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Winter Town

by Stephen Emond (Goodreads Author)

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 1,292 ratings · 255 reviews

Every winter, straight-laced, Ivy League bound Evan looks forward to a visit from Lucy, a childhood pal who moved away after her parent's divorce. But when Lucy arrives this year, she's changed. The former "girl next door" now has chopped dyed black hair, a nose stud, and a scowl. But Evan knows that somewhere beneath the Goth, "Old Lucy" still exists, and he's determined...more

Hardcover, 331 pages

Published December 5th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Jan 22, 2012 Lora rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of YA realistic fiction

Recommended to Lora by: Kirkus

Shelves: g-ya-realistic, lib-read

There are these certain books that are written only to fall in the cracks, to be trampled on and overshadowed by more hyped, outrageously popular books which oftentimes end up being a huge let down. It is my hope that Winter Town doesn't end up falling into this category.

Winter Town is Stephen Emond's sophomore novel, and it centers around the friendship of two teenagers named Evan and Lucy. They grew up together, did everything together: drew comic slides; read fantasy tombs until their eyes hu...more

31 likes · like · see review

Jul 21, 2011 Laura Ashlee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, favorites, young-adult, reluctant-readers

http://owltellyouaboutit.com/2011/12/05/wintertown/

I think it’s amazing how the books I’m not really anticipating become some of the best books I read. I think it’s because they take me by surprise. I barely even remembered signing up for the book tour of Winter Town at Around the World ARC Tours. I was reminded when I received it in the mail back at the end of June. Though I reviewed it immediately, I decided to schedule the post for a time closer to the book’s release.

Winter Town had me intere...more http://owltellyouaboutit.com/2011/12/05/wintertown/

I think it’s amazing how the books I’m not really anticipating become some of the best books I read. I think it’s because they take me by surprise. I barely even remembered signing up for the book tour of Winter Town at Around the World ARC Tours. I was reminded when I received it in the mail back at the end of June. Though I reviewed it immediately, I decided to schedule the post for a time closer to the book’s release.

Winter Town had me interested immediately. The illustrations throughout give it the feel of graphic novel, but it’s narrative in style. I think the combination of narrative and illustration is genius. It give the book so much character. It provides something extra that’s interesting. Not that the writing couldn’t stand on its own. It certainly can. There’s plenty of life in the two main characters to make a great novel. But the illustrations give you a real sense of the descriptions, from snow-covered driveways to poster-covered basements. You even get illustrations of the two main characters.

Speaking of characters (my favorite part of any book), I’m in love with Emond’s character writing. They’re so real and gritty. They’re simply written, but still full of their individual complications. I hope that makes sense. The best thing about them is that you know them. Evan is your next door neighbor or your best friend or the smart guy that sits next to you in Chemistry. Lucy is the girl that smokes in the bathroom or who’s late for every single class, if she attends at all. This book brings them to live even more. They’re opened up so that the reader can see inside of them. And the constant rise and fall of their friendship causes some really nice development.

I could write forever about this book, but I won’t. It’s like Stephen Chbosky’s writing and John Green’s characters had a baby… and that baby was an artist. Sounds like an awesome baby, right? Very highly recommended!

Prude Filter: This book contains profanity, underage drinking, and sexual references. I would suggest 16 and up just because I think younger teens would relate.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from the Around the World ARC Tour. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obligated to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. (less)

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Dec 26, 2011 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

**somewhat spoilerish, so tread carefully. :)
I noticed today that I give books 3 stars a lot. I think there are, in my mind, about 5 different levels of 3-star-books. This was on a higher level of 3 stars. Maybe level 2 (with level 1 being the highest level of 3-star-books, and level 5 being the lowest. My mind is a very jumbled place. Ha.)

Anyway. I liked Wintertown. It was far from being a favorite, but it was an enjoyable story. The two main characters were great, together. I love the idea of...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 05, 2011 Jess (Gone with the Words) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, young-adult, read-2011, multiple-narrators

Read this review on my blog! --> Wintertown by Stephen Emond

Evan is a kid who believes he knows what he wants from life. He has a close-knit family, with supportive, if not slightly over-bearing parents. Lucy’s family life is the complete opposite, but it has never really affected her as much as this past year. The mystery behind her change isn’t revealed until halfway through, at which point the perspective changes from Evan’s to Lucy’s. I loved the times when they would just get lost in the...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, little-brown, 2011, contemp, ya-kids-teen, bea11, mc-guy

3.5 stars
First of all, I would *not* say this is Garden State meets Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist like the synopsis states. However, this is probably because I don't like either of those movies and I did enjoy this book.

