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Please Ignore Vera Dietz

by A.S. King (Goodreads Author), Lynde Houck

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 7,284 ratings · 1,337 reviews

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even wa...more

Audio, 0 pages

Published March 8th 2011 by Listening Library (Audio) (first published October 1st 2010)

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Jan 10, 2011 Tatiana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, ya, printz, ala-ya-2011, b

As seen on The Readventurer

So, this novel just got awarded Printz Honor. I guess I wasn't hyping it for nothing. Please, fellow goodreaders, check this book out!

Let me just get this out of the way, I am glad I gave A.S. King another chance. I liked her debut novel (The Dust of 100 Dogs) OK, for its creativity and originality, but I wasn't wowed by it. Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a better, even though more mainstream, YA novel.

I don't know how it happened, but I've read quite a few YA books abou...more

50 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, 2011, fave-ya, contemporary

I have been lucky enough to read a LOT of great books this year and up until now I had a clear I-shine-above-the-rest favourite: On the Jellicoe Road. Though I am actually going to be daring enough to say to all you Marchetta-obsessed bookaholics that for me Please Ignore Vera Dietz could compete with the sad and beautiful emotional turmoil I felt for On the Jellicoe Road.

There are two young adult topics that always make me think "oh, not again", and they are:

1) teen pregnancy, and
2) coping wit...more

39 likes · like · see review

Nov 08, 2011 Lisa O. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lisa O. by: readalong with the amazing Shirley, Reynje and Maja

Shelves: ebook, ya-lit

Talk about a heartbreak. I'll have to read at least TEN predictable, fluffy, instalovish, lovetrianglish light-hearted books to recover from this one.

The main voice is Vera's, an 18 y.o student/pizza deliverer who lives alone with her father and whose best friend Charlie has just died. We don't really know how or why, nor do we know why Vera seems to be so royally pissed at him:

"Let me tell you - if you think your best friend dying is a bitch, try your best friend dying after he screws you over...more Talk about a heartbreak. I'll have to read at least TEN predictable, fluffy, instalovish, lovetrianglish light-hearted books to recover from this one.

The main voice is Vera's, an 18 y.o student/pizza deliverer who lives alone with her father and whose best friend Charlie has just died. We don't really know how or why, nor do we know why Vera seems to be so royally pissed at him:

"Let me tell you - if you think your best friend dying is a bitch, try your best friend dying after he screws you over. It's a bitch like no other."

If you've read Suicide Notes (and if you haven't, shame on you) then you'll recognize the narrative strategy in the "revealing" flashbacks. We are introduced to the story when the main events have already taken place, in this case Charlie's death, and we are completely left in the dark about the motives.Through a reconstruction of often terrible memories and revelations we gradually discover the circumstances and the truth.

This is not a book that aims at making you feel better about yourself or society or that will leave you with a happy feeling in your heart. This is a testament to bad parenting, bad choices, bad environment, bad genes and the struggle of a girl to try to prove them all wrong. It's a book where the main characters, Charlie, Vera, Ken are portrayed in all shades of grey, where there is no absolute good or bad (well, except for Jenny and Ken's mother who are the essence of evil). At some point or another, I got angry with all of them in turns and then tearfully forgave them all. I felt for Ken, Vera's Dad, a man whose best was never enough and who was never taught to love. I felt for Vera, because it is not easy to grow up in a situation where you are the product of your messed up parents and have to bear their cross on your back your whole life. But most of all, I felt for Charlie, because he's the one who couldn't escape his very messed up situation. He didn't make it, I felt like he couldn't make it and he made all the wrong choices, victim of his low self-esteem, self-loathing and poor judgement.
And as far as choices go, I keep on thinking: would none of that have happened - or maybe not tragically so - if Vera had chosen to tell the truth from the beginning? Or would it have been different had Vera's parents not turned their head the other way and taught Vera to ignore, no matter what? This book certainly raises some ethical questions which are, at the same time, both obvious AND controversial. Honesty and altruism should be social givens but they seem to go against the trend, at least in this society.

The book is not a 5 star for me for mainly two reasons:

- I didn't like how the Vera/Dad relationship got dealt with in the end. You don't solve deeply rooted family problems by going to see a shrink FOUR times and by role-playing once. You just don't. The ending felt so out of place in respect to the general tone of the book that it felt like I was suddenly reading another book.

