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Nickel
A Booklist Best Young Adult Book of 2016 and Top 10 Romance for Youth.
Being a teenager is hard enough without your mother in rehab and your slightly inept stepfather doing his best not to screw things up. But at least Coy has Monroe. Coy is a quirky teenage boy and his best friend, Monroe, is a girl who is just as odd and funny and obsessed with eighties culture as he is. So when Monroe comes down with a mysterious illness, Coy’s inner turmoil only grows. As Monroe gets sicker and Coy gets a girlfriend from another social crowd, the balance tips and Coy has to figure out how not to give up on his friend, his family, or himself.
"One of the best books about teenagers I've ever read. An incredible, engaging voice frames this brutal, beautiful, heartbreaking first novel."
–GARY SHTEYNGART, New York Times best-selling author of Little Failure: A Memoir, and Super Sad True Love Story
Being a teenager is hard enough without your mother in rehab and your slightly inept stepfather doing his best not to screw things up. But at least Coy has Monroe. Coy is a quirky teenage boy and his best friend, Monroe, is a girl who is just as odd and funny and obsessed with eighties culture as he is. So when Monroe comes down with a mysterious illness, Coy’s inner turmoil only grows. As Monroe gets sicker and Coy gets a girlfriend from another social crowd, the balance tips and Coy has to figure out how not to give up on his friend, his family, or himself.
"One of the best books about teenagers I've ever read. An incredible, engaging voice frames this brutal, beautiful, heartbreaking first novel."
–GARY SHTEYNGART, New York Times best-selling author of Little Failure: A Memoir, and Super Sad True Love Story
332 pages, Hardcover
First published September 13, 2016
9 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
Robert Wilder
3 books17 followersRobert Wilder is the author of two critically acclaimed essay collections, Tales From The Teachers’ Lounge and Daddy Needs A Drink, both published by Delacorte Press. His YA novel, Nickel, will be published September 2016 by Leaf Storm Press.
A teacher for more than twenty-five years, he has earned numerous awards and fellowships, including the inaugural Innovations in Reading Prize by the National Book Foundation. He has published essays in Newsweek, Details, Salon, Parenting, Creative Nonfiction, plus numerous anthologies and has been a commentator for NPR’s Morning Edition. Wilder lives in Santa Fe, NM.
A teacher for more than twenty-five years, he has earned numerous awards and fellowships, including the inaugural Innovations in Reading Prize by the National Book Foundation. He has published essays in Newsweek, Details, Salon, Parenting, Creative Nonfiction, plus numerous anthologies and has been a commentator for NPR’s Morning Edition. Wilder lives in Santa Fe, NM.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 11, 2024
This is my very lovely review
Eh 🤷♀️
Love y'all 😅
Eh 🤷♀️
Love y'all 😅
June 11, 2016
In this certainly interesting novel, we meet Coy, a 9th grader who has yet to enter high school (his district starts in 10th grade). He spends all of his time hanging out with his only friend Monroe (Roe) who has been dealing with some health issues. She has a rash on her face and she seems to be allergic to everything. Coy has his own share of problems: his mother is in a mental institution and he is trying to feel comfortable with his stepfather. The book is pretty well written and I did enjoy the plot. My major issue with this book was the language used. There was a HECK of a lot of slang, and a lot of it seemed to be a bit much. There are lot of terms used that I don't think most normal people insert into their normal conversation and the characters appeared to be much older than they actually were. Once you get used to the interesting way things are phrased, you can dive into the store which has some interesting side characters and a good plot overall.
September 29, 2016
I suspected this: there’s a world going on around me about which I am utterly clueless. It’s modern adolescence, and Rob Wilder exposes it the way a surgeon might slice a stomach wall: a deft cut and out spill the glistening organs. At times it’s a scary mess, but I couldn’t look away.
The painful self-consciousness of fourteen-year-old Coy (“Let it be known: I am the world’s biggest loser”) sometimes threatens to overwhelm him. What saves him is his friend Monroe, a girl who is at least his match in sarcasm, and equally quick to judge the world of the Poplars. That’s Coy and Monroe’s dismissive lingo for those who are popular. Trees, they call them, using a term the Trees don’t understand. It’s this kind of shared and inventive language that rescues Coy and Monroe from outsider status and makes them insiders to each other.
The trouble starts when Monroe comes down with a baffling and deforming illness, and slowly pulls back from both school and Coy. Their bond remains strong, it’s unquestioned—until Coy is befriended by Avree Sandoval. She is one of the Trees, which makes Coy writhe. He wants to be a faithful friend to Monroe, but cannot resist the shining Avree.
Coy’s birthday party at the bowling alley (several kids have been invited, but only Monroe and Avree show up), is the most distressing, the most awkward and horribly beautiful scene I’ve read in years. In as long as I can remember. Ever, it feels to me now. There is no escape from Coy’s predicament. Any attention to Avree, whose beauty makes him tremble, is going to be treacherous to Monroe, who needs him even more now that she’s sick. We’re in junior high, but it feels like Greek tragedy.