What ho! A YA contemporary novel that I pretty much liked! But why only 3.5 stars? Well, it just wasn't as pizazz-y as I was anticipating. When I found out this was going to be a BEA book, I was so excited. Despite the stupid-movie dropping, the synopsis seemed really intri...more 3.5 stars
First of all, I would *not* say this is Garden State meets Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist like the synopsis states. However, this is probably because I don't like either of those movies and I did enjoy this book.

What ho! A YA contemporary novel that I pretty much liked! But why only 3.5 stars? Well, it just wasn't as pizazz-y as I was anticipating. When I found out this was going to be a BEA book, I was so excited. Despite the stupid-movie dropping, the synopsis seemed really intriguing.
And while this book was still pretty enjoyable, it didn't deliver on the "oomph" or the "pizazz" that I expected. The characters never really made much of an impression on me, and sorry to say, Lucy didn't come across as misunderstood/morose/identity-seeking so much as immature and annoying. I loved Evan, though. Maybe I liked him too much, haha, because I thought the poor guy put up with way more than he should have! But I never really connected with the overall story and though I read it in a few hours, it was the kind that I just seemed to breeze through, with not a lot of commentary or thought or anything. I did love the drawings because they gave Wintertown an edge of uniqueness. However, the book was too long for the actual story, so it felt like most of the pages were little more than fillers.

And...I didn't really like the ending segments. (view spoiler)

However, I always do the happy dance when I encounter relatively clean books. Lucy's done some stupid things in the past, but the references are really vague and the whole point is about her attempting to grow up and stuff. (view spoiler)

So while Wintertown left me feeling a little lukewarm, it's still a book I can recommend to others. The drawings add an extra likability to an otherwise routine story, and I'm sure that others will be enchanted by Evan's story :) (less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Suzanne Sullivan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Winter Town
Author/Illustrator: Stephen Emond
Publisher: Little, Brown, & Co.
Released: December 5, 2011
Pages: 315
Rating: C+

Synopsis:

Evan is going to an ivy league college, his dad will make sure of that. Lucy was on a similar track but then her parents got divorced and she moved away with her mom--visiting her dad only at Christmas, which means she only sees Evan at Christmas too. Evan and Lucy have grown up together but their friendship is on knife point, either they will plunge into being mo...more Winter Town
Author/Illustrator: Stephen Emond
Publisher: Little, Brown, & Co.
Released: December 5, 2011
Pages: 315
Rating: C+

Synopsis:

Evan is going to an ivy league college, his dad will make sure of that. Lucy was on a similar track but then her parents got divorced and she moved away with her mom--visiting her dad only at Christmas, which means she only sees Evan at Christmas too. Evan and Lucy have grown up together but their friendship is on knife point, either they will plunge into being more than friends or they will grow apart. Evan wants to be more than friends and makes his feelings known but lately Lucy has changed--her look, her attitude, seemingly her entire personality. Sporting Goth glam, it seems like maybe Lucy is contemplating throwing Evan out along with her designer jeans.

Winter Town is told from Evan's perspective and included illustrations of his comic Aelysthia, a fictional place he and Lucy created. Not a comic fan myself, I found the illustrations entertaining. Normally I would say the author should scrap them and focus on plot and character development, but in this case the comics are part of Evan--part of what Lucy and his friends Tim and Marshall want him to discover about himself.

While the characters were well developed and Evan's family is a lot of fun to read about, I found myself skimming this one. :( A lot of awkward, uncomfortable interactions between Evan and Lucy left me feeling... awkward and uncomfortable. I just wanted to know what was going on with Lucy and when I found out it was a lot less dramatic than I'd expected. Additionally the ending felt contrived and I felt like what the author left out (Lucy's journey to figure out who she was) would have been the most interesting part. However, Evan's story combined with the comic strip illustrations will probably appeal to male audiences and as an English teacher this makes me want to sing with joy.

