Whatever.: or how junior year became totally f$@cked

S. J. Goslee

Aug 2016 · Sold by Roaring Brook Press

About this ebook

“Fans of David Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy (2003) and Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (2015) won’t be disappointed.” —Booklist, starred review

“Recommended for young adults who enjoy . . . books by John Green, Adam Silvera, or John Corey Whaley.” —School Library Journal, starred review

It's like the apocalypse came, only instead of nuclear bombs and zombies, Mike gets school participation, gay thoughts, and mother-effin' cheerleaders.

Junior year is about to start. Here's what Mike Tate knows:

His friends are awesome and their crappy garage band is a great excuse to drink cheap beer. Rook Wallace is the devil. The Lemonheads rock. And his girlfriend Lisa is the coolest. Then Lisa breaks up with him, which makes Mike only a little sad, because they'll stay friends and he never knew what to do with her boobs anyway. But when Mike finds out why Lisa dumped him, it blows his mind. And worse—he gets elected to homecoming court.

With a standout voice, a hilariously honest view on sex and sexuality, and enough f-bombs to make your mom blush, S.J. Goslee's debut YA novel Whatever. is a fresh, modern take on the coming-out story.

A 2017 Booklist Youth Editors' Choice

Ratings and reviews

I may have read this in one day... and stayed up until 1:30 am on a work night while doing so.... Which is to say I couldn't set it down and didn't want to. This book is fun. The characters have actual personalities and problems. It made me smile, it made me laugh, it made me want to fall in love. It doesn't have a ton of depth, I didn't feel moved to tears except by the very end just because I was sad it was over. But not everything has to be triumphant or sad to be beautiful. I'd say this book is beautiful, because its made up of those people who make life worthwhile. I'd recommend to anyone who doesn't want to read anything heavy but does want to be immersed. My only complaint is that sometimes "girl" is used in a derogatory way but as the characters are predominantly teenaged boys it's not surprising.

Good and funny

About the author

S. J. Goslee graduated from West Chester University with a BA in Literature and a minor in Creative Writing. She's been writing fan fiction in multiple fandoms for over a decade, amounting to more than 140 stories and a million words. Whatever. is her debut novel. She lives in Glenolden, Pennsylvania, with her husband, two young sons, three cats, and two dogs (one giant, one tiny).