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The Haters
From Jesse Andrews, author of the New York Times bestselling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and screenwriter of the Sundance award–winning motion picture of the same name, comes a groundbreaking young adult novel about music, love, friendship, and freedom as three young musicians follow a quest to escape the law long enough to play the amazing show they hope (but also doubt) they have in them.
Inspired by the years he spent playing bass in a band himself, The Haters is Jesse Andrews’s road trip adventure about a trio of jazz-camp escapees who, against every realistic expectation, become a band.
For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It’s pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It’s three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they’re in Ash’s SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun.
In his second novel, Andrews again brings his brilliant and distinctive voice to YA, in the perfect book for music lovers, fans of The Commitments and High Fidelity , or anyone who has ever loved—and hated—a song or a band. This witty, funny coming-of-age novel is contemporary fiction at its best.
Inspired by the years he spent playing bass in a band himself, The Haters is Jesse Andrews’s road trip adventure about a trio of jazz-camp escapees who, against every realistic expectation, become a band.
For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It’s pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It’s three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they’re in Ash’s SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun.
In his second novel, Andrews again brings his brilliant and distinctive voice to YA, in the perfect book for music lovers, fans of The Commitments and High Fidelity , or anyone who has ever loved—and hated—a song or a band. This witty, funny coming-of-age novel is contemporary fiction at its best.
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First published April 5, 2016
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July 27, 2019I feel pretty confident that this is my finest second novel yet.
February 15, 2021
From the moment I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl a year ago, I've been regularly baffled to see that readers with whom I usually agree described it as annoying and not in the slightest funny. I mean, I shipped this book like crazy, as I tend to do with favorites, but I know that humor is personal, therefore I came to the conclusion that Jesse Andrews = Laughing Anna. You can't imagine how stunned I am to find The Haters... annoying.... and not in the slightest funny. Karma is such a bitch, I'm telling you.
► Even though I felt more and more detached from the story during my read, there is no denying the fact that Jesse Andrews nails his atmospheres and knows how to quickly involve his readers. Jazz? I'm pulling a Jon Snow on this. I know nothing. Yet I was seeing myself in that rehearsal room, nodding along Don the drummer. It's almost magical how quickly his characters capture me and make me feel as if they were real.
► In my opinion he pictures accurately how teenagers want to fit in and are, in that sense, desperately impressionable. Note that I'm not saying that I enjoyed them, but I can acknowledge that they were fleshed-out and not one-dimensional.
► When he's not writing gross jokes or never-ending convos (more on that later), Jesse Andrews's writing stays pretty compelling.
► These characters annoyed the fuck out of me : see, I wrote earlier that they were multi-layered, and they are, but I never felt any dynamics between them. Are they supposed to be friends? Lovers? Band mates? Honestly, I reached a point where I couldn't handle the shitty way they treated each others anymore. Call me judgmental, maybe you're right, but for me Wes and Corey never acted like years long friends. This book is supposed to deal with friendship, love and freedom. Except the latter, I felt none.
► I never laughed. I mean, there's only so many dick jokes I can take, and frankly, I only wanted to rinse my eyes at some point. DUDE, YOU ARE JUST GROSS. I don't want to know that your jizz wasn't well rinsed in the sink. I'm sorry but
I don't care, I don't want to know that, please shut up. I can't even count the times when I saw a joke, thought that I was supposed to laugh, to realize that it couldn't even bring a smile on my face. And this leads me to my next point...
► I'm pretty sure that I am not the target audience for this book, and it makes me sad, because I loved Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. And it's not even enough of an explanation for not loving this book, because I regularly enjoy YA and even some Middle Grade. Therefore, to me it's not a good thing if a book's target is too tight. What would that be? 13-18 boys? I don't think it's enough, and you may not agree with me, but here again, it's my review.
► If the digressions made me smile in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, here they just bored me, to be honest. I smiled sometimes, but more often than not I struggled to get going, and I'm pretty sure that of all my reasons for not liking it, it’s the most important. Nobody wants to read a book if it's painful to turn its pages. Not to mention that the plot never engrossed me. It just ventured .... somewhere.... for reasons? Please don't ask me. I have no idea. Okay, now I know that it's not a good idea to try to have sex stoned, I know details about sink cleaning, and as I said, I had the pleasure to read pages and pages of convos about things I didn't care about. Like in what occasions you can use the harming dick joke.
Woot. Thank YOU for that. I needed it.
Not.
*arc kindly provided by Amulet books through Netgalley. It (obviously) didn't influence my opinion.*
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December 19, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
What a fitting title to review this week.
The Haters is what happens when Wes, Corey and Ash (three teens who do indeed meet at band camp) decide to ditch those zeros and see if they can’t turn themselves into heros – of the music scene.
Wes and Corey have been buds for a long time. The main goal of their friendship? To find the “Unpoisonable Well” – music so good, so pure, so true that it can’t possibly be hated on (and also how many dick jokes they can make). As just a small child Wes thought he had found that groove . . . .
but when he met Corey he was informed that he was waaaaaaaay off the mark. Nothing else ever seemed to be unhatable either. The Beatles, James Brown, Bon Iver, Kanye . . .
SIT YOUR ASS DOWN, KANYE!
At the end of the day, Wes and Corey would end up with the same reaction . . .
(You’re welcome, Karly)
After a jam session at band camp with Ash, the two think maybe THEIR SOUND is it. When Ash asks them if they want to leave the camp and go play music, the fellas are in - which makes for the most memorable of road trips . . .
“Here’s the deal. Tonight I headbutted a guy in the face, yesterday I got out on a roof and had to deal with Corey going insane from drugs. I’ve also talked down a guy with a shotgun and cut open my hand on diseased highway glass. We’ve all made some sacrifices on this trip.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for the threesome to figure out that their sound is pretty easy to hate on. Mainly because they are turrrrrrrible . . .
“We were an animal with three different kinds of legs. We were the soundtrack to a mental illness.”
In other words, they were no Duke Silver . . .
but the adventure continued anyway, the kids made some memories, the laughs (and booze and drugs) flowed freely and I was left with the realization that . . .
Mad props to Jesse Andrews for even being brave enough to attempt a sophomore novel after the extraordinary success he had with Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. My enjoyment of this novel compared to the first was purely a byproduct of not being the target demographic. Good news is, I’m pretty sure if I could get my non-book loving teenager to give this one a shot he’d think it was the shizzle for rizzle (kids still say that, right?).
Still, it was a fun time and provided GREAT inspiration for what my commute playlist should be. Many thanks for picking new bands that even this old lady knows which made me feel like “a cool mom, not a regular mom.” If you are also a geezer and can't quite adjust your old ears to the sounds of some of the bands mentioned in this book (like My Chemical Romance or Vampire Weekend) there are also selections for the "easy listening" crowd like Band of Horses. (And in case you haven’t ever heard of them, Need to Breathe is a group of dudes who sound EXACTLY like Kings of Leon but probably won’t be super pussy crybabies who leave the stage at an OUTDOOR F-ING CONCERT because a pigeon dared to shit on them - #true story. They also sing "Christian Rock" and my heathen self finds it amusing that a song could be singing about love for the Baby Jesus or maybe about wanting to hit that super hot chick at da club.)
My friend Larry actually gets credit for putting this on my radar. He hasn’t read Earl yet. Oh Larry, you’ve got something awesome coming your way when you do : )
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
What a fitting title to review this week.
The Haters is what happens when Wes, Corey and Ash (three teens who do indeed meet at band camp) decide to ditch those zeros and see if they can’t turn themselves into heros – of the music scene.
Wes and Corey have been buds for a long time. The main goal of their friendship? To find the “Unpoisonable Well” – music so good, so pure, so true that it can’t possibly be hated on (and also how many dick jokes they can make). As just a small child Wes thought he had found that groove . . . .
but when he met Corey he was informed that he was waaaaaaaay off the mark. Nothing else ever seemed to be unhatable either. The Beatles, James Brown, Bon Iver, Kanye . . .
SIT YOUR ASS DOWN, KANYE!
At the end of the day, Wes and Corey would end up with the same reaction . . .
(You’re welcome, Karly)
After a jam session at band camp with Ash, the two think maybe THEIR SOUND is it. When Ash asks them if they want to leave the camp and go play music, the fellas are in - which makes for the most memorable of road trips . . .
“Here’s the deal. Tonight I headbutted a guy in the face, yesterday I got out on a roof and had to deal with Corey going insane from drugs. I’ve also talked down a guy with a shotgun and cut open my hand on diseased highway glass. We’ve all made some sacrifices on this trip.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for the threesome to figure out that their sound is pretty easy to hate on. Mainly because they are turrrrrrrible . . .
“We were an animal with three different kinds of legs. We were the soundtrack to a mental illness.”
In other words, they were no Duke Silver . . .
but the adventure continued anyway, the kids made some memories, the laughs (and booze and drugs) flowed freely and I was left with the realization that . . .
Mad props to Jesse Andrews for even being brave enough to attempt a sophomore novel after the extraordinary success he had with Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. My enjoyment of this novel compared to the first was purely a byproduct of not being the target demographic. Good news is, I’m pretty sure if I could get my non-book loving teenager to give this one a shot he’d think it was the shizzle for rizzle (kids still say that, right?).
