The Spectacular Now

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, 2012, fave-ya, contemporary

Okay... so I've been putting off this review because I was unsure about my rating. My initial reaction was FIVE STARS!! FIVE STARS!! but then I got to thinking about my dislike for the ending and thought maybe I should round it down to four... and then I was like "but is my problem with the ending because it was bad - or because it didn't go the way I wanted it to?"... so I eventually kept my five stars because I am so completely in love with the amazingly complicated and wonderful character th...more

Okay... so I've been putting off this review because I was unsure about my rating. My initial reaction was FIVE STARS!! FIVE STARS!! but then I got to thinking about my dislike for the ending and thought maybe I should round it down to four... and then I was like "but is my problem with the ending because it was bad - or because it didn't go the way I wanted it to?"... so I eventually kept my five stars because I am so completely in love with the amazingly complicated and wonderful character that is Sutter Keely. He is complex, multi-dimensional, so vibrant and full of life that it's hard to accept that he isn't real and about to jump off the page.

Tim Tharp has written a very funny, sad, thoughtful book that creates such an in-depth picture of a boy who is simultaneously lovable and exhausting. I am friends with the female equivalent of Sutter Keely, a person who you always want at your parties because you know they'll bring every social situation to life, a person who is kind and means well but is very hard to deal with in any more than small doses, a person who is nearly always just a little drunk. How many times have I rolled my eyes and thought "okay, give it a rest now"? I think I can appreciate the world through their eyes a little bit more after reading The Spectacular Now.

Sutter is the kind of multi-layered character I love to read about. On the surface he's a warm-hearted, over-the-top drunk, the kind of guy who's popular in high school but will probably never end up achieving his potential because his aspirations don't extend further than locating his next alcohol fix. Underneath all this he is troubled and sad and lonely, people often think that a drinker's problem is the alcohol, but nine times out of ten it runs far deeper than this. His dad is nowhere to be seen, his mum and stepdad seem to have forgotten he exists except for when they pause to threaten him with military school, his best friend no longer wants to hang around with him, he's just been dumped... and then along comes Aimee. The one person in the world who has ever seemed to need him, truly need him, to get her life back in order, to gain confidence and to sort out her future. Can Sutter finally make a difference beyond the small realm of his booze-fuelled spectacular now?

I'm still not sure how I feel about that ending. Do I like the fact that this book doesn't carry the message that we were all hoping for and expecting? Not really. But is this a representation of real life in all its fucked up, messy, sad, sometimes funny glory? Probably... yeah, probably. I guess in real life not everyone gets saved and perhaps that was what Tim Tharp was trying to say.(less)

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Dec 03, 2012 Reynje rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-linger, contemp-or-realistic, cover-loving, heartbreak-warning, it-s-complicated, read-2012, young-adult

On finishing The Spectacular Now I feel hollowed out and slightly sick – not because the ending was bad but because as much as I didn’t want it to, it ended in probably the most realistic way it could.

Part of me wants to gouge whatever scraps of hope I can from the close of Sutter’s story, hold onto the hints that things can and will eventually change, because not doing that hurts so much. I want to pretend that last chapter doesn’t exist, but in way, it’s that last chapter that makes this book...more On finishing The Spectacular Now I feel hollowed out and slightly sick – not because the ending was bad but because as much as I didn’t want it to, it ended in probably the most realistic way it could.

Part of me wants to gouge whatever scraps of hope I can from the close of Sutter’s story, hold onto the hints that things can and will eventually change, because not doing that hurts so much. I want to pretend that last chapter doesn’t exist, but in way, it’s that last chapter that makes this book what it is. It’s that ending that makes me acknowledge what I don’t want to see; this is the real world and sometimes things are devastating and not everyone gets a happy ending. There’s no emotional montage, there’s no countdown to the big romantic climax – there’s some tie off, but the ends are left bloody and uncauterised.

That, I believe, is what prevents this from being another “issues” book, another dire warning on how bad choices can screw up a life. I think this book trusts the reader to drawn their own conclusions. And because of that, I think it’s a more realistic portrayal of addiction – it’s not a black and white story. We see the patterns of desctruction and the harm Sutter causes to himself and those around him, but we also see the charisma, the charm and the highs that perpetuate the cycle. It’s sympathy and abhorrence all wound up in a complicated tangle of being able to relate and yet being a helpless oberserver as events escalate toward the conclusion.

I can’t state enough how the relationship between Sutter and Aimee tore at me. Tharp wrote this part of the story so powerfully; I felt anxious and helpless as I read, knowing where it was going and wanting to close my eyes to it, yet knowing there was no other way it could go.

