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Be Good Be Real Be Crazy: An Emotional Young Adult Novel About a Last-Chance Road Trip
Every love story has a few detours.
Homer has never met anyone like Mia. She’s the mystery girl with the fruit-punch-red hair. She sees stories in the clouds. She asks questions he would never think to ask.
And she’s leaving.
Now, with their time together slipping through his fingers, Homer volunteers to drive her all the way up the East Coast, determined to convince her to stay with him. Homer knows this might be his last chance to tell Mia he loves her. Unfortunately, his younger brother, Einstein—who is certain the world is about to end—is coming along. And the only car they have is painted a hideous shade of yellow and smells like a combination of rotten fruit and burned coffee.
It’s going to be a long road trip.
Homer has never met anyone like Mia. She’s the mystery girl with the fruit-punch-red hair. She sees stories in the clouds. She asks questions he would never think to ask.
And she’s leaving.
Now, with their time together slipping through his fingers, Homer volunteers to drive her all the way up the East Coast, determined to convince her to stay with him. Homer knows this might be his last chance to tell Mia he loves her. Unfortunately, his younger brother, Einstein—who is certain the world is about to end—is coming along. And the only car they have is painted a hideous shade of yellow and smells like a combination of rotten fruit and burned coffee.
It’s going to be a long road trip.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2016
5 people are currently reading
1264 people want to read
About the author
Chelsey Philpot
3 books142 followersChelsey Philpot grew up on a farm in New Hampshire and now works as an editor and journalist. She's written for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Slate, and numerous other publications. Like her main character, Charlotte, Chelsey attended boarding school in New England. You can visit her online at www.chelseyphilpot.com or on Twitter @ChelseyPhilpot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 4, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a YA contemporary road trip story.
I felt quite sorry for Mia in this, being pregnant and alone couldn’t have been easy for her, and I understood her wanting to go and live with her friend for when the baby came. Homer was quite a caring boy and it showed the sort of person he was that he wanted to help Mia, even if it meant losing her.
The storyline in this was about Homer driving Mia and his younger brother to the place where Mia was going to live with her friend, and taking his brother to some sort of science lecture on the way home. They met some odd characters along the way, and there was a bit of unrequited love between Mia and Homer, but the whole thing felt a little underwhelming really.
The ending to this was okay, although it wasn’t really a happily-ever-after type ending.
6 out of 10
“The closer they got to Glory-Be-by-the-Sea, the quieter Mia became.”
This was a YA contemporary road trip story.
I felt quite sorry for Mia in this, being pregnant and alone couldn’t have been easy for her, and I understood her wanting to go and live with her friend for when the baby came. Homer was quite a caring boy and it showed the sort of person he was that he wanted to help Mia, even if it meant losing her.
The storyline in this was about Homer driving Mia and his younger brother to the place where Mia was going to live with her friend, and taking his brother to some sort of science lecture on the way home. They met some odd characters along the way, and there was a bit of unrequited love between Mia and Homer, but the whole thing felt a little underwhelming really.
The ending to this was okay, although it wasn’t really a happily-ever-after type ending.
6 out of 10
September 3, 2016
I'm still not entirely certain how I feel about this story. Did I think it was cute? Yes, definitely. Did I like the characters? Sure, in the way that I like characters in romantic comedies - I enjoy them while they have my attention. Did I enjoy the plot? Yes, but I also felt like there were a lot of unlikely things that happen in it - which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
But unfortunately, this novel never quite snagged my attention the way Chelsey's debut did. The writing was still pretty solid, and the plot moved along steadily, and I did manage to finish it - but I don't feel as if it made a remarkable impression on me.
But unfortunately, this novel never quite snagged my attention the way Chelsey's debut did. The writing was still pretty solid, and the plot moved along steadily, and I did manage to finish it - but I don't feel as if it made a remarkable impression on me.
Read
January 29, 2016I'm a little bias on this one. :) This book took a bit of my sanity during the writing process, but through the struggle, BGBRBC became a book of my heart.