Still, it was a fun time and provided GREAT inspiration for what my commute playlist should be. Many thanks for picking new bands that even this old lady knows which made me feel like “a cool mom, not a regular mom.” If you are also a geezer and can't quite adjust your old ears to the sounds of some of the bands mentioned in this book (like My Chemical Romance or Vampire Weekend) there are also selections for the "easy listening" crowd like Band of Horses. (And in case you haven’t ever heard of them, Need to Breathe is a group of dudes who sound EXACTLY like Kings of Leon but probably won’t be super pussy crybabies who leave the stage at an OUTDOOR F-ING CONCERT because a pigeon dared to shit on them - #true story. They also sing "Christian Rock" and my heathen self finds it amusing that a song could be singing about love for the Baby Jesus or maybe about wanting to hit that super hot chick at da club.)
My friend Larry actually gets credit for putting this on my radar. He hasn’t read Earl yet. Oh Larry, you’ve got something awesome coming your way when you do : )
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
August 11, 2016
This book was hilarious. If you dug the humour in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, I don't doubt you'll laugh out loud at this one too. It was very teenage boy raunchy and rambly and I was all about it.
The story follows 3 teenagers at band camp, who early in the book decide to "escape" and go on their own tour; problem is, they are a 1 day old band and have a lot to learn about their music, each other and even themselves. It's a fun, funny story but with some backbone. My favourite thing about it was the way the story was told. The pacing of it was so great, kept me interested, and also had these really quirky little extras; lists and charts and references to Youtube videos to check out; it was so solidly written and those little additions brought it to another level.
I have to say, this book would make an incredible movie - and I really hope it happens. It felt very Me and Earl meets Paper Towns. You've got dorky boys, the unattainable girl, a road trip, but then throw in some great musical references and band performances. Oh and throw in some more sex and drugs; it kind of reminded me of the humour vibe that Superbad has. It was a grand, cinematic feeling narrative overall and I'm obsessed with the friendship between Wes and Corey, but also of course how the dynamic changed with Ash thrown into the mix. The friendships and relationships felt so authentic and as far as male teenage narrators go, this was one of the most convincing I've read.
The music aspect of the story was perfectly done. There was enough band discussion to make sure it felt like the main storyline, but not so overly described that it would be polarizing; band geeks and non band geeks alike can appreciate the story. I was in school band for 4 years and jazz band for 2 - but that is not at all what drew me to this story or why I enjoyed it so much. In fact, I pretty much hated jazz band (baritone saxophone, and lemme tell you - I was terrrrrrible) and thus was not prepared to appreciate the jazz references and elements of this. But since the narrator was so authentic, I felt myself relating to him and caring about his interests regardless of my own personal feelings towards them. I also LOVED all the kooky characters they met along the way. The situations they ended up in and the places they played their music at were so atmospheric that I could totally picture being there right along side them.
I was so prepared to give this a 5/5 but somewhere in the last quarter of the novel it started to slow down in the hilarity. And not in a "let's make the switch from humour to a solid life lesson" way that novels often do; but rather it just got kind of dull. It felt like maybe the author didn't quite know how what ending he wanted until he got there, and just kinda threw it together.
Overall, I highly recommend this. Jesse Andrew's brand of humour is not for everyone, but I would say for certain that especially if you enjoyed his debut novel, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, this will also be right up your alley.
I was sent an ARC of this book via Netgalley and ABRAMS KIDS for review purposes.
The story follows 3 teenagers at band camp, who early in the book decide to "escape" and go on their own tour; problem is, they are a 1 day old band and have a lot to learn about their music, each other and even themselves. It's a fun, funny story but with some backbone. My favourite thing about it was the way the story was told. The pacing of it was so great, kept me interested, and also had these really quirky little extras; lists and charts and references to Youtube videos to check out; it was so solidly written and those little additions brought it to another level.
I have to say, this book would make an incredible movie - and I really hope it happens. It felt very Me and Earl meets Paper Towns. You've got dorky boys, the unattainable girl, a road trip, but then throw in some great musical references and band performances. Oh and throw in some more sex and drugs; it kind of reminded me of the humour vibe that Superbad has. It was a grand, cinematic feeling narrative overall and I'm obsessed with the friendship between Wes and Corey, but also of course how the dynamic changed with Ash thrown into the mix. The friendships and relationships felt so authentic and as far as male teenage narrators go, this was one of the most convincing I've read.
The music aspect of the story was perfectly done. There was enough band discussion to make sure it felt like the main storyline, but not so overly described that it would be polarizing; band geeks and non band geeks alike can appreciate the story. I was in school band for 4 years and jazz band for 2 - but that is not at all what drew me to this story or why I enjoyed it so much. In fact, I pretty much hated jazz band (baritone saxophone, and lemme tell you - I was terrrrrrible) and thus was not prepared to appreciate the jazz references and elements of this. But since the narrator was so authentic, I felt myself relating to him and caring about his interests regardless of my own personal feelings towards them. I also LOVED all the kooky characters they met along the way. The situations they ended up in and the places they played their music at were so atmospheric that I could totally picture being there right along side them.
I was so prepared to give this a 5/5 but somewhere in the last quarter of the novel it started to slow down in the hilarity. And not in a "let's make the switch from humour to a solid life lesson" way that novels often do; but rather it just got kind of dull. It felt like maybe the author didn't quite know how what ending he wanted until he got there, and just kinda threw it together.
Overall, I highly recommend this. Jesse Andrew's brand of humour is not for everyone, but I would say for certain that especially if you enjoyed his debut novel, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, this will also be right up your alley.
I was sent an ARC of this book via Netgalley and ABRAMS KIDS for review purposes.
January 21, 2016
What to say about Haters? ...Uhhhhh...
Well it is written by Jesse Andrews. A writer with a voice like no other. I love his style and if I was just discussing that I would be “oohhh”-ing and “aaahhh”-ing all over the page right now. The way he describes and sketches a moment or emotion—especially awkwardness--is mind-blowingly perfect. A simple, almost throw away wink in time from this man sticks with me like it happened in real life. As if I was right there! Like here….
“Corey managed to drink four different beers in about an hour. Then he got up, immediately sat back down, got back up, and walked very rapidly into the house, and that was the last we saw of him.”
Haha…that simple description hit home for me. I could see and feel the rush of “oh-god-I’m-gonna-be-sick”. Hell—once upon a time, I may have even lived that moment. BUT let’s not get sidetracked shall we… ;)
Let me see if I can break this down for you. I disliked two out of the three main characters for pretty much the whole book and absolutely HATED the third. Which brought up an interesting debate in my head. Do we have to like the characters to enjoy the story? I say no. Not all the time. But in this case, I think you do. It’s a road trip for goodness sakes! To love the road, the adventures, fun, and trouble—you should like or at least root for the characters getting into mischief and painfully, yet funny awkward situations. Right? *sigh*
Our tale revolves around best friends Corey and Wes. Two jazz fanatics and musicians at jazz camp for the summer who just found their missing piece and third band member in Ash—the new girl at jazz camp. One out of this world jam session later Ash decides the three should hit the road and test out their chemistry and material. Hit the road to become a band! *shakes head* Right there. The “let’s hit the road because Ash said so” was my first *whoa* swerve the wheel to avoid hitting the aggravating plot point. I just didn’t buy it. Don’t get me wrong…I completely believe that these two boneheads would do anything if a girl was involved. But come on! They just met Ash. If it was just Corey and Wes, I would have gone for it. Two AWOL jazz campers risking and trusting to make their music real for one summer. But that’s not what happened and let’s just say I had to let it go. Off Ash, Wes and Corey went down the road. To what and where you may ask? Yeah. Horrible food choices, sex, scary cars, barf, booze, shotguns, injuries, and more. One bizarre situation after another. I wish I could say I found it all amusing at the very least, but the scenarios felt ridiculous, juvenile, and over the top to me. There were no life lessons to be found on the road. No big “light dawns on” moment. It was just three kids searching for a place to perform, but when it came time to play—this is the part that really disappointed me--it all fell apart. Not even the music survived the debacles. Bands can be messy, but usually the music goes on. Sometimes they played, but it was uninspiring and painful. Hell...I’m not sure they could even play to be honest.
So what did it all mean? Perhaps we were supposed to be inspired by Corey and Wes and Ash’s throw caution to the wind and go for it attitude. Were they following a dream? If so, I didn’t feel it. I never felt like they really believed in the music or themselves. They never fought for each other, which really pissed me off. These characters just never clicked or felt united to me. Wes was jealous of hookups, Corey was pissed Wes wasn’t speaking up to Ash, and Ash’s attitude came across as cold. Was that the point? We were supposed to hate them, but somehow love and root for them and the music anyway. I don’t know.
“I just stood there thinking. At some point, something else is going to happen, and then I’ll know what it is, but until then, I don’t mind not knowing, and maybe even more than that, I just don’t care."
So what did I get out of this book? I came close to liking Wes and Corey’s friendship. At times, I thought they were hilarious and would do anything for each other. But then one or the other would say or do something that would ruin the whole mood. I especially didn’t like how Wes talked about his BFF on the road. Corey was the comedic element most of the time in this journey (along with the constant string of dick jokes), but he also showed the biggest heart. He made me giggle. All three characters felt like they had pieces missing or broken hearts though. Wes’s story about the dog was my favorite part of the book. Oh, Wes! You made me cry. That memory was the saddest thing and maybe the best explanation as to why Wes was on the road.
