Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green

Noah is your typical teenager: moody, hates his mum and is madly in love with someone.

Noah doesn’t like his mum that much. She is cringe and never seems to be on his side. Noah’s dad left them when he was young and as far as Noah’s mum can tell him, his dad is probably dead. Noah’s best friend for life is Harry, they have been through thick and thin for as long as either of them can remember. Harry always has Noah’s back. Then there is Sophie, Noah’s crush. To Noah she is everything for him which is why he is going to tell her how he feels at the upcoming house party for their year group.

Everything is going smoothly for Noah, he is drinking some of his first tastes of alcohol (if you don’t count the vodka and Ribena they all chugged before heading over) and Sophie is looking spectacular. Noah is practically drooling over Sophie so hard that he doesn’t notice something is off with Harry. When Noah says to Harry that he wants to marry Sophie one day, Harry storms off. Later that night, something happens that will alter Noah’s life forever. He has his first kiss.

Now, your first kiss is a big deal. It sets the bar for ALL your future kisses so it has to be good. Noah had dreamt of kissing Sophie for a long time, planning it in his head with meticulous detail. So it really threw a spanner in the works when, in the middle of a heated argument, Harry kisses Noah! Blindsided, Noah’s mind races. What does it mean? Did he like it? Does this mean he is gay?

What follows is a whirlwind journey through the true adolescent experience where everyone seems to be trying to get out of it in one piece. Noah’s life will never been the same again. As Noah tries to put together the random, racing thoughts in his head, life decides to throw more curve balls his way…

His Mum has started seeing a new fella, a mystery man that she doesn’t want Noah to meet. His head of year is acting strange like a farther figure to Noah. The love of his life Sophie is MOVING TO MILTON KEYNES, his Gran is plotting her escape from the care home she is in because of her dementia and to top it all off, Harry isn’t speaking to him! To put it bluntly, Noah has a lot on his plate (and more to come for desert later on).

Noah can’t Even is a rip-roaring rollercoaster of emotion and is a great representation of a coming of age story set in the United Kingdom. The ups and downs of becoming an adult while also dealing with exploring your sexuality.