- I didn't like the gratuitous propaganda against having a pet. Especially from the pagoda's side. I don't need to be reminded that the food I buy for my puppy could feed a starving child. I mean, it could be true, but this is not the place. On the same note, I didn't like the presence of a skinhead guy to represent the bad, crazy guy. It just felt superfluous and judgmental. Those were two instances where the author tried to feed us a piece of her mind which I didn't want.

Nevertheless Please ignore Vera Dietz is a fantastic book I recommend to everybody. It's raw, shocking and so heart-breaking that it makes you look at your kids with different eyes, in my opinion.
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Nov 10, 2011 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, i-see-dead-people, made-me-cry, multiple-povs, moments-of-great-frustration, readalong, ya, reviewed-in-2011

3.5 stars

“Is it okay to hate a dead kid? Even if you loved him once? Even if he was my best friend? Is it okay to hate him for being dead?”

Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a story about a 18-year-old girl faced with the loss of her best friend.
On one side, this novel is burdened with a scary amount of raw realism. It tells a story that hits too close to home, one that none of us want to hear. There are pedophiles, abusive husbands, drinking problems, runaway mothers and friends who break our hearts....more 3.5 stars

“Is it okay to hate a dead kid? Even if you loved him once? Even if he was my best friend? Is it okay to hate him for being dead?”

Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a story about a 18-year-old girl faced with the loss of her best friend.
On one side, this novel is burdened with a scary amount of raw realism. It tells a story that hits too close to home, one that none of us want to hear. There are pedophiles, abusive husbands, drinking problems, runaway mothers and friends who break our hearts. There's too much to handle at once, for Vera and for me.
Then there’s the other side that is as far from reality as can possibly be. The funny yet touching flow charts, talking pagodas, best friends turned into pickles and thousands of haunting ghosts serve as a soothing balm that helps heal the wounds made by the all-too-possible first side of the story.
For the most part, when those two sides collide, the result is great and stunningly original. However, the combination didn’t work so well for the ending. When it came time to resolve Vera's situation, I wanted King to choose one or the other, to either write an utterly realistic ending, or a completely absurd one. What she gave us felt like a cop out. But who am I to judge? My rating is a cop out as well.

It was easy enough to blame my three readalong partners for my reluctance to write this review. All three of them did such an amazing job. Ms. Marr’s deliciously funny and incredibly smart words, Ms. Reynje’s colorful world that never fails to pull my heartstrings and Ms. Lisa’s strong logic and astonishing insightfulness would intimidate even the most creative minds. But the bigger truth is that I needed time to figure out exactly why I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as they did, especially when I claim to be such a huge fan of literary realism. And it’s true. Balzac, Stendhal, Tolstoy and many others helped me become the person I am today. But the reality they described for me is in no way my reality. I can easily dive into it knowing that I’m untouchable. Vera’s story, however, happens in everyone’s back yard. It’s the almost tangible reality of it that I can’t handle.

That doesn’t mean that I won’t recommend this book to anyone who will listen. I’ll probably reread it myself at some point.

A big thanks to Lisa, Reynje and Shirley for this amazing adventure that became known as the Double Date readalong. Everything is fun when you’re around.
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Apr 29, 2013 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: engl-492-spring-2011, coming-of-age, re-read, young-adult-literature, death-and-dying, engl-492-spring-2012, humor, printz, relationships, family, engl-492-spring-2013, kick-ass-female-characters, mature-readers

"It's one thing if he wants to ignore it. I guess that's fine. I mean, I ignore plenty of stuff, like school spirit days and the dirty looks I get from the Detentionheads while I try to slink through the halls unnoticed. But there's something about telling other people what to ignore that just doesn't work for me. Especially things we shouldn't be ignoring.

Kid bullying you at school? Ignore him. Girl passing rumors? Ignore her. Eighth grade teacher pinch your friend's ass? Ignore it. Sexist geom...more "It's one thing if he wants to ignore it. I guess that's fine. I mean, I ignore plenty of stuff, like school spirit days and the dirty looks I get from the Detentionheads while I try to slink through the halls unnoticed. But there's something about telling other people what to ignore that just doesn't work for me. Especially things we shouldn't be ignoring.