Mr. Andrews puts a lot of heart in his words. Really! Hidden behind the dick jokes and juvenile behavior is huge heart. I can’t say this enough—Jesse Andrews has such a distinctive powerhouse hold and print on the page. His steady, conversational pace reels me right in. Simple, fun words and language that make me smile. Like this description….”It probably smelled like the swamp that Yoda lives in.” Hehe...Andrews uses lists, sounds, smartass-ness, smiles, silence, gibberish, humor and more to capture stupidity, awkwardness, music and friendship in a way that spins the story and world around in a way only he can. Listen...
“Corey ended up mostly thumping things out on his bass drum and toms and used his cymbals only when he absolutely had to. So the effect was this chunky thumpy sound that kind of made you think of the most badass possible rabbit.”
Even though I wasn’t over the moon in love, I would still recommend Haters for three reasons:
1. Maybe you will see something I did not. Perhaps I missed the whole shebang! I adored Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, but other readers looked at me like I was crazy. :)
2. Jesse Andrews wrote it. If you’re a fan, read it! It’s all in there. Everything you loved about his style is there in the pages. (well….except the lovable characters)
3. The ending. Loved the ending. It was spot on.
Recommended. Check out The Haters.
**Quotes taken from uncorrected proof.**
December 3, 2015
I'd rate this 3.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for making it available!
I never read Jesse Andrews' Me and Earl and the Dying Girl , because just when I discovered the book, the movie was about to come out, and I hate reading books just before I see the film adaptation. Then, of course, I never got around to seeing the movie, so I figured I'd jump on the chance to read his second book, The Haters . I'm glad I did, because while it didn't blow me away as I hoped it would, it made me laugh out loud more than a few times, and yeah, it moved me, too.
Wes and Corey have been best friends since childhood. They have a number of things in common, including a love of all kinds of music, as well as the uncanny ability to pretty much hate on every type of music as well. They share a fairly juvenile sense of humor (including the teenage boy-fueled obsession with the word "dick") but they're both a little more sensitive than they let on as well. When they get the opportunity to attend jazz camp, they're both pretty excited—and then they arrive to find it's almost all guys who are utterly pretentious, and most are more talented than they are.
And then they meet Ash. She's free-spirited, older than they are, inexplicably hot, and she shares their absolute love of music. After jamming together for more than three hours they think they've found kindred musical spirits. When circumstances at jazz camp don't quite go their way, Ash has a brilliant idea: the only way they can achieve greatness as a band is to hit the road and play wherever, whenever they can. So they leave camp (and their cell phones) behind and take off in Ash's SUV for The Haters' Summer of Hate Tour. What could possibly go wrong?
The Haters is wacky, funny as hell, a little moving, and pretty juvenile (not that that's a bad thing). Having never read Andrews' writing before, I don't know if this book is similar to his first or if his way of storytelling is unique for this story, but it took some getting used to. Wes is a terrific narrator but he used a simile or metaphor in almost every sentence in the first 10-20 percent of the book, and some of them were references to obscure musicians or musical styles that went over my head. I almost gave up on the book, but I'm glad I persevered, because it's a really enjoyable read if you know what to expect.
Juvenile dialogue aside, this is a book about friendship, lust, music, growing up, adventure, and the positive and negative effects parents can have on us. This book has a great deal of heart, which is what makes it more than just your average book about kids in a band. I definitely need to go back and read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl , too.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for making it available!
I never read Jesse Andrews' Me and Earl and the Dying Girl , because just when I discovered the book, the movie was about to come out, and I hate reading books just before I see the film adaptation. Then, of course, I never got around to seeing the movie, so I figured I'd jump on the chance to read his second book, The Haters . I'm glad I did, because while it didn't blow me away as I hoped it would, it made me laugh out loud more than a few times, and yeah, it moved me, too.
Wes and Corey have been best friends since childhood. They have a number of things in common, including a love of all kinds of music, as well as the uncanny ability to pretty much hate on every type of music as well. They share a fairly juvenile sense of humor (including the teenage boy-fueled obsession with the word "dick") but they're both a little more sensitive than they let on as well. When they get the opportunity to attend jazz camp, they're both pretty excited—and then they arrive to find it's almost all guys who are utterly pretentious, and most are more talented than they are.
And then they meet Ash. She's free-spirited, older than they are, inexplicably hot, and she shares their absolute love of music. After jamming together for more than three hours they think they've found kindred musical spirits. When circumstances at jazz camp don't quite go their way, Ash has a brilliant idea: the only way they can achieve greatness as a band is to hit the road and play wherever, whenever they can. So they leave camp (and their cell phones) behind and take off in Ash's SUV for The Haters' Summer of Hate Tour. What could possibly go wrong?
The Haters is wacky, funny as hell, a little moving, and pretty juvenile (not that that's a bad thing). Having never read Andrews' writing before, I don't know if this book is similar to his first or if his way of storytelling is unique for this story, but it took some getting used to. Wes is a terrific narrator but he used a simile or metaphor in almost every sentence in the first 10-20 percent of the book, and some of them were references to obscure musicians or musical styles that went over my head. I almost gave up on the book, but I'm glad I persevered, because it's a really enjoyable read if you know what to expect.
Juvenile dialogue aside, this is a book about friendship, lust, music, growing up, adventure, and the positive and negative effects parents can have on us. This book has a great deal of heart, which is what makes it more than just your average book about kids in a band. I definitely need to go back and read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl , too.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
February 7, 2017
This book is hard to rate because I liked it, but some parts of it really annoyed me. I should mention this is my first time reading a book from Jesse Andrews, I haven't read Me & Earl & the Dying Girl yet, so this is my first time being exposed to his writing style, and it's okay in my opinion. His writing style reminds me of John Green, and I'm not a huge John Green fan. This book is ridiculously funny at times and at other times it's very annoying. Wes, Corey and Ash all decide to start a band and they ditch jazz camp and head out on the road together. So this book is 99% road trip as their band tries to find bars and venues to play in.
The characters annoyed me a little. Mostly just Ash. She's this insanely gorgeous but unattainable girl that joins Wes and Corey in a band and she kind of leads them both on and it's very annoying. She reminded me a lot of Margot from Paper Towns in that way. The hot girl who knows she's hot and uses it to her advantage by taking advantage of guys who think she's hot type of thing. And as I said this book is really funny at times, but the jokes are very immature and there's a shit load of penis jokes in this book, which isn't a bad thing but it gets old after a while.
The writing style got on my nerves at times. Maybe this is because I listened to the audiobook, but instead of writing regular dialogue the story will go like this:
Wes: (whatever he says)
Corey: (whatever he says)
Wes: (whatever he says)
Ash: (whatever she says)
and it's so irritating listening to dialogue written this way in an audiobook. Maybe I'm just nitpicking here but it drove me nuts and this is the way the dialogue is written for most of the book. It just sounds really choppy when the narrator has to pause and say who's speaking and then read the dialogue and go back and forth.
The humor in this book is very teenage boy, not that that's necessarily a bad thing but it isn't for everyone. At times it worked for me and I thought it was funny and at other times I found it to be annoying. Wes's overall "voice" is what made me want to keep reading. Even if the other characters drove me nuts sometimes, I really liked Wes throughout the whole story. But unfortunately this is a typical meh YA novel that I'm not going to remember in a few weeks.
The characters annoyed me a little. Mostly just Ash. She's this insanely gorgeous but unattainable girl that joins Wes and Corey in a band and she kind of leads them both on and it's very annoying. She reminded me a lot of Margot from Paper Towns in that way. The hot girl who knows she's hot and uses it to her advantage by taking advantage of guys who think she's hot type of thing. And as I said this book is really funny at times, but the jokes are very immature and there's a shit load of penis jokes in this book, which isn't a bad thing but it gets old after a while.
The writing style got on my nerves at times. Maybe this is because I listened to the audiobook, but instead of writing regular dialogue the story will go like this:
Wes: (whatever he says)
Corey: (whatever he says)
Wes: (whatever he says)
Ash: (whatever she says)
and it's so irritating listening to dialogue written this way in an audiobook. Maybe I'm just nitpicking here but it drove me nuts and this is the way the dialogue is written for most of the book. It just sounds really choppy when the narrator has to pause and say who's speaking and then read the dialogue and go back and forth.
The humor in this book is very teenage boy, not that that's necessarily a bad thing but it isn't for everyone. At times it worked for me and I thought it was funny and at other times I found it to be annoying. Wes's overall "voice" is what made me want to keep reading. Even if the other characters drove me nuts sometimes, I really liked Wes throughout the whole story. But unfortunately this is a typical meh YA novel that I'm not going to remember in a few weeks.
July 19, 2016
Booktubeathon Challenge #1 - read a book w/ yellow on the cover: complete!
This might be a 3.5. It wasn't as funny or enthralling as I had hoped it would be, but it definitely feels better than your average run of the mill 3 star contemporary. I'm a little torn on this one. Blah. Will potentially write a real review tomorrow after I've distanced myself from this a bit.
This might be a 3.5. It wasn't as funny or enthralling as I had hoped it would be, but it definitely feels better than your average run of the mill 3 star contemporary. I'm a little torn on this one. Blah. Will potentially write a real review tomorrow after I've distanced myself from this a bit.
May 1, 2016
This book was something special, because it made me do something that's quite rare from a book - it made me laugh out loud. Multiple times.
If you know me, you know it's practically impossible for a book or movie to make me cry, and the same goes for laughter. The biggest reaction a comedy book will get from me is the occasional snicker. But The Haters was just freaking hilarious.
