he does so reluctantly. Before too long, however, and without him realizing it, Greg becomes an integral part of Rachel's life, and she of his.

If this sounds like an inspirational story, it is, but the narrator (Greg) constantly and consistently undercuts the emotional sincerity of the text through his depressive and pessimistic (and very self-deprecating) voice. It's a nice tactic from Andrews, who uses Greg's antagonism towards his own growth to great comedic effect, thereby making the final cathartic bit of (unacknowledged) self-realization, at the end, even more powerful. Still, at times Greg's teenage angst is a little too much, and feels forced on us by the author. I think he achieved a better balance in the film. I nevertheless highly recommend this one-of-a-kind young-adult book.

Funny, for sure, but I'm not sure when I've reached the end of a book and felt more like I just wasted a valuable piece of my life. I'd love to have lunch or a drink with the author but would NEVER again buy a book from him.

I really liked it... it was touching and funny. Plus I loved the breakdown of the high school hierarchy but I was saddened particularly by Earl's resignation to working fastfood for the rest of his live. He had beed to shown to be brilliant and compassionate and a survivor and I wanted so much more for me.

I guess you could make the argument that it is, but it isn't.

Basically, this is a hilarious book about 2 guys that make movies and a girl with leukemia who they become friends with. But not really.

Does the novel involve cancer? sure. But there's no way to explain this book without giving too much away. Read an excerpt and recognize that this book doesn't pull punches. It's not the kind of book that bludgeons you with a string of dramatic conversations about death. in fact, it does its best to talk about how those conversations suck.

I think this is a profoundly successful book that walks a fine line between being insensitive and being predictable. As far as I'm concerned, it's neither. So, clearly, Jesse Andrews knows what he's doing.

Buy it now! Enjoy it now!

So, if I'm being perfectly honest I got this book from the library because a) the library recommended it to me b) I liked the cover & c) I liked the title. I basically downloaded it knowing nothing about it except for those three things, but mostly I liked the cover.

And truly, the book is okay- certainly not spectacular, but okay. Some of the characters are entertaining, there were occasional moments where I even laughed out loud (though those were few) & most of the time, I agree with Greg- he needs to be punched in the face. I really did not enjoy all the self-deprecating commentary which makes up a vast majority of the book.

The story itself is somewhat interesting, but the style of writing grated on my very last nerve. One of the first books in a while that made me say, "yup, I'm too grown up to read this." My high school self would have probably loved it though.

This book is hilarious. The way it's told, you can relate to it some how. Talking between friends is done in a screen play writing style. This is not a book that is going to touch your soul and make you have deep thoughts. This is exactly what high school kids think about!! I loved that I didn't have to think about things, that I could just go with it and enjoy it. Let's face it, high school kids are NOT deep, they are shallow to the core!

I felt bad about laughing my ass off in some parts, because their is a sick kid in this book. But some of the dumb s*** is funny!! Yes, I know there are mentions of cancer, and that's sobering, but the rest of the book...funny!

Now that I've read the book, I can't wait for the movie to be out! I just hope the movie does justice to the book!! Now go buy this book and enjoy!!

I read this book for a book report and that wasn't the best idea. So if that was your plan, stop. But don't stop your urge to buy it. This is something you'll want to read/remember. It's a funny book about cancer that doesn't suffocate you with the fact that it involves a serious topic. Greg (the main character) is hilarious and horny (a typical teenaged boy) and is friends with a very strange person that makes for an odd yet perfect duo. This truly is a story that could happen in real life. Please, don't read this for a book report but read this for pleasure. It's amazing. 'nough said.

THIS BOOK WAS SO FUNNY. I mean, except for the parts that weren't funny, but the parts that were, were exceptionally funny. I would like to describe how funny, but once you say why something is funny, it kind of becomes un-funny, so I won't. Just read it. You might not like it, but at least then you will know that you have a very limited and sad sense of humor.

As the narrator promises when the book begins, this is not just another heart-wrenching story about a teen with cancer. You will not cry. You will laugh, and there will be moments where you feel guilty for laughing, but Greg is such a genuine character that he leaps off the page and drags you along with him. The depth of this books exists beneath the flippant things Greg says, and by the end of the novel, it's clear that the events have affected him more than he cares to acknowledge. This novel gently reminds readers that death is a tragic part of life, but life goes on. What a great read! If you want a tear-filled book, this isn't the story for you, but if you're looking for a witty narrator, a cast of lovable, over-the-top characters, and a tale that rings true, this is the book for you!

the first thing you read of this book is on the cover in which it is being compared to The Fault in our Stars. This book is nothing like that. The only similarity is that a girl has cancer. That's all. So I don't know if I didn't like this book because I was expecting something different or if I wouldn't have liked it anyways. One recurring thing I didn't like is that the narrater Greg is so dang negative, selfish, and just an a-hole. That may have ruined the book for me. On and on all he cared about was himself. Not the dying girl. Not anyone else. To me it was a book about Greg crying and complaining about his life, while a girl he knows dying, somehow he makes it seem as if his life is the worst. But I gave it three stars because it is well written and I understand some of the humor mentioned in other reviews. Also it's nice to have a friend like Earl who finally puts Greg in his place.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was an overall good book. It made you laugh, cry, wanting less, and wanting more. It’s a beautiful relationship between a boy and a girl both just trying to get through their senior year of high school. From some total TMI moments to just wanting to read one more page before you go to bed, Jesse Andrews did a wonderful job on this book.

This book tried to take a comical approach to a very sad story. It did make me laugh a few times in the beginning but it seemed to lose its spark about half way through. I feel like the Author tried to hard to make it a light hearted read or make it the main character's feelings understood. It was a very quick, easy read. Overall I did enjoy it

This was not my first "cancer book" but it is definitely my first book about cancer written like this. Don't get me wrong this was a good book. Well written with some comic relief. I loved this book.. until the end. After reading it I was mad at the author. He made the "protagonist" look like a ignorant unsympathetic twit, completely oblivious to the severity of the situation. All in all the way this book is written is very unique from most books, which is what caught my eye in the beginning. So do I recommend this book? Yes. Read it and tell me what you think.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did. I heard so many mixed reviews about this book, either you hated it, or you loved it. I tried so hard to not make me have an opinion of the book before I started reading it. Nevertheless, I didn’t really enjoy it. It is not something I would highly recommend to anyone or re-read again. It took a lot of effort to try to finish it….. I wanted to finish this book before the movie comes out so I can watch it. Honestly, even though I didn’t enjoy the book, I feel like it’d be great as a movie. The quirkiness and humor in this book is simply made for a motion picture I guess.

3.5 Stars

I had a hard time connecting with the characters on this one, and honestly, Earl bothered me pretty much the whole book but I was glad he grew as a character at the end. The high school guy humor got a little annoying and it made me appreciate not being in high school anymore.