Kid bullying you at school? Ignore him. Girl passing rumors? Ignore her. Eighth grade teacher pinch your friend's ass? Ignore it. Sexist geometry teacher says girls shouldn't go to college because they will only ever pop out babies and get fat? Ignore him. Hear that a girl in my class is being abused by her stepfather and had to go to the clinic? Hear she's bringing her mother's pills to school and selling them to pay for it? Ignore, ignore, ignore. Mind your own business. Don't make waves. Fly under the radar. It's just one of those things, Vera.

I'm sorry, but I don't get it. If we're supposed to ignore everything that's wrong with our lives, then I can't see how we'll ever make things right."

I'm so glad I assigned this book for my class, again; great excuse to re-read it, and I find something new within it each time I read it. And that's the mark of a great book, for me.

Original review:

Wow. With my schedule, I usually can't read books in a day, but I could not put this one aside for more than a few minutes at a time. This book is absolutely extraordinary, and I cannot wait to see it on "best of" lists after it's release this fall.

Vera Dietz is an 18 year-old "pizza delivery technician," moving through her senior year of high school while living with her father (Vera's mother left some years prior). Vera's best friend since age 4, Charlie, died at the end of the summer, and Vera has been dealing with Charlie's death, but also the way he hurt her in the months leading up to his passing. The changes that came over Charlie, and the way he can still communicate with Vera from beyond the grave, move her to disclose important information about what happened on the night Charlie died, information that can clear his name, and perhaps give Vera some peace.

A synopsis cannot do justice to this book. I will admit some bias, because the story takes place in my hometown (or a suspiciously close replica), and I enjoyed noticing the little name-changes that King used to represent real streets, schools, etc. And the inclusion of the Reading, PA, Pagoda in a YA novel, even giving it a voice in the story, has just about made my year.

That being said, Vera is one of the most powerful female characters I've read in a while. She's completely messed up by her parents' divorce (Charlie has even greater issues with his parents), and she's an honest, vulnerable portrait of a teenager who is simply drifting through her life - working, going to school, dating - while letting the events of her life crash over her like cascading waves. Her voice is smart, funny and sarcastic, and the novel has enough surprises to leave readers guessing about Charlie's fate up until the end.

Five stars were not enough for this book; I loved it that much.(less)

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Nov 09, 2011 Reynje rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: printz-winners-and-honor-books, read-2011, young-adult, books-that-linger, ya-lit, held-me-captive, heartbreak-warning, e-book-kindle, contemp-or-realistic

There was a reason Charlie was such a bright blazing sun. He came from endless cold, black space.

I couldn’t sleep after finishing Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

I gave up on trying to untangle my emotional reaction from my critical thoughts, all hopelessly snarled together with lingering question marks, and just lay staring into the dark. The story refused to seep quietly into my consciousness, to be filed away neatly into a mental catalogue: good writing, interesting characters, believable dialogue...more

35 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2011 Annalisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Annalisa by: Janessa

Shelves: voice, young-adult, contemporary, wishlist

Some 20 pages into the book I thought to myself, "I don't really care what this book is about and honestly the subject matter hasn't grabbed me yet, but I don't care. I would follow this girl anywhere." I love a good voice.

Vera is a high school senior grieving over her best friend's death, only at the time of his death, Charlie was her frenemy. It makes the grieving process a little harder when you hate and love the person at the same time, when you have so many unresolved issues that you'll nev...more Some 20 pages into the book I thought to myself, "I don't really care what this book is about and honestly the subject matter hasn't grabbed me yet, but I don't care. I would follow this girl anywhere." I love a good voice.

Vera is a high school senior grieving over her best friend's death, only at the time of his death, Charlie was her frenemy. It makes the grieving process a little harder when you hate and love the person at the same time, when you have so many unresolved issues that you'll never get answers to. Throw that on top of an already complicated life with a father who expects everything from her to avoid the pitfalls of his own life and a mother who abandoned her and Vera has a lot of conflicting emotions and decisions caving in on her.

As Vera tries to move on with her life, she can't quite get away from Charlie and the things that only she knows about his life and death. The story is weaved with her present life and the little tidbits of her past life she lets bleed into her consciousness. It isn't until she deals with the mess of her relationship with Charlie that we learn the circumstances of his betrayal. I cried for her. It is so hard to find characters in YA that are relatable and real and raw. Vera is definitely one of them.

