Simon James Green's 'Noah Can't Even'.

After reading a couple of novels which were long and in-depth, I needed something nice and light to break up the genres, so I picked up Noah Can't Even – a charming story about coming of age, and the difficulties faced by teenagers as they come to terms with their identities.

There isn't much to say about this story. It's nice. Which isn't surprising given it's audience, but I like how it tackles a number of issues from family to friends, and I remember going through some of the same motions, desperate to be normal when in reality I knew I was different.

I remember buying a friend of mine jewellery in order to appear straight. I had girlfriends up until I was sixteen in order to feel as if I was straight. And it's funny that Noah tries to back away from being gay too in similar fashion. 

The best lesson in this is that kids need to discover who they are, and should be encouraged to do so, and we should encourage them to develop into whomever they are with no prejudice. As soon as you take away the shame you feel about yourself, things truly get better.

When I was sixteen, and I came out, the bullying stopped, much in the same way with Noah.