If you liked The Fault in Our Stars and are looking for a book of a similar quality, don't buy this book. It is honestly one of the worst books I have read in a long time, there's nothing really "funny" about it, and the narrator criticizing the writing constantly does not make it any better. The book isn't even like John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" except for the fact that they are both about a girl who has cancer. As far as i've read (I've dropped it for now as it's so terrible) it isn't really about Rachel, the girl with cancer at all. It's about this terrible one dimensional character named Greg Gaines, AKA the narrator. He gives readers a completely inaccurate depiction of High School, where there are hundreds of "cliques" and "sub-cliques" all vying to "rule the school" (this cliche hasn't been drilled into the ground), Greg has managed to be "in" with all of them not leaning towards one particular group so that he doesn't get any s*** from any of the groups. In turn, this leads Greg to be terribly fake socially-awkward, but he really has no trouble talking to anyone, what is described as "socially awkward" is just him being a dick. This book has not managed to get me to feel any emotion, except for total disappointment that this book was compared to other great young adult novels when the writing is just so horrible. The author's main selling point of this book is that it's so funny, but it has barely made me crack a smile. The jokes are something you'd expect to hear 10-year-olds say to each other at recess, the rest is supposed to be "humorous" complaints Greg makes about his life, but it's just annoying. The behaviors and inner-dialogue of the narrator are not funny, they are narcissistic and possibly sociopathic, he purposefully CHOOSES not to have friends because he thinks that they are a burden to him and will not benefit from them, he doesn't even describe Earl as his friend. Any person, even one who is not socially awkward would want friends, that's the whole problem with being very shy and introverted, it is hard to make friends. But not the narrator, he wants to use people for his gain, he doesn't want friends because he's just better than everyone else, he blames all of his problems on his mom and claims that she "ruined his life" by making him talk to Rachel, a girl dying of cancer. Like he can't do a single good thing in his life, everything is about him, he gets upset when his s*** jokes don't impress Rachel so again he's the one that is suffering.

Don't buy this book, it's not funny, it's not meaningful or thought-provoking in any way. There are tons of other great YA novels out there that are far better.

I'm in love with the title and the cover of this book! They both stand out and they both are what pushed me to pick this up. The beginning of the book had me smiling and laughing every few sentences. Greg is writing this book for us and telling us a story. He gives us lists and scenes in script form...loved all of that.

After about 40% of this book, I seemed to lose interest in the story and the characters. The writing style was interesting and different which I loved. I need more books like this in my life. I just which I would have enjoyed and connected with the characters more. If that would have been the case, I would have been pushing this book at readers. Plus the humor started to annoy me a bit...but overall it was an enjoyable read.

I can listen to almost anything on audio book, but I had to stop this one part way through. So, I thought it was possibly because it wasn't read well. I got the book from the library and tried to read it. Nope, it still sucked! I couldn't finish it and am amazed anyone ever has. I can't believe it has won awards. Since I'm an adult and not a teen (I love most teen books and read them daily), I decided to ask my 15 year old boy, who is an avid reader, to read it. He didn't finish it either.
The characters aren't likable or believable. The story-line is slow and really difficult to get into. It is not well written and there is excessive swearing (I get that this is the character and normally I can look over it if it flows with the character but I didn't feel that this was the case).
I would not recommend this book to anyone and was happy that I didn't pay money for it.

I enjoyed the stream of consciousness vibe as well as the characters. This "check in" mom is looking forward to seeing the movie and hoping that it does the story, characters, and, hopefully, snippets of the films credit.

Here's the thing about this book it's not great. It took me weeks to get through, and honestly the only thing that saved it for me is the story, and just having to know what was going to happen to the one okay character in the book, Rachel, who is the dying girl. The writing style was bad, it was offensive for many reasons, and the characters needed work.

The characters are flat. You have Greg, who has the stupidest ideas and is really obnoxious and has no empathy for anything. He doesn't like anyone in school and chooses not to be seen around certain people because he doesn't want to be disliked. But let me say anyone who reads this book is going to dislike him. The only reason he hangs out with Rachel is because his mom forces him to, and even after that it's just because he feels guilty.

Then there is Earl. His character could have been saved. He grew up in a bad place with a bad family, but he felt emotion. Up until the very end. His character could have done so much better but he was belittled was sent to be in the cycle that his family was in. Very disappointing.

The other thing about this book was that the writing style was not my favorite. There are very few books that can pull of breaking the fourth wall and mentioning it's a book through the whole thing and it's what the main character is writing. This however, is not one of them. Every time "book" or "writing" was mentioned I wanted to stop reading. The epilogue tried to pull everything together as to why this book happened but it was too late.

One last thing that I didn't like about the book was that it was offensive. At one point I had to put the book down and I didn't know if I was going to pick It up again. The author almost made it seem like leukemia was a joke until Rachel is dying and Greg finally sees this. But there is also remarks made against the LGBT community and focused towards bi erasure. There was half a chapter dedicated to talking about how bisexuality is fake and can't exist because it doesn't make sense.

Again the only thing that saved this book for me was the plot. I feel that it could have gone in a better direction but overall the story line is okay. I feel there could have been more development between in it and it could have taken a different route but it was okay. And that's the only reason I'm giving it two stars because the plot and storyline made me want to finish it.

In all fairness, Ronald Reagan's 'An American Life' was the last book I read cover to cover (2 & 1/2 years ago). That being said... Jessee Andrews is a lot funnier a guy than Ronald Reagan. This book is seriously hilarious; I was in stitches for a good 90% of it. Which was actually rather surprising considering it's a book about a guy who knows a girl with cancer.

That's not saying that he presents cancer as anything funny, but rather the inner-dialogue and rationale of the main character is HILARIOUSLY and OUTRAGEOUSLY relatable. I have a feeling that there are few people out there who will not be able to relate to Greg at one time or another.

I seriously could not put this down, I picked it up at 12AM as a "I want to get to sleep and I hate buying a book and not reading it so let's get through it" book; I ended up falling asleep at 2:30AM with a few chapters left. The second I work up I grabbed a cup of coffee and immediately reengaged.

From style to story, this is a fantastic book and an excellent debut for it's author; I'll certainly be on the lookout for his next installment.

Good humor around delicate subjects and good character development. The book is supposed to be weird and awkward, and it definitely is but it's over-the-top at times. It seems a little pointless in some ways. Did succeed in making me want to see the movie.

This book was fantastic. Just snarky enough to be irreverent, while still serious enough for the subject matter. The title tells you the plot, now all you have to do is read it. Do it. You won't regret it.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book as well as the story. Greg and Earl are great, contrasting friends with completely different backgrounds, dealing with the impending loss of a friend in their own unique way. Worth the read. Easy and quick. Very humorous.