The three of them meet once again, in the school lunchroom. Coy’s loyalty to Monroe—who has saved him from social oblivion—is still strong, but she is angry: “You ditch me for some Tree. A Poplar!” And it’s true. Coy is enthralled by Avree. She speaks, and her lips “were like little pillows. Believe it.”
I have one complaint: I wish there were more scenes involving the three of them. I wanted to see more of the devastation, the trouble that Coy cannot escape. For that is the heart of the novel. The ending rises slightly, but not so much that everyone is happy. As funny as the book reads, it’s a tragedy, not a comedy: an inventive adolescent tragedy that rings completely true.
The painful self-consciousness of fourteen-year-old Coy (“Let it be known: I am the world’s biggest loser”) sometimes threatens to overwhelm him. What saves him is his friend Monroe, a girl who is at least his match in sarcasm, and equally quick to judge the world of the Poplars. That’s Coy and Monroe’s dismissive lingo for those who are popular. Trees, they call them, using a term the Trees don’t understand. It’s this kind of shared and inventive language that rescues Coy and Monroe from outsider status and makes them insiders to each other.
The trouble starts when Monroe comes down with a baffling and deforming illness, and slowly pulls back from both school and Coy. Their bond remains strong, it’s unquestioned—until Coy is befriended by Avree Sandoval. She is one of the Trees, which makes Coy writhe. He wants to be a faithful friend to Monroe, but cannot resist the shining Avree.
Coy’s birthday party at the bowling alley (several kids have been invited, but only Monroe and Avree show up), is the most distressing, the most awkward and horribly beautiful scene I’ve read in years. In as long as I can remember. Ever, it feels to me now. There is no escape from Coy’s predicament. Any attention to Avree, whose beauty makes him tremble, is going to be treacherous to Monroe, who needs him even more now that she’s sick. We’re in junior high, but it feels like Greek tragedy.
The three of them meet once again, in the school lunchroom. Coy’s loyalty to Monroe—who has saved him from social oblivion—is still strong, but she is angry: “You ditch me for some Tree. A Poplar!” And it’s true. Coy is enthralled by Avree. She speaks, and her lips “were like little pillows. Believe it.”
I have one complaint: I wish there were more scenes involving the three of them. I wanted to see more of the devastation, the trouble that Coy cannot escape. For that is the heart of the novel. The ending rises slightly, but not so much that everyone is happy. As funny as the book reads, it’s a tragedy, not a comedy: an inventive adolescent tragedy that rings completely true.
September 27, 2016
2.5 stars
~I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review - that does not affect my opinion reflected in this review~
I wanted to enjoy this story, unfortunately I couldn’t. Coy and Monroe are best friends and have been since the 7th grade. When they met, they connected over their love of the 80’s culture. Monroe comes down with a rash, that only gets worse. From there, everything went downhill. The main character Coy, was extremely selfish. For about the first, 130 pages, we get nothing but Coy and his home life, which is not interesting. He was rude to Monroe, in my opinion. This friendship crumbled so quickly because Monroe became sick. I was feeling more empathy towards Monroe. She was having to deal with the social repercussions of a full body rash and loose her “best friend” at the same time. Dan, Coy’s stepfather, wasn't that bad either. He was trying incredibly hard to be there for Coy and he was just selfish.
I found it very difficult to connect with these characters. There was little emotion expressed or physically described. There was lots of unnecessary detail about the scene unfolding on the page. The inner dialogue and slang was too much. Coy, is only in 9th grade and it was very hard to follow his terms and believe he would really say “forking.” As I was reading, I found myself scanning the paragraph to see if there was anything of worth before going on to the dialogue which was more interesting. The 80’s wasn’t as large a theme as I thought it would be. Mostly rock bands and movies were mentioned, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinarily that you might find in pop culture.
I can’t describe the ending because, what ending? I had to re-read the last few pages because I thought I missed something. Turns out it was just a whole lot of nothing. There was no conclusion. I felt that I was on a roller coaster - because that is what the story promised! Love, loss and loyalty. Yet, there was nothing, no drops, no hitch in breather, no tears. I coasted along the selfish journey of Coy, only to never really know how the story ends.
The cover however I really enjoy how that connected with the story. Mostly, because I liked Monroe.
~I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review - that does not affect my opinion reflected in this review~
I wanted to enjoy this story, unfortunately I couldn’t. Coy and Monroe are best friends and have been since the 7th grade. When they met, they connected over their love of the 80’s culture. Monroe comes down with a rash, that only gets worse. From there, everything went downhill. The main character Coy, was extremely selfish. For about the first, 130 pages, we get nothing but Coy and his home life, which is not interesting. He was rude to Monroe, in my opinion. This friendship crumbled so quickly because Monroe became sick. I was feeling more empathy towards Monroe. She was having to deal with the social repercussions of a full body rash and loose her “best friend” at the same time. Dan, Coy’s stepfather, wasn't that bad either. He was trying incredibly hard to be there for Coy and he was just selfish.