The book is also scattered with POVs from her father (Ken), from Charlie, and from the town pagoda who's been around long enough to see pitfalls of the human condition. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about Ken's chapters (although I always loved his flow charts) but ended up liking that contrast of perspective very much. I could see where he was coming from and I could see where Vera was coming from and appreciate both sides of the argument. It added to the complexity of the story and the characters.

The only thing that really bothered me was I didn't feel satisfied with the answers Charlie gave. He was a little bit of a drama queen about Vera helping him out but what he left as answers and explanations didn't quite add up to his level of anxiety. He had the opportunity for a grand gesture and it fell a little flat. (view spoiler)

In the end I was satisfied with Vera's story and closed the book smiling. That is the best feeling at the end of a book. It wasn't all better in the end, a bandaid to cover the gaping whole in her heart, but it was about coping and growing into the person she wanted to be. Most importantly, I was left with a sense of hope, which is all I wanted for Vera in the first place.(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Jan 27, 2012 Lora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of YA realistic fiction

Recommended to Lora by: Reut (reutreads)

Shelves: g-ya-realistic, lib-read

Is it okay to hate a dead kid? Even if I loved him once? Even if he was my best friend? Is it okay to hate him for being dead?

Vera's conflicting feelings toward Charlie after his death mirror mine over her story. I don't think I've ever been this conflicted over a book in all my years of reading.

Vera Dietz has secrets: she has a crush on a boy five years her senior; she's drinking vodka coolers under the radar; and, perhaps her biggest secret of all, she knows a whole helluva lot more about her...more

15 likes · like · see review

May 08, 2011 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, soul-sister-heroine, just-been-cutting-onions, gorgeous-prose, boy-crush

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Ahhh. Everything is going to be OK.

High point.
OK, I tried to just pick one, but I couldn't narrow it down to just one in this case. I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK. But anyway- Vera Dietz, one of the most realistic (and likeable) heroines I have ever read, such a compelling story, AS Kings' writing is just ridiculously engaging and I honestly couldn't put it down, well-thought out characters (even the secondary ones), BEST DAD EVER, heart-breakingly honest, FLOW CHARTS...more

11 likes · like · see review

Sep 07, 2011 Flannery rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Flannery by: Tatiana, Catie, Jo

Shelves: young-adult-teen, audiobooks, kcls, read-in-2011, reviewed-2011, wishlist-for-books-to-keep

Vera Dietz is a good person. This book is like watching Vera in the gallows being pelted with tomatoes until she is finally released to go on her way. Her lifelong best friend Charlie just passed away under somewhat mysterious circumstances, the town blames him for something which tarnishes his reputation, and Vera is being harassed by some of her schoolmates. The thing about Vera, and I absolutely loved her as a character, is that she just deals with it. She is angry with Charlie, she hates him...more Vera Dietz is a good person. This book is like watching Vera in the gallows being pelted with tomatoes until she is finally released to go on her way. Her lifelong best friend Charlie just passed away under somewhat mysterious circumstances, the town blames him for something which tarnishes his reputation, and Vera is being harassed by some of her schoolmates. The thing about Vera, and I absolutely loved her as a character, is that she just deals with it. She is angry with Charlie, she hates him and she loves him and she realizes it is possible to feel both of those feelings at the same time. She resents all the choices that he made that led up to his death and she resents herself for not doing something more to help him.

Vera’s father has been raising her as a single dad since his wife skipped town. The narration, which skips between Vera, her father, Charlie, and even a town architectural landmark, lets us know that the main characters are all worried about being foregone conclusions. Are we all destined to be like our parents or what everyone tells us we’ll become? I truly hope not, not because my parents aren’t lovely people but because that would be a sad state of affairs. Vera’s father Ken struggles with Vera drinking because he is an alcoholic. Vera worries about becoming like her absent mother. Charlie worried about becoming an abuser like his father. We all worry about something.

I can absolutely see why this book was a Printz Honor pick. Vera’s voice is very matter-of-fact but her contemplations and commentary were funny at times, poignant at others, and she keeps a level-head for almost the entire book. She deals with her missteps while still trying to figure out how to grieve for her best friend who was mostly lost to her even before he died. I’m reading another book right now where someone has just passed away (Minding Frankie) and a character talks about that saying that a person remembered through memories or mentions is never truly gone. Or how Jacob Coote tells Josie Alibrandi that he dealt with his mother’s death by crying at the memories until one day, he could smile or laugh at them. (Looking for Alibrandi) This book takes place before Vera has come to terms with the loss but by the end, it was clear that she was no longer using a band-aid to cover up a gaping wound.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz was very successful in audio format. The narrator’s Vera was perfect and I appreciated the fact that male narrators pitched in for the points in the story not narrated by Vera. I’m curious whether the descriptions of flow charts in the narration were actually flow chart images in the book so maybe someone who knows can chime in with an answer. I would absolutely recommend it in this format.