Classroom Use: Great for reluctant male readers, great for students interested in comic books; Assignments could include timeline of Lucy's life and/or Lucy and Evan's friendship, Comic depicting Lucy's side of the story, Sociogram depicting relationships between characters.

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Mar 30, 2013 Ericka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wintertown was one of those novels that you find yourself loving at some parts, and disliking at other parts- or maybe that was just me. Evan and Lucy were best friends through childhood, until one year where she comes to visit Evan and everything is different about her. The story is primarily about the two trying to find themselves, Evan trying to figure out what was wrong with Lucy, and their brief love story.

What I liked about the book was that some passages were interesting to read, with th...more Wintertown was one of those novels that you find yourself loving at some parts, and disliking at other parts- or maybe that was just me. Evan and Lucy were best friends through childhood, until one year where she comes to visit Evan and everything is different about her. The story is primarily about the two trying to find themselves, Evan trying to figure out what was wrong with Lucy, and their brief love story.

What I liked about the book was that some passages were interesting to read, with the conversations and the descriptions being relevant and still catching my attention. I liked the overall premise of the story and the characters- Lucy did have very real problems, and Evan represented a lot of average teenagers who don't necessarily have a difficult life, but do have problems that they have to overcome. Some ideas were very real as well- for example, Lucy's belief that Evan can't live up to his full potential because he hasn't experienced true loss in his life. I can imagine this being an actual feeling that one would have towards a friend that has an "easier" life.
I also liked the whole plot line of childhood friends turned teenagers, where one of them is suddenly a lot different than expected. The winter setting was perfectly fitting with the mood and the ideas of the story; while I enjoyed some of their "love story", however, other parts irked me.

The whole "love" part felt very rushed to me. It wasn't a gradual shift into the two being best friends into lovers, but more like they kissed and suddenly were dating and in love with each other and all of these feelings were mentioned that hadn't been mentioned before. I would have preferred it to be slower, less intense- because childhood friends don't usually just kiss and date that exact moment. It's more of a romance if it's a slow shift into them realizing their feelings for one another. And suddenly, they're together and kissing all of the time and acting like a couple and then they "break up" a few days later. I wish that it had been slower.
I also felt as if much of the book was spent building up to Lucy's big problems (when she wasn't acting all that strangely in the first place- Evan's all hyped up about her being completely different but she seems to only be acting as "New Lucy" half of the time) and when it was revealed, the problems weren't quite as earth-shattering as you thought. I was expecting an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Ian, or some horrible details about Bill and her mother. But no, I thought that there would be more to it, but there wasn't really. That was a bit disappointing!

Overall, the book was okay in some parts, good in others, and frustrating in others. (less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Potassium rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels-or-illustrated-books, young-adult

I think this is a 3.75.

In this story, Evan looks forward to Lucy visiting her dad every year for the winter holidays because it's the only time they get to catch up. This year she shows up as NewLucy(TM) and Evan is determined to find the real Lucy inside. Meanwhile, Lucy is determined to find the "real Evan" inside of him.

This book is full of art work of the comic Lucy and Evan begin working on together as well as random scenes throughout the book. I thought that was a really creative way to...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Sabrina *The REAL Princess* rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is unlike most books I commonly read. It had no huge hype, no giant publicity or movie deal, none of my friends had read the book and the cover wasn't exactly gorgeous.

How did I find out about this book?

When I was at the library one afternoon, I stumbled upon this book while looking for another. It was lying on my favourite seat by the window, and I decided, rather than trying to find where it came from, I would read it. And am I happy.

This book was quick and easy to read, accompani...more This book is unlike most books I commonly read. It had no huge hype, no giant publicity or movie deal, none of my friends had read the book and the cover wasn't exactly gorgeous.

How did I find out about this book?

When I was at the library one afternoon, I stumbled upon this book while looking for another. It was lying on my favourite seat by the window, and I decided, rather than trying to find where it came from, I would read it. And am I happy.

This book was quick and easy to read, accompanied with great comics made by the author. The artwork was incredible and I looked forward to the comics.

The characters, Lucy and Evan, were portrayed beautifully in the novel. Lucy and Evan are best friends but one year, Lucy comes back a completely changed girl.

I love how real the situation is. People do change, that's a fact of life. But it is always hard when one of your best friends starts acting different. Evan is determined to make Lucy act like herself again, and he achieves this, sometimes.

