I usually avoid John Green. His writing voice is identical to his narrator voice from his Crash-Course World History youtubes and it quickly becomes grating. So when I saw the title (good title - Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green is great at titles) AND a co-author, I was ready to dip my toe back into his schmaltzy world without even reading the synopsis on the back. (and for all my criticisms, JG knows how to write a first kiss: channeling us all back to wobbly knees and highschool. how does he keep those memories alive? well, that's a worry for another day)

the other author was a tad darker, and they took alternating chapters. while it originally looked like David Levithan was invited for his gay guns (more like his gay shield as no author can now command a voice that doesn't match his own set of identities) he tried to hit more than one note for his characters, delving into class issues, and living with diagnosed depression. He had the more compelling story even if, stylistically, his grammar was juvenile and conspicuously absent of capitalization (full disclosure, I embraced this style in my teens and early 20s, even going so far as to write 'me' as my signature on letters, so I readily balk at it)

anyhow, the format was successful and the set-up of how they meet was inspired, but the musical plot device took over to the point of dominance and made the ending really drag. specifically the ending was one long pep talk (lecture?) that didn't work on me.