I’m excited to check out A.S. King’s upcoming Everybody Sees The Ants. After reading a review that said it had similar themes, I’m hoping that it will be sufficiently different but retain a similar tone. This one was sad but weirdly hopeful. It was about 4.5/5 for me.
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Nov 08, 2011 Shirley Marr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once, I had a colleague tell me about her high school-aged son who was acting "moody, unreasonable and ill-tempered". "Why?" I asked her and she said "It's over his proposed career choice". What had he told Mum? I wondered... that he wanted to become a tattoo artist? A drug lord? *shudders* A politician? "He said he wants to become a vet..." she said. I sighed in relief. "...and I said NO because I told him - if he wants to become a doctor, become a HUMAN doctor. Y'KNOW?" At that my heart just d...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Ariana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: emotional, death-and-dying

Once upon a time there were a boy and a girl.
They've been friends since forever, they cared for each other, they played and went to school together, they were inseparable.
They fell in love.
...Until they grew up.
Until things got complicated.
Until there was no longer a boy and a girl.
But only a girl, only Vera..
...Please ignore Vera Dietz.

"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
That's how I feel without Charlie. Like one hand clapping

All her life Vera's been thought to 'ignore'.. To ignore the...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

I loved King’s The Dust of 100 Dogs, so I couldn’t wait to read her new novel Please Ignore Vera Dietz. And although this novel is nothing like Dust of 100 Dogs... it is just as awesome. It may even be better.

Vera... oh Vera. Where to begin to describe such a unique character. Vera is weird. Vera is spunky, Vera is real. I would totally want to be friends with Vera. Vera made this novel for me. She was the reason that I couldn’t put it down.

After reading the premise of this novel, I wasn’t sur...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: america, all-fiction, domestic-and-relationship-fiction, young-adult-books

Meet Vera Dietz, precocious high school senior. She's a Smirnoff-swigging pizza delivery technician with a weakness for older men. But she's also a serious student with plans for college and a fondness for big vocabulary words. She doesn't always show the best judgment, but she has a responsible streak that seems to be missing in her peers.

Vera has issues--lots of issues--including abandonment by her mother, the hypocrisy of adults, and worst of all, the mysterious death a few months ago of her...more

11 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2011 Catie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, ya

4 1/2 stars

I know that I really enjoyed this one because I kept sneaking off on the other two books that I’m currently reading to cheat with it. This enigmatic, clever story is told mainly by Vera Dietz, with guest spots for her dad, her recently dead best friend Charlie, and the Pagoda (an architectural oddity in her town). Vera’s very angry with Charlie at the beginning of this book, for reasons which the reader is slowly allowed to know through a series of flashbacks and hints. I don't want t...more 4 1/2 stars

I know that I really enjoyed this one because I kept sneaking off on the other two books that I’m currently reading to cheat with it. This enigmatic, clever story is told mainly by Vera Dietz, with guest spots for her dad, her recently dead best friend Charlie, and the Pagoda (an architectural oddity in her town). Vera’s very angry with Charlie at the beginning of this book, for reasons which the reader is slowly allowed to know through a series of flashbacks and hints. I don't want to reveal too much because I think that this book is better if you just fall into it and let everything happen.

I really love the way that this story unfolded with snappy writing and brief provoking chapters. The style and humor really kept my attention through out. I am also just so impressed with how fully realized the characters are, especially given that one of the main characters is dead before the book even begins. This is one of my favorite passages from the book:

"Because with Charlie, nothing was ever easy. Everything was windswept and octagonal and finger-combed. Everything was difficult and odd, and the theme songs all had minor chords.”

I love how she captures so much of Charlie’s character with so few words.

