Unfortunately I couldn’t connect with the story or the main character very much. It was odd reading a romance-ish book from the males perspective, especially when that perspective is Ethan Hawke. It has moments that are too early 90s homophobic and harks too much on acting masculine during a messy breakup. The most enjoyable moments are the ramblings on life and growing up, the personal stories of family and finding your path. Luckily it was a quick read or I may have given up halfway through.

I've read another of  Ethan Hawke and thought he was good. So when I saw this book in the free box I couldn't just pass it up laughing that an actor actually thinks he can write too(like I could at a Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis novel). Quite contrary, Hawke has a writing voice that is simple, direct, and sometimes ingenious. Check out one of his character's resolutions: "I want to never waste energy degrading someone else. Also, I want to try not see life as a competition. If I can do these two things, as well as keep myself from being checked into an alcoholic rehabilitation center, then I figure I'll be A-OK" (182).

This book reads like a good satisfying meal. It's a romance written from a budding hopeless romantic's perspective. Perfect in length and depth. A good page turner.

OMG YOU GUYS did you know that Ethan Hawke wrote a novel? Two novels, actually. And now you know all that you need to know about this book.

An incredibly visceral, raw wound of a book, perfectly detailing everyone's experience of obsessive, passionate love that ends badly.

'I loved that stupid girl so much', he says. If you can't identify with that statement on some level, you have no heart...

A great debut from a promising author, who has far surpassed expectations as an actor/writer/artist.

A quick read that's very easy to pick up again, even if it has the effect of giving you an ear to ear grin at the start and ending with you feeling like you've been gutted.

An incredible, emotional experience.

Anyone with enough dedication could’ve written this. Maybe that’s why I kind of enjoyed it.

I was impressed by the transparency of a young Hawke's writing ability, allowing nastier parts of his budding romantic life to slip into this quasi autobiography. He would later go on to cheat on worldie Uma Thurman, which he writes about in the sequel of this book, also obviously memoir-like. I've looked up to Hawke majority of my life, thinking of him as a paragon of artistry, and knowing that he was probably once a doomed lover reciting soliloquies and destroying his apartment, troubled and scared, fatherless and bitter, I have a renewed interest in him, peeling back a layer that reveals something so much more interesting -- an adult perspective on a childhood hero.

Digget den

A literary masterpiece, no - a self-gratifying read, yes. This is one of a few, well perhaps the only book, that I have read multiple times. I often visual the characters in my head, turning them into a movie, and he does a spectacular job at making the characters and their often heart-wrenching journey come alive.

Surprisingly good, a fast provocative read about young love in New York. I zipped through it in a couple days. You have to get through the kind of boring first couple of pages where William and Sarah first meet.

The story is about a 20-year-old actor (William) who falls in love with Sarah. Sarah is a upcoming singer and the story takes place in New York. William meets Sarah at a bar and watched her perform where he immediately feel in love. He is a few months away twenty-first birthday and about to act in his first movie. He is so used to getting what he wants that he has never been able to care too deeply for anyone. But that all changes when he meets Sarah and decides to move in with her. Sarah and William went from living in a tenement on the Lower East Side to a flight and hotel room in Paris. The novel explores obsession, heart break, decision making and ultimately, William's uncontrollable breakdown after being rejected by Sarah. William questions his own masculinity as part of this rejection and to stop himself from falling apart falls back on his friends, his divorced parents and his high school sweetheart. If you've seen some of Hawke's films like "Before Midnight" or "tape" then you'll also enjoy his novel. This book was a film before it was made into a novel and was just as successful as the film with a rating of 4.5 stars on the Washington Post. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in drama or coming of age books.

i do not hate ethan hawke, in fact i was rooting for him the whole time i read this book. and while parts of it were beautiful, i found the characters pretty unlikable. 2 1/2 stars.

Took a long break after the first third of the book, and then read the rest on one day. I love the way he writes dialogue, it seems as though you’re standing right next to the people talking. The story itself was a bit weird, but somehow still very enjoyable.