The characters were all very realistic. I felt that Evan and Lucy could be indivduals that attend my high school with me. They're stories aren't cliche whatsoever. They really do seem like teenagers.

The thing that I really enjoyed about this novel was that it just had that feeling that I read someone's life. After reading so much dystopia, I realized that I missed contemporary novels. I missed that realistic aspect about it, that it made it just so easy to relate. I am around the same age as the main characters in the novel and I think that's what made it good for me.

The only thing I did not like was (view spoiler) I kinda hoped that he would because I'm a nerd and academic success has always been a huge deal for me. The ending was also a bit of a let-down. I know it's contemporary but I was rooting for a happier ending.

Overall, I think this experience taught me 2 things. One, people do change but that doesn't mean we love them any less. And two, when you find a random book in the library and it turns out to be a great read, it does feel awesome! I think in this age of technology, we all are too reliant on sites like Goodreads to find our next best read. There's nothing wrong with that but I do miss the days when I would spend endless hours in the library, looking for nothing in particular but grabbing random books that looked good and ended up being good. So the next time your in the library, rather than searching for books, just choose one off the shelf and read.

If you're looking for a coming-of-age story, this certainly will not disappoint.(less)

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Jul 20, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, y-a, library

I wasn't very impressed by this book. I couldn't get into it properly. It started off okay but as it progressed, I became increasingly more bored.

I liked the little comic strips. I wish there had been more of that cuteness and humour infused into the story. I also enjoyed the way Evan's chapters were song titles from The Beatles and Lucy's chapters were song titles from The Beach Boys(well, I'm guessing this one because I'm not the biggest Beach Boys fan except for five or six songs I love by t...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Once upon a time, Evan and Lucy were best friends. Then she moved away with her mom after her parents split up and they only see each other at winter break. However, this year, Lucy has changed even though Evan hasn’t.

Evan’s always been the type of kid who knows where he’s headed and what he wants. His family is very close, even if his parents are a bit overprotective at times. Evan knows his parents love him very much and support him in all he does. Lucy, on the other hand, never had that famil...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bildungsroman, young-adult

Quitting while I'm ahead.

As I read, I couldn't shake the feeling that the author of this book is not a reader. I can't explain this suspicion, it's just a hunch I get sometimes when I'm not enjoying a book, when it just doesn't seem to hang together quite right. I'm trying to believe that Edmond has in fact read more than the two books posted on his Goodreads page, but, actually, I can believe that this author is the kind of Catcher in the Rye fan that Frank Portman described in King Dork.

Then...more

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Feb 26, 2012 InkBitten rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sarah

Judged by the Cover: Opposites Attract
Not only is the cover perfectly simple, but it's also appropriately seasonal. The two colors contrast each other, and the paper-punched circles had letters on them if you looked close enough (the geek in me has to admit that I sat there and tried to figure out if they spelled a hidden clue or something). Plus it has SNOW!! AND I HAVE GOTTEN NO SNOW ALL WINTER LONG! ARGHHH!!!!

What's Up?
Evan and Lucy have been friends since they were little. They played togeth...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Anna (AnnaReads.com) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was the perfect book to help me into my little baby steps toward reading a graphic novel. My only experience with one so far was Maus in one of my many college literature classes, and I don't know -- maybe you can tell from reading this blog -- but mouses in the Holocaust just isn't my favorite, per se.

ANYWAY, thank goodness for Winter Town. It's an illustrated YA novel, not so much a graphic novel. Just beautiful images at the start of every chapter, and bits of cartoons interspersed throu...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ncbla

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ivy-league college bound-Evan loves catches up with Lucy, his childhood best friend whose annual visits during the winter break allow to escape from too much family togetherness. They seem to have little contact during the intervening months between the annual visit, and this time Lucy has changed drastically. Not only has she cut and dyed her hair, , but her personality seems different, and Evan has no idea why. Eventually, she tells him what's been going on in Georgia where she lives with her...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

I nabbed an exam copy of this book at NCTE because I was interested in the way it looked (great cover, interesting mixed-media storytelling). As it turns out, it's a gentle narrative that explores the relationship of high school seniors, Evan and Lucy, who have been close friends since childhood, but now see each other only two weeks every year -- the two weeks of winter break when Lucy returns to visit her father (her parents divorced and Lucy now lives with her mom). What I appreciated most ab...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Cindy Hudson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Evan and Lucy have been best friends ever since they can remember. They used to spend hours playing together and creating stories and drawings for an imaginary place they call Aelysthia. That was before Lucy’s parents split up and she moved with her mother from New England to Georgia. Now she comes back once a year to visit her dad at Christmas and New Year’s.