The book is essentially about a narcissistic teen with low self-esteem aka your typical teen -nothing new here. There are really no redeeming qualities about him. Nothing to really connect you to him unless you like really corny and unfunny tangents about barf. I actually enjoyed the movie more than the book, which is something I've never said, but I guess there is a first time...

This book was just okay to me. I thought it was funny and easy to read, and I could possibly see myself reading another book by the author, but it was not my favorite book and I just felt it was just mediocre.

I just finished Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews and I'm not too sure how I feel about it. Me and Earl follows Greg Gains who befriends a young girl named Rachel who has been diagnosed with Luekemia. Greg and his "co worker" Earl make horrible films for fun and eventually, at the request of Madison (one of Rachel's friends), decide to make a film for Rachel, which can also be known as the worst film ever made.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl has gotten good to mixed reviews on Goodreads, so I thought I would also enjoy the book, especially because it has been compared a little to The Fault in Our Stars, which I am a big fan of, but after actually reading the book myself, I am experiencing mixed emotions.

In my opinion, the overall story is a little messed up and the main character, Greg, makes it ten times worse. I can officially say that Greg S. Gains is my least favorite character in a book. He is an insensitive jackass who really only cares about himself. He can't even get out of his head long enough to truly be affected by what is going on with Rachel and how serious her situation is. I know he was kind of forced into but he could at least show some compassion. By the end of the novel he starts to show some emotion and realize that someone is dying, but by then it's too late for him and for me to believe him. He is also socially awkward, which made the book awkward and hard to like, which makes perfect sense because the book is told from his perspective.

The one ray of sunshine in this book is Earl. Although the portrayal of Earl and his family is a bit too stereotypical for my liking, Earl really redeems himself by being smart, sensitive, and able to put Greg in his place. Even though Earl is a byproduct of his environment, he tries to not play into the "urban" stereotype all the time and I appreciate that.

Even though this has been compared to TFIOS, I knew it would be nothing like it. I wasn't expecting a love story but at the same time I was expecting some heart and I just didn't feel that.

This film has been adapted into a film that got rave reviews at Sundance Film Festival and it opens this Friday! I'm going to see it tonight(6/11)! Wish me luck!

I absolutely loved this book! Although it explored the depravity of cancer, Greg's humor really made this book thoroughly enjoyable. There were several moments when reading this book where I would laugh out loud at the honesty, absurdity, and uniqueness of Greg and Earl's relationship. This book was an enjoyable read for such a melancholy topic and I didn't really appreciate the comment on the cover about not quite living up to the level of John Green's "A Fault in Our Stars," but still being a good read. I feel like the two books, though about cancer and use humor as a coping mechanism to embrace/deny the reality of it, I think both books should stand on their own because they both approach the topic from different points of view. Overall, this book was incredibly powerful from Greg's developing friendship with Rachel, the insight he "gains" (yes, pun intended) into his own high school life, and the shift in Earl and Greg's relationship throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys laugh out loud books that explore the depths of complex issues and relationships.

This book made me laugh a lot, and I loved the self-deprecating, neurotic voice of Greg, the teenage boy narrator. I also loved the secondary characters such as his foulmouthed best friend; the imperfect dying girl; Greg's voluptuous and nice friend; and even Greg's ornery cat. This was an entertaining, funny read, but there was more to it. Though Greg sometimes acted like a horny, self-centered, and awkward teen and the book wasn't the least bit maudlin, the book had depth and sweetness.

2.5/5 Was an okay book. Not really interested in a teen boys life and what he thinks about hot girls and how he's a jerk n such. His friend earl cusses all the time and it is sad his friend Rachel has cancer but nothing really grabs you attention.

I had a really hard time reading this book. The entire time, I kept telling myself I was going to hit the turning point where everything got really good. The characters all felt very disconnected which I guess is the point. I suppose I wish the book was something it isn't. That was the whole point of this book, and I just didn't like it.

It's not as good as "The Fault in our Stars," but I liked it. "Me, and Earl and the Dying Girl" is more funny than sad. Its male narrator, funny guy Greg, is a senior in high school when his mother makes him hang out with Rachel, a boring girl who is dying of leukemia. This pretty much ruins Greg's life. Earl, Greg's sidekick, is hilarious. Confession: I did become teary-eyed at the end.

It was "creative". The protagonist came off more like a seventh grader experimenting with his first real thoughts of sex and girls than a high school senior. The joke is the constant self-deprecating narrator, claiming not to be a great writer, which is exactly what I'm left feeling after reading this. It's a forgettable story with a few laughs. Its main selling point to any aspiring author would be proof that you can create a best-selling book without needing intricate plot or character development.

There is no real plot or character development in this book, but that did not prevent me from devouring it in one sitting. I literally laughed out loud from start to finish and I LOVE Earl and Greg's interactions.

If you have a sense of humor that can be considered slightly immature, this book is for you! If your moral and social compass is questionable at best, this book is for you! If you laugh out loud at jokes made in inappropriate situations, this book is for you!

You might be one of the thousands of people that have seen the movie, but have you actually read the book? I have just finished reading, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews and I would say it has been a good read. This moving book has a casual and humorous style of writing to tell an awkward teenage tale of relationships.

Greg Gaines, the main character, engages the reader by addressing us directly in a casual manner multiple times throughout the book. For example, Greg states “You’re being less awesome than Rachel, you stupid reader.” This sentence particularly stuck out to me not only because it is being directed to the reader, but also because it consists of the common language teens use when speaking with others. The casual tone and choice of teenage language is consistent throughout the book and allows the reader to become fully immersed with the story. Why wouldn’t you want to read a book in which you are part of the story from the beginning?

In the book Greg often talks about how “meaningless” and/or “stupid” his book really is. While his self-conscious attitude may seem negative, the wording and context used put humor into the sentences and allow the reader to laugh. For example, when Greg states “For the purpose of this god-awful book…” or when he says, “You should smack yourself in the face a couple of times right now, just to complete the outstandingly stupid experience that is this book.” Both of these sentences have a self-hating connotation, but at the same time an over-the-top comment which make this book a funny experience.

While this book does have some heart wrenching content and deals with some difficult life experiences, the casual and humorous tone of the story makes it entertaining. I recommend this book to all young adults and think that the unique style of writing and the overall story will appeal too many. I give this book a 4 star rating; it is a great book and is definitely worth your time reading.

got on net galley :)
a geek spaces himself from other people except for his very vulgar friend Earl.. they find out that their classmate Rachel has leukemia.. this novel is really vulgar and upsetting at times.. overall its an interesting read.. How one individual can change others lives! I found the characters and plot very realistic!