I thought it was even funnier than Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and that was pretty funny. If you go into this expecting deep philosophy you'll probably end up getting offended and putting the book down.
My advice is: Don't take it too seriously. Just laugh along with the jokes (unless you're like me, where you're reading in a totally inappropriate place in public and trying so hard not to crack up you have to stop reading…).
Imagine two teenage boys who are hopelessly nerdy, yet intelligent and interesting and lovable. These are the main characters, Wes and Corey. They became friends ever since they critiqued their first song when they were kids. Ever since then, they've called themselves "haters." Even the songs they love, they can't help hating on.
When they go to jazz camp they meet Ash, who understands them. After the three jam together, they disembark on a crazy road trip to try to broadcast their band.
The characters were so great and felt real - I thought they were accurate representations of teenagers. They reminded me of the ones in Paper Towns (aside from Margo), where they acted dumb and impulsive and were insecure and naïve. The author didn't skimp on realistic details, either, and these teens swore and drank and made wrong choices and talked crude.
Though there was plenty of light comedy, some serious topics were also focused on. Wes is adopted and his parents ignore him. Corey's parents are overbearing. Ash is from a rich and screwed-up family and constantly feels lonely.
I'd recommend this for older and mature readers. It was another great contemporary I can add to the ones I've read published in 2016, including Kill the Boy Band, Exit, Pursued by a Bear, and Up to This Pointe.
If you know me, you know it's practically impossible for a book or movie to make me cry, and the same goes for laughter. The biggest reaction a comedy book will get from me is the occasional snicker. But The Haters was just freaking hilarious.
I thought it was even funnier than Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and that was pretty funny. If you go into this expecting deep philosophy you'll probably end up getting offended and putting the book down.
My advice is: Don't take it too seriously. Just laugh along with the jokes (unless you're like me, where you're reading in a totally inappropriate place in public and trying so hard not to crack up you have to stop reading…).
Imagine two teenage boys who are hopelessly nerdy, yet intelligent and interesting and lovable. These are the main characters, Wes and Corey. They became friends ever since they critiqued their first song when they were kids. Ever since then, they've called themselves "haters." Even the songs they love, they can't help hating on.
When they go to jazz camp they meet Ash, who understands them. After the three jam together, they disembark on a crazy road trip to try to broadcast their band.
The characters were so great and felt real - I thought they were accurate representations of teenagers. They reminded me of the ones in Paper Towns (aside from Margo), where they acted dumb and impulsive and were insecure and naïve. The author didn't skimp on realistic details, either, and these teens swore and drank and made wrong choices and talked crude.
Though there was plenty of light comedy, some serious topics were also focused on. Wes is adopted and his parents ignore him. Corey's parents are overbearing. Ash is from a rich and screwed-up family and constantly feels lonely.
I'd recommend this for older and mature readers. It was another great contemporary I can add to the ones I've read published in 2016, including Kill the Boy Band, Exit, Pursued by a Bear, and Up to This Pointe.
May 9, 2016
I won The Haters from the Goodreads Giveaways program. Thank you to Goodreads!
http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2016/05...
Guys, I'm sorry. I've seen lots of love for this book, but it just was not for me. It's a shame because I was so THRILLED to have won it from Goodreads. I just could not get into it. I did not care for the characters at all. The writing style was not for me either. I also don't think the humor of the novel was the kind of humor that I enjoy. Even though I was not enjoying the novel I did want to give the book a longer shot, but there was one thing that majorly pissed me off. I know that Wes and Corey are haters and that is their thing and that's completely fine. What I was not fine with however was when Wes was talking about how he used to like Kool and the Gang until Corey came along and told him they were cheesy. Then Wes hated their music. Um, follower much? I'm sorry, but I CAN'T stand it when people like things and then stop because someone else doesn't like it. Well that made me be a hater towards Wes and I don't even care to find out if he eventually learns to just be himself or whatever.
#LAME
Overall despite a promising premise (and EXCELLENT cover) The Haters just was not for me. There was nothing good about it and so I DNF'd it. Perhaps this would be a good book for some out there, but I can't recommend it. I do recommend borrowing this one from the library if you are going to give it a shot though.
#NoThanks
http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2016/05...
Guys, I'm sorry. I've seen lots of love for this book, but it just was not for me. It's a shame because I was so THRILLED to have won it from Goodreads. I just could not get into it. I did not care for the characters at all. The writing style was not for me either. I also don't think the humor of the novel was the kind of humor that I enjoy. Even though I was not enjoying the novel I did want to give the book a longer shot, but there was one thing that majorly pissed me off. I know that Wes and Corey are haters and that is their thing and that's completely fine. What I was not fine with however was when Wes was talking about how he used to like Kool and the Gang until Corey came along and told him they were cheesy. Then Wes hated their music. Um, follower much? I'm sorry, but I CAN'T stand it when people like things and then stop because someone else doesn't like it. Well that made me be a hater towards Wes and I don't even care to find out if he eventually learns to just be himself or whatever.
#LAME
Overall despite a promising premise (and EXCELLENT cover) The Haters just was not for me. There was nothing good about it and so I DNF'd it. Perhaps this would be a good book for some out there, but I can't recommend it. I do recommend borrowing this one from the library if you are going to give it a shot though.
#NoThanks
November 8, 2017
I just...am sad.
I didn't like the humour in this book at all. In fact, I actively disliked it. Yes, it is a book with two teenage boys as central characters, but that doesn't mean that every joke needs to involves dicks and inserting dicks into dogs or meat grinders. The jokes pretty much killed the whole experience for me.
I didn't like the humour in this book at all. In fact, I actively disliked it. Yes, it is a book with two teenage boys as central characters, but that doesn't mean that every joke needs to involves dicks and inserting dicks into dogs or meat grinders. The jokes pretty much killed the whole experience for me.
June 6, 2016
1.5
TW: Non-consensual drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and sexual assault (all of which are laughed off, joked about, and handled really poorly in general)
I wanted to love this book, I really really did. Unfortunately I realized about 200 pages in that I was definitely hate reading by then. I remember absolutely loving Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and feeling like its sarcasm and cynicism felt so honest and accurate to how teenagers feel and talk. But in this book it all just felt way too forced. I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at all three of the main characters. They were all being incredibly stupid and making horrible decisions throughout the majority of the book but it wasn't even the kind of bad decisions that you can understand their motivations and justify them for the characters. No, these were just teenagers making stupid, reckless choices.
All three of the main characters felt flat and I got pretty bored of them after a few chapters. There's only so much surly, cynical teen angst one person can handle. And I'm honestly just so tired of reading about teenagers who think they're better than everyone else because... What? You have better music taste? You don't "conform" to what the adults want you to do? Spoiler alert kiddos: maybe the adults are telling you to do things for a reason. Maybe instead of just rejecting what they say for no good reason you should try to understand why they're doing things like saying it's not cool to just run off in the middle of a camp where the camp is responsible for your safety and wellbeing.
The entire time I was reading this I was kinda just low key annoyed and not just with the characters. The whole story was rampant with weird coincidences and situations that were seriously pushing my suspension of disbelief.
And Ash... Oh my... I really wish I had something good to say here beyond the fact that she might be asexual representation? Maybe? She states near the beginning of the book that she's not interested in boys or girls but then later on its not clear if she actually meant she's asexual or if she was just being kind of dramatic and too-cool (which is something that I really hate to question but she seemed to be dramatic and too-cool for things a lot...). But other than that she pretty much just seemed like a cut and paste manic pixie dream girl. She's this mysterious beautiful girl who pulls our male protagonist out of his mundane life. So conveniently is talented in the exact area he needs her to be, so conveniently is able to provide the funds and means to take him on the trip of a lifetime, and her only flaws seem to be that she has trouble expressing her emotions/communicating. I really wanted her to be this cool offbeat rocker girl but ugh she just felt way too Alaska Young (or MGS before her whole "I'm a person not a concept for you to worship" speech). Also I s2g some variation of "she's not like the other girls, she's basically just one of the guys, she's not a 'girly girl'" was brought up like 5 times. If you should know only one thing about me, it's that I absolutely despise that in books. Like female characters not being traditionally feminine is fine, that's great! But what's not fine is saying that makes her any less of a girl or putting down other girls for being traditionally feminine.
I'm just so disappointed in this book as a whole. I really wanted to love it. I mean I've been really road trip and/or music based books lately but this one just felt painfully forced with tropes, scenes, and characters cut and pasted from every other cliche forced quirky YA book.
TW: Non-consensual drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and sexual assault (all of which are laughed off, joked about, and handled really poorly in general)
I wanted to love this book, I really really did. Unfortunately I realized about 200 pages in that I was definitely hate reading by then. I remember absolutely loving Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and feeling like its sarcasm and cynicism felt so honest and accurate to how teenagers feel and talk. But in this book it all just felt way too forced. I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at all three of the main characters. They were all being incredibly stupid and making horrible decisions throughout the majority of the book but it wasn't even the kind of bad decisions that you can understand their motivations and justify them for the characters. No, these were just teenagers making stupid, reckless choices.