September 26, 2016
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
Okay so, this book is cute. Very cute, in fact. The characters were sweet, there are road trips, and along the way they meet other quirky individuals with little life lessons to teach them. Stuff like:
It's full of little snippets like that that are both wise and endearing. There was a lot of diversity, which was refreshing. And I genuinely liked Homer, Einstein, and Mia, even though we really don't get to know them in an in depth way at all. But, the bits of them we do get to know were likable. I also adored that there were little parables scattered throughout the book- small chapters telling stories that related to the rest of the book.
The real problem I had was that everything seemed unbelievable and farfetched. Like, aside from Homer's dads letting him take his little brother on a car trip 10 states away, a lot of the things that happened to them were kind of too over the top. It was fun, if you suspended belief, but if you're looking for realism, this isn't it.
Bottom Line: In all, it was a fun story, and charming characters and a quick pace made for an easy, if unrealistic feeling read.
*Copy provided by publisher for review
**Quote taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change
Okay so, this book is cute. Very cute, in fact. The characters were sweet, there are road trips, and along the way they meet other quirky individuals with little life lessons to teach them. Stuff like:
"Yes. Love. The greatest man-made disaster in a world that's full of them."
It's full of little snippets like that that are both wise and endearing. There was a lot of diversity, which was refreshing. And I genuinely liked Homer, Einstein, and Mia, even though we really don't get to know them in an in depth way at all. But, the bits of them we do get to know were likable. I also adored that there were little parables scattered throughout the book- small chapters telling stories that related to the rest of the book.
The real problem I had was that everything seemed unbelievable and farfetched. Like, aside from Homer's dads letting him take his little brother on a car trip 10 states away, a lot of the things that happened to them were kind of too over the top. It was fun, if you suspended belief, but if you're looking for realism, this isn't it.
Bottom Line: In all, it was a fun story, and charming characters and a quick pace made for an easy, if unrealistic feeling read.
*Copy provided by publisher for review
**Quote taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change
May 20, 2018
I'm not totally sure what to make of this book, which at times seems to be playing Diversity Brownie Points Bingo, and at other times had me wondering just how many weirdos one carload of people could meet on a drive up from Florida. Many of the chapters are essentially self-contained short stories providing the backstory to those people they meet on the road, an interesting writing exercise that I think it was clever of Philpot to be able to weave into the finished text, enhancing it for anyone who is taken by the side characters while also providing a break from the plot to enjoy lyrical writing on its own merit.
I do wish more care was taken in character naming, by which I mean if you're going to name your protagonist "Homer," he'd better sound a lot less dim-witted and slow on his feet if you want me to picture him as anything other than a teenage Homer Simpson. (Especially given the prevalence of yellow on the cover...) I always appreciate lovelorn male pining, but I could have bought into the beautifully subtle and understated love story a lot more than I did.
That said, I loved Mia at first sight, including how she referred to her impending baby as "Tadpole," and if you think I did not scream for joy when this book gave me the old "please lie down with me until I fall asleep" chestnut followed in short order by fully clothed spooning prior to any overt romance, I have not been talking up my favorite tropes nearly enough, because this is my favorite passage of the year so far:
He was willing himself to slide out of bed, put on his shoes, and make his way back down the carpeted hallway when Mia sat up. She wiggled her sweatshirt over her head, tossed it on the floor, and then shifted under the covers until her back touched Homer's chest. Without saying a thing, she reached for his hands and wrapped his arms around her, and without saying a thing in return, Homer pulled her close enough to feel her hair drift across his face. Her shoulder blades pressed against his rib cage from the outside. His wildly happy heart pressed from within. Not long after, they both fell asleep.
Rating in flux because I might not have loved all or even most of the characters, but I can't say they weren't memorable. This might be a book that grows on me and/or that I revisit down the line.