This book definitely is an acquired taste. I chose this book after seeing it suggested after several others such as The Beginning of Everything & Extraordinary Means. However, this book is no where close to either of those. It has a dark sense of humor and mostly makes no sense at all. It's mainly profanity and uselessness. In fact the only reason I even finished it is because I don't know how to pick up a book and leave it. It was a waste of my time, however dark and twisted souls may find it enjoyable. I did not. At all.

This book was pretty hilarious but also a tearjerker-quite the accomplishment! The main character is a bit of a jerk, which is my favorite kind of character. The voice was believable and the style/form experimental and fun.

Is it a book of lists? A screenplay? A diary? The book has so many formats it is confusing at times. The overall story is not bad, but some of the dialogue is racist and makes me wish I could exact windmill kicks to the author's head.

“When you convert a good book to a film.. stupid things happen”

----Jesse Andrews

Jesse Andrews, an American novelist and screenwriter, has penned a brilliant and thoroughly funny YA contemporary novel about friends and films, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, where two odd teenagers come across in each other's lives with a common ground- social awkwardness. This book simply turns their friendship into something beautiful, funny and thoroughly inspiring.

I just got my hands on the movie adaption of this novel with the same title directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, screenplay done by the author himself with a cast of eccentric young actors namely, Olivia Cooke (the girl from TV-sitcom Bates Motel where she too plays a Cancer-girl!), Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton. And I can't wait to watch it. So before watching it, I ordered a kindle copy of this book from the store and oh my!! This is one of the my best book investment till date. And also I don't want to be the last one to read this epic teen fiction that has cancer (not that cliched type!), friendship and love. Also the C- for Cancer doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be C- for cliches while portraying it in fiction.

Synopsis:

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

Greg is the one who narrates his story about his senior year in high school, who has just one friend, his "co-worker" with whom he makes movie parodies, Earl. Then there is Rachel, the "dying-girl" who has acute myelogenous leukemia and Greg's kind-of-ex-girlfriend and reluctantly he had to strike an unusual friendship with Rachel, since he didn't want to get too attached with a "dying girl". These are the characters and Greg is our narrator who sails the ship of this not-so-great-and-totally-imperfect life in high school.

This book is the perfectly example of what actually life is in reality, that are hardly found in any movies or YA novels these days, since the authors are so busy in sugar-coating the bigger problems in the life of a teenager with cliched outcomes and mostly by projecting stereotype characters. Life is a bitch..try to portray that.. and there are characters who will forever remain socially-awkward with no friends wearing nerd type of glasses, looking insanely unattractive to the whole world! Hats off to this debut novelist, Jesse Andrews for projecting the hardcore reality with humor and sheer crappiness through the characters.

Well some might try to compare it with Green's The Fault in Our Stars, but let me ask you this, which was the last cancer book that you read had made you go ROFL literally? Which was the last cancer book that you read where sad endings were overshadowed by banal happy endings? No, because you're yet to meet that last book (let's not hope that otherwise the future of YA fiction will be doomed with more bromide sort of YA stories!!)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is one in a million book where both the characters as well as the plot are equally realitic, magical and captivating and completely honest with it's flaws, imperfection, bulls***-ness , weird-ness and ugly truths.

Greg befriends his once-upon-a-time-sort-of-girlfriend, Rachel on his mother's request since she was dying. Reluctantly Greg becomes friends with this unusual girl who is not very brave, not too enlightening or deep with her thoughts or speeches since she is dying and people who are on the same journey to death are all of a sudden become very philosophical, instead Rachel is someone who you can't put your finger on properly since the book is not about her or about her cancer, and I respect the author for projecting her so simply with her flaws and awkwardness.

Greg might annoy some or his disapproving and insecure narrative might make some fall in love with him and I surely did fall in love with him. His negativity about almost everything..especially about himself made the story pragmatic and so very honest. I don't have to say that he is highly relatable since he is the most realistic characters that I every came across. He along with his only buddy, Earl, makes a movie for Rachel which is a total crap yet it feels so good to have that kind of crappiness.

Earl is the guy who stands beside Greg and together they harbor a passion for film making (parodies, to be specific!) Earl is foul-mouthed and chain-cigarette-smoker who is the only guy who can see Rachel's cancer like we are supposed to be looking at those cancer kids. Earl is like someone who throws no bulls*** or no sugar coated words of enlightenment or pretending to act brave a cancer kid- Rachel. Instead his sincerity towards Rachel made me once gain fall for the third flawed character of this book. Jesse Andrews.. you're a genius author.

The rest of the characters are also strongly developed with depth and enough realism. The prose is utterly hilarious and I had to hold the edge of my bed to keep myself from falling over since I was laughing so hard. The climax is like real life and I loved it how the author portrayed it with a bit of emotions and with the fact that we eventually move on along with our lives from all our s***ty incidents.

Anyways, if I've convinced you enough then you must grab a copy of this book now, since you don't want to be the last one reading this remarkable book which is a page-turner.

You'll want for nothing after flipping the final page of this fully-realized human story. Separating itself from the overused and often contrived "young-adult" novels of today, this book removes the unrealistic sugar-coating of human lives and relationships. Full of quirky, endearing, and yet complex characters, MEDG, provides a refreshing and wholesome view into the life of a high schooler, stumbling his way toward maturity. The author weaves cheeky narration with the flawed, and therefore incredibly relatable, dialogue of his family and friends. The sincerity arising from the awkward and imperfect encounters of the protagonist, Greg, will have you giggling and smirking throughout. This lightness is very well-balanced and without the emotional affectations, so commonly seen with dramatic topics.
Truly a joy to read, this book has it all, and yet does so with a rare and admirable lack of effort.

For me this was an honest tale of life in the face of death. While the writing style took some getting used to, it fit with the narrative from a teenager's point of view. It was erratic, honest, and self-deprecating, much like the minds of the young. This isn't a love story, it's not really even a coming of age story. It's a spotlight on the difficulty the young have with comprehending mortality.

An absolutely hilarious story about an akward, filming fanatic guy who doesn't seem to know how to act towards his newest friend(who has terminal cancer). The main characters may seem a bit insensitive at times but that adds to the akwardness and realistic approach of the topic.

I saw the movie preview for this and laughed, so I thought, "Okay, getting the book (if there is one) is a necessity."

Payday rolled around and I picked this gem up. As a young adult reader, I am often drawn to books for the young adult people, naturally. Recently, I've been extremely disappointed with many YA's because of one main reason: it's fake.

Of course, it's all fiction, it should be strange and fake and unusual, but the YA authors of our time are making it too fake. I love sad stories, but I get so infuriated and sick with all of the stories like "Oh, this girl is a depressed wildcard with a family she dislikes. She's known as a freak and wants to end her life. That is, until McDreamy shows up and suddenly wants to kiss her scars and make her better."