All three of the main characters felt flat and I got pretty bored of them after a few chapters. There's only so much surly, cynical teen angst one person can handle. And I'm honestly just so tired of reading about teenagers who think they're better than everyone else because... What? You have better music taste? You don't "conform" to what the adults want you to do? Spoiler alert kiddos: maybe the adults are telling you to do things for a reason. Maybe instead of just rejecting what they say for no good reason you should try to understand why they're doing things like saying it's not cool to just run off in the middle of a camp where the camp is responsible for your safety and wellbeing.
The entire time I was reading this I was kinda just low key annoyed and not just with the characters. The whole story was rampant with weird coincidences and situations that were seriously pushing my suspension of disbelief.
And Ash... Oh my... I really wish I had something good to say here beyond the fact that she might be asexual representation? Maybe? She states near the beginning of the book that she's not interested in boys or girls but then later on its not clear if she actually meant she's asexual or if she was just being kind of dramatic and too-cool (which is something that I really hate to question but she seemed to be dramatic and too-cool for things a lot...). But other than that she pretty much just seemed like a cut and paste manic pixie dream girl. She's this mysterious beautiful girl who pulls our male protagonist out of his mundane life. So conveniently is talented in the exact area he needs her to be, so conveniently is able to provide the funds and means to take him on the trip of a lifetime, and her only flaws seem to be that she has trouble expressing her emotions/communicating. I really wanted her to be this cool offbeat rocker girl but ugh she just felt way too Alaska Young (or MGS before her whole "I'm a person not a concept for you to worship" speech). Also I s2g some variation of "she's not like the other girls, she's basically just one of the guys, she's not a 'girly girl'" was brought up like 5 times. If you should know only one thing about me, it's that I absolutely despise that in books. Like female characters not being traditionally feminine is fine, that's great! But what's not fine is saying that makes her any less of a girl or putting down other girls for being traditionally feminine.
I'm just so disappointed in this book as a whole. I really wanted to love it. I mean I've been really road trip and/or music based books lately but this one just felt painfully forced with tropes, scenes, and characters cut and pasted from every other cliche forced quirky YA book.
May 27, 2017
Yağmur nihayet yağmaya başlıyordu ve havadaki değişimi hissedebiliyordunuz.
Aslında Ash biraz gülümsüyordu. Ben de gülümsediğimi fark ettim.
"Parçalama Festivali," dedi ve ne anlama geldiğini ancak eve dönüş uçuşunda hatırlayabildim.
4/5🌟🌟🌟🌟
Yazarın ünlü Ben, Earl ve Ölen Kız kitabını okurlardan bilmeyen yoktur sanırım çünkü çıktığı zaman o kadar çok kişi beğenmedi ki beğenenleri mumla aradık. Ben de filmine bayılıp hatta azıcık sonunda ağlayıp kitabını ortalama bulmuştum. O halde yazarın ilk basılan kitabını okuduysanız kendisinin kesinlikle olağanın dışında garip bir yazım tarzı olduğunu biliyorsunuzdur. Kitapları konu ve kapakları sayesinde her yaşa hitap ediyor gibi görünüyor ama aslında öyle değil çünkü bel altı o kadar çok espri kullanıyor ki artık bir yerden sonra abartısı sağolsun iğrenti bile hissedebilirsiniz. Bu kitabın da teşekkürler ki diğer kitabında olduğu kadar ağır espriler kullanmamış. Bu kitabı daha gençlik havasında ve ilk kitabına göre daha çok beğendim. Wes ile Corey'in kitabın ismini taşıyan "gıcık" olayının arka planını beğenmekle başladım okumaya. Ardından hikayeye Ash karakteri de katılıyor ve bu kızımız öyle zengin ki bir zamandan sonra göze batınca bu paranın suyunun nereden geldiğini itiraf ediyor. Yazar yine hiçbir şeyi yazmaktan çekinmemiş. Ağzına ne geliyorsa kitabına da sığdırmış. İlk olarak Corey ile Ash arasında bir şeyler geçmesi, sonrasında Ash ile Wes arasında bir şeyler geçmesi de derken kitapta her an her şey olabilir. Bu kitabında yazar yine absürt komedi yeteneğini kullanarak duygusal sahnelere değinmiş ama bu kitabında o satırlardaki duygu yoğunluğunu kesinlikle daha çok beğendim. Bazı yerlerinde hafif sıkıcı bir havası var ama ana karakter hemen olayları dizmeye çalışıyor. Sonlarına doğru daha da çok beğendim. Herkese hitap eden bir kitap değil. İçeriği, yazarın bel altı espri anlayışı ve bel altı olayları bu kadar sıradanmış gibi yazması kalemini sıyırıyor. Ben eğlenerek okudum ve özellikle sonlarını çok beğendim. Yorumumda değindiğim kısımları dikkate alarak okumaya karar verirsiniz umarım. Keyifli okumalar..
Aslında Ash biraz gülümsüyordu. Ben de gülümsediğimi fark ettim.
"Parçalama Festivali," dedi ve ne anlama geldiğini ancak eve dönüş uçuşunda hatırlayabildim.
4/5🌟🌟🌟🌟
Yazarın ünlü Ben, Earl ve Ölen Kız kitabını okurlardan bilmeyen yoktur sanırım çünkü çıktığı zaman o kadar çok kişi beğenmedi ki beğenenleri mumla aradık. Ben de filmine bayılıp hatta azıcık sonunda ağlayıp kitabını ortalama bulmuştum. O halde yazarın ilk basılan kitabını okuduysanız kendisinin kesinlikle olağanın dışında garip bir yazım tarzı olduğunu biliyorsunuzdur. Kitapları konu ve kapakları sayesinde her yaşa hitap ediyor gibi görünüyor ama aslında öyle değil çünkü bel altı o kadar çok espri kullanıyor ki artık bir yerden sonra abartısı sağolsun iğrenti bile hissedebilirsiniz. Bu kitabın da teşekkürler ki diğer kitabında olduğu kadar ağır espriler kullanmamış. Bu kitabı daha gençlik havasında ve ilk kitabına göre daha çok beğendim. Wes ile Corey'in kitabın ismini taşıyan "gıcık" olayının arka planını beğenmekle başladım okumaya. Ardından hikayeye Ash karakteri de katılıyor ve bu kızımız öyle zengin ki bir zamandan sonra göze batınca bu paranın suyunun nereden geldiğini itiraf ediyor. Yazar yine hiçbir şeyi yazmaktan çekinmemiş. Ağzına ne geliyorsa kitabına da sığdırmış. İlk olarak Corey ile Ash arasında bir şeyler geçmesi, sonrasında Ash ile Wes arasında bir şeyler geçmesi de derken kitapta her an her şey olabilir. Bu kitabında yazar yine absürt komedi yeteneğini kullanarak duygusal sahnelere değinmiş ama bu kitabında o satırlardaki duygu yoğunluğunu kesinlikle daha çok beğendim. Bazı yerlerinde hafif sıkıcı bir havası var ama ana karakter hemen olayları dizmeye çalışıyor. Sonlarına doğru daha da çok beğendim. Herkese hitap eden bir kitap değil. İçeriği, yazarın bel altı espri anlayışı ve bel altı olayları bu kadar sıradanmış gibi yazması kalemini sıyırıyor. Ben eğlenerek okudum ve özellikle sonlarını çok beğendim. Yorumumda değindiğim kısımları dikkate alarak okumaya karar verirsiniz umarım. Keyifli okumalar..
March 12, 2020
I love the way that Andrews writes a book like he has no clue how to write a book.
May 22, 2016
The common refrain around New Years Eve is that wherever you go, whatever you do, it never lives up to the hype. You always end up at the shitty party with the weird people while everyone else is out having an absolutely fabulous time. I feel it’s safe to say that teen movies and novels fall into this as well. No matter your experiences in high school it will always, always fall short to what you see or read. What is wrong with me? I never met some crazy sexy whimsical girl, impulsively went on a road trip/adventure, and always had smart and funny things to say.
The Haters, Jesse Andrews’s (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) new novel proudly continues this genre where every moment is monumental, every party is unhinged, and, like Texas, everything is just so much bigger.
But I have to tip my hat to Andrews, despite this, he has written one heck of a fun book.
Wes and Corey are two teen musicians at Jazz camp. Their deal is that they hate on stuff they actually like (like 70’s band Kool and the Gang) —mock it so that they stay emotionally removed. Both kids are somewhat nerdy and hating provides a safety net that protects their feelings from getting hurt. Enter into the picture, Ash, an exotic, offbeat, yet foxy young lady who plays guitar, sings and even writes her own songs. Like pubescent catnip, Ash has these boys tangled and ensnared as if they were wrapped in the tentacles of an octopus made entirely of boiling hormones. Jazz Camp, seeming kind of lame, the three bust out, form their own rock band and hit the road trying to make music, trying to make romance, and trying to experience life.
Now, that is all fine and good, but the main reason to read this is that it is funny. It is laugh out loud, get strange looks and have people slide slowly away from you as you snort, harrumph, and chortle on the T funny. Seriously, if you attempt to read it while attending your uncle’s funeral, watching Schindler’s List, or while the judge is sentencing you for that traffic violation, you will be screwed. Andrews writes a great line, he sets up his jokes like a seasoned comedian working the 10PM shift at the Comedy Store, and he never goes for the cheap laugh. The humor builds organically from the characters and their wit and observations. Andrews never mocks his cast, there is a warmth and understanding to the way he writes about them and their actions.
Having no dying girl in this book, The Haters might seem at first glance a little more disposable then his previous bestseller, but there are still many poignant moments to get that pumpy organ in your chest thumping a little more quickly.