There are some really great messages tucked away in this book as well - such as, is it better to confront violence and abuse or avert your eyes? And, can you ever escape the time-bomb of your genetic inheritance? That one really hit me on a personal level. The one issue I have with this book (which is why I gave it four and a half stars instead of five) is a personal one as well. Having gone through the abandonment of a parent, it was hard for me to buy in to the seeming happiness and acceptance from Vera and her father at the end of this book. I know that my disbelief is simply the result of me being too jaded and negative on the subject, but still…I feel that it would take much more than four therapy sessions to have that level of acceptance from them. As a result, the happy ending left me feeling a bit disconnected. I really loved everything else about this book though – I highly recommend it!
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Apr 16, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama, ya, 2010, printz-honor

Vera Dietz is such an angsty girl, but she is dealing with a lot. The death of her lifelong friend Charlie; in which she was also in love with really throws Vera into the unknown. Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a dramatic and dark novel of exploring the issues a young teenage woman would have to go in an extreme way. The whole concept of love and loss has been done many times but not often done well. This book is no Looking for Alaska that’s for sure but it is still one of the better YA novels I’ve...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 19, 2011 Cassi aka Snow White Haggard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, read-in-2011, favorites

4.5 stars of brilliance.

This book could've gone so wrong.

Let's look at the teen melodrama checklist:
-Alcoholic father - Check
-Absentee mother - Check
-Dead friend - Check
-Unpopularity - Check
-Drinking Problem - Check
-Wife beating neighbor - Check

Doesn't that sound a little bit like a lifetime original movie? Or an ABC family TV show (only nobody is pregnant)? But this book is smart. Really really smart. It's not an "issue" book, but a story of a girl who happens to have some issues. That's a hug...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Reut (reutreads) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-alltime, favorites-2011

Oh, wow. I was so lucky to read Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

I read the Printz award winners and honorees because well, I feel like they know what they're talking about. Libba Bray, Melina Marchetta, and one of my idols--John Green--have all been awarded the Printz Award For Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

So even though PIVD sounded just the teensiest bit off-putting to me at first, I took a chance on it.

Wow.

A.S. King has written such a marvellous book, it's hard to find the words for it. But...more

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May 14, 2012 Haleema rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: absolute-favorites, brilliant-story-telling, disturb-me-and-die, damn-good-writing, must-meet-author, heart-wrenching, i-am-in-love, love-the-quotes, believable-characters, das-deep, wish-i-wrote-this

I'm not sure how in the world I'm going to write a comprehensible review about this one. I'm going to try my best.

You know those books that give you that weird, awesome, tingly sensation in the pit of your stomach while you read the first few pages? Those books that make you want to read more? Those books that tear your heart out? Those books that make you mad as hell just because you finished it?

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King is that book.

The book begins with a small quote by Zen koan t...more

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Nov 30, 2010 K rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, i-bought-it

I was worried when I started this and felt underwhelmed after I’d seen so many great reviews. But at some point, and I can’t pinpoint where (though it is early on), this book became worthy of them all.

The story opens with Charlie’s funeral and ends with the truth of his death. The other three hundred something pages are Vera’s new day-to-day as a high school senior and pizza delivery technician now adrift without her best friend, memories from their shared pasts, and occasional snippets from The...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 05, 2011 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Patient readers, smokers, and those who have loved and hated the same person.

Shelves: must-get-asap, 2011-read, emotional, great-books, great-realistic-fiction, get-with-library, highly-anticipated, i-love-this-cover, read-it-but-just-buy-it-anyway, really-excited-for, reccomended, surprised-me, wait-for-paperback, ya-loved, ya-romance, me-and-my-dirty-mouth-review

So, because no review I could ever write would do this book justice, I’ll just leave you with my somewhat crazy mental jot-notes. Don’t hate too much, my friends. Trust me that when you read this book you’ll have a hard time reviewing it, too.

My thoughts on page 7:

- Vera, you're freaking cool. You have a really realistic yet unique voice. I like that you talk to ~~yourself~~ Charlie out loud. And I like that you’re a pizza delivery ~~person~~ technician, because I love them. Stay cool, kid.
- Charlie, yo...more

10 likes · like · see review

Nov 20, 2011 jo mo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, dramarama, magical-realism, family, school-life, young-adult, tugging-at-your-heartstrings, ghosts-or-genies, oddities, reviews, 3-stars

3/5

you can love someone
without it being like that.
you keep them a stranger,
a stranger who's a friend.
- capote

please ignore vera dietz reminds me a little of this little french flick (love me if you dare/jeux d'enfants)

so near and yet so far

this is the kind of story where you hope that everything is going to turn out alright, except that there is no chance -- NO WAY -- that might happen. i am not counting the fact that it (view spoiler)...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 30, 2012 Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, favorites, own

*Giveaway for a personalized copy of this book on my blog (www.perpetualpageturner.blogspot.com ) until 12/1.