Don't even get me started on "This person is ill and or terminally ill. No one has ever liked them, until now when everyone wants to kiss their ass and they suddenly find the perfect person who didn't even know of their existence until recently. Read this book and watch these polar opposites fall in love, and then slowly and tragically fall apart."

No thank you. When I picked this book up, I was hoping for more. I wanted a real book, with real feelings and real humor, and you know what? This book blew it out of the water.

We have our narrator, Greg. Greg is kind of an ass, but he's funny and he has good intentions. I liked him a lot, and his feelings made me like him even more. Greg is a very real person. You read all of these cancer books (cough, The Fault In Our Stars, cough) where a terrible thing (i.e, cancer) is made into a beautiful, romantic tragedy, where two people fall in love for no reason other than the fact they're sick.

Greg never falls in love with our sick character, aka Rachel. He never pretends. He tries to be funny and help her out and give her better days. Does he succeed? That's up for debate. He tries, though. His schoolwork, for one thing, suffers because of him devoting so much time to Rachel and trying to put a smile on her face.Greg is very smart, and as I mentioned before, he has good intentions. He's the best kind of person.

Then we have Earl, who is Greg's best friend. Earl is similar to Greg in the aspect that he tries. He tries to make Rachel happier and help her out, and he does do a better job than Greg. Earl is, like Greg, also very real. He calls Greg out on his bulls*** more than once. Earl and Greg are filmmakers (er, ex-filmmakers) which is interesting. You don't read about being who make films in books that often.

Finally, we have Rachel. Rachel isn't interesting at all, and that's another great thing. You read so many books where the cancer-stricken person is so interesting and important with amazing and incredible and inspiring things to say and when you stumble across someone like Rachel Kush, you realize again how real this is, and how so many other books are full of s***.

Rachel is no more significant than you or I. She's just a normal person that a bad thing happens to. I feel like I should be able to say more about her, but the thing is: there's nothing else to say. Rachel is Rachel and she's just there. Again, with the realism thing. Of course, cancer is a terrible thing that I don't think anyone deserves. However, all of these YA books paint people with cancer as these incredible, likeable people with interesting stories. Rachel isn't that.

I'm not saying she's entirely meaningless, she just isn't as important as Earl or Greg (which is, in retrospect, probably why she's referred to as The Dying Girl, and also at the end of the title).

Long story short, this book is amazing. It's different, funny, interesting, and most importantly, it's real. There's no bulls*** in this book. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl was a book I couldn't put down. More writers should take a clue from Jesse Andrews.

I had high expectations for this book. Judgey,sceptical,high expectations. Part of that was the cover's fault. It said something about "the inevitable comparison to 'The Fault In Our Stars' "blah blah etc and there ya go. Boom.Instant judgey. Because I read 'The Fault In Our Stars' and I also read the journal,letters,reminiscences by and of Esther Earl and there was gonna be no way that a fictional account of that world could measure up.

Turns out,it wasn't even trying to. Turns out,it didn't care to try. Turns out,it knows it's an epically untalented, ridiculously deluded-into-thinking-it-could-even-try-to-say-anything-relevant and it honestly can't stop to care about how it's gonna be recieved. It just is,because the writer had to. And that is what makes it weirdly truthful. And relatable. And quietly,deeply enjoyable. It's ok to laugh,and cry. It's ok to feel squirmy because you recognize some of the behaviors. It's ok to feel numb because something just went down and you aren't sure how it affected you. And when you realize a writer just did those things to your mind,you also realize "Huh. wow. Good Job". Especially when,in the beginning,you weren't going to give that writer an opening.

I don't usually write reviews. It feels.....intrusive,and it also feels false. Judging someone's art feels more personal and subjective than judging someone's skin,or their clothing. It's like judging their MIND and I don't like doing it.

But sometimes you care.

The style is very teenage diary stream of consciousness. It lends well to seeing the world from the main character's point of view without over explaining. I love the self awareness. Such a good book.

SPOILER FREE
I wanted to like this book so badly but half way through I wasn't very convinced.
It is a very great story, it is narrated in a different way and it plays a little with the text's format (script and prose) which makes it interesting to read and makes me like Jesse Andrew's style and humour but I couldn't connect with the characters or many situations in the book. There were many times where the story was turning intense but the way it was written made me feel no emotion at all.
I'd recommend this book for people who really enjoy reading John Green, not only because it deals with similar subjects but because it shows a different perspective from the world of a person with cancer and those who surround him or her.

As a 53 year old who never reads anything termed as a "young adult" novel, I picked this up on a lark and ended up - wait for it - laughing and crying. Maybe it resonates with me since, as a kid, I too was an introvert and made awful, geeky movies with my best friend. It was easy to relate to Greg, and his complicated friendships with Earl and Rachel the dying girl felt genuine and touching.

I appreciated how the book avoided the usual melodrama that gets attached to these kind of stories. Although Greg proclaims his self loathing and how meeting Rachel won't change him, well of course it does and in a sweet, realistic way. This is not a Lifetime TV / easy to digest / calculated tear jerking book. The emotional journey is an honest and crushing one. When the unavoidable happens it is heartbreaking, but it is dealt with in such an offhand manner that doesn't milk the drama.

Sure there's lots of crass language in the book and it isn't for every audience. But if you think this isn't what kids hear everyday, or what they say themselves, just think back to when YOU were in high school.

Highly recommended. Touching but not obviously reaching out to grab you.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but they should also caution people not to judge a book by its movie, too. For those interested in this novel because they saw the film, be aware that Me and Earl and the Dying Girl in book form is far more realistic and emotionally resonant than the movie version. (It has more profane language, too.) The typical teen movie tropes that find their way into the movie are played for both greater laughs and more realism in the book. Greg and Earl's movies are more ridiculous and comical. Earl's life is grittier and more chaotic, Greg is exposed as more neurotic, and Rachel is more well-developed than just being "the Dying Girl." Be warned that the ending, because it is more realistic, is much more tragic and impactful.

I would like to point out that a lot of negative reviews come from women or "not young" adults who describe certain parts of the book as profane or gross. This book is written from the POV of a 17 year old boy. Realistically, there are going to be profane or gross parts. Many 17 year old boys are gross and/or like to curse. This should not be earth shattering. This made the author have a believable voice. I personally liked reading a book that defied the conventions of this genre and subject matter. As for people who say the book is anticlimactic, the book has a clear climax. It's not about Rachel, it's about Greg. Once again, this book defies the conventions of its subject matter. If you want to read something sappy and "climactic" about this subject matter, go and read "A Walk to Remember" by Nicholas Sparks.