Evan hasn’t heard from Lucy in months when she lets him know she’s at her dad’s home again. And she’s changed. Her hair is chopped short a...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: I remember reading and liking Happyface by Stephen Emond when it was released a couple of years ago, so I knew I wanted to give Wintertown a try. I liked that this book was illustrated and I was kind of excited to see it in person. I did quick flip-through of the book at Barnes and Nobles before I received my copy, and it looked very promising! I also liked the fact that it has been compared to Garden State, beca...more See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: I remember reading and liking Happyface by Stephen Emond when it was released a couple of years ago, so I knew I wanted to give Wintertown a try. I liked that this book was illustrated and I was kind of excited to see it in person. I did quick flip-through of the book at Barnes and Nobles before I received my copy, and it looked very promising! I also liked the fact that it has been compared to Garden State, because that is one of my favorite movies!

First 50 Pages: This book caught my attention instantaneously. I loved the illustrations! The book reminded me a lot like what you would find in a graphic novel and I think that the illustrations really helped me to visualize what was going on. I liked the fact that it gave illustrations of Lucy and Evan, and the characters were just how I pictured them while I was reading the text. I think this would be a good book for a reluctant reader or someone who struggles with reading because it has that visual effect. The illustrations combined with the story made for a very enjoyable read!

Characters & Plot: As for the plot line, it was pretty average and not exactly original. It’s a story that we have all heard before, but I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy it, because I did. Evan is your typical goodie-two-shoes. He is Mr. Perfect, he volunteers, is respectful, and he is basically a nerdy kid. He is kind of a spoiled brat. Lucy used to be the same way when she and Evan were younger, but something happened. Lucy comes back to town to visit and she is completely changed. Her hair is all chopped off and is dyed, she has a nose piercing, and she is rude and very negative. She basically treats Evan like crap. But she likes him secretly. Evan on the other hand is completely convinced that something must be majorly wrong with Lucy because of the way she is acting, but he tries to get use to Lucy’s new look and be the friend he has always been.

Both characters have some issues to work through, not only amongst themselves, but with their own families. I liked how Lucy urged Evan to push himself to really enjoy life and what he wanted out of it. She taught him that it is okay to take some risks in life. I think both characters were able to learn something from one another in the end. Their relationship also changes throughout the story and they do become romantically involved. What I really liked about this book was that they didn’t live happily ever after. Lucy and Evan both realize that before they can really love each other, they have to love themselves first and work through all of their personal issues before committing themselves to another person.

Final Thoughts: This wasn’t a life-changing story and I didn’t think that it was very original. But, I loved the illustrations and the way it wove into the actual story. I liked the way the book ended and I thought the writing style was very comfortable and relaxing. I felt good after I read the book and I think that teens will definitely enjoy this one!(less)

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Nov 21, 2011 Laci rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the description, they say that it is Garden State meets Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Well I completely agree. It had everything that this story needed. It had love, sorrow, and heart ache. This story was very fun and loving. You really feel for the characters what they are going through.

You meet Evan. Evan has lived in the same town, in the same house, on the same street all his life. Also all his life he has had the same best friend. Lucy. Lucy knows all of Evan's secrets and strengt...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Glenda Alexander rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! I love that we have the male and female voices in this book, so we know a male point of view and how much the female confuses him. For those of us who had a male female best friend can appreciate this story.

Evan and Lucy are total opposites. He is Ivy League, Preppie parents and knows where he is going or knows he is going to college. Lucy on the other hand you have no idea if she will make it through high school and has all the problems of having divorced parents.

It's clear that Lucy...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really liked Edmond's Happyface. It provided depth and perspective to a character a person would not usually concern themselves with. Also, illustrations added interest and depth as well.

This book is a little more complex but incomplete in some ways. Again, the illustrations provide more perspective and I finally understood that the point was that both characters seemed to be on the same quest but, in fact, they were not. What they had in common was a childhood friendship. Then Lucy's parents...more I really liked Edmond's Happyface. It provided depth and perspective to a character a person would not usually concern themselves with. Also, illustrations added interest and depth as well.