I do wish more care was taken in character naming, by which I mean if you're going to name your protagonist "Homer," he'd better sound a lot less dim-witted and slow on his feet if you want me to picture him as anything other than a teenage Homer Simpson. (Especially given the prevalence of yellow on the cover...) I always appreciate lovelorn male pining, but I could have bought into the beautifully subtle and understated love story a lot more than I did.
That said, I loved Mia at first sight, including how she referred to her impending baby as "Tadpole," and if you think I did not scream for joy when this book gave me the old "please lie down with me until I fall asleep" chestnut followed in short order by fully clothed spooning prior to any overt romance, I have not been talking up my favorite tropes nearly enough, because this is my favorite passage of the year so far:
He was willing himself to slide out of bed, put on his shoes, and make his way back down the carpeted hallway when Mia sat up. She wiggled her sweatshirt over her head, tossed it on the floor, and then shifted under the covers until her back touched Homer's chest. Without saying a thing, she reached for his hands and wrapped his arms around her, and without saying a thing in return, Homer pulled her close enough to feel her hair drift across his face. Her shoulder blades pressed against his rib cage from the outside. His wildly happy heart pressed from within. Not long after, they both fell asleep.
Rating in flux because I might not have loved all or even most of the characters, but I can't say they weren't memorable. This might be a book that grows on me and/or that I revisit down the line.
October 10, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.
Be Good Be Real Be Crazy was a book I requested on a whim - I had read some excellent things about Chelsey Philpot's debut, Even in Paradise. Yet I felt Be Good Be Real Be Crazy was an average read. It was a quick, light read but it was one that it did not leave a big impact on me.
Homer has fallen in love with Mia, a mysterious girl who happened upon his fathers' shop in Florida. But now Mia is moving away, and Homer can't bear to see her go so he, along with his brother Einstein, drive her to her new destination, hundreds of miles away. In case you didn't guess it, this book is a road-trip book. Yet it was one I felt didn't quite hit the mark.
Homer was a bit of a dull character and I found that it was Mia that made this book worth reading, along with other side characters such as his brother Einstein and his fathers, and the people they met on their journey, such as Renata. I didn't feel connected to the characters at all, even the ones that I rather enjoyed. I didn't feel that there was much in the way of plot - what exactly was the point of the story? I don't know. Honestly. Finding themselves? Homer pining over Mia?
Though I did enjoy Philpot's writing and I enjoyed the style of it, I just couldn't connect with the characters nor the story. It was still a quick summer read, and one I would recommend if that's what you're looking for but it was certainly lacking something that would have made this a memorable read.
Like I said, I enjoyed Philpot's writing and I think she has talent, but I don't think that this book was one for me.
Be Good Be Real Be Crazy was a book I requested on a whim - I had read some excellent things about Chelsey Philpot's debut, Even in Paradise. Yet I felt Be Good Be Real Be Crazy was an average read. It was a quick, light read but it was one that it did not leave a big impact on me.
Homer has fallen in love with Mia, a mysterious girl who happened upon his fathers' shop in Florida. But now Mia is moving away, and Homer can't bear to see her go so he, along with his brother Einstein, drive her to her new destination, hundreds of miles away. In case you didn't guess it, this book is a road-trip book. Yet it was one I felt didn't quite hit the mark.
Homer was a bit of a dull character and I found that it was Mia that made this book worth reading, along with other side characters such as his brother Einstein and his fathers, and the people they met on their journey, such as Renata. I didn't feel connected to the characters at all, even the ones that I rather enjoyed. I didn't feel that there was much in the way of plot - what exactly was the point of the story? I don't know. Honestly. Finding themselves? Homer pining over Mia?
Though I did enjoy Philpot's writing and I enjoyed the style of it, I just couldn't connect with the characters nor the story. It was still a quick summer read, and one I would recommend if that's what you're looking for but it was certainly lacking something that would have made this a memorable read.
Like I said, I enjoyed Philpot's writing and I think she has talent, but I don't think that this book was one for me.