There were so many scenes in between them – Aimee’s vulnerability and complete lack of guile, (view spoiler) - just tore me up inside. I absolutely believed these two people, and how they interacted. Sutter’s actions - whether selfish, compassionate or simply misguided -felt authentic. That he would carry out his final decision in the manner he chose too was awful but ultimately understandable – I believed that he would do that and that he would feel it was the best way he could do it.

Tharp’s subtley in portraying Sutter’s downslide was handled well. He keeps us firmly in Sutter’s point of view, but allows us glimpses of the altering perspectives around him, the way others begin to perceive his behaviour. These voices, on the fringes of Sutter’s awareness, balance out his wilful blindness. We’re made aware of his own downward trajectory by the changes in the people who surround him, or who used to surround him. Tharp manages to convey the seriousness of what’s going on without slipping out of Sutter’s voice, and without beating the reader over the head with heavy messaging.

The weakest part of this story for me was the plotline with Sutter’s father. I feel like this was truncated in order to fit within the confines of the novel, and not strictly realistic in terms of how quickly and fully Sutter’s moment of realisation hit. It’s a minor quibble though, it’s not the circumstances I don’t buy, but rather now they are neatly shoehorned into the climax of the book.

If I put aside my hurt, raw feelings about the ending of this book – I can be objective and realise that it’s brilliant. Sutter is an accessible and compelling narrator – even while being appalled at his actions it’s easy to remain engaged by him, taken in by his easy charm. It’s the kind of writing that sinks its hooks in without realising that it’s happening. You get caught up in the rhythm of Sutter’s voice and the warp of his perspective. So much so that even while I suspected all along this book and I were not going to ride off into a sunset of happiness, I still felt sucker punched at the end.

So perhaps the most powerful thing about this book is not just it’s unapologetic honesty, but that when it delivers it’s final blow, it’s not the one you’re expecting. But it’s the one that’s the most real. So it hurts the worst.

* * * * *
Oh shit, that ending. I feel like someone has dug out my insides with a blunt spoon. (less)

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Jul 08, 2011 Catie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Catie by: Peep (Pop! Pop!)

Shelves: read-in-2011, ya

I’m not sure if this book would have affected me quite as much if I didn’t know this boy. He is one of the people that I love the most on this planet, and he shares more DNA with me than anyone else. He’s intelligent, effortlessly popular, charming, kind, and entertaining. He has a big heart, fragile and exposed. We once spent hours in our backyard collecting slugs and setting them up in their very own tree stump castle. Once when he was facing a spanking, we schemed and plotted, arming ourselve...more I’m not sure if this book would have affected me quite as much if I didn’t know this boy. He is one of the people that I love the most on this planet, and he shares more DNA with me than anyone else. He’s intelligent, effortlessly popular, charming, kind, and entertaining. He has a big heart, fragile and exposed. We once spent hours in our backyard collecting slugs and setting them up in their very own tree stump castle. Once when he was facing a spanking, we schemed and plotted, arming ourselves with sticks for weapons. We were thick as thieves. But we all deal with the stress and trauma of childhood in different ways; we all have our coping mechanisms. As we grew up we fumbled our way down different roads, which led us further and further apart. I learned how to live inside my own skin, fired to hardness like pottery. He learned to smother everything under a chemically induced happiness.

I think that’s the most heartbreaking thing about Sutter Keely – he’s smothering himself. I can so easily feel the pain seeping out of the cracks in his bonhomie: when he reflects on all the girls that like him, but never seem to love him; when he thinks about how much better off his father is, now that he’s no longer living with his mother; when he tells the mother of a lost child, “Your son is hurting. He misses his Dad.” He can so clearly see the pain of others, but he can’t see his own grief, disappointment, and heartbreak at all. He’s the shoulder everyone likes to cry on, and he can’t see a friend in pain without trying to fix it, but he has no ability to fix himself.

I think that this is one of the most accurate portrayals of addiction that I’ve read. So many books tend to gloss over it, or go in the other direction and become “issue” books, and completely forget that addicts are still people. This book captures so much of the essence of addiction, and the first person narration lets us in on all of the bullshit he feeds himself to cope with the loneliness and self-hatred.

I know that the ending seems dark, but I found a bit of hope in this story. Aimee and Sutter are two lost kids, and while there are moments of honesty and beauty in their relationship, they cannot build anything solid when they are both dealing (or not dealing) with so many internal battles. Sutter’s method of (view spoiler) seems incredibly realistic to me: both selfless and selfish at the same time, and suffused with his heartbreaking lack of self-worth. I’d like to find hope in (view spoiler) That may be just because I’d like to hope that my brother can get better someday, though.

Perfect Musical Pairing

Bright Eyes – Landlocked Blues

So many parts of this song remind me of this book: the questionable security of the future, isolation, the liquid cure, the “one quotable phrase, ‘if you love something give it away.’”