This book is a little more complex but incomplete in some ways. Again, the illustrations provide more perspective and I finally understood that the point was that both characters seemed to be on the same quest but, in fact, they were not. What they had in common was a childhood friendship. Then Lucy's parents split up and Lucy moves away with her mom but returns every Christmas break to be with her dad where she and Evan pick up on their best friendsies status even though their contact throughout the year is nearly nil.

This year Lucy returns to her dad's house looking different. She's gotten a nose piercing. She's died her hair. She's gone all Emo. Meanwhile, Evan is struggling because he doesn't want to disappoint his parents who have big plans for his success and on the basis of him being the perfect student/child. And so Evan and Lucy clash and attempt to find some sort of equilibrium.

My expectation was that I would eventually understand why Lucy had turned so cantankerous and hostile. She's closed down and taking a lot of her anger out on Evan who is just doing what he's always done. So Evan is a parent pleaser and his dad is Mr. High Expectation and hovers over every little thing. Lucy is on the opposite end of the spectrum in that her parents completely ignored her and slipped into their own little dramas so she is seeking attention with her outward appearance, wondering when and if anybody will notice that she desperately needs approval. This is explained to some extent but the explanation and the resolution left me feeling dissatisfied.

For me, it was a nice little story about two teens who are attempting equilibrium in somewhat extreme circumstances (although nothing shockingly extreme - mostly parental involvement) but I didn't feel connected to the conflict, the plot or resolution. (less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Before Wintertown I had never read a young adult novel that had drawings included with the story. I really enjoyed the comic strip type depictions of various events that were occurring in the novel. It gave me a totally different perspective into the situations between Lucy and Evan and I felt I connected more with Evan and his amazing artistic ability.

While I didn't fall in love with the book from the first page it has this quality about it where it keeps nagging and pushing and eventually you...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Kyleigh rated it 2 of 5 stars

When I read the synopsis for Wintertown I pretty much surmised it would be a regular coming of age novel. In essence, it was, but it had some nice additions that I really enjoyed. The artwork and comics that are spread throughout the novel really added to the story and gave it a unique feel.

Lucy and Evan aren’t your typical best friends. Lucy is only there for two weeks out of the year to visit her dad for Christmas. Before her parents’ divorce she and Evan were basically tied at the hip, but e...more When I read the synopsis for Wintertown I pretty much surmised it would be a regular coming of age novel. In essence, it was, but it had some nice additions that I really enjoyed. The artwork and comics that are spread throughout the novel really added to the story and gave it a unique feel.

Lucy and Evan aren’t your typical best friends. Lucy is only there for two weeks out of the year to visit her dad for Christmas. Before her parents’ divorce she and Evan were basically tied at the hip, but even though they barely got to see each other they still remained friends. However, this winter Lucy is different. She’s dyed and chopped off her hair and has a nose stud. Evan is convinced that something is wrong and Lucy just won’t talk about it. Evan tries to be more accepting of Lucy’s new look and tries to get her to open up.

What really kind of drove me nuts about Lucy’s “cry for help” appearance change was that it was a bunch of garbage. People dye their hair, cut it, and get piercings all the time. Why is this necessarily a bad thing? Maybe it just rubbed me the wrong way because well I do the exact same thing. A lot. Yet nobody assumes I’m having family troubles or that I’m hiding something. Just kinda bugged me.

Later on, we see Evan through Lucy’s eyes. I think her analysis of him is spot on. He’s the model son who gets good grades, volunteer work, and will attend an Ivy League college. Yet he has an incredible talent for drawing comics and a great imagination. He lets his parents make decisions for him, and ultimately plays it safe. Lucy really challenges him to break out of his shell and pursue what he loves.
Obviously the whole best friend status between Evan and Lucy kinda changes in the novel. A romantic relationship is pursued, but I appreciated the fact that both of them realized that it wasn’t the right time. Both of them had some growing up to do and they needed to sort out who they really were.

Overall it was a pretty average story. It wasn’t compelling by any means. If anything I just wanted to skip ahead and read the comics. They were so cute! The artist part of me couldn’t help but be jealous that I’m not good at that style. I’ll say that I did really enjoy the end of the book. I loved how after another year Evan and Lucy met once again by pure coincidence, and you could just tell that the timing was right for them to try and start again. Very satisfying ending.