This is me using awesome in a sentence.

This book was all sorts of awesome. I felt like I read this book all in one massive breath. It was utterly impossible to put down and I needed to find out what happened to Vera and Charlie along the way that lead to the present circumstances. I loved everything about this book--the writing, the style, the characters, etc. The majority of the book w...more *Giveaway for a personalized copy of this book on my blog (www.perpetualpageturner.blogspot.com ) until 12/1.

This is me using awesome in a sentence.

This book was all sorts of awesome. I felt like I read this book all in one massive breath. It was utterly impossible to put down and I needed to find out what happened to Vera and Charlie along the way that lead to the present circumstances. I loved everything about this book--the writing, the style, the characters, etc. The majority of the book was written from the perspective of Vera in the time after Charlie's death and flashbacks shedding light on what happened between Vera and Charlie. Throughout the book there are interjections from "the dead kid," Vera's dad and the Pagoda. At first I was skeptical when these parts showed up but they ended up working really well. I love when authors succeed in something so risky.

This is me using authentic in a sentence.

Vera is one of the most authentic and lovable characters I've encountered this year. I think I can say that with a degree of certainty. Vera is just your ordinary, small town girl who just wants to survive high school and figure out what she wants to do with her life---and find love along the way. She is smart, sassy and has a sense of humor that I appreciated. She thinks for herself and is certainly wise beyond her years yet her struggles ring true to the teenage experience. She isn't perfect---she struggles with figuring out who she wants to be and has her fair share of mistakes. You will find yourself just adoring Vera and wishing you could pop in the book and be her bff so that she doesn't have to go through everything alone. I loved the progression of her relationship between her and her dad. I felt that it was extremely real as dealing with grief and these hard issues in life really does change that kind of a relationship. I know first hand and thought King captured that really well.

This is me using evocative in a sentence.

A.S. King has written a powerful and evocative novel that deals delicately with grief, regrets and moving forward from the unfortunate things we are dealt in life. The regrets and guilt that Vera experiences are typical in any sort of grieving situation but are absolutely heart-wrenching in light of everything that has happened. The "what-ifs" and the questions can be crippling but the way Vera deals with everything makes her all the more lovable. I loved dialogue that happens throughout the novel that deals with being so conditioned to ignore things--abuse, neglect, homelessness--and Vera challenges that thinking of just turning your head the other way because nothing can be done about these things.

My final thought: If you love contemporary YA, this should be on your to-be-read list. If you are a reader, like myself, who enjoys both adult fiction and YA--this should be one you pick up for sure. It is smart, powerful and completely gripping. You'll end up reading it in one breath like I found myself doing. It is truly unforgettable--I promise you that ignoring Vera Dietz will be near impossible.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Vera's life is about secrets. Living with only a father doesn't exactly inspire her to share her many secrets. He has done his best to raise a teenage daughter himself, but not only is he tight with his money but also with his ability to communicate.

Vera is the result of a teen pregnancy. One of her secrets is that after she was born her mother was a stripper. Her best friend, Charlie, knows that secret, but she would like to keep i...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2012 Lismar gabriela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Este libro es todo lo que me gusta:

Una historia de ficción realista fácil de leer, con una excelente trama bien desarrollada y personajes realistas; situaciones en las que sientes una mezcla de sentimientos (humor, dolor, impotencia, alegría...) que te hacen conectar más con el libro.

A.S. King tiene una perfecta manera de narrar la historia en diferentes puntos de vista, sin salirse del tema ni confundirte.

No hubo un sólo detalle que no me gustara, todo el libro lo amé.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2011 Pat rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 04, 2011 Morgan Renae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, contemporary, young-adult, i-think-of-you-often

Wow. This book was awesome! Loved Vera, she is one of the best female protagonists I've come across. I loved how Charlie, even in death, was a major part of the story. The "History" and "A Brief Word From The Dead Kid" chapters were my favorites. Then there were the characters I loved to hate, (*cough* Jenny Flick *cough*) and the dad whose flow charts explained his personality and past to a T. Great book! I recommend this to everyone! :)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 01, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, printz-winners-and-honor-books, books-that-linger, lost-sleep-over-this, read-in-2011

To say my friend died is one thing.
To say my friend screwed me over and then died five months later is another.