Also seen on The Readventurer.(less)

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Sep 03, 2011 Alyssa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of The Catcher in the Rye.

Recommended to Alyssa by: Tatiana

Shelves: 2011-read, get-with-library, great-realistic-fiction, a-guy-of-ya, actually-funny, favorites, emotional, i-love-this-cover, great-books, reccomended, read-it-but-just-buy-it-anyway, ya-loved, ya-romance, surprised-me, must-get-asap, own

Life’s a party for Sutter Keely because he’s the life of the party. He’s the guy who has friends from every social circle, can get people laughing in awkward situations, and has a smile every time you see him. He’s the definition of “happy drunk,” and since he’s drunk all the time, he’s just a happy guy all around. He lets nothing get him down, not even when his “beautiful fat girlfriend” Cassidy dumps him or when Ricky, his best friend, starts to follow the clean route. Nope, nothing, not even...more Life’s a party for Sutter Keely because he’s the life of the party. He’s the guy who has friends from every social circle, can get people laughing in awkward situations, and has a smile every time you see him. He’s the definition of “happy drunk,” and since he’s drunk all the time, he’s just a happy guy all around. He lets nothing get him down, not even when his “beautiful fat girlfriend” Cassidy dumps him or when Ricky, his best friend, starts to follow the clean route. Nope, nothing, not even the absence of his father or the fakeness of his female relatives, can get Sutter down, because there’s always another drink for ‘God’s own drunk.’

Everyone knows a guy like Sutter Keely. I happen to know three or four. He’s the guy who’s so sweet, so kind and warm-hearted, the type who you could see turning out to be something big but will never get anywhere because he thinks he’s bound to head down the downward spiral. He’s the guy who looks shallow on the outside but is really intellectual and spectacular on the inside. He’s the guy who’s in the absence of dreams and heroes and has to go looking to something else to abandon that emptiness. I loved Sutter, this broken, broken boy. He had the biggest heart, and his intentions were always in the right place, even if he made bad decisions and things didn’t always turn out like he planned. I think Tharp reflected alcoholism realistically and suitably on Sutter, even if sometimes it was hard for me, loving Sutter and all, to handle a 7UP and whiskey nearly every scene.

Sutter starts out a drunk in the beginning of the book, and not many changes happen with him as we go along. Sutter was the person who could change others but couldn’t change himself – this guy who thinks he’s incapable of being loved loves others so well because he won’t let others fall to pieces. I think such is why this book isn’t as depressing as it could have turned out – there’s hope and there’s the fact that addiction doesn’t identify a person. Cassidy, after Sutter, would have had to be my favourite character. Not only did Tharp give her a personality - ex-girlfriend's are real people, you know - but he gave her rendition and space to show why Sutter loved her in the first place. A lot of the time, you'll read about an ex-girlfriend that's a complete bitch, and you wonder how the main character could love that. Cassidy, even if not a huge character, sort of made the book for me, as did Ricky, the multi-dimensional best friend who was exactly perfect and nothing like other best friends who have all the potential but never make anything of it.

Tharp presented the life of teens as well as he did alcoholism. Where I go to school, sure, there are social circles and the “popular” kids, but everyone hangs out with everyone. Life isn’t always the geek-VS-jock bullshit we’re always reading about and Tharp reflected that aspect perfectly. I think he chose a risky subject to write about – taking a look at other reviews, people seem to think he went overboard – but that he did it justice. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, honestly – it’s a hard book to read, it tackles subjects that not all people are comfortable reading about, and you have to dig deep to find the layered message – but it’s a book that can really impact a person if they take the time to read it through.

The first two sentences might be complete turn-offs – “So, it’s a little before ten a.m. and I’m just starting to get a good buzz on. Theoretically, I should be in Algebra II, but in reality I’m cruising over to my beautiful fat girlfriend Cassidy’s house.” – but whatever you do, don’t stop reading. This likely won’t be a story you’ll soon forget.

THE SPECTACULAR NOW by Tim Tharp
Audience: 14+ (questionable content, questionable language, sexual occurrences, drug abuse, alcohol abuse)
Rating: 5/5
Recommend?: I wish for you to read this book.(less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Ariana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: male-pov, emotional, favorites

Here we go..

It would have been a 5stars book except for Aimee (I couldn't figure her out and she was a bit too naive for my taste; all that planning scared me to be honest.. and not telling anyone her secret? oh boy, that's just wrong) and the ending (which I still don't get, not really.. I might need to re-read the last page). Can I also have one more page please?