I was recommended this book by a teenage client I see in therapy whose mother gets on her case for reading "dark books." This is not a dark book. This is a book that speaks directly to the inner thoughts of every teenager and helps them realize that everyone has messed up thoughts that go on in their heads. We're all imperfect.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is by far one of the most comedic books I've ever read. Which is interesting because you read the title and wonder how this book could every be funny. You find out that Greg is the main character and who narrates the story. He is a very interesting person who isn't really in touch with people or his feelings. Earl is crazy. Which in this case isn't a bad thing. Earl is small and he doesn't let that stop him. Rachel we don't really know about, but from what we do know she's really shy. She is also in terms with what is happening to her. (She also seems like she a pretty fantastic laugh.) The way that Jesse Andrews puts his spin on the way a teenager would act during this time is very accurate.
Although people may think that it's like John Greens "The Fault in Our Stars" it is however nothing like that. Instead of crying from sadness I ended up crying from laughter. There is some language in the book but overall it is pretty clean.
If you have the chance to read this book I would highly recommend it.

12700353

the store / Goodreads

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.
Let me tell you this upfront.
I did NOT like this book.
But I'm not trying to offend the author.

It was a bit funny... I'll say that. If there were cameras shadowing me, they would catch my laughing. This was a pretty funny book. But it was mostly awkward jokes. Not a lot of people might call it funny. I laugh easily...so it's not hard to make me laugh. (But it's hard to make me stop.)
The book made some nice jokes. Greg tried his best to cheer Rachel up with awkward jokes along the lines of pulling up his shirt and making his tummy rolls/fat rolls talk or making an on-going joke about alien barf. If you like these jokes, then you'll laugh. But while they were funny, they were also immature. I felt a bit childish when I laughed at the book. These weren't jokes that seemed sophisticated.
The thing is...the jokes suited the awkward Greg. I think that's the more important thing. The author didn't just slap in jokes. He tried to make them sound from the narrator.

The characters were hard to take seriously.
I couldn't take Greg seriously. As a narrator, he has to be one of the worst I've read. He didn't take things seriously. He was a bit childish. He didn't seem to have lots of emotions. He tried his best to stay on the outer edge. He never made true friends. (Earl makes great points about Greg.) I didn't like him. Greg didn't take his life seriously until the end. He didn't take the world seriously. He slid by with average grades and an average attitude. People like him don't try. They don't try until they have to. But I'm happy he started to take his life seriously. He changed and started to rein in control.
And Earl... I know that teenagers curse and all, but Earl is too much. I can handle cursing. (I've learned to.) He kept cursing. And while I know of anger issues, Earl was something else. You'll be surprised when you see Earl caring, in his own way, for Rachel. But Earl... He's one of those characters who can be better. If he only applied himself to school. If he only tried harder. He would have been an A student, a bit busier, and maybe less mediocre.
Rachel...gosh. I don't want to say anything bad. She isn't the worst. But she isn't developed enough. (As seen in Rachel the Film.) There isn't much to say about her...

There didn't seem to be a plot. Really.
What was going on? Jokes. Greg being idiotic. Anything else? Not really. There didn't seem to be a set plot. It was a lot of ramblings. I understand that there was something underneath, but I didn't see it. There were small peaks at the plot, but it was hard to follow. This book was mostly jokes.
I would have preferred if it had more on Rachel. Maybe if Greg learned about her more. (Though, him not knowing much is important to the story.) If there was something more than teenage antics, I would have liked it better. If I needed teenage antics, I could have gone to a high school.

The ending wasn't the best. It wasn't happy. Or sad. It just was...flat. I didn't enjoy the ending. Nor did I hate it. I didn't have questions. (That might be because the story didn't raise questions.) I felt mildly done with the book when I reached the Fin. I felt like the ending could have been better if the plot was better. I guess this can be linked to the plot. I'm not entirely sure.

The book tried to deal with a serious topic, but it just made me laugh. I felt like the theme wasn't there. We were talking about cancer. I thought it would be a different type of cancer story.
But it wasn't.
This book danced around cancer. It wasn't in-depth. It wasn't detailed. We didn't get Rachel's point-of-view. We didn't get anything about her struggle. Greg was an outsider to her mind. He didn't understand her.
It was a comedy book. A light-hearted book. A joke book. Essentially, you can tell, I didn't like that. As much as I needed this light-hearted book, I didn't enjoy it. I prefer more tough and solemn books.
This book promised a cancer story. But Greg wasn't close enough to Rachel to get a cancer story. I thought that it would be better.
(To be honest, 'The Fault In Our Stars' is a...how to put it...better cancer book. We get more of the emotional pain. But the uplifting romance as well.)

I couldn't stand the way the book was written. Not in the words.
But in the script. In the format. There was movie script-style parts.
Let me say this first. I don't like to read stories in other formats. I prefer the chapter-paragraph format. I don't like straying.
So there is a reason the book's format annoyed me. We had script-style. Chapter-paragraph. We even had bulleted lists. (What...) I can't stand it. It was a nuisance to read. I could read it. I just didn't like it. I didn't want to read it in that format.

Weather:
Cloudy with a 10% chance of rain
2/5

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this very much, thought it was just over hyped.. So I started reading it and finished in 6 hours. First book I have read in a while that had me literally laughing out loud by myself in a room. It's very authentic. Greg and Earls friendship is just fantastic and not to mention hilarious . And this his family ... Just wow. Hopefully the movie portrays it well. In short terms you must read it. But I must warn you the humor may not be funny to everyone . It's authentic , but different .

While the topic of this book is Rachel having leukemia and dying, it is told from Greg's point of view and he is funny. He tells us of his interactions with Rachel as she goes through treatments but he focuses mainly on himself and his writing of this book. It is very tongue-in-cheek but the teen-age voice comes through very clearly. I laughed. I cried. I loved this book!

The characters are well-done and complex. Greg's telling of how he gets through school without friends is a riot. His best friend (well, business partner, more like) is Earl who could be a book himself. He sees Greg very clearly and does not let him get away with anything. He is the voice of truth. Greg's parents are funny also. Earl and Vince, Greg's dad, have an unusual relationship. Earl also takes Greg's mother in stride. Watching these guys plan their future is as wild as everything else in the book.

This is a winner! Read it!

I wanted to like this book, and was hoping for something comparable to the line of John Green- but it was a huge disappointment. Hasn't Walters ever heard the saying "Vulgarity is no substitute for humor?" This book isn't nearly as funny as everyone says it is. It is vulgar, crude, and the characters are all over the top quirky to be likable or believable. I had such a hard time connecting with the characters I didn't even care when the anticipated 'death' you hear so much about happened. I don't get the hype. Huge disappointment. Would never recommend to youth I work with.