The Haters is like the early John Hughes movies. It’s a special book with heart and lots of laughs.
The Haters, Jesse Andrews’s (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) new novel proudly continues this genre where every moment is monumental, every party is unhinged, and, like Texas, everything is just so much bigger.
But I have to tip my hat to Andrews, despite this, he has written one heck of a fun book.
Wes and Corey are two teen musicians at Jazz camp. Their deal is that they hate on stuff they actually like (like 70’s band Kool and the Gang) —mock it so that they stay emotionally removed. Both kids are somewhat nerdy and hating provides a safety net that protects their feelings from getting hurt. Enter into the picture, Ash, an exotic, offbeat, yet foxy young lady who plays guitar, sings and even writes her own songs. Like pubescent catnip, Ash has these boys tangled and ensnared as if they were wrapped in the tentacles of an octopus made entirely of boiling hormones. Jazz Camp, seeming kind of lame, the three bust out, form their own rock band and hit the road trying to make music, trying to make romance, and trying to experience life.
Now, that is all fine and good, but the main reason to read this is that it is funny. It is laugh out loud, get strange looks and have people slide slowly away from you as you snort, harrumph, and chortle on the T funny. Seriously, if you attempt to read it while attending your uncle’s funeral, watching Schindler’s List, or while the judge is sentencing you for that traffic violation, you will be screwed. Andrews writes a great line, he sets up his jokes like a seasoned comedian working the 10PM shift at the Comedy Store, and he never goes for the cheap laugh. The humor builds organically from the characters and their wit and observations. Andrews never mocks his cast, there is a warmth and understanding to the way he writes about them and their actions.
Having no dying girl in this book, The Haters might seem at first glance a little more disposable then his previous bestseller, but there are still many poignant moments to get that pumpy organ in your chest thumping a little more quickly.
The Haters is like the early John Hughes movies. It’s a special book with heart and lots of laughs.
October 20, 2016
This book started off pretty good. The writing style really goes with the atmosphere of this book. I kept getting Whiplash vibes from this book, not from the perspective of there is this crazy teacher about to wreck your life but just it was all about the music. That was pretty cool. But then the writing style started to get annoying and I started not liking it at the last 20-10 chapters of this book (if you could even call them chapters...). I did like how it dealt with sex/drugs/and alcohol. It did not do it in a preachy sort of way. Substances were there and the characters kind of just dealt with them because all of them are teenagers who are just trying to figure themselves out. Overall a 2.5/5 star book for me.
November 16, 2016
The characters were pretentious, the humor was repetitive, for some unknown reason 90% of the dialogue was written in play format (???), and honestly, what kind of person runs away from home with no money, no phone, no food, no anything? And runs away knowing what kind of trauma they're putting their parents through? And just trusts the person that's like "hey come with me let's run away and make sure to leave your phone behind"??? And then later continues to trust absolute strangers that could easily kill them? Yeah... not for me.
January 31, 2016
DNF at about 60%. I'm surprised I made it this far with all the dick jokes and strange dialogue. The synopsis of the story sounded promising, but I didn't see any of that in the story. The characters were hard to connect with and I wasn't sure where the whole thing was going. I might go back later to see what happens, but I'm not sure yet.
Thanks to NetGalley, ABRAM Kids, and Amulet Books for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley, ABRAM Kids, and Amulet Books for the ARC.
July 7, 2016
Wes and Corey, best friends, decide to attend jazz camp. The camp for geeks. Not for the great jazz musicians of tomorrow. At least, not those in the Gene Krupa band. But of course, that's where the duo meets Ash Ramos.
Ash, who plays guitar loud and with flair and with no sense of rhythm at all. Ash, who when with the Gene Krupa band, sounds terrible. Ash, who when with Wes and Corey, sounds amazing. So together, Wes, Corey, and Ash leave jazz camp. They will embark on a tour.
So they hop in Ash's car, leave their phones behind, and begin their tour, identifying themselves as a band with many, many names. They stop in random towns, trying to get just one gig to kick off their "tour".
Along the way, they meet many different people, have many fights, have many gigs, and desperately try to avoid the cops.
Because in the end, who knows, maybe they'll finally play a song that doesn't suck.
Honestly, much like in Me, and Earl, and the Dying Girl, the humor was what saved this book.
The characters were all irritable. Wes is this self-conscious, adopted kid who thinks way too low of himself. You're really not that bad, Wes. I mean, Ash kinda likes you. And that other Hispanic girl who I can't even remember her name. Did it start with a B? I don't even know. She was that insignificant.
And Corey. He really is just such an epic loser that I'm not even sure I can relate to him at all. He really has nothing going for him. I think he thinks he's pretty cool, but he's really not.
He's really not.
Ash was ok. You know, she was the angsty teen with the depressing back story who brought a group of friends closer together. Because all books have one of them. But she was also kind of whiny and careless and was really just a jerk sometimes. She kind of ditches her friends (for a guy named Cookie, after everything) and then decides she likes them after all. But only after Cookie is a weirdo with her. She gets the heck out of there and back to her wimpy friends who really like her but never seem to be good enough for her. Ok, I take it back. I don't like her at all.
But the book was funny . After being consumed by the angst and drama that is today's young adult fiction, it was nice for a comic relief.
The plot was just not very interesting, and it seemed to drag on and on. I also don't like jazz and all that jazz (hehe), so that definitely played into it too. But I don't really like murder, and Mara Dyer was interesting to me.
So.
I don't know.
The book was funny.
Ash, who plays guitar loud and with flair and with no sense of rhythm at all. Ash, who when with the Gene Krupa band, sounds terrible. Ash, who when with Wes and Corey, sounds amazing. So together, Wes, Corey, and Ash leave jazz camp. They will embark on a tour.
So they hop in Ash's car, leave their phones behind, and begin their tour, identifying themselves as a band with many, many names. They stop in random towns, trying to get just one gig to kick off their "tour".
Along the way, they meet many different people, have many fights, have many gigs, and desperately try to avoid the cops.
Because in the end, who knows, maybe they'll finally play a song that doesn't suck.
Honestly, much like in Me, and Earl, and the Dying Girl, the humor was what saved this book.
The characters were all irritable. Wes is this self-conscious, adopted kid who thinks way too low of himself. You're really not that bad, Wes. I mean, Ash kinda likes you. And that other Hispanic girl who I can't even remember her name. Did it start with a B? I don't even know. She was that insignificant.
And Corey. He really is just such an epic loser that I'm not even sure I can relate to him at all. He really has nothing going for him. I think he thinks he's pretty cool, but he's really not.
He's really not.
Ash was ok. You know, she was the angsty teen with the depressing back story who brought a group of friends closer together. Because all books have one of them. But she was also kind of whiny and careless and was really just a jerk sometimes. She kind of ditches her friends (for a guy named Cookie, after everything) and then decides she likes them after all. But only after Cookie is a weirdo with her. She gets the heck out of there and back to her wimpy friends who really like her but never seem to be good enough for her. Ok, I take it back. I don't like her at all.
But the book was funny . After being consumed by the angst and drama that is today's young adult fiction, it was nice for a comic relief.
The plot was just not very interesting, and it seemed to drag on and on. I also don't like jazz and all that jazz (hehe), so that definitely played into it too. But I don't really like murder, and Mara Dyer was interesting to me.
So.
I don't know.
The book was funny.
July 20, 2017
Do you think a book can make you a Hater? Well, I think that is what happened after reading The Haters by Jesse Andrews. The book follows Wes and Corey on their journey through band camp and then escaping band camp with their new friend Ash. As they start their own band, they have to find gigs and other ways to get their music out there before the end of band camp.
With the varying types of dialog and the very awkward scenes about male genitalia. The book did not have a good resonance with me.
For more of my review on The Haters go to www.boundtowriting.com
With the varying types of dialog and the very awkward scenes about male genitalia. The book did not have a good resonance with me.
For more of my review on The Haters go to www.boundtowriting.com
July 18, 2020
So basically alot like everyone else i too had extremely high expectations because Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was dope, hilarious and awesome.
Well i like how he shows a teen's thoughts he obviously knows it right.
But there's just so many dick jokes one can take and i just didn't find this book that interesting, only finished it cause i thought it would get better
Well i like how he shows a teen's thoughts he obviously knows it right.
But there's just so many dick jokes one can take and i just didn't find this book that interesting, only finished it cause i thought it would get better
October 31, 2020
DNF at 58%
I’m bored and I don’t care. There’s nothing “wrong” with this book. The writing is fine but I just don’t care about the characters and what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. I’m surprised by my feelings to be honest because I normally like road trip stories and typically enjoy plots centred around music. But this one didn’t hold my interest.
I’m bored and I don’t care. There’s nothing “wrong” with this book. The writing is fine but I just don’t care about the characters and what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. I’m surprised by my feelings to be honest because I normally like road trip stories and typically enjoy plots centred around music. But this one didn’t hold my interest.
May 14, 2020
(2.5) full review posted on my blog:https://curlyhairbibliophile.wordpres...
August 2, 2017
Couldnt finish it- Too boring!
September 1, 2018
DNF At 76%
I loved Me, Earl and the dying girl but i wasn’t a fan of this one. I tried pushing myself to finish it but i just can’t do it.
I loved Me, Earl and the dying girl but i wasn’t a fan of this one. I tried pushing myself to finish it but i just can’t do it.