So.. a full review might follow - if I'll have some down time to write it *sigh* - but 'til then this is what I liked:

- Sutter - wit...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-kids, fiction

This is a weird book. The book itself is pretty straight-forward, the narrator is a high school senior named Sutter who likes to drink and is the life of the party. The party to him though is all of life. He's always the life of the party even though most people probably don't realize the party is happening. He lives by the motto of 'embrace the weird', meaning just go with whatever happens and make the best of it. Part of his embracing whatever happens is knocking back enough whiskey to make th...more This is a weird book. The book itself is pretty straight-forward, the narrator is a high school senior named Sutter who likes to drink and is the life of the party. The party to him though is all of life. He's always the life of the party even though most people probably don't realize the party is happening. He lives by the motto of 'embrace the weird', meaning just go with whatever happens and make the best of it. Part of his embracing whatever happens is knocking back enough whiskey to make the weird palatable and normal.

What's weird to me is that this is classified as a teen book. I don't want to come across as priggish or a prude or anything like that, but I usually figured teen books should have some kind of 'good' in them. They should be some kind of mini-little-morality-play. Sutter should realize that his life is going no-where, he should have some moment where he sees that there needs to be more to life than acting like the fun jackass and being drunk all the time.

If I substitute the drinking in the book for smoking copious amounts of pot on a daily basis Sutter isn't all that different from quite a few friends and acquaintances of mine in my late high school and college years. Thinking of Sutter as some of my old friends, this song started to play in my head. The weird innocence of being young and fucked up, something that maybe it's fine to be but which doesn't really last and eventually becomes being a fucked up fuck up.

As the book moved on I wanted to see Sutter learn something, and everytime he seemed to learn a lesson he would in no time show the bit of learning he did to be an aberration that was quickly corrected by another reckless action. Even towards the end of the book the progress that the reader sees him make is put into relief by the very last chapter that can be seen as either a stand for youth against the encroachment of early adulthood or as someone who is never really going to learn anything as long as there are people willing to cheer him on for his antics. Which makes me think that instead of the wistful reminiscences of the Wilco song above Sutter's future is more likely going to be more like this darker Uncle Tupelo song. (less)

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Jan 25, 2013 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everyone knows that if you want a good time, you call Sutter Keely. He’s the guy with a bar in his boot, enough whisky in his flask to go round and he doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘embarrassment’. There’s no doubt that Sutter is the life of any party – but when it comes to relationships, he fizzes pretty quick. He’s accumulated a string of ex-girlfriends in his eighteen years, and remained friends with every single one of them. But right now he’s hoping to hold on to his current girlfrie...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Cassi aka Snow White Haggard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, read-in-2013

The Spectacular Now is a strange sort of book. I want to lecture it, to give it my own personal big-sister talking to. In some ways I wanted to hate it because the way it almost glorified teenage drinking and partying.

But I can't. Because even if I don't agree with Sutter's methods, he feels like a real believable teenager. Sometimes it's brave for a book to portray drinking (I would call Sutter a teenage alcoholic but I don't think he would) without ever getting preachy or putting on the parent...more The Spectacular Now is a strange sort of book. I want to lecture it, to give it my own personal big-sister talking to. In some ways I wanted to hate it because the way it almost glorified teenage drinking and partying.

But I can't. Because even if I don't agree with Sutter's methods, he feels like a real believable teenager. Sometimes it's brave for a book to portray drinking (I would call Sutter a teenage alcoholic but I don't think he would) without ever getting preachy or putting on the parent hat. It's disarming, but sometimes it's good for a book to rile us up and challenge what we think is right.

Sutter is one of those kids, the party boy with a heart of gold. To some people this might seem unrealistic, but it's not. I never knew a guy quite like Sutter, but I had a friend who was in and out of trouble in high school. For a goody-two-shoes like me, knowing him was a bit of a revelation. Yes he had problems, illegal ones, but he was a really good friend to me. Sometime's it's easy to label someone as a "bad guy" but it's much more realistic and complicated to acknowledge that sometimes there are good people with good hearts who still do bad things.

Sutter is like that. Yes he's probably an alcoholic, but he's trying to be a good friend and he really does genuinely cares about people. He just doesn't believe he can be anything more than the party guy. Beneath the fun party-loving facade, Sutter's real problem is that he doesn't think he's worthy of being loved. He always thinks everyone is going to leave him. So rather than tackle that head on, he drinks and keeps people at arm's length.

This story is not a lifetime-original movie, where a teenage alcoholic finds redemption. It's a story where Sutter accidentally learns to love and learns to be loved. This book is full of imperfect people who are just trying to figure out how to live life, have fun and be happy without bulldozing over everybody around them.