I found it very difficult to connect with these characters. There was little emotion expressed or physically described. There was lots of unnecessary detail about the scene unfolding on the page. The inner dialogue and slang was too much. Coy, is only in 9th grade and it was very hard to follow his terms and believe he would really say “forking.” As I was reading, I found myself scanning the paragraph to see if there was anything of worth before going on to the dialogue which was more interesting. The 80’s wasn’t as large a theme as I thought it would be. Mostly rock bands and movies were mentioned, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinarily that you might find in pop culture.
I can’t describe the ending because, what ending? I had to re-read the last few pages because I thought I missed something. Turns out it was just a whole lot of nothing. There was no conclusion. I felt that I was on a roller coaster - because that is what the story promised! Love, loss and loyalty. Yet, there was nothing, no drops, no hitch in breather, no tears. I coasted along the selfish journey of Coy, only to never really know how the story ends.
The cover however I really enjoy how that connected with the story. Mostly, because I liked Monroe.
June 10, 2016
Coy and Monroe have been each other’s only friend since they started seventh grade at Red Rocks Junior High two years ago, keeping at bay the enemy world of popular students, athletes, teachers, and administrators. Sarcasm, jokes, and all things 1980s keep their observation skills (and their tongues) sharp. As Coy says, “You have a choice in school: laugh or be bored to death.” Coy and Monroe definitely are not bored.
All this changes when Monroe comes down with a mysterious, progressive illness that gradually takes over her body. Coy’s efforts to keep Monroe’s spirits up and keep his own family situation under control are further distracted by Avree, one of the popular girls in the school whom he and Monroe have always made fun of. He walks a tight rope between not wanting to jeopardize the growing relationship with his first girlfriend and not wanting to hurt his best friend.
As her disease slips her farther and farther away from him and from a normal life, Coy faces difficult decisions about Monroe, about Avree, and about believing in himself.
Nickel is a wonderful story about young adults. Having spent twenty-three years in junior high (only three of them as a student), Robert Wilder’s characters and story line ring true to me – the student cliques, the classes, the social life, and (unfortunately) the teachers. The interactions between Monroe and Coy, from their almost cryptic short-hand language to the unease they both feel at expressing their emotions, are very real. Wilder has made the most of his years in the classroom observing the junior high species. His characters are engaging and appealing and the situations he sets for them, and their responses, are realistic. We understand and we identify with these three young people, and we empathize with them as they make the difficult choices they must.
Nickel is a dynamite story of thoroughly memorable characters.
>>Support independent bookstores by buying real books from real stores where you can talk with real booksellers.<<
All this changes when Monroe comes down with a mysterious, progressive illness that gradually takes over her body. Coy’s efforts to keep Monroe’s spirits up and keep his own family situation under control are further distracted by Avree, one of the popular girls in the school whom he and Monroe have always made fun of. He walks a tight rope between not wanting to jeopardize the growing relationship with his first girlfriend and not wanting to hurt his best friend.
As her disease slips her farther and farther away from him and from a normal life, Coy faces difficult decisions about Monroe, about Avree, and about believing in himself.
Nickel is a wonderful story about young adults. Having spent twenty-three years in junior high (only three of them as a student), Robert Wilder’s characters and story line ring true to me – the student cliques, the classes, the social life, and (unfortunately) the teachers. The interactions between Monroe and Coy, from their almost cryptic short-hand language to the unease they both feel at expressing their emotions, are very real. Wilder has made the most of his years in the classroom observing the junior high species. His characters are engaging and appealing and the situations he sets for them, and their responses, are realistic. We understand and we identify with these three young people, and we empathize with them as they make the difficult choices they must.
Nickel is a dynamite story of thoroughly memorable characters.
>>Support independent bookstores by buying real books from real stores where you can talk with real booksellers.<<
June 20, 2016
DNF at 85 pages.
I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and I like to think that I gave it a fighting chance, but I just couldn't do it.
It felt like the author was just trying too hard; to be hip, to be cool, to be . . . I don't know what.
One of the things that drew me in to this book was the fact that Coy and Monroe were 80's aficionados (I love the 80's!), but pop culture references in, like, every other sentence is a bit much.
Add to that an overzealous use of "teen slang" and a few distasteful jokes (e.g. Columbine), and I hit my limit. I'm sorry.
I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and I like to think that I gave it a fighting chance, but I just couldn't do it.
It felt like the author was just trying too hard; to be hip, to be cool, to be . . . I don't know what.
