I really liked that the story deals with the super levels of denial people can live with even when they are surrounded by people are really accepting and who love them a lot just because of how heteronormative society is.
Howie was an interesting character - he was really funny and his internal monologue was hilarious to read. I didn't think he was quite introspective enough given the fairly huge life changes he was going through.
I really liked Artie. He was a dude super at home with his gayness but was also incredibly supportive of what his new boyfriend was going through.
I would have liked Howie to have investigated his gayness a bit more. Like, had there ever been crushes on guys before? Is Artie the Key To His Closet? Or is Howie straight with an exception? Or bi?
The plot was ok - it mainly dealt with Artie and Howie's new relationship and their relationship with their co-workers and family. It did drag a bit and there was a whole section at the end that should have been brutally edited and that I ended up skimming a bit. On the whole though, I quite enjoyed it.
I read this at the same time as my 13-year-old kids - they thought it was amazeballs, like one of the best books they've read all year.
3.5 stars