April 4, 2016
4.5 Stars. Definitely didn't like it as much as Me and Earl... But it's still written in that same humor and word vomit that I loved from MAEATDG, so yes!!!!
Wes and Corey are high school kids from Pittsburgh going to jazz camp in New Jersey for 2 weeks. Upon arrival, it's not turning out to be all that great. It's 99.9% boys (really really annoying boys), and after a try-out, they get put in the least talented jazz group.
During a brutal rehearsal, a scene erupts, leaving the pair sticking up for Ash- one of the only girls in the camp. The three feel like outcasts, and after an inspired jam-session, they decide to ditch the camp and go on their own adventure.... a road trip and an impromptu tour!!
My Thoughts:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was one of the funniest books I've read. It was one of those books that captivated me from the first page and had me laughing out loud in public places. To say that I was excited to read another book by Mr. Andrews is a severe understatement. I was DYING to read something else from him!!
First things: The cover!! I love it! It's so simple and eye-catching and cute. I also think the color is good for standing out. I also love a road trip book. This one follows 3 teenagers who form a spontaneous band and go on an unscheduled tour. Basically just driving to random cities and begging people to let them play... even if it's in backyards. There's something so fun about the idea of not having any responsibilities or technology (they turned off their phones). Just driving with friends and making memories without even being aware how awesome these memories are. Just living in the moment.
What I loved: I loved that even though the characters in this book were different from the characters in Me and Earl, the humor was similar. Now, I don't want you thinking that I was LOLing all over the place like I was with Earl. No, this book had it's moments, but I didn't think the humor was as off-the-wall as his first book was. Either that, or I've started to grow immune to immature teenage boy humor.... but I highly doubt that.
The three main characters are very hard to get to know. At first it seems like they all mesh and that they're all just your run-of-the-mill teenagers, but quite soon it's clear that they've got all kind of twisty issues within them. Wes is our main character, and his story-telling abilities are a bit out-there. There's major over-sharing and word vomit going on. But I found that's what is fun about Jesse Andrew's books. His characters over-share. They like to talk about their dicks (this character likes to talk about harming his dick). They like to have freak outs over things that wouldn't bother normal people.
What I didn't love: The humor was not as strong as I had hoped for. The LOL moments were minimal compared to my other experience with this author (although maybe it isn't all that fair to be comparing SO hard). Beyond that, there were some parts that got overly gross for me. And yeah, we get you like to joke about your nether regions, but after a while it's like no more please. Also, it was frustrating to read about people who didn't know what the heck was going on. Were they really a band? Were they any good? Did they suck? Were they friends? More than friends? What was the plan? Was the plan to have no plan? None of them knew. Which is FINE if that's the point... but I don't think it was. I think they wanted to know what they were doing, but could literally just not get it together enough to actually plan. At least that's the what Wes had going on, and he's our narrator, so.....
What I've learned after 2 of Jesse Andrews' books: This author is not going to write characters that you can put in a box with a bow around it. They aren't going to have massive "coming of age" moments and make HUGE realizations about life. They are prickly on the outside and you aren't going to pull back the layers and find that they have this glorious shining heart of gold underneath. That's just NOT what he does. His characters aren't here to teach you lessons, act the way you expect them to, or change. They are who they are, and I kind of love that about them.
OVERALL: I enjoyed this road trip book!! I liked the strong voice, the adventure, and the awkward teenage feel. Not as strong as the author's debut novel, but still worth reading if you liked that book.
My Blog:
Wes and Corey are high school kids from Pittsburgh going to jazz camp in New Jersey for 2 weeks. Upon arrival, it's not turning out to be all that great. It's 99.9% boys (really really annoying boys), and after a try-out, they get put in the least talented jazz group.
During a brutal rehearsal, a scene erupts, leaving the pair sticking up for Ash- one of the only girls in the camp. The three feel like outcasts, and after an inspired jam-session, they decide to ditch the camp and go on their own adventure.... a road trip and an impromptu tour!!
My Thoughts:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was one of the funniest books I've read. It was one of those books that captivated me from the first page and had me laughing out loud in public places. To say that I was excited to read another book by Mr. Andrews is a severe understatement. I was DYING to read something else from him!!
First things: The cover!! I love it! It's so simple and eye-catching and cute. I also think the color is good for standing out. I also love a road trip book. This one follows 3 teenagers who form a spontaneous band and go on an unscheduled tour. Basically just driving to random cities and begging people to let them play... even if it's in backyards. There's something so fun about the idea of not having any responsibilities or technology (they turned off their phones). Just driving with friends and making memories without even being aware how awesome these memories are. Just living in the moment.
What I loved: I loved that even though the characters in this book were different from the characters in Me and Earl, the humor was similar. Now, I don't want you thinking that I was LOLing all over the place like I was with Earl. No, this book had it's moments, but I didn't think the humor was as off-the-wall as his first book was. Either that, or I've started to grow immune to immature teenage boy humor.... but I highly doubt that.
The three main characters are very hard to get to know. At first it seems like they all mesh and that they're all just your run-of-the-mill teenagers, but quite soon it's clear that they've got all kind of twisty issues within them. Wes is our main character, and his story-telling abilities are a bit out-there. There's major over-sharing and word vomit going on. But I found that's what is fun about Jesse Andrew's books. His characters over-share. They like to talk about their dicks (this character likes to talk about harming his dick). They like to have freak outs over things that wouldn't bother normal people.
What I didn't love: The humor was not as strong as I had hoped for. The LOL moments were minimal compared to my other experience with this author (although maybe it isn't all that fair to be comparing SO hard). Beyond that, there were some parts that got overly gross for me. And yeah, we get you like to joke about your nether regions, but after a while it's like no more please. Also, it was frustrating to read about people who didn't know what the heck was going on. Were they really a band? Were they any good? Did they suck? Were they friends? More than friends? What was the plan? Was the plan to have no plan? None of them knew. Which is FINE if that's the point... but I don't think it was. I think they wanted to know what they were doing, but could literally just not get it together enough to actually plan. At least that's the what Wes had going on, and he's our narrator, so.....
What I've learned after 2 of Jesse Andrews' books: This author is not going to write characters that you can put in a box with a bow around it. They aren't going to have massive "coming of age" moments and make HUGE realizations about life. They are prickly on the outside and you aren't going to pull back the layers and find that they have this glorious shining heart of gold underneath. That's just NOT what he does. His characters aren't here to teach you lessons, act the way you expect them to, or change. They are who they are, and I kind of love that about them.
OVERALL: I enjoyed this road trip book!! I liked the strong voice, the adventure, and the awkward teenage feel. Not as strong as the author's debut novel, but still worth reading if you liked that book.
My Blog:
January 20, 2024
Çeviriden olduğunu sanmıyorum. Bence o zamanların “relatable” olma çabasıyla yazılmış. Olmamış da. Karakterler oturmamış ama belki genç olmak böyle bir şeydir. Türkiye’de yaşamanın gerçeği bana bi grup gencin ordan oraya kafalarına göre hareket etmesini inanılmaz sinir bozucu buldurdu. Biriniz de akıllı hareket etsin dedim sürekli. Yazım ayrıca kötüydü de belki de dediğim gibi ülkenin gerçekleri eğlenen, aptal davranabilen gençlere önyargılı bakmamı sağlıyor. Yine de hızlıca aktı, sıkmadı.
December 21, 2017
Not entirely satisfied with the ending and off put by some of the 'dick' jokes and descriptions, I did enjoy this book by the author of Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. There were some original text devices and the characters were sympathetic. A good YA book.
February 29, 2016
Three stars: A road trip book packed with juvenile humor that made me laugh.
Wes and Corey are surrounded by dudes at jazz camp. They actually have no idea why they are there as they are mediocre musicians at best. It isn't a surprise when they land in the worst band at jazz camp. The one redemptive factor in the bad band is there is actually a chick. A girl who plays the guitar. Wes and Corey are both immediately attracted to this strange girl, and they even stick up for her, to the point that they kick themselves out of the band. When Ash proposes they hit the road and ditch jazz camp, Corey and Wes don't hesitate. What follows is a hilarious road trip filled with mad cap adventures, bad music and life lessons. Will the trio get a good gig?
What I Liked:
*I was a big fan of Andrews debut novel, Me Earl and the Dying Girl, so I knew I had to read Haters his sophomore novel. I enjoyed the juvenile humor and the eclectic writing style, and even though this one doesn't quite measure up to his first novel, it still made me laugh out loud.
*The humor is what makes this novel shine. Mr. Andrews has his own unique writing style. He incorporates several forms of writing which make this book a mash up. For instance, you get hilarious, fake Wikipedia entries, movie script like dialogue, funny band name definitions, ridiculous song lyrics and so on. I love the mad cap writing style, and the zany humor. This book made me giggle and snicker. Be warned, if you aren't a fan of male juvenile humor, especially dick harm jokes, you won't like this one as it is packed full of boy jokes. I tend to have a deviant sense of humor, so I enjoyed it.
*The other reason this book was fun was because it is a road trip book. This is a spur of the moment, fly by the seat of your pants road trip. It is a mad cap adventure with several zany encounters. I especially liked watching the gang try to book gigs. The end up playing at some interesting venues, like a Chinese restaurant.
*Even thought the book has a light hearted, juvenile tone to it, there are several moments that are rather heart felt. I liked exploring Wes and Corey's friendship, learning about Wes' dog, and watching them all struggle with growing up.