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Jan 15, 2012 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 31, 2011 Mary (BookHounds) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, arc, from-publisher-author, young-adult

MY THOUGHTS

LOVED IT

Evan has lost his best friend, Lucy, in more ways than one when she moves away from New England to Georgia to live with her mother after her parents divorce. They still see each other once a year during Christmas vacation when she comes back to stay with her father, but in the last year or so, Evan has noticed Lucy has begun to change. She isn't the "Old Lucy" anymore and he finds her difficult to connect with as well as some other physical changes. Evan has always been the pe...more MY THOUGHTS

LOVED IT

Evan has lost his best friend, Lucy, in more ways than one when she moves away from New England to Georgia to live with her mother after her parents divorce. They still see each other once a year during Christmas vacation when she comes back to stay with her father, but in the last year or so, Evan has noticed Lucy has begun to change. She isn't the "Old Lucy" anymore and he finds her difficult to connect with as well as some other physical changes. Evan has always been the perfect son, striving in school and extra curricular activities so he can get into an Ivy League school for college. The story mostly covers a two week period over their latest holiday break and is told through a combination of cartoon strips, drawings and words. Both Evan and Lucy are gifted artists, but while Evan has tried to downplay his, Lucy has stopped caring about everything in her life.

Without being judgmental, Emond depicts a fact of life for most teens these days; that their parents are divorced, they must shuttle from one household to another and at times, their parents don't even notice them. Evan sees what is happening to Lucy, but is clueless as to how to help her. She is in such a dark place because neither of her parents take them time to make sure she is ok. This pretty much broke my heart. Evan tries everything to get her back to the "Old Lucy" but he only sees glimpses of the happy girl he used to know. He also has his own issues at home, with a father who only wants him to get into a good university and not whether he is happy in his life or not.

Overall, this is a very classic look about how childhood friends try to stay close while growing apart and the sad fact of life that not everyone has the perfect family unit and most are quite dysfunctional. The illustrations go a long way in providing the feel for this book and provide some much need humor to a story that could be extremely sad. Lucy and Evan do end up losing touch with each other by the end of the book and I only hope that they reconnect in better circumstances. There are mentions of alcohol, alcohol abuse and sex, but not in any graphic form. (less)

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Dec 22, 2011 Diana Renn rated it 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful, warm read for the winter! This hybrid comic book/sketchbook/novel explores the changing relationship between childhood best friends Evan and Lucy over the course of a winter vacation, when Lucy, visiting her divorced dad, returns to her New England town. She's changed since the last time Evan saw her, both physically and emotionally, and Evan must figure out how to reconcile the new Lucy with the old one, as well as how to navigate his complicated, deepening feelings toward her. The...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Darkfallen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, read-n-reviewed

Ok so this is more like 2.5 stars so I just slapped a two on it. I really wish you could give half stars on here.

Anyways...

This book just didn't turn out quite how I expected it. I mean when I read the premise I was so excited to be offered and ARC from Little Brown Books for review. Straight laced boy meets up with an old childhood friend that happens to be heavy on the black hair dye, and and she's even got a nose ring? Yes Please!

Unfortunately that's about where it stopped for me. I really wa...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Katherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bullshit

I loved Happyface because I could relate to it. The main character and I both have severe depression, and it was a completely accurate portrayal of it.
I was so excited when I bought this book. The art was fantastic, but the story sucked. It was a mix of John Green (who I'm not a giant fan of but he's not what I'd call a bad writer) and Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim is the greatest graphic novel series in existence). It had the basics of John Green and it had the watered down ideas of Scott Pilgri...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Joséphine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, friendship, young-adult, illustrated, holidays, art, dating, reviewed

In and of itself I would've given the novel merely two stars. I gave the third star for the illustrations and their fitting integration into the book. Either way, I wasn't impressed by the style of writing, plot or characterization. Overall, "Winter Town" fell so flat for me, I was actually relieved to reach the end. Thankfully there were redeeming moments which prevented me from chucking the book entirely. Of course there were the illustrations. Then there was the switch in perspective from Eva...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Evan and Lucy have been friends since they were little. Their parents spent a lot of time together so they became best friends. Now Lucy has moved to Georgia and Evan only sees her every 12 months for Christmas break. Evan is trying to figure out college and how to get out of his house to see Lucy on Sundays (Family Day at the Owens residence). Evan is shocked when he sees Lucy's new Goth look. At first I thought Winter Town was going to be one of those awkward books to read. After a chapter or...more