This book is a rarity. It made me angry, made me think and made me cry. In some ways it feels like a very dangerous books, that a teenager could walk away with entirely the wrong message, but I don't think every YA book needs to preach a sermon. The Spectacular Now tells a good story with believable imperfect characters. People are complicated and messy -- good, bad, stupid, careless, all of the above. But that doesn't mean they aren't valuable and don't contribute something to the world. That's the heart of this book.

Note:I listened to the audiobook and the narration is superb.(less)

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Jul 09, 2009 Bethany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: angst, contemporary, young-adult

I just can't review this book without starting by saying, okay. The main character is a present-day teenager who thinks he's Jack Kerouac, although I seriously doubt he's ever read Kerouac, because basically, the kid is a loser. Except, of course, he thinks that he is amazing and fun and deep; in actuality, he's an alcoholic flake.

The entire time I was reading this book, I was irritated. By the main character, by his mother, by his sister, by his friends. I have to say, though, that the book wa...more

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Feb 24, 2009 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, contemporary

Ages 14+ (sex, drinking, drug use)

Spectacular class clown, ladies man, fuck-up Sutter Keely is at the end of his senior year of high school. He gets through his days in a state of bliss by downing giant whiskey and 7ups. And here's the good part - he sees none of his flaws. His drinking isn't a problem, his future isn't a problem. He's smart, canny, and in complete and utter denial about his flaws. That's what makes him an impeccable narrator. He meets quiet, geeky Aimee and decides that he is...more

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Jan 12, 2009 Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book has taken me forever to read - not because it isn't outstanding - but because it is. Sutter is a character so beautifully realized that I could hardly bear read his story. I would read a few chapters and then I would have to put the book down for a while before I could go back to it. Tim Tharp has created a character so real that he felt like a member of my own family, the sense of him was so real that I could hardly bear to watch his tragedy unfold. This is a brilliant book and I doub...more

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May 13, 2013 Kay rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, comedy

"Life is a big, screwed-up joke with its ups and downs. The best way to deal with it is to live in the now, pursue all the pleasure and deal with none of the grief."

That's the message I get from Sutton Keely, protagonist of The Spectacular Now. He takes a purely hedonistic, somewhat philosophical world view throughout the book. Tharp gives Sutton a clear, blunt, narrative voice but when it comes to character development, Sutton stays the same person from point A to point B, even with inserting...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Marissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really liked this book--especially for being a coming of age story, which often means being filled with lots of self-pitying and anger. Protagonist Sutter is not angry, nor does he pity himself. In fact, he's completely content with life as it is. Sutter is that guy you knew in high school (or more likely college) who could have the best heart in the world, but whose reliance on alcohol/drugs often contributed to him being kind of a screw up. Sutter's voice throughout the book is so fantastic....more

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Dec 05, 2012 Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars

Tharp, Tim (2008). The Spectacular Now. NY: Knopf. 297 pp. ISBN 978-0-375-85179-7 (Hardcover) $16.95.

High school libraries that have not found this book, really need to add this one to the collection. It is the YA retelling of The Grasshopper and the Ant but readers can’t help but feel for Sutter, our grasshopper. We want him to succeed because his spontaneity contains value. Sutter could almost be that boy we want dating our daughters. He cares deeply for the inner person. He is kind and consid...more

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Feb 02, 2010 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels, teen

I'm only an occasional reader of YA fiction, and this is another case where it didn't really occur to me that this was book aimed at teen readers until I was halfway through it. The original first-person voice of Oklahoma City teenager Sutter Keely grabbed me from the start, and his alcohol-fueled misadventures during spring term of senior year make for a surprisingly compelling read. Sutter is the classic "life of the party" mixed with classic "nice guy with a heart of gold" (a possibly mythica...more I'm only an occasional reader of YA fiction, and this is another case where it didn't really occur to me that this was book aimed at teen readers until I was halfway through it. The original first-person voice of Oklahoma City teenager Sutter Keely grabbed me from the start, and his alcohol-fueled misadventures during spring term of senior year make for a surprisingly compelling read. Sutter is the classic "life of the party" mixed with classic "nice guy with a heart of gold" (a possibly mythical combination that I've never encountered in real life). He's the kind of character who is still good friends with his lengthy list of ex-girlfriends, all of whom eventually dump him after realizing that he's only interested in living for the moment.

Unfortunately for him, he's also an alcoholic -- one whose antics tread the line between funny and dangerous. Early in the story, the charming drunk is dumped by his apparently awesome girlfriend, and while he schemes for a way to win her back, he befriends a weedy wallflower of a girl. Fortunately, the book mostly avoids the cliche of the ugly duck turned swan (and even directly references that particular genre of teen movie), even while making their relationship believable and kind of heartbreaking. The raw material is a mix of R-rated teen comedy and "issues" of the ilk that tend to pollute much YA fiction. What makes the book stand out is its total disregard for the traditional character arc that would lead Sutter toward some kind of self-discovery/realization/change.