One of the things that drew me in to this book was the fact that Coy and Monroe were 80's aficionados (I love the 80's!), but pop culture references in, like, every other sentence is a bit much.
Add to that an overzealous use of "teen slang" and a few distasteful jokes (e.g. Columbine), and I hit my limit. I'm sorry.
October 10, 2016
I loved this book--how it really captured the kids, their interests, the way they think and speak, what it feels like to grow up as an outsider. But the thing that most hooked me in was how the author expertly portrays something that radically changes the kids' world even as they struggle with the difficulties of their challenging everyday lives.
His first novel is more serious than his essays and there is a haunting poignancy to every moment of this sometimes funny and often heartbreaking book.
His first novel is more serious than his essays and there is a haunting poignancy to every moment of this sometimes funny and often heartbreaking book.
September 13, 2016
Any faults I find are, I feel, from being exactly the wrong demographic. I liked the pacing, the language, and how just the right amount was left unexplained. Sure, there were times I just wanted to reach through the page and yell at them to worry about _this_ and not _that_, but isn't that kind of the point?
February 18, 2023
Will I ever tire of coming of age novels? Probably not. Will I ever stop identifying with the teenagers rather than the adults/parents (even now that I'm the age of most teen parents or older in many cases?) Not yet. The writing captures the awkwardness and angst with both humor and grief- all the references to 80's music and movies didn't hurt as that was my own "coming of age" supposedly...
October 4, 2021
Negative stars, but I had to put at least one star for it to work 🤪
..
Very possibly, so far, the utmost WORST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!!
That is, if this excuse for a vomit of pages deserves the title of 'book'.
In no particular order, these are the reasons why:
- it's HOMOPHOBIC. Most things are commented on as "ghey" on the "gheyme board". Once, his stepdad even points out that it is homophobic, but he just shrugs it off!!
Also, many people are negatively deemed a "lesbo", not to describe their sexuality at all but merely to mark their distaste of their actions. Uh! Again, he tries to make this sound better by saying, "it's not offensive if I say they're a lesbo, considering that I'm a lesbro" (a person who is friends with/friendly to lesbians, apparently).
Monroe several times, though phrased slightly differently, in a very "retardish" voice might I add, teased Coy with this: "Coy don't like the boobies? Coy likey the penis?" in a teasing way.
- it's RACIST. There is a Chinese woman described in the book, and he tries to mention racist comments to his stepfather multiple times about her, but "can't get away with it without getting busted". So get knows it is racist, and is choosing to be that way.
Another time, there is a black woman pushing a white baby in a pram, whilst also talking on the phone - she is described in this awful book as "multitasking."
- it fat-shames people. Even remarking, "the only thing running in that training suit is her sweat." And a selection of other remarks, all open on the table for anyone who is stupid enough to even look at this book.
- lack of appreciation and entitled expectation. Coy seems to not even care when Monroe gets sick. Her skin is totally totaled, and yet all he does is state the facts - "she isn't here today", "she put cream on the wrinkles on her skin", "she looks like an elderly woman, too old for her age" - but doesn't add any emotion. This is not a literary device to display how messed up about his best friend dying that he is wholly numbed, but instead that he doesn't give a sh*t. About his best friend, and only friend for his whole life up until then!
- Coy isn't appreciative enough of his girlfriend. All he does to acknowledge her is occasionally, with no context, blurt out how hot she is in the middle if a sentence. He just assumes he deserves the utmost attention from her.
- the characters are unlikeable. The most likeable person was probably Avree, and yet even she is painfully vomit-worthy. Monroe, much as I felt bad for her getting sick with an unknown disease to the point of not being able to walk, she is still not.....just, not. Coy is just horrible all round, really.
- the writing itself was stale. The author tries too damn hard to sound like the "modern teen, only quirky", presumably to prevent "Social Suicide", only he does the biggest screw-up job in the history of blatantly out-of-touch adults (most adults are fine, if you are reading this).
- that last page. What happened? Some people just said words, with no explanation in-between of why. All jumbled into a kerfuffle of 'What?', only it's not a metaphor for his last year before high school, during which the book was based.
More laters, can't be bothered with this moronic manure manifestation somehow deemed the title of words.
..
Very possibly, so far, the utmost WORST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!!
That is, if this excuse for a vomit of pages deserves the title of 'book'.
In no particular order, these are the reasons why:
- it's HOMOPHOBIC. Most things are commented on as "ghey" on the "gheyme board". Once, his stepdad even points out that it is homophobic, but he just shrugs it off!!
Also, many people are negatively deemed a "lesbo", not to describe their sexuality at all but merely to mark their distaste of their actions. Uh! Again, he tries to make this sound better by saying, "it's not offensive if I say they're a lesbo, considering that I'm a lesbro" (a person who is friends with/friendly to lesbians, apparently).