June 30, 2018
Rozhodne to bolo veľmi fajn, oddychové čítanie. Samotný príbeh bol zaujímavý, keďže je to niečo ako roadtrip a objavovanie samého seba atď. Ale postavy mi prišli hrozne nevýrazné. Autorka na nich zapracovala, mali svoje osobnosti a charakteristické vlastnosti, ale prišli mi hrozne nemastné-neslané, boli mi jedno, či sa im niečo stane, či sú smutní, tešia sa a podobne. Zaujímavé boli aj tie kratučké kapitoly o každom novom človeku a jeho minulosti. Autorka píše dobre, číta sa to dobre, ale nepadla som z toho na zadok. Malo to veľa pekných myšlienok, zaujímavú problematiku aj postavy mali zaujímavé myšlienkové pochody. Fajn čítanie, ale prežijete bez toho.
October 12, 2016
Some people find it easy to suspend their disbelief in works of fiction. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people... and that is largely why this book didn’t work for me. Be Good Be Real Be Crazy was meant to be a contemporary road trip story but felt more like magical realism with all its crazy coincidences and serendipitous moments. I could not believe a single word of it and consequently, found it really hard to get into the story, It was obviously trying very hard to be quirky and modern but personally, I found that incredibly off-putting. It felt way too forced and I just cannot stress enough how ridiculously serendipitous the road trip was. It was so unbelievable!
The characters did no favours for the story. Homer, our protagonist, had no personality! He said sorry a lot and was pining over Mia - that’s about the extent of his characterisation. Boring, much? Absolutely! I also could not stand Mia who was undoubtedly a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, to the tee. She was incredibly immature and spouted nonsense that Homer lapped up like a parched dog. Their romance was so unnecessary and dramatised that it did nothing for me. Einstein, Homer’s brother, was another missed opportunity. He was meant to be this thirteen-year-old genius that was already working on his dissertation at college but I didn’t buy it for a second. He acted like a goofball and showed no real/believable enthusiasm for anything other than this band called Apollo Aces. He also - according to Homer - rambled about science all the time and was socially awkward, but we never saw him do any of this? He was more socially capable than Homer! Anyway, I will concede and say that I liked Sid and Apollo a lot. I wish we got more time with both of them.
Overall?
I really was not a fan of this story. Philpot’s writing style felt really fake like it was trying incredibly hard to be modern and quirky. The plotline was just ridiculous. It was so unbelievable that it was almost nonsensical. I wish I could elaborate but I won’t because spoilers. I definitely do not recommend this book but I guess that - if I had to - I would pitch it as Signs Point to Yes meets the cast of Burning Midnight (minus the sci-fi stuff). I’ve heard mixed things about Philpot’s debt too so I think I’ll give it a miss.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
The characters did no favours for the story. Homer, our protagonist, had no personality! He said sorry a lot and was pining over Mia - that’s about the extent of his characterisation. Boring, much? Absolutely! I also could not stand Mia who was undoubtedly a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, to the tee. She was incredibly immature and spouted nonsense that Homer lapped up like a parched dog. Their romance was so unnecessary and dramatised that it did nothing for me. Einstein, Homer’s brother, was another missed opportunity. He was meant to be this thirteen-year-old genius that was already working on his dissertation at college but I didn’t buy it for a second. He acted like a goofball and showed no real/believable enthusiasm for anything other than this band called Apollo Aces. He also - according to Homer - rambled about science all the time and was socially awkward, but we never saw him do any of this? He was more socially capable than Homer! Anyway, I will concede and say that I liked Sid and Apollo a lot. I wish we got more time with both of them.
Overall?
I really was not a fan of this story. Philpot’s writing style felt really fake like it was trying incredibly hard to be modern and quirky. The plotline was just ridiculous. It was so unbelievable that it was almost nonsensical. I wish I could elaborate but I won’t because spoilers. I definitely do not recommend this book but I guess that - if I had to - I would pitch it as Signs Point to Yes meets the cast of Burning Midnight (minus the sci-fi stuff). I’ve heard mixed things about Philpot’s debt too so I think I’ll give it a miss.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
December 10, 2018
RATING: 5 stars
THIS IS A MASTERPIECE!