I loved this book so much. The humor in this was just amazing and I have never read a book more funny than this one. It's not you typical cancer story, which I love. I enjoyed Greg's personality, though it was melodramatic I think that's what made him funny.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the writing style. Some of it is written in script form (which I guess comes from the fact that Greg and his friend Earl write movies). And it's written where you feel like the main character is speaking to you personally. It is very unique.

From what I've heard, this book is a hit or miss to others, but it is a hit with me!

Definitely not your typical teen tragedy. Hard to read sometimes because the purposely submit writing, but that adds to the realism too and makes it frankly very easy to see as an actual story. Love spotting unnamed landmarks in Pittsburgh too.worth the read as an alternative teen novel.

This book really is laugh-out-loud funny, but you have to get on board for a lot of voice. Which, to me, can be a tiny bit grating - you just have to be in the mood for snarkasm, I guess. IT's a little like KING DORK meets FAULT IN OUR STARS... both great, mostly taste great together.

It reads like a stream of conscienceness of a teen guy who spends a lot of time in his own head. It was really funny and the main character was awesomely sardonic. The story with his friends was interesting. I couldnt put this book down. I would read anything this author puts out.

I wanted to love this but I just couldn't. The movie was beautiful and strange and wonderful. I was expecting so much more. For me this is one of the rare instances where the movie was more powerful than the book.

The movie was based on this, so if you haven't watched the movie, go do it. Either way it's a great book for millennials and teenagers. It's worth a try, and of course, always share this book with your friends.

To my dismay this book was pretty disappointing. Not worth the hype at all. The plot is very weak & the "dying girl", one of the most important characters is portrayed in a pretty unimportant way. The book portrays her as important without her being important. This was an uneventful, Pointless read. Not to mention annoying as well since the author chose to include snippets at the end of each chapter pointing out how stupid the actually writing of the book was. Very disappointed in this book

I'm afraid I won't be able to put to words how much I loved this book. It was so right. Everything about it. The self-deprecating humor, the characters. Oh man. The characters. So good. Earl just made me laugh. And Greg, oh, how I related to him. The theme is coming of age, but the way Greg comes to age is absolutely hilarious. I felt like he was telling me the story over some drinks. The writing style was fresh and bold. I just loved everything about it. I love the truth. That's really what stood out for me - the character was in the raw, alive and never wrong.

The only book that is ACTUALLY funny! Holy Guacamole BATMAN! I used to hate books, but thank Jesus for Jesse Andrews! Sir. Andrews is a Genius! Excruciatingly hilarious! To all the haters: shove it! You listening to me Jesse? Tell the haters to shove it! The world needs more authors like you, not less. Ahhhh!! This book is so delicious; I literally eat it for breakfast erryday!! Ok, so yes there is a lot of profanity, but hey that's how most teenagers talk. And yea Greg isn't perfect but we all can't be perfect angels like Augustus Waters. Greg is real, and if you dislike how he behaves then maybe it's a wake up call that we need to save the children. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. *Ha!* Preach!

So I read this book because of the movie. I like to read the book first and see how the movie compares. Unfortunately I was not one of the many that found this book amazing. There was nothing wrong with it, but it just wasn't my type of book. I was not a fan of the main character's constant demeaning of himself. I was torn between a 2-3 star rating because it wasn't horrible, just wasn't my cup of tea.

Greg has managed to make it to his senior year in high school hanging on the periphery of every group. Sure, he has no friends, but he also has no enemies trying to destroy his life either. Until Rachel, the girl he almost-kind-of dated in Hebrew school, but hasn't talked to since, gets cancer and his mother insists they hang out. His hanging out with Rachel starts to change his position in high school, as does her discovery of his underground movie making hobby with his friend Earl.

What started out as a laugh out loud funny book, manage to lose my interest, humor, and attention entirely by its end. It might just be me, but when a book is self-effacing to the point of continually telling you how much it sucks and why you should be reading something else, eventually I start to believe it. Here's just a couple of the many examples:

"I do actually want to say one other thing before we get started with this horrifyingly inane book. You may have already figured out that it's about a girl who had cancer. So there's a chance you're thinking, "Awesome! This is going to be a wise and insightful story about love and death and growing up. It is probably going to make me cry literally the entire time. I am so fired up right now." If that is an accurate representation of your thoughts, you should probably try to smush this book into a garbage disposal and then run away. Because here's the thing: I learned absolutely nothing from Rachel's leukemia. In fact, I probably became stupider about life because of the whole thing."

"I can't believe you're still reading this. You should smack yourself in the face a couple of times right now, just to complete the outstandingly stupid experience that is this book."

"Maybe you should think about switching to a different book. Even to, like, an owner's manual to a refrigerator or something. That would be more heartwarming than this."

The first time was funny, but by the end I was thinking `why yes, I would rather be reading an owner's manual to a refrigerator atm'. I suppose this is in part because we did just get a new refrigerator and I'm excited about water magically appearing strait from the door in the way it has at my parents house for as long as I can remember, but part of it had to be that I really got over Me and Earl and the Dying Girl before it was through.

Our narrator, Greg, is your classic pudgy, pasty, awkwardly funny Jewish kid. He had me laughing out loud a lot for the first quarter or so of the book. However, after that, it started to feel like he was just trying too hard. At everything. Greg wants so badly for everyone to like him that he goes to great lengths to never be friends with anyone. He tries so hard to make people laugh that he'll run any bit that gets a chuckle into the ground. By the end, the only humor I was actually gleaming was from Earl, who wasn't even trying to be funny (and therefore was). Greg was well aware of his flaws, he spent pages degrading himself and demolishing his self-worth over his self-centered attitude and lack of empathy. Earl at one point goes off about the people in his life that he'd love to help, but the unfortunate reality is that you can't help people who won't first help themselves. He was right, but of course Greg doesn't really get the point. Sure, he tells you up front he learns nothing, there's no touching moments, etc., I just suppose I should have taken him more seriously. It's not that I need every story to be emotionally touching, but I do need to like the characters I'm supposedly cheering for, or if I don't like the characters I like to have a compelling story. I didn't feel really keyed into the story or the characters, and was therefore disappointed.

I was hoping for a cancer book with more humor and less tears. Did I get it? Yes. Just not to the extent that I was hoping. The author included scenes written in script format, which was clever giving the movie-making premise of the book, as well as a number of lists both numbered and bulleted. To me, I wish he'd stuck with one thing, or made it less mish-mash, as was it came across a bit gimicky. I will say that I adored the paper artwork cover, which is what attracted me to the book in the first place.

A lot of people will probably appreciate this book more than I did, but to me, this book was that kid that's always hanging around trying way too hard to make everyone laugh and just making everything awkward because he's not really that funny. I never liked that kid much, and I didn't really like this book much either.