Monroe several times, though phrased slightly differently, in a very "retardish" voice might I add, teased Coy with this: "Coy don't like the boobies? Coy likey the penis?" in a teasing way.
- it's RACIST. There is a Chinese woman described in the book, and he tries to mention racist comments to his stepfather multiple times about her, but "can't get away with it without getting busted". So get knows it is racist, and is choosing to be that way.
Another time, there is a black woman pushing a white baby in a pram, whilst also talking on the phone - she is described in this awful book as "multitasking."
- it fat-shames people. Even remarking, "the only thing running in that training suit is her sweat." And a selection of other remarks, all open on the table for anyone who is stupid enough to even look at this book.
- lack of appreciation and entitled expectation. Coy seems to not even care when Monroe gets sick. Her skin is totally totaled, and yet all he does is state the facts - "she isn't here today", "she put cream on the wrinkles on her skin", "she looks like an elderly woman, too old for her age" - but doesn't add any emotion. This is not a literary device to display how messed up about his best friend dying that he is wholly numbed, but instead that he doesn't give a sh*t. About his best friend, and only friend for his whole life up until then!
- Coy isn't appreciative enough of his girlfriend. All he does to acknowledge her is occasionally, with no context, blurt out how hot she is in the middle if a sentence. He just assumes he deserves the utmost attention from her.
- the characters are unlikeable. The most likeable person was probably Avree, and yet even she is painfully vomit-worthy. Monroe, much as I felt bad for her getting sick with an unknown disease to the point of not being able to walk, she is still not.....just, not. Coy is just horrible all round, really.
- the writing itself was stale. The author tries too damn hard to sound like the "modern teen, only quirky", presumably to prevent "Social Suicide", only he does the biggest screw-up job in the history of blatantly out-of-touch adults (most adults are fine, if you are reading this).
- that last page. What happened? Some people just said words, with no explanation in-between of why. All jumbled into a kerfuffle of 'What?', only it's not a metaphor for his last year before high school, during which the book was based.
More laters, can't be bothered with this moronic manure manifestation somehow deemed the title of words.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2023
I think the narration is what makes this book stand out. The main character does take some distracting tangents, and there are a few scenes I'm not about why they were there, but overall an entertaining read with a plot. I think the ending lacked a lot of closure for a YA novel, and there are several mentions of the future and how they would eventually look back on these moments, but I think I grasped what happened, though I'm not sure that final paragraph did it justice. I'd say 3 3/4 stars on this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2016
When you’re a loner and your best friend is a geeky girl who’s obsessed with the 80s, you and she develop your own language, your own in-jokes, your own sarcastic humor. The world doesn’t understand or like either of you. You both resent it. You talk in code... just the two of you. Your mom has finally had a breakdown and is now in a mental hospital; your step dad does his best to be the parent, but he’s not really that good at it. And now your geeky (girl) friend seems to be coming down with a progressive disease that none of the doctors can figure out. Your whole life turns inside out, and your language, your code talk, your in-jokes take on quite an edge... a bitterness that is going to swamp you unless you keep pretending you don’t care. You know... whatever.
Robert Walker lets the geek kid (Coy) tell his own story in that unique slanguage he and his friend, Monroe, have worked out. He talks to us as though we too are among his geek friends, which to my way of thinking is one of the most original and interesting aspects of this novel. What hurts is that, at its heart, this story is a tragedy. Monroe has a disease that, in spite of what the doctors say or don’t say, is almost certainly killing her. Her parents try mightily to deal with the supposed causes: mold, allergies, poisons leaching from the metal (nickel) braces on her teeth. She just keeps getting worse.
Then Coy catches the attention of Avree, of one of the popular girls (whom he and Monroe call ‘poplars’ or just ‘trees’ for short). You could read this as a love triangle, I guess. I don’t take it that way. Avree is one of the best characters in the book I think because she’s understanding and caring. Yes, her interest in Coy makes Monroe bitterly jealous. But at the same time, she supports the kid in his efforts to help Monroe. And as Monroe fades away Avree is there, trying so hard to help him. She’s not Monroe; she doesn’t have the brains or the insights, but she’s pretty damn steadfast. She never judges Coy or Monroe, but when she doesn’t understand something she makes Coy explain, something he needs to do more of. She’s one of the good guys.
Avree tries to turn Coy’s attention to that bright shining new world that’s ahead of them... high school!?! There’s so much that’s good and bad yet to come. But the present is so damn surrealistically horrible that Coy stays locked in a world insulated by a crazy language and viewpoint and more and more cut off from the one person who had enabled him to cope with all that horror.
In the last scene of the book, Coy and Avree present their student projects to a parents’ day assembly. Coy has compiled mountains of research on the kind of illness that has so gripped Monroe that she can’t even sit up in her bed anymore. He’s about to start the presentation that he and Avree are doing together. There’s a power failure. “Listen,” says Avree, and they do. It’s started to rain... in the desert where it hasn’t rained in years... a miracle? Probably not, but still....
