Pretend You Love Me

Julie Anne Peters

Aug 2011 · Sold by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About this ebook

A poignant novel about queer identity from National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters.  

Mike (real name: Mary Elizabeth) is gay and likes to pump iron, play softball, and fix plumbing. In addition to her identity, Mike is struggling to come to terms with her father's suicide and her mother's detachment from the family. When a glamorous new girl, Xanadu, arrives in Mike's small Kansas town, Mike falls in love at first sight. Xanadu is everything Mike is not: cool, confident, feminine, sexy...and straight.

Originally published under the title Far From Xanadu, this heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful novel will speak to anyone who has ever fallen in love with someone who can't love them back. 

Ratings and reviews

I liked this love story just because it was different and the main character mike he was okay.... I didn't like any of the other characters. Once i finished the book i could barley recall what happened just because the story was oh so dull.

This was a pretty good read. Mike reminded me of myself in small ways. The setting of the story was very relatable to me and I had a hard time putting the book down. But I felt that the ending was too abrupt.

This was a pretty good book but it just was slow at the begining and then at the end could have been maybe alittle more "dramatic" , but I enjoyed it

About the author

Julie Anne Peters is the critically acclaimed author of Define "Normal," Keeping You a Secret, Pretend You Love Me, Between Mom and Jo, She Loves You, She Loves You Not..., It's Our Prom (So Deal With It), and Luna, a National Book Award finalist.