And yes, I am screaming right now because how did it happen that I ignored this book for months when I should have read it the moment I got my hands on a copy of this Chelsey Philpot gem. But before my emotion overflows, I’ll write an honest review for this read first.
Chelsey Philpot’s Be Good Be Real Be Crazy is the whirlwind adventure read that will make its way to the heart of the readers. A light read with realistic punch and take on friendship, love, and finding purpose her in this gigantic planet, this book is a well-crafted contemporary that will appeal to the fans of John Green’s Looking For Alaska and Adi Alsaid’s Let’s Get Lost.
Generally, the story circles on the struggle of Homer Finn, an adopted teen characterized as tall, shy, apologetic, and gentle giant, on confessing his hidden affection for Mia Marquez, a beautiful stranger-slash-tourist who stayed in the small island in Florida. The plot started with the introduction of Homer’s love to Mia—how it started and how it bloomed— and the adventure took off when Mia announced that she’ll be coming back to her orphanage bestfriend Dotts in a place called Glory-to-be.
With this revelation, Homer initiated to drive Mia off to her destination but Christian and D.B., Homer’s foster parents, agreed with the deal that Einstein, Homer’s younger brother who is a big fan of Apollo Aces and science, particularly in the study of probable doom, existential risks, and apocalyptic possibilities on the significant dangers and slim rewards of the giant atom accelerators, will accompany them in their trouvaille. And there began the compelling story of wandering, unexpected friendships, and life-altering decisions that changed, be it good or bad, the main characters’ view on life.
What I loved about this book is how light the entirety of this book’s storyline is. I mean, who would imagine that a simple plot like the abovementioned one (together with an extra scoop of science theories and a whole lot of parables) will create a book that has a huge impact on its readers.
Though the shy-boy-secretly-loves-the-queen-bee trope seems a bit of a cliché, Chelsey made her own way of adjusting the colors to create a wonderful masterpiece. For example, the addition of Einstein and his nerdy fondness with giant atom accelerators and the world’s end surely added a comedic punch to the Homer-and-Mia tandem. I also noticed the introduction of diverse characters in the names of Christian and D.B., Renata, and Sid, and how it successfully complemented with the flavors of the MC’s character development.
Also, I also highlighted the inclusion of parables in each of every character introduced in the plot like it was a sort of a short story breather in every sub-plot narrated in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book especially that last part where the gang attended the I-9 conference, particularly that scene with Dr. Az’ speech. That heartrending scene will be one of the best scene in my entire reading experience this 2018. So before I spoiled with what happened with this book, head off to the nearest bookshop or check their website and order a copy of this book because this book is, literally, life-changing. That’s it. Ciao!
BEST QUOTE/S:
“Most places aren’t like the island. The real world isn’t as accepting of people who don’t fit its models. May people see ‘different’ as danger. This scares them. And when people get scared, they do stupid things.”
“If you believe in gravity, you already believe in something higher than yourself.”
“It’s a beautiful desperation, really, to need to believe, to actually believe, that it’s right there, just on the horizon, and it will be ours someday.”
“Love. The greatest man-made disaster in a world that’s full of them. Poets say love is forever. Country singers, that it’s something you drown in beer and cheap whiskey. Meanwhile, the men in white coats blame love on hormones, evolution, and chemicals in our brains. You could ask every person here what love is, and you’d get a different answer each time.”
“Human beings are like planets. We have individual orbits that overlap in places, but whether or not we meet at the overlaps is all about timing and chance. But that possibility is enough to keep us spinning in circles.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps, more often than not, suffering has no meaning and cannot be anticipated. Perhaps the future, the present, and the past are all full of unknowable unknowns. Perhaps this is not a problem we can solve. It’s a paradox we need to accept.”