Robert Walker lets the geek kid (Coy) tell his own story in that unique slanguage he and his friend, Monroe, have worked out. He talks to us as though we too are among his geek friends, which to my way of thinking is one of the most original and interesting aspects of this novel. What hurts is that, at its heart, this story is a tragedy. Monroe has a disease that, in spite of what the doctors say or don’t say, is almost certainly killing her. Her parents try mightily to deal with the supposed causes: mold, allergies, poisons leaching from the metal (nickel) braces on her teeth. She just keeps getting worse.
Then Coy catches the attention of Avree, of one of the popular girls (whom he and Monroe call ‘poplars’ or just ‘trees’ for short). You could read this as a love triangle, I guess. I don’t take it that way. Avree is one of the best characters in the book I think because she’s understanding and caring. Yes, her interest in Coy makes Monroe bitterly jealous. But at the same time, she supports the kid in his efforts to help Monroe. And as Monroe fades away Avree is there, trying so hard to help him. She’s not Monroe; she doesn’t have the brains or the insights, but she’s pretty damn steadfast. She never judges Coy or Monroe, but when she doesn’t understand something she makes Coy explain, something he needs to do more of. She’s one of the good guys.
Avree tries to turn Coy’s attention to that bright shining new world that’s ahead of them... high school!?! There’s so much that’s good and bad yet to come. But the present is so damn surrealistically horrible that Coy stays locked in a world insulated by a crazy language and viewpoint and more and more cut off from the one person who had enabled him to cope with all that horror.
In the last scene of the book, Coy and Avree present their student projects to a parents’ day assembly. Coy has compiled mountains of research on the kind of illness that has so gripped Monroe that she can’t even sit up in her bed anymore. He’s about to start the presentation that he and Avree are doing together. There’s a power failure. “Listen,” says Avree, and they do. It’s started to rain... in the desert where it hasn’t rained in years... a miracle? Probably not, but still....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2016
NICKEL is Rob Wilder’s third book, and his first novel. His two previous books, the essay collections Tales from the Teacher’s Lounge and Daddy Needs a Drink were both hilarious and irreverent and wise in their own wise-cracking way. For nearly 15 years, I’ve been a reader and fan of Rob’s work, and over those years he has also become a dear friend. We both live in New Mexico, I’ve visited his classes many times, and so I also know Rob as a generous, hardworking, encouraging and insightful teacher.
NICKEL is as funny and irreverent as anything Rob has written. Its teenage narrator, Coy, riff’s sardonically like a jazz musician, and his thorough skepticism and ridicule of adult behavior—of teachers, parents, of everyone above the age of 20—is pitch perfect.
But NICKEL is more than funny. It’s also deeply unsettling. What family escapes tragedy in one form or another? The writer Christopher Fry wrote that comedy is an escape, not from truth, but from despair.
Coy’s father died when he was a toddler. As the book begins, Coy is a ninth grader and his mother has been in a mental hospital for six months. Will she ever get better? Coy’s stepfather, Dan, is doing his best, but doing his best sometimes means that he’s high when they go to visit Coy’s mom at the hospital. Coy’s sadness keeps bubbling up and suffusing the novel’s events and humor with a resonance that I wasn’t prepared for, that made me put the book down and stare at the wall while I remembered my own mother’s struggles with mental illness when I was a teenager. NICKEL has done for me what the best books always do: it’s giving me new access to my own life, and my own stories.
Not only is Coy’s mother in a mental hospital, but Coy’s best friend, his only friend, has a strange illness that keeps getting worse. What is wrong with her? Is it terminal? What will happen to her, and to their friendship? If you haven’t already, you need to buy this wonderful, moving new novel so you can find out.
June 14, 2016
Nickel by Robert Wilder
Coy and Monroe have been best friends for a long time. The both enjoy "everything 80's", both are loners, and basically only have each other as friends. Then Monroe gets an unusual illness, a very frightening and mysterious one. It puts a bit of a strain on their friendship. When a popular Girl (Avree) befriends Coy, Monroe starts to feel the changes in her old friend. Will things stay the same? How will the Monore's illness and Coy's new friendship affect their lives?
Coy is facing many problems at home, as well as being an "outcast" at school. Yet he is very likable, I could feel every emotion and understand what he is feeling. Monroe does not have it any easier, with this strange new illness, she just feels more alienated by her peers. Then there is Avree a popular girl who does not have these problems, but she is willing to give them a chance.