Vera Dietz is 18 and dealing with the loss of her best friend, Charlie. This isn't your regular grief in YA narrative, though - Vera hates Charlie, she hates the people he was hanging around and the kind of person he became around them. But she also knows she needs to clear his name of the awful thing that happened the night he died.

This book is excellent in the way the narrative unfold...more To say my friend died is one thing.
To say my friend screwed me over and then died five months later is another.

Vera Dietz is 18 and dealing with the loss of her best friend, Charlie. This isn't your regular grief in YA narrative, though - Vera hates Charlie, she hates the people he was hanging around and the kind of person he became around them. But she also knows she needs to clear his name of the awful thing that happened the night he died.

This book is excellent in the way the narrative unfolds. Everything that's important to the plot is discovered slowly, but Vera's such an awesome narrator, you just want to keep reading. But, in the end, I couldn't give this book more than 3 stars.

The good

I really, truly enjoyed this book. I loved the way the plot craftily unfolded, I loved the subtle humour and I loved the different POVs. It's definitely a book that will stay with you. It will make you ask the hard questions - when should we speak up about an injustice happening right in front of our noses? Do we all turn into our parents, no matter how hard we try not to?

The bad

When I finished reading Vera, my stomach was churning and I felt a weird kind of sad. I just can't bring myself to give it more than 3 stars because of the deeply unsettling feeling I had when I finished it. I'm not entirely sure I forgave Charlie by the end of the book. And even if I did forgive him - holy crap, I just cannot get the image of his death out of my mind.

Some parts of this book are just plain disturbing. I usually consider myself a hardened reader - but perhaps I've been reading too much fluffy contemp lately because this book just left me feeling miserable and...disgusted with human beings.

There were also I few things I would've like to know more about. Namely, why the hell was Jenny Flick such an evil b*tch? Maybe if we had some kind of insight into her horrible home life or something, I would've been able to come to terms with what happened. But, no. She's just really, freaking crazy.

Perhaps I would've liked this one more if I knew it was going to be such a heavy read. Still, I think quite a lot of people will enjoy Vera's story and I recommend it to anyone who's interested in the synopsis. It's definitely a unique read and you won't forget Charlie and Vera any time soon. (less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 27, 2011 Robin Cicchetti rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, death, fiction, relationship, young-adult

Possibly one of the best coming-of-age YA novels in the past five years, this was a story I couldn't put down. Vera is smart, has a good head on her shoulders, is a straight A student and works 40 hours a week delivering pizza. She also has a dead best friend who haunts her, an ex-stripper mother who abandoned her, and a bottle of vodka stashed under the seat of her car.
Vera's story is achingly real (and often funny) as she deals with Charlie's ghost who demands the truth be told, and also guid...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2013 Alisi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general, mysteries, character-driven-plot, wanted-to-like-more, low-or-sweetheart-romance, it-is-not-you-it-is-me, good-but-not-great, dont-like-it-but-i-dont-know-why

My rating: 3.5 rounded up.

I'm not certain how I feel about this book. At times I was bored and I flipped forward, at other times I enjoyed it.

Vera is a somewhat loner, just trying to survive after her mother left them. She is best friends to a boy next door whom grew up in an abusive household, and they pretty much stick together.

By the time they're sixteen, however, the two have fallen out and they now "hate" each other (mainly on the basis of a third girl spreading rumors.) Later Charlie "acci...more

1 like · like · see review

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About A.S. King

A.S. King is the author of the critically-acclaimed ASK THE PASSENGERS, YALSA Top Ten EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS and the Edgar Award nominated and 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ. She is also the author of THE DUST OF 100 DOGS and MONICA NEVER SHUTS UP, an adult short story collection for adults. Next up: REALITY BOY coming October 2013.

p.s.- If I don't accept your friend r...more

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“I'm sorry, but I don't get it. If we're supposed to ignore everything that's wrong with our lives, then I can't see how we'll ever make things right.” — 121 people liked it

“Isn't it funny how we live inside the lies we believe?” — 89 people liked it

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