When I was looking for books read for this month, I originally thought that M or F? was about gender identity. So when I read the book's summary I was pleasantly surprised to find that that wasn't the case at all (not that I have anything against books that deal with transgender issues; I still have yet to read any) and decided to give it a go, since it sounded pretty interesting. Boy, am I glad that I gave this a go because I really, really, really enjoyed this book. Like, a lot.M or F? is the story of best friends Marcus and Frannie. Frannie has developed a crush on Jeffrey and wants to get his attention, but is too shy to talk to him, so Marcus (who is gay) helps her out by talking to Jeffrey online for her. However, this plan works a little too well, and it looks like Jeffrey is falling for Marcus, who has been pretending to be Frannie all this time. I really loved M or F?'s story; it's light-hearted, funny, and pretty quirky at times. I don't think I've ever read a book with a story like this. My only issue, that isn't really an issue, is that I wish this story was a little bit longer. At only sixteen chapters, this felt kind of short. However, I felt that it ended at the right place, and if anything was added onto the end, it would feel kind of drawn out. I enjoyed reading M or F? so much that I didn't want it to end!M or F? is told from the point of views of both Marcus and Frannie, which I'm usually fussy about, but I loved the way that it was done here. I loved both Marcus and Frannie equally, because they both had great voices that were so much fun to read in. There were plenty of asides, some sarcastic comments were thrown into there and I could definitely tell who was speaking (even though there were little male and female symbols at the top of the page at each chapter) thanks to this awesome concoction. Along with Marcus and Frannie, I liked all of the characters in M or F?; they were all unique in their own ways and I could really get that through the book's dialogue, which felt so natural and believable that I could hear their voices crystal clearly.While I haven't read many LGBT YA romances, what makes M or F? different to other books that I had looked at, is that this is more about friendship than romance and I think that's why I liked this so much. Sure, Frannie's crush on Jeffrey is a major part of the story, but this is really all about her friendship with Marcus and how their plan to set Frannie up with Jeffrey changes their friendship. I think that this is what made the book so light-hearted and even humorous because Frannie is comfortable with being so open with her best friend, while she's shy when it comes to Jeffrey. If she was trying to talk to him all by herself, it would probably feel awkward and I would cringe for her so badly.Overall, I really liked M or F?. I liked the story, the characters were great, and I just loved how light-hearted and fun this book was. It's totally not what I expected from a contemporary romance, and I definitely think that's a good thing.
Frannie has a crush on Jeffrey, even if she doesn't share his passion for activist causes. Marcus is Frannie's best friend and a little lonely - he pushes Frannie to act on her crush partly to distract himself from his own lack of options for a boyfriend. When Frannie freezes up talking to Jeffrey online, Marcus steps in to break the ice. Soon Marcus is chatting with Jeffrey on his own and developing his own crush - then the both start to wonder who Jeffrey is really interested in. And where do Marcus' friend Ethan (another activist trying to get Marcus to join the school's GSA) and Jeffrey's friend Glenn fit in?While some of the plot made me roll my eyes, it was engaging the characters were sympathetic and well-drawn (although Frannie and Marcus were so similar there were times when I had to pause and check who's perspective the chapter was from). The only character who comes across a little flat is Jeffrey but given the nature of the story that as probably the point.
What do You think about M Or F? (2006)?
Average. Extremely average. This plot of this book was completely guessable from the beginning and the heterosexual characters were incredibly grating and dull. Franny was supposed to be this super cool girl but then fell into every girly stereotype in the world. Lisa P. come on, stick up for the fairer sex. On the plus side the gay characters were fun although the use of the word queer started to annoy. Perhaps I am too old for this book. Scratch that. I am definitely too old for this book. Why wasn't teen lit a booming genre when I was in middle school and probably would have appreciated it?This is a cute book and I was probably a little unfair to it in this review. It is hard to not be overly critical when characters are THAT annoying. Cowboy guy was also far too perfect. As was the little coincidink with grammy at the end. No spoilers though. Read and groan for yourself.
—Alice
M of F tells the story of Frannie and Marcus, she straight, he gay, who are best friends in high school. A modern reworking of Cyrano de Bergerac, the story was just too predictable for my tastes. The book alternates between Marcus's voice and Frannie's with Ms. Papademetriou writing for Frannie and her friend, Christopher Tebbets writing the Marcus chapters. Big problem there is that Mr. Tebbets' chapters are so much stronger and more interesting. I wanted to just skip over Frannie entirely and read "The Story of Marcus."A 2.5 - a bit better than okay.
—Kathy
This is a rather enjoyable adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. Girl likes Boy. Girl sees Boy in the high school chat room as he's trying to recruit volunteers for a service project. Girl gets nervous and has Gay Best Friend do the typing in the chat room for her. Comedy and High School Drama ensue from there. There are some fun twists here and there leading up to the final resolution.Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant about picking up the book at first because it has two authors who alternate chapters. This can be done well (Armageddon Summer) or it can be done quite poorly (Rob&Sara.com) as a copout for an author incapable of creating multiple characters to narrate through. I was pleased to see that it worked in this instance. Marcus and Frannie have distinct personalities and the story is nicely integrated and tied together. There were a few glitches here and there that should have been caught by a good editor or a decent copyeditor. Of course, maybe I'm just noticing those because I'm not giving enough attention and devotion to my own books.
—Christian