Indeed, that may prove to be off-putting to many readers, who will be expecting some kind of feel-good ending. The story certainly sets up that expectation, and to a certain extent, it is a feel-good ending -- but an utterly real one, not a made-for-Hollywood one. In the end, it struck me as both a funny and brave book, neither of which qualities I tend to associate with YA books.

Note: Those sensitive to depictions of teen alcohol and drug use, teen sex, and stuff like drunk driving will want to stay far away from this.(less)

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Dec 03, 2009 Lesleigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, would-recommend, borrowed, reviews

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the novel The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. This book probably isn't for everyone. There is a lot of drinking and light drug use. I usually tend to steer clear of reading anything like this. However, this book proved to be better than many of the novels I have recently read.

Sutter Keely is an eighteen-year-old senior from Oklahoma who “lives in the present, staying drunk or high most of the time.” He is the definition of a high school party boy. He is coasti...more I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the novel The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. This book probably isn't for everyone. There is a lot of drinking and light drug use. I usually tend to steer clear of reading anything like this. However, this book proved to be better than many of the novels I have recently read.

Sutter Keely is an eighteen-year-old senior from Oklahoma who “lives in the present, staying drunk or high most of the time.” He is the definition of a high school party boy. He is coasting through high school, barely making the grades expected of him. Sutter has little respect for himself, so he finds it difficult to respect others. As long as he can be the life of the party, the class clown, or the funny guy who can make anyone and everyone smile, then it's easy for him to pretend that his life is good—or “fabuloso.”

However, things are starting to change for him. His girlfriend, Cassidy, leaves him because he can’t give her what she wants: a more serious commitment. His best friend, Ricky gets serious with a girl and doesn’t want to live their old life of booze and smoking anymore.

Then Sutter meets fellow senior Aimee Finecky one early morning, when he is passed out on a stranger’s front lawn and she is on her paper route. Unlike Sutter, Aimee is socially clueless, trapped by her demanding and disgusting family, and seems to really need his help. Sutter figures he’ll just help Aimee get some self-confidence and assertiveness back, but before he knows it, he’s in it deep. Now he has the power to make or ruin this girl’s life. This is a responsibility he’d rather live without.

The only downside of this novel is that Sutter never faces consequences for any of his bad decisions. He was very likable, but could potentially set a bad example for younger or more influence-able readers. I can honestly say that this main character made me want to go out and have fun like he does. He makes partying seem like great fun with no risks. On a more positive note, this is not a feel-good story, but it is a real story. It is a real snapshot into the life of a young man who drinks morning, noon, and night. He believes if he drinks, he can be the life of the party and live in the moment, or the “spectacular now.” If he can live in the moment, he doesn’t have to think about his past or his future.

I believe the overall theme of this novel has to do with self-discovery. It is a great story about a young man who does everything in excess and then finds moderation in the end.(less)

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Jul 05, 2009 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

When all the brilliant parts of Sutter Keely’s life start turning sour, what does he do? He goes and super-boosts the self-esteem of once-quiet and spineless, paper route girl. With the catchy “embrace the weird” motto, Sutter is living the last few months of his senior year to the fullest. Sutter’s the coolest guy, the entertaining one who marks a real party, and one careless drinker. He just isn’t ready to put the brakes on his party life and find a future for himself. Living in the “spectacul...more

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May 15, 2009 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult

Sutter Keely is a lot of fun. The life of the party! All his girlfriends have the greatest time with him. So, why do they all break up with him? Don't they LIKE having fun? So, he enjoys drinking - what's wrong with that? It's not like he's a mean drunk, at all.

As a reader, I felt like one of Sutter's girlfriends. At first, yeah, it was fun, if a little appalling, to read about Sutter's drunken adventures, giving a runaway kid a ride home while skipping school himself, meeting a shy newspaper de...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Riverbkstar rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am possibly the biggest fan of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The show stars Shailene Woodley; Golden Globe nominee for her role in The Descendants with George Clooney. She will be playing Aimee Finickey in the upcoming sundance film, The Spectacular Now that is based off of this book.

After an unsuccessful search for a trailer of this upcoming film... I came across the novel and was nothing but thrilled. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this novel and visualize the girl I love fro...more I am possibly the biggest fan of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The show stars Shailene Woodley; Golden Globe nominee for her role in The Descendants with George Clooney. She will be playing Aimee Finickey in the upcoming sundance film, The Spectacular Now that is based off of this book.

