Book-review post!
All YA this time around…
John Green – Paper Towns
I am torn. There is plenty of niftiness here, but for something that's trying to deconstruct the Manic Pixie Dream Girl idea, it also ends up validating it an awful lot. There's cleverness, and many quotable quotes, and I love the whole copyright trap thing, and the interactions between the friends, but ultimately I think I wanted more than just Margo's overly-articulate speeches of explanation and backstory at the end. I wanted her thoughts, her take on things the whole way through; I wanted us to see the misimagining rather than have it explained for us at the end. And I wanted to see Q as someone more than an average high school senior obsessed with the girl next door. So slightly disappointed in this one (I know, I know, sacrilege – and possibly more about what I was hoping for from the book than what the book was hoping for) but I'll still be reading The Fault In Our Stars to see how it goes.
[Note from later: read TFIOS. Thoughts in next book-post!]
Kristen Tracy – A Field Guide for Heartbreakers
Dessy and Veronica, best friends and aspiring writers, are off to Prague for a writers' seminar. Even though they've applied for a non-fiction seminar, they end up in the short story section that Veronica's mother is teaching. Both of them have recently had break-ups – Dessy, the narrator, quieter than Veronica, still misses her boyfriend (who gave her a laminated list of her faults) a lot, while Veronica's determined to flirt and possibly more with as many Hot Dudes as possible during their time in Prague. A very funny and astute book, with as much focus on friendships, family, and storytelling as there is on romance. I really loved all the bits set in the creative writing seminar (apparently I don't get enough of that in real life!) too.
Josie Bloss – Faking Faith
I loved the concept of this book as soon as I heard it. Dylan is a pariah at school after a 'sexting' incident, and she becomes obsessed with a particular set of blogs – especially blogs by homeschooled Christian fundamentalist girls who are all about serving the Lord, submitting to the men in their lives, and being chaste. Dylan creates an alter ego, Faith, and in time befriends one particular blogger, Abigail, who eventually invites her to stay with her for a couple of weeks. It's more than just a 'fake identity' story and a 'be careful what you wish for' tale – even though Dylan is initially enchanted by the rural wholesome lifestyle, and then sees some of the more problematic aspects of such a limited world, its good points are still acknowledged. There's a love story too, with some swoon-worthy kisses. Well worth checking out.
S.J. Adams – Sparks
Another Flux book – I am very much liking the stuff they're doing. Debbie has been in love with her best friend Lisa for years, who's super-pure and wholesome. Debbie's been hiding bits of herself – including her probable atheism – from Lisa, but when she finds out Lisa's about to hook up with her vile boyfriend, she ends up on a wacky night-long quest with Emma and Tim, two believers in a made-up religion called Bluedaism, to stop it from happening. Lots of quirkiness here, and the rush of new friendships is portrayed convincingly.
Elizabeth Scott – Between Here and Forever
Abby waits for her older sister Tess to wake up from a coma, but when she meets the very-yummy Eli, she finds herself seen as herself, and not perfect Tess's younger sister, for the first time in her life. Always in her sister's shadow, Abby is angry and hurt by a number of things, but as she learns more about Tess's secret life she realises they have more in common than she previously thought. Fast-paced but emotionally engaging read.
