Openly Straight
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Narrated by:
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Pete Cross
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By:
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Bill Konigsberg
About this listen
Rafe is a normal teenager from Colorado. He's been out since 8th grade, accepted by his peers & championed by his progressive parents. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to be a regular guy. To have his sexuality be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time. So when Rafe transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret - not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down and realizes his own labels aren't well-concealed. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben...who doesn't even know that love is possible.
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Really freaking excellent
- By Kindle Customer on 06-12-22
By: Dahlia Adler
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Sweet Sixteen
- By: Brenda Rothert
- Narrated by: Kirsten Leigh, Chris Ruen
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Gin Fielding is counting the days until she escapes the small-town life of Roper, Missouri, for college at NYU. She prefers to blend in, though she’s far from invisible. But when she protects a younger student from a bully, the spotlight turns on her. Chase Matthews enjoys the small-town celebrity being the star quarterback brings. When Gin defends his little sister against a bully, he decides to change her senior year in ways she never imagined. When Gin declines Chase’s invitation to be part of the elite Sweet 16, the repercussions turn both their lives upside down.
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Awful message
- By Pink Amy on 02-05-23
By: Brenda Rothert
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Change of Hart
- By: M. E. Carter
- Narrated by: Jacob Morgan, Kirsten Leigh
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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My name is Jason Hart. As the best defensive lineman in the country, I eat, sleep, and breathe football. That is, until I have a random meeting with a little boy that just lost his father. We have more in common than you might think and it creates an unlikely bond. As our friendship grows, so do my feelings for his mother. I know Addison, as a recent widow, isn't ready to date again. But I want to get to know her better in spite of all her rejections. Is it possible that I, a self-proclaimed bachelor, could be having a Change of Hart?
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LOVED IT!
- By Erin Kinney on 07-07-17
By: M. E. Carter
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On the Fence
- By: Kasie West
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door. With three older brothers, Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, has always been more comfortable calling the shots on a basketball court than flirting with the opposite sex. So when her police officer dad demands she get a summer job to pay for the latest in a long line of speeding tickets, she's more than a little surprised to find herself working at a chichi boutique and going out with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.
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One the Fence
- By Cassandra on 07-30-17
By: Kasie West
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A Short History of the Girl Next Door
- By: Jared Reck
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Matt Wainwright is constantly sabotaged by the overdramatic movie director in his head. He can't tell his best friend, Tabby, how he really feels about her; he implodes on the JV basketball team; and the only place he feels normal is in Mr. Ellis' English class, discussing the greatest fart scenes in literature and writing poems about pissed-off candy-cane lumberjacks. After a tragic accident, Matt finds himself left on the sidelines, on the verge of spiraling out of control and losing everything that matters to him.
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Move Over John Green
- By Katie - Audible on 09-27-17
By: Jared Reck
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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
- By: Ben Philippe
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Norris is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A Black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don’t bode well when you are moving to Texas. Plunked into a new high school, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it’s time to go back to Canada, where he belongs. Yet those labels soon become actual people to Norris....
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Heartwarming...but profuse profanity.
- By Dajah B. on 01-28-19
By: Ben Philippe
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Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit
- By: Jaye Robin Brown
- Narrated by: Amanda Dolan
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Joanna Gordon has been out and proud for years, but when her popular radio evangelist father remarries and decides to move all three of them from Atlanta to the more conservative Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the impossible: to lie low for the rest of her senior year. And Jo reluctantly agrees. Although it is (mostly) much easier for Jo to fit in as a straight girl, things get complicated when she meets Mary Carlson, the oh-so-tempting sister of her new friend at school. But Jo couldn't possibly think of breaking her promise to her dad.
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Straitest lesbian romance I’ve ever read
- By Anonymous User on 05-13-22
By: Jaye Robin Brown
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Leaving Paradise, Book 1
- By: Simone Elkeles
- Narrated by: Nick Mondelli
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad - her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares - has been canceled. After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free...if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.
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Couldnt finish so bad
- By Chelsea on 09-11-18
By: Simone Elkeles
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Shut Out
- By: Kody Keplinger
- Narrated by: Kate Reinders
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other Schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight or haze a freshman. And on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention. Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players’ girlfriends go on a hookup strike.
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A great read
- By Valerie StuckInBooks on 01-29-12
By: Kody Keplinger
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Catching Jordan
- By: Miranda Kenneally
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school.
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Great Book
- By Cassandra on 05-14-16
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Geography Club
- By: Brent Hartinger
- Narrated by: Josh Hurley
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Russel Middlebrook is convinced he's the only gay kid at Goodkind High School. Then his online gay chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school's baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students, too. There's his best friend Min, who reveals that she is bisexual, and her soccer-playing girlfriend Terese. Then there's Terese's politically active friend, Ike. But how can kids this diverse get together without drawing attention to themselves?