After an unsuccessful search for a trailer of this upcoming film... I came across the novel and was nothing but thrilled. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this novel and visualize the girl I love from television work her magic.

This book is literally nothing but spectacular. Its deep, its emotional, its real and its raw. It follows a young man named Sutter who literally finds it impossible to be sober, but not because he's an alcoholic.. he just chooses to have fun and 'embrace the weird'. I do not know if I necessarily believe in that as a reader... but that was one of the great things in this book - it opened your mind to the idea that there are people out there who are just like Sutter; neglected and just going along for the ride. Sutter meets Aimee and thinks its his purpose to change her and help her become more self confident. Along the way, he falls in love with her. However, their relationship is never about a romantic love. Its a necessary love. They need one another to survive.

I would have to say the down side to this book was how much Sutter did drink. I heard in a lot of movie reviews that alcohol was not the main focus of the story and perhaps the movie is different, but there was not a page that went by when a drink of some sort was mentioned. I also didn't like how Sutter doesn't change Aimee positively. He turns her into himself... rude and carefree and tipsy. Having such a high standard of Shailene from my position as a fan... this was really hard for me to accept much less imagine. I cannot wait to see how she portrays this character in the film.

I found the ending to be a little dry and pointless. I won't spoil it.. but I do wish that Sutter and Aimee's relationship had developed more through out the story. I really do hope the ending of the movie is different but doubt it will be as I feel the ending was really the moral of the story.

Amazing book. I read it in under 24 hours and that never happens. Shailene - I cannot wait to see you in this movie!(less)

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May 27, 2010 Trish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wow...A lot of drinking, sex, weed, foul language....Maybe I should've read this book when I was at least 15. But of course, I've read books with more foul language and sex and stuff. Overall, the book was entertaining. I couldn't help but get irritated with the main character. I sort of wanted it to have a better ending than with Sutter getting drunk and rambling down the streets with a high chance of getting ran over by a car. I wanted it to have some kind of moral lesson or at least with Sutt...more

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Nov 23, 2008 Abby rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Abby by: Hayden

Shelves: teen

Sutter Keely is a high school senior with no vision for his future and, in his words, "God's own drunk." He takes life as it comes -- embracing the weird, hanging out with his best friend Ricky, sipping on his trusty cup of Seagram's and 7-UP, and trying not to piss off his beautiful fat girlfriend Cassidy. But when Cassidy kicks him to the curb and Ricky starts dating his first girlfriend, Sutter finds himself alone & restless. When Aimee, a quiet nerdy girl with no self-esteem, randomly en...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites-2012

I feel that to truly enjoy this book, it needs to come with a prefix. This is not a love story aka 500 days of summer, and there's no red ribbon ending.

This is a book which rides on the spectacular now of Sutter Keely, and what a fitting title. Sutter Keely is the best and worst of both worlds, the party and the alone. Firstly, great name and great character. At first glance Sutter is a heroic, fun, chivalrous guy... the guy you want to be around. It's not until you travel through to the end tha...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Beth Bedee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemprary-fiction, young-adult

Sutter Keely embraces the now. He also embraces a full flask and a tall 7-Up. This story chronicles the last months of his senior year of high school. He sorts out his friends, family, and relationships...or at least tries to.

This is one of those books where the plot isn't as compelling as the way it is delivered. This is totally a character driven novel. Sutter is the narrator. He talks to the reader as if he's your friend and you've known him all your life through statements like "...but you...more

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Jan 07, 2010 Steve Duong rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really had fun reading this book. I love the simple, clean story. No giant enlightening epiphanies or soul searching endeavors. Just an idyllic story (to say the least) with it's up's and down's. Sutter Keely is 18 years old and feels average at best. He's not a savant of any sort, and his future isn't laid out before him. He's soon to realize his life's going to take a turn; he's planned to graduate in a couple months but that's the least of his worries. He's only interested in the Now. He's...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Johnp rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I am still trying to figure out what this book is all about!

Sutter Keely is a high school senior who always has a drink in his hand and a joke ready. Things are going well, but then he fails to live up to his girlfriend Cassidys ultimatum, so he finds himself suddenly single. Through an odd series of events, he begins to talk to Aimee, the ultimate wall-flower/geek. This is where I got lost. Sutter goes between his ex-girlfriend (actually, several) and then back to Aimee. All the time, he can’t...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: male-pov, read-in-2012, teenage-wasteland, fiction, ya

“You’re not a bad guy, Sutter. You’re a good guy. You just don’t have a real firm grasp on the concept of consequences.”

Thus spake Bob.