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About Stephen Emond

Hello, my name is Stephen Emond, or just Steve if you prefer. There isn’t much about that me isn’t be said in this excerpt from the HAPPYFACE page on amazon.com:

About the Author
Steve Emond does not have any superhuman powers, neat tricks, or famous relatives, but he’s a pretty cool guy who can draw. He is the creator of Emo Boy, which ran for 12 issues and two collections, and the comic strip, Ste...more Hello, my name is Stephen Emond, or just Steve if you prefer. There isn’t much about that me isn’t be said in this excerpt from the HAPPYFACE page on amazon.com:

About the Author
Steve Emond does not have any superhuman powers, neat tricks, or famous relatives, but he’s a pretty cool guy who can draw. He is the creator of Emo Boy, which ran for 12 issues and two collections, and the comic strip, Steverino. He grew up in Connecticut, where he wrote and directed a public access sketch comedy show that only his grandmother watched.

I’m pretty sure my editor on the book wrote this to mimic my sometimes self-deprecating manner because I don’t remember writing it myself.

Anyway, I’m a creator, I guess you can say. I focused solely on drawing in my youth, wanting to be a comics artist. Not so much the kind I became, I was more interested in superheroes. Starting with Spiderman, which led to the New Warriors, which led me to following Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, the guys that wound up at Image. I was a huge Image fan until a girlfriend turned me on to indie comics, which read more like the things that went on in my head.

Another thing I drew, that fed into my later love of writing, was a comic strip called STEVERINO. I did STEVERINO from my senior year of highschool, and for about six years after. Even after that, I returned to the strip off and on, the last stretch in ‘06. You can read those comics by clicking the Steverino box at the top of Stephenemond.com. I think STEVERINO really helped me develop as both an artist and a writer. The comic strip is a great way to learn writing, because every strip has a beginning, middle and end to it. It’s short, but you learn a lot in what’s interesting and how to set up and close an idea. I did twenty-five page books every month, three cartoons per page, and sent them to never more than thirty people. I worked through a lot of my own neuroses in those years, but it was a lot of fun.

Feedback for Steverino was generally positive. I won a national contest, Andrew-McMeels/Follett College Store’s STRIP SEARCH: DISCOVERING TOMORROW’S TOP CARTOONISTS TODAY and had my comic printed in a book of the same name. I had three or four local newspaper articles and ongoing dialogues with a few syndicate editors. There wasn’t really any hook, though. It was just me and my thoughts. They liked the art, they liked the writing, they thought it was charming, but you couldn’t sell it.

Eventually I had the idea for EMO BOY, which was “what if this emo kid had superpowers, but they were completely destructive and he was too emo to use them anyway?” It was a joke at first but my girlfriend at the time urged me to go on with it. I did a mini comic, ashcan style – 8 1/2X11 pages folded down the middle and xeroxed. In it, Emo Boy joins a garage band, falls for a pretty girl, kisses her and explodes her head in a fit of emo-nerves. The band is ready to beat him down when he comes up with a hit emo song about the experience.

I sent the comic to SLG Publishing, because honestly, who the heck else would publish it? In the meantime, I had so much fun with it that I kept making the books. I did four more issues, without the emo powers, just as a comedy comic about an emo kid and his happy-go-lucky friend Maxine. About eight months after I mailed the book to SLG, I got an email from Dan Vado asking if I was still looking for a publisher. Indeed, I was! I sent him the new issues to show how the art and writing had improved, although Dan did recommend giving him the powers back, as it lent the series a feeling of suspense, not knowing what was going to happen next.

EMO BOY ran for twelve issues. It started strong, but as is the case with most indie comics, sales slipped to a point that it wasn’t cost-effective to continue printing each issue. I was left with the option to do it as a digital comic, or to do a series of graphic novels. I decided to take some time off.

Durin(less)

More about Stephen Emond...

Books by Stephen Emond

Emo Boy Volume 1: Nobody Cares about Anything Anyway, So Why Don't We All Just Die?

Emo Boy Volume 2: Walk Around With Your Head Down

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