A well written story of friendship, loyalty & love. The characters are likable, their situations are true to life. The struggles and daily life of a teen is captured on each page. I was hooked from the first page up until the very end. I strongly recommend Nickel to Y/A (14+) and adults as well.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Coy and Monroe have been best friends for a long time. The both enjoy "everything 80's", both are loners, and basically only have each other as friends. Then Monroe gets an unusual illness, a very frightening and mysterious one. It puts a bit of a strain on their friendship. When a popular Girl (Avree) befriends Coy, Monroe starts to feel the changes in her old friend. Will things stay the same? How will the Monore's illness and Coy's new friendship affect their lives?
Coy is facing many problems at home, as well as being an "outcast" at school. Yet he is very likable, I could feel every emotion and understand what he is feeling. Monroe does not have it any easier, with this strange new illness, she just feels more alienated by her peers. Then there is Avree a popular girl who does not have these problems, but she is willing to give them a chance.
A well written story of friendship, loyalty & love. The characters are likable, their situations are true to life. The struggles and daily life of a teen is captured on each page. I was hooked from the first page up until the very end. I strongly recommend Nickel to Y/A (14+) and adults as well.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2017
This book was very realistic. The main character, Coy, reminded me a lot of myself. There were a few parts that I had to read over a couple of times to really grasp, though. Like the car wash scene-- the way Wilder writes the book, from a teenager's odd point of view, it makes it hard to keep up with what is happening. However, that also makes the book more relatable. I still have a few questions after reading, though: why was Coy's mom in Dorado? When Monroe lashes out at Avree, Coy says that Avree saw something in Monroe even he didn't see then. What was it? When Coy goes to Monroe's house and clean little sleeping area, he is dreading saying something. Was it just that he was researching her?
May 9, 2024
I would love to say that teenagers don't actually talk like this (and maybe they... actually didn't in 2016, when this book was written, now that I think about it) but *I* certainly talked like this back in 2008... and although I cringe every single time I think about how casually I called things "ghey" (yes, even with the "gh" and really, what is that? Why did we do that?) I do think that the voice in this book is both realistic and strong. Sometimes teens in YA books speak like Shakespearian characters, so it's nice to read one that actually seems like he's 13/14.
...However, I think the strong voice is actually this book's downfall, because it prioritizes voice over plot, every single time. There were quite a few instances where I wasn't actually sure what was happening in a scene (thinking particularly of the confrontation with the two stoners) and several times where Wilder would hint about something, or make a reference to "when we found out this...." or "I would think about this moment in the future..." but then never actually clarify what it is the characters were finding out or what was significant about the moment.
I guess it makes me a not very hardworking reader to need things spelled out for me... but I'm not even sure if
...However, I think the strong voice is actually this book's downfall, because it prioritizes voice over plot, every single time. There were quite a few instances where I wasn't actually sure what was happening in a scene (thinking particularly of the confrontation with the two stoners) and several times where Wilder would hint about something, or make a reference to "when we found out this...." or "I would think about this moment in the future..." but then never actually clarify what it is the characters were finding out or what was significant about the moment.
I guess it makes me a not very hardworking reader to need things spelled out for me... but I'm not even sure if
November 28, 2016
This book is about a pair of teenagers who struggle to fit in with their peers. They insist that they don't want to fit in, but it seems pretty clear to me that they do. Monroe's in a tougher situation than most other teenagers have to go through, and brings all of her loved ones into her struggle, lashing out when they have a moment of happiness without her. She and Coy end up being accepted by some of the "poplars", but I really wish we found out more about what happens to them... At this point, their story was just starting to look up, but when Monroe, Avree, and Coy are supposed to give their final presentation, it simply says Monroe is too sick to come, and it actually didn't even seem like the other two gave their presentation. The only conclusion I can think of is that Monroe never gets better, but since that's not a happy ending, of course I want something else. Even if she doesn't have a happy ending, though, I would like a clearer ending of any kind. Overall, a pretty good novel, though I didn't really enjoy all of the "hip" or whatever language the teens used... However, I can't complain about it too much, since I know kids really talk like that.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
September 7, 2017
Coy is a high school student trying to survive until high school graduation. His best friend is Monroe, a girl with a rash caused by nickel in her braces, mold in her house or something else. She abhors her looks but tries to get by in school when she's healthy enough. Coy's mother is in rehab and his stepdad is caring for him. The book has a little more narrative than other modern YA novels, but inane dialog, stupid references (characters are obsessed with the 80s), and hip writing is supposed to make up for a lack of real story. Hairy balls and poop are mentioned and supposed to be funny. Being cool and hip is much more important than real feelings. Better than some books with tons of dialog and no real story, I still wouldn't recommend it
July 24, 2017
This novel is about Coy and best friend Monroe and their last year at junior high. Adjoined at the hip and outcasts in their own way, Monroe develops a serious rash and becomes even more estranged from the other junior high students.
Wilder, a 25 year teacher really captures the true voice of junior high students and their daily struggles with fitting and and not fitting in.