I read quite a few reviews of this book before embarking on the journey myself, so part of me was braced for disappointment. I knew the ending would be realistic and somewhat depressing. I knew I’d want to grab Sutter by the shoulders and shake the everliving crap out of him, and I knew it would make no difference. But no matter how many reviews I read, there was...more “You’re not a bad guy, Sutter. You’re a good guy. You just don’t have a real firm grasp on the concept of consequences.”

Thus spake Bob.

I read quite a few reviews of this book before embarking on the journey myself, so part of me was braced for disappointment. I knew the ending would be realistic and somewhat depressing. I knew I’d want to grab Sutter by the shoulders and shake the everliving crap out of him, and I knew it would make no difference. But no matter how many reviews I read, there was no way to prepare myself for how utterly gutted I felt after I read the last page of this book.

Sutter Keely is a high school senior who likes to have a good time, an easygoing guy who understands how important it is to “embrace the weird.” He goes where life takes him and never worries about the consequences. He has a super-hot girlfriend (though he may not be the most attentive boyfriend, but all the girls know better than to expect that from him) and a best friend since childhood who understands Sutter’s booze-soaked lifestyle and indulges in a few illegal activities of his own. Sutter has it made. He may not be going places, but that doesn’t matter. Even when Cassidy dumps him and Ricky starts to change, Sutter rolls with it. He puts his energy into making Aimee, the resident shy loser, into someone who can stand up for herself and have fun. Sutter Keely, hero!

Watching Sutter’s behavior through his eyes, it doesn’t seem so bad. He’s totally fine. He’s just drinking for fun; he Does Not Have a Problem. But there are subtle hints everyone else is becoming disenchanted with Sutter, things he sort of notices in his peripheral vision but doesn’t really pick up on; it’s like he sees their lips moving but doesn’t hear the words. And even though I agree with the hostess of the party who throws him out because he “doesn’t know how to have fun like a normal person”; even though I want to shake him until his teeth chatter for what he’s doing to Aimee and for blowing off all the potential life lessons... I like him. He reminds me of some people I’ve known. Addicts are fun, at first. They have great, larger-than-life personalities and they can suck you into their exciting lifestyle and make you feel invincible for a while. But they always take it just that one step too far. And you cannot fix them. You have to either watch them self-destruct or move on with your own life.

And that is the most heartbreaking part of this book: watching Sutter reach his expiration date and not even know it’s happening. His friends are outgrowing him and everyone in his family has learned to function on an individual basis rather than as a unit, so he basically has no home life. Sutter pushes away the people who genuinely care about him because of his unwillingness to admit he has an addiction. He nearly destroys the one person who trusts him implicitly. He gives up chances to better his life because having the freedom to always have a buzz on is more important to him than anything—or anyone—else.

Even though I saw it coming, the ending hurt. In so many books—especially in YA, which this is—problems are fixed by the end, or at least tied up neatly. Not so for the Sutterman. There is no sweeping romance, no climactic event that triggers the realization that there is More to Life Than This. None of the lessons he learned stick around. There is just painful realism, just Sutter and his own spectacular now.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Spoilers!!!!! 3.7-4.0

This book. Where to begin? Sutter, the main character who is teetering on becoming an alcoholic eventually falls in love with quiet, soft spoken Aimee. Sutter never plans this and just wants to help Aimee come out of her shell. I really wanted to like these characters. However, I did not. That does not make this a bad book, quite the opposite. Sutter was his harshest critic and was very selfish. At some points in the book I felt like he was only using Aimee. Not to mention h...more

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May 01, 2010 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Sutter is a senior in high school who loves life. He skips school, drinks constantly (whiskey and 7-Up), is the life of the party, and "knows" how to have a good time. His best friend has always partied with him, but is outgrowing this phase. Sutter's girlfriend is wonderful, but she is tired of all the partying and Sutter's inability to take anything seriously.
Sutter is likable, but frustrating. The entire time I was reading, I was waiting for Sutter to change. I was waiting for the character...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Carmel Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had written a review for this book and it didn't so now I'm sad, so here's a quick one.

When I read the blurb of this book first I imagined this book was going to be boy meet girl, boy tries to make shy girl from geek to chic, girl finds out about boys plans, boy and girl fight, boy and girl make up.

The Spectacular Now ins nothing like that, this book is realistic, fresh and original. Tharp's writing is great.

Positives:
+Sutter: Sutter is such a good character. I loved him even if he can be a li...more

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Jan 15, 2009 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sutter Keely is the Dean Martin of his generation. At least, that's who he thinks he is. In his senior year of high school, Sutter is known as a good time. Always carrying a flask of whiskey with him, he loves being the life of the party. However, most don't know the inner Sutter, which is too often covered by his party boy lifestyle. Aimee, a shy, introverted girl in his class, is the first to bring out who Sutter truly is.

Although he's charming and witty, he's covering sadness with his energet...more

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