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Great narration and timely topic
- By mindnbody on 03-01-14
By: Brent Hartinger
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What listeners say about Openly Straight
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-08-18
So realistic, it hurts.
This book had me hooked, and made me feel so many things. I felt joy, I felt pain, I felt stressed. But most of all, I felt happy that there was a book centered around a gay character, and it wasn't done in poor taste. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!
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- Rissa907
- 10-04-18
love
I love this book ❤ Would highly recommend. It's definitely in my top 10 faves.
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- MikeJ
- 01-30-19
Terrific story with even better narration
The story is interesting and a nice twist on coming of age - kid tries going back in closet, though he denies it, and finds a new set of problems. While some parts seem a bit out of line (convincing his old friends and family to help him hide) and some dialogue is maybe too unrealistic, it overall weaves thoughtful contemplation of who he is and was, with social interaction with all its complexity in a boys boarding school that claims tolerance, but can't avoid the fact that teenage boys will be as they tend to be good, bad and ugly.
What is truly impressive is the narration that carries out teen inflections and expressions and excellent character voices that really keep you going. You feel Rafe's joy, frustration, anger and his confusion and you hear clearly the responses of others. Overall, great job makes it all work.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-12-21
Rafe is interesting and the premise is refreshing
Is the idea of a gay kid choosing to act Straight weird? For some people, including advocates and "out Proud" crowd, I can see why. However, as a gay guy with a decade of experience under his own belt, I can understand why Rafe did what he did. I am not saying I don't judge his attempt at reinvention to be stupid or childish, when even he himself admits it after reflection, but I get why he wanted to "fit in with the guys".
As we grow older, somethings come into clearer focus. I wasn't out in high school, because I told myself "why add drama", despite actually being in Boston and openly befriending gay/bi/lesbian friends. I also hung out with Jocks, nerds, and Anime geeks, because I didn't really want that part of me define who I am. However, it does eat at you to hide that part of yourself like Rafe does in the novel, not sharing that part of who you are with others, including your best friends. I came out to my friends after college, there was disbelief at first, but I think the thing they and me regretted most was that I couldn't share earlier and be comfortable with myself.
That's why this book is so powerful, it's not about liberal politics scaring gay kid back into the closet to belong, but something far more fundamental. Even in an open environment with plenty of gay people, many of us are just afraid to be ourselves and share like Rafe to lesser extents. We create a closet, even when it is not needed for safety or protection.
I like Bill Konigsberg take on Rafe and the attitude about being afraid to showcase yourself as gay, despite being gay. The closet is tempting not only to people in conservative areas, it's tempting for those who just want a sense of commonality with others and fears of exclusion by introducing this distinct differentiating variable of sexual attraction.
I know some have given this a negative review due to repeatability and maybe the hatred for Rafe's spoiled "privilege" that so many other gay guys growing up did not have. I can see that point and I respect those opinions, but as a gay man from a liberal area who created his own closet not out of need, I think those readers fail to realize that we all struggle with our own issues with being who we are. Being gay isn't a "One Size" fits all concept, Rafe's experience and mine maybe privileges denied to others who have to live in the closet out of fear, but at the heart of it, the closet exist because we all wanted to belong and accepted into our own groups.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Robert E. Buckner
- 03-21-18
A very emotional trip.
I really enjoyed this story and getting into the minds of the characters. It left me in a very pensive mood.
I'm looking forward to the sequel.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-23-19
Three thumbs up!
I did not want this book to end! Such a great emotional roller coaster. Also this hit a little to close to home reminding me of younger past friendships.
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- Brandy Elloie
- 07-11-20
I like this one!!
The story developed at a great pace, well defined characters and storyline, but I wasn’t happy at the end.. I mean, it’s a great ending, but I kinda wanted more.
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- John
- 04-09-19
wasn't the best, but it made me think.
To me this book seeks to bring perspective to a common issue that most of us have, how do we try feel normal in society. While I dont entirely agree with the broad message of the book, it is a lovely character piece that will leave you thinking about your personal perspectives.
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- Nicole Saabedra Lua
- 02-25-21
Cool
Tbh the book didn't really interest me so i guess i can't really form a well constructed opinion, but i do have to say the i enjoyed the the way that the author was able to so effortlessly convey the story without it feeling forced. At times i did feel like i might have even been over descriptive and maybe should have been toned down but im really glad too that it was like this because i dont think i would have been able to fully embrace these characters and Raf, the main character's, feelings/ emotions. Overall i think as always this author did very well and even though it was not that interesting to me it was so well read and written. :))
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-18-18
what a rollercoaster of emotions
I wish i would have had this book when i was coming out and growing up.
It was excellent to listen to; then performance was great and the style and character he gave to each voice was nice.
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