*The ending is a bit sudden and rather open ended, but it is also realistic.
And The Not So Much:
*Wes and Corey are music connoisseurs, and in fact, their friendship was built on their shared love of music. It was kind of a let down that while on their epic road trip that they didn't take their music more seriously. I could never tell whether there were moments when they were actually good or not. Was their music completely terrible?
*Ash is a bit frustrating. I really wanted to like her, but there is something off putting about her. I get she is angry at her parents and rebelling against her upbringing, but I wanted to peel back her layers and find the vulnerable girl underneath. I kept hoping there would be a moment where she showed some true heart, but I never got to the point where I connected with her.
*The middle of the book started to lag a bit. I didn't like the unnecessary conflict amongst the group. I also thought that situations started to get a little far fetched.
*I was expecting this to end with an impactful life lesson or a take away message, but that doesn't happen either. Don't go into this one looking for a life changing read.
*Be warned this book is packed full of male humor, i.e. dick jokes, it also has sex, drinking, drug use etc. Definitely a book for more mature teens.
Haters is not a book for everyone. It will appeal to a select audiences, mainly those with a deviant sense of humor. It made me laugh. I always appreciate Mr. Andrews entertaining and eclectic writing style. However, this was a book that fell short for me. It didn't quite measure up to Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. Still if you want a light hearted book that will make you giggle, give it a try.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for or this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Wes and Corey are surrounded by dudes at jazz camp. They actually have no idea why they are there as they are mediocre musicians at best. It isn't a surprise when they land in the worst band at jazz camp. The one redemptive factor in the bad band is there is actually a chick. A girl who plays the guitar. Wes and Corey are both immediately attracted to this strange girl, and they even stick up for her, to the point that they kick themselves out of the band. When Ash proposes they hit the road and ditch jazz camp, Corey and Wes don't hesitate. What follows is a hilarious road trip filled with mad cap adventures, bad music and life lessons. Will the trio get a good gig?
What I Liked:
*I was a big fan of Andrews debut novel, Me Earl and the Dying Girl, so I knew I had to read Haters his sophomore novel. I enjoyed the juvenile humor and the eclectic writing style, and even though this one doesn't quite measure up to his first novel, it still made me laugh out loud.
*The humor is what makes this novel shine. Mr. Andrews has his own unique writing style. He incorporates several forms of writing which make this book a mash up. For instance, you get hilarious, fake Wikipedia entries, movie script like dialogue, funny band name definitions, ridiculous song lyrics and so on. I love the mad cap writing style, and the zany humor. This book made me giggle and snicker. Be warned, if you aren't a fan of male juvenile humor, especially dick harm jokes, you won't like this one as it is packed full of boy jokes. I tend to have a deviant sense of humor, so I enjoyed it.
*The other reason this book was fun was because it is a road trip book. This is a spur of the moment, fly by the seat of your pants road trip. It is a mad cap adventure with several zany encounters. I especially liked watching the gang try to book gigs. The end up playing at some interesting venues, like a Chinese restaurant.
*Even thought the book has a light hearted, juvenile tone to it, there are several moments that are rather heart felt. I liked exploring Wes and Corey's friendship, learning about Wes' dog, and watching them all struggle with growing up.
*The ending is a bit sudden and rather open ended, but it is also realistic.
And The Not So Much:
*Wes and Corey are music connoisseurs, and in fact, their friendship was built on their shared love of music. It was kind of a let down that while on their epic road trip that they didn't take their music more seriously. I could never tell whether there were moments when they were actually good or not. Was their music completely terrible?
*Ash is a bit frustrating. I really wanted to like her, but there is something off putting about her. I get she is angry at her parents and rebelling against her upbringing, but I wanted to peel back her layers and find the vulnerable girl underneath. I kept hoping there would be a moment where she showed some true heart, but I never got to the point where I connected with her.
*The middle of the book started to lag a bit. I didn't like the unnecessary conflict amongst the group. I also thought that situations started to get a little far fetched.
*I was expecting this to end with an impactful life lesson or a take away message, but that doesn't happen either. Don't go into this one looking for a life changing read.
*Be warned this book is packed full of male humor, i.e. dick jokes, it also has sex, drinking, drug use etc. Definitely a book for more mature teens.
Haters is not a book for everyone. It will appeal to a select audiences, mainly those with a deviant sense of humor. It made me laugh. I always appreciate Mr. Andrews entertaining and eclectic writing style. However, this was a book that fell short for me. It didn't quite measure up to Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. Still if you want a light hearted book that will make you giggle, give it a try.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for or this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
March 8, 2017
I'm a huge fan of Jesse Andrews's writing. I really connected with Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - the book and the movie - but I just didn't connect with the characters in this book or their story..
Wes and his best friend, Corey, are spending their summer at jazz camp, and don't seem particularly thrilled about it especially when it seems like there will be just guys at this camp. Enter Ash, the charming and free-spirited guitar player. After meeting Ash, the three of them end up bonding while jamming out together for 3 straight hours.
I have to say that the music aspect to this story is very entertaining. I loved the detailed descriptions of the three of them playing. I enjoyed all of the musical references also. It was a lot of fun to read.
After meeting Ash and jamming out together, and having the most fun any of them have had in a long time.. Ash tells them that they should hit the road, instead of staying at jazz camp, because that's how they will become a real band. This is when the story started to lose me. First off, I didn't enjoy Ash as a character and she felt like a manipulator to these boys, and I do say boys because they are only 16 when she is 19, and she was a bit selfish. So why would they choose to go along with Ash when they hardly know her? I guess I'm not a teenage boy though so maybe I would've understood this more if I was..
The road trip begins and we learn more about these characters, which I appreciated. The only character I truly felt anything for was Wes. I think Andrews has a great way of capturing the teenage voice in his characters and I felt like Wes was a unique version of a teenager right now. As for Ash and Corey, I just couldn't connect with them even after learning more about their past and who they truly were. About half-way through the story I was still only able to connect with Wes while Ash and Corey became more annoying for me.
As the story continues they run into multiple problems, which all include crappy places to play and weird run-ins with people. Some of the situations were pretty funny. One of the reasons why I love Jesse Andrews's writing so much is for the humor. I know a lot of people didn't enjoy the humor in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, but I loved it. It's very much the same in this book, and this is one of the things I did enjoy about the book. There were way too many dick jokes though and a few parts that were a bit disgusting (seriously TMI), but overall most parts were funny.
The last part of the book was exciting and I enjoyed seeing how these three lonely souls seemed to have found a sense of home together.. Then everything blows up in their faces and they are left to deal with the consequences of all of their choices. I thought the book wrapped up nicely.
Overall, this book wasn't for me. There were a few things I enjoyed but not enough to say that I liked it. I think Jesse Andrews is a fantastic writer though, and even though I didn't connect with this book as much as I hoped I would, I still enjoyed his writing. I think this book will be great for other people but it just wasn't for me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys music, sarcastic/dry humor, or just coming-of-age stories because even though I didn't enjoy this story that doesn't mean you wouldn't!
Wes and his best friend, Corey, are spending their summer at jazz camp, and don't seem particularly thrilled about it especially when it seems like there will be just guys at this camp. Enter Ash, the charming and free-spirited guitar player. After meeting Ash, the three of them end up bonding while jamming out together for 3 straight hours.
I have to say that the music aspect to this story is very entertaining. I loved the detailed descriptions of the three of them playing. I enjoyed all of the musical references also. It was a lot of fun to read.
After meeting Ash and jamming out together, and having the most fun any of them have had in a long time.. Ash tells them that they should hit the road, instead of staying at jazz camp, because that's how they will become a real band. This is when the story started to lose me. First off, I didn't enjoy Ash as a character and she felt like a manipulator to these boys, and I do say boys because they are only 16 when she is 19, and she was a bit selfish. So why would they choose to go along with Ash when they hardly know her? I guess I'm not a teenage boy though so maybe I would've understood this more if I was..
The road trip begins and we learn more about these characters, which I appreciated. The only character I truly felt anything for was Wes. I think Andrews has a great way of capturing the teenage voice in his characters and I felt like Wes was a unique version of a teenager right now. As for Ash and Corey, I just couldn't connect with them even after learning more about their past and who they truly were. About half-way through the story I was still only able to connect with Wes while Ash and Corey became more annoying for me.
As the story continues they run into multiple problems, which all include crappy places to play and weird run-ins with people. Some of the situations were pretty funny. One of the reasons why I love Jesse Andrews's writing so much is for the humor. I know a lot of people didn't enjoy the humor in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, but I loved it. It's very much the same in this book, and this is one of the things I did enjoy about the book. There were way too many dick jokes though and a few parts that were a bit disgusting (seriously TMI), but overall most parts were funny.
The last part of the book was exciting and I enjoyed seeing how these three lonely souls seemed to have found a sense of home together.. Then everything blows up in their faces and they are left to deal with the consequences of all of their choices. I thought the book wrapped up nicely.
Overall, this book wasn't for me. There were a few things I enjoyed but not enough to say that I liked it. I think Jesse Andrews is a fantastic writer though, and even though I didn't connect with this book as much as I hoped I would, I still enjoyed his writing. I think this book will be great for other people but it just wasn't for me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys music, sarcastic/dry humor, or just coming-of-age stories because even though I didn't enjoy this story that doesn't mean you wouldn't!
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