This is not your average cliche-boy-and-sick-dying-girl hook-up kind of book. Meet Greg, the protagonist, of this "cancer book." Socially invisible- that's where he wants to be in high school. Meet Earl: "sketchy", has 3 other brothers, his mom neglects them - prefers to be on computer chat rooms. Together, Greg and Earl create a fascinating working relationship for they both create home movies that just SUCK. Of course, thanks to mom, we meet Rachel, a girl from Greg's past. Now they are forced to interact and all three create a course of events that will add up and ruin your idea of a heart - warming book. Totally not what TFIOS did. Amazing book. A+++

I am shocked at how the book is being promoted. It is being likened to The Fault in Our Stars, a powerful, beautiful book about 3 characters who just happen to have cancer. TFIOS targets middle school girls, so I expected Me and Earl to be appropriate for middle school girls, as well.

Parents and Teachers: Me and Earl is NOT appropriate for middle school girls. Promoters of this book need to make it clear that it is not similar to TFIOS. As a middle school teacher who works hard to inspire her students to read, I purchase many Young Adult books. I purchased copies of Me and Earl for my classroom library believing that "my girls" would fall in love this. I had to pull these from my library.

Other reviewers have already commented on the humor and honesty of this book and its refreshing lack of fake sentimentality. Praise is also deserved for the diabolically creative and utterly profane language its teenage characters use. Brilliant! Truly a symphony.

I love reading books before they come out in theaters so when I saw the trailer for this movie I knew I had to read the book. This is probably my favorite book of 2015. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl isn’t your typical book about someone with cancer. Greg Gaines struggles with trying to figure out how to be a friend to Rachel. Greg and his friend Earl make films for fun and when they decide to make a film for Rachel it becomes a turning point in all of their lives. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions for me it was funny and sometimes I would cry but when I finished this book I definitely had a smile on my face this book is amazing. I would recommend this book and I plan on watching the movie when it comes out this month. Everyone should check this book out you won’t regret it!

This book was incredible. Seriously, it is worth the read. I am not the kind of person that ever goes back and actually writes reviews, but this book and movie both were so incredible I don't even know how to describe it. this isn't a cancer book, or a teen romance, or really anything like that. It's not like anything else that I have read. It's just an incredible and honest story. I read it in one sitting. It is worth the read.

I read a lot of contemporary fiction. This book is among the Top Five of anything I've read in the last couple of years. I wish I could express, in as clever and funny way as its author, the kind of praise this novel deserves. Full disclosure: I am the author's uncle. And he knows if this book sucked I would say so. It definitely doesn't suck. There is an exchange between Greg and Earl where I had to stop reading because I was laughing so hard. The last several pages of the narrative, the denouement if you will, is among the most poignant, beautiful and cleverly-written prose I have come across. I recommend it without reservation.

I loved this book! Warning, do not read this book in public. I got some very strange looks on the airplane as it had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions. Well written and unapologetically honest, this book simultaneously entertained me and broke my heart. This is a short book and a quick read. Great for the beach! Well written. I highly recommend.

This was a really good book. I actually hated some aspects of this book up until the very last chapter, but if you finish reading it and continue reading the prologue, everything will make sense and you will love this book.

To those who don't like when the author writes "this is a horrible book" or " I don't understand why you are still reading" I can clearly see that you did not finish reading the book and/or you don't understand that it's not the author saying that, but the books main character (Greg) and it's not directed towards the reader (I won't spoil the book for you).

This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. It was a new angel of reactions to death which I found a lot more realistic then the general cliché. I kept expecting it to turn out to be normal or normalize throughout the book but it just weirdified and blew away the weird scale, yet it was seriously amazing and captivating.

I listened to this book on CD and hung on every word of it. Many books attempt to be this clever, but Andrews actually succeeds, which is a rare and valuable thing. I loved how Greg was so trapped in his own mind that, despite being intelligent, he never realized he's not the only person on Earth who does stupid things, says stupid things, has inappropriate thoughts, doesn't always feel the way he ought to feel, etc. I loved how Earl managed to be perceptive and vile at the same time. The storytelling was so good, I felt like I was right in the book the whole time. Refreshing!

I really enjoyed the innocence of this story. Teen drama, cancer, and an abusive home life don't sound so innocent but the author did an amazing job keeping the kids kids and making me love these characters.

It's a fun read, but it's also a depressing commentary on the real world. It jumps around quite a bit, and it, as it brings up, is a somewhat unnecessary commentary on barely-not-average teenager's life.

I was really excited to start Me & Early & The Dying Girl, as I heard great reviews for it. The synopsis was very intriguing as well, and I honestly just love sad endings. As I started reading the book, it was apparent that the book was going to be a funny one. I liked Jesse's writing style, he made the characters sound so real. Greg, the main protagonist, was really funny at first. His points of view, and how he sees things was just very different than any other character I read about.
After reading more, I got a bit annoyed. The amount of swear words in the book was uncountable. I really don't mind if it was once or twice, but it was up to five times in every single page. I mean, come on, use some decent words. His friend Earl was really annoying as well. His thoughts and the way he thought about things was just disgusting to me.
Rachel was probably the only normal character in the book. She wasn't naggy or annoying either. She got Leukemia, and was fine with it. I honestly didn't cry in this book, even though I do know some people actually did. I just felt like the whole story was too laid back and random to be taken seriously. I guess some people would actually enjoy this book, but it just wasn't all that for me.

I was really disappointed by this book. It seemed like a great story, with interesting characters, great humor, and a refreshingly realistic approach to a cliche topic. However, I only made it to Chapter 9 before the vulgarity and profane language turned me off so much that I could not finish it. Earl is unnecessarily disgusting, and it certainly doesn't add anything to the story.

I can't even give this one star honestly - if there was a way to give it negatives I would. It is hands down the most vulgar repulsive book I have ever picked up. I can stand a word here or there in an adults book - but this book is geared towards young adults, seventh to twelth graders - and has more vulgar words, etc in the first 3 chapters than one can imagine. I'm not talking minor expletives either. Same with topics. I had to quit after the first 4 chapters because it was just so bad so I didn't even get into what the story line may have been. I checked out the copy from the library and was glad that I picked it up and started reading it before I let my son. I'm not about banning books, but this one is so bad that I am going to recommend that the library either put a warning sticker on it for parents to decide (since it is being peddled to teenagers) or just throw the smut/filth away. There were so many better ways a story could have been written about the same topics without all the vulgarity. Sad that a publisher even printed this for young teenagers.

I borrowed this book from the library and at first I liked it. The author has a great dry humor. I almost told my step son to read it. But then........he started talking perverted, smutty talk. Pornography, masturbation and profanity became a huge part of the book. His friend Earl is a drug addict who doesn't go to school. If it wasn't a library book, I would have burned it.

What a way to ruin a story, Jesse Andrews.