Wilder, a 25 year teacher really captures the true voice of junior high students and their daily struggles with fitting and and not fitting in.
September 17, 2017
Decent book ruined by a crappy ending. Either the author pooped out or the editor said you have reached your oage limit/deadline wrap it up. Disappointing, abrupt ending with no resolution and very little to shed light on future outcomes.
October 5, 2021
I really enjoyed the book because you can read and visualized the struggle that the main character is having trying to figure out what is wrong with his best friend and trying to keep his friendship a float when he got a girlfriend from another crowd
October 11, 2016
This was a really great and interesting read. It wasn't my favorite, but I can see my high school self really enjoying this story.
February 13, 2017
Robert Wilder the author of Nickel decided to write this book to inform others about what really goes on in a teenagers life. Many people don't tend to realize all of the stress that is being put on teenagers shoulders even though at one point they were all teenagers. Robert Wilder said "no one has ever written about the pains of being a teenager physically and psychologically, Nickel is about as real as it gets". I chose to use this quote because it states what is going on throughout the book.
The main message in Nickel is that teenagers go through a lot of stress, but they also go through many other things like relationships with friends/peers. many parents of teenagers don't remember the things that do go on while being a teenager. While being in high school other students expect everyone to live up to certain standards and if you dont live up to those certain standards then they are considered "weird".
I believe the style of this book is informative due to the fact that it stating what is happening in someone who is outside of the "popular" peoples spectrum. During the book when monroe found out she was sick things took a turn for both of the characters. Coy had started getting worried for Monroe and what has going to happen to her, which made him realize something.
To me the book had ben both effective and not effective. The book would have been effective because like i've said in previous paragraphs the book is talking about what really does go on in teenagers lives. The book could have also been not effective because when teenagers read this book its not necessarily effective for them because they are teenagers, they already know what happens in teenagers life due to the fact that the are going through it.
In my opinion i would have done something with Monroe's perspective, throughout the whole book they had been using Coy's perspective. I liked the book for many reasons, but one big reason was that everything that had been talked about in the book really happens in teenagers life, the book doesn't have any fairy tale endings, its all things that happen without anything sugar coated.
The main message in Nickel is that teenagers go through a lot of stress, but they also go through many other things like relationships with friends/peers. many parents of teenagers don't remember the things that do go on while being a teenager. While being in high school other students expect everyone to live up to certain standards and if you dont live up to those certain standards then they are considered "weird".
I believe the style of this book is informative due to the fact that it stating what is happening in someone who is outside of the "popular" peoples spectrum. During the book when monroe found out she was sick things took a turn for both of the characters. Coy had started getting worried for Monroe and what has going to happen to her, which made him realize something.
To me the book had ben both effective and not effective. The book would have been effective because like i've said in previous paragraphs the book is talking about what really does go on in teenagers lives. The book could have also been not effective because when teenagers read this book its not necessarily effective for them because they are teenagers, they already know what happens in teenagers life due to the fact that the are going through it.
In my opinion i would have done something with Monroe's perspective, throughout the whole book they had been using Coy's perspective. I liked the book for many reasons, but one big reason was that everything that had been talked about in the book really happens in teenagers life, the book doesn't have any fairy tale endings, its all things that happen without anything sugar coated.
November 19, 2016
Okay, so I definitely loved Coy a lot. I enjoyed the tone of the story and there were SO many times where I laughed out loud, but it just felt like something was missing from it. I've been wondering what the story would have been like if it had been told from Monroe's perspective, or if part of the story had been told from her perspective. She just seemed like a mysterious figure throughout the entire book and it felt like the readers never really knew her or fully understood her. It seemed more like a book on how Coy met Avree and how he's coping with his mom being in a mental facility and his best friend being sick than an actual story about a girl with metal poisoning. Also, the ending was completely confusing for me. Did I miss something? Why did Dan say 'I told you so'?
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November 16, 2016Touted as a book about love, loss, and loyalty, this is more properly described as a story about crushingly low self-esteem, the pain it occasions, and the balm that only friendship can provide. The careful reader will recognise this as a sincerely hopeful tale. Intended for a specific audience (teenagers and their parents), this is a story that nevertheless should resonate with everyone.
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October 23, 2016Did not finish. Found it hard to follow and didn't care about the characters.
Want to read
October 25, 2016Top 10 Romance Fiction for Youth 2016 (Booklist)
November 18, 2016
Really good story. The ending was kind of abrupt. I didn't appreciate the uses of the words "ghey"/gay and "tard", other little things like that made the book worse. Very interesting though.
April 26, 2017
Wonderful!
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April 13, 2017In 'Nickel' Robert Wilder manages to capture all the pressure and angst of being a teenager, while still managing to wrap in characters in humor. Younger readers will be able to relate to Coy and Monroe, and adults will remember their own awkward youths in the characters experiences. This book is full of heart and quirk.
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