THIS IS A MASTERPIECE!
And yes, I am screaming right now because how did it happen that I ignored this book for months when I should have read it the moment I got my hands on a copy of this Chelsey Philpot gem. But before my emotion overflows, I’ll write an honest review for this read first.
Chelsey Philpot’s Be Good Be Real Be Crazy is the whirlwind adventure read that will make its way to the heart of the readers. A light read with realistic punch and take on friendship, love, and finding purpose her in this gigantic planet, this book is a well-crafted contemporary that will appeal to the fans of John Green’s Looking For Alaska and Adi Alsaid’s Let’s Get Lost.
Generally, the story circles on the struggle of Homer Finn, an adopted teen characterized as tall, shy, apologetic, and gentle giant, on confessing his hidden affection for Mia Marquez, a beautiful stranger-slash-tourist who stayed in the small island in Florida. The plot started with the introduction of Homer’s love to Mia—how it started and how it bloomed— and the adventure took off when Mia announced that she’ll be coming back to her orphanage bestfriend Dotts in a place called Glory-to-be.
With this revelation, Homer initiated to drive Mia off to her destination but Christian and D.B., Homer’s foster parents, agreed with the deal that Einstein, Homer’s younger brother who is a big fan of Apollo Aces and science, particularly in the study of probable doom, existential risks, and apocalyptic possibilities on the significant dangers and slim rewards of the giant atom accelerators, will accompany them in their trouvaille. And there began the compelling story of wandering, unexpected friendships, and life-altering decisions that changed, be it good or bad, the main characters’ view on life.
What I loved about this book is how light the entirety of this book’s storyline is. I mean, who would imagine that a simple plot like the abovementioned one (together with an extra scoop of science theories and a whole lot of parables) will create a book that has a huge impact on its readers.
Though the shy-boy-secretly-loves-the-queen-bee trope seems a bit of a cliché, Chelsey made her own way of adjusting the colors to create a wonderful masterpiece. For example, the addition of Einstein and his nerdy fondness with giant atom accelerators and the world’s end surely added a comedic punch to the Homer-and-Mia tandem. I also noticed the introduction of diverse characters in the names of Christian and D.B., Renata, and Sid, and how it successfully complemented with the flavors of the MC’s character development.
Also, I also highlighted the inclusion of parables in each of every character introduced in the plot like it was a sort of a short story breather in every sub-plot narrated in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book especially that last part where the gang attended the I-9 conference, particularly that scene with Dr. Az’ speech. That heartrending scene will be one of the best scene in my entire reading experience this 2018. So before I spoiled with what happened with this book, head off to the nearest bookshop or check their website and order a copy of this book because this book is, literally, life-changing. That’s it. Ciao!
BEST QUOTE/S:
“Most places aren’t like the island. The real world isn’t as accepting of people who don’t fit its models. May people see ‘different’ as danger. This scares them. And when people get scared, they do stupid things.”
“If you believe in gravity, you already believe in something higher than yourself.”
“It’s a beautiful desperation, really, to need to believe, to actually believe, that it’s right there, just on the horizon, and it will be ours someday.”
“Love. The greatest man-made disaster in a world that’s full of them. Poets say love is forever. Country singers, that it’s something you drown in beer and cheap whiskey. Meanwhile, the men in white coats blame love on hormones, evolution, and chemicals in our brains. You could ask every person here what love is, and you’d get a different answer each time.”
“Human beings are like planets. We have individual orbits that overlap in places, but whether or not we meet at the overlaps is all about timing and chance. But that possibility is enough to keep us spinning in circles.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps, more often than not, suffering has no meaning and cannot be anticipated. Perhaps the future, the present, and the past are all full of unknowable unknowns. Perhaps this is not a problem we can solve. It’s a paradox we need to accept.”
January 16, 2017
Homer is happily living his life with his brother, Einstein, and their 2 dads in a small town in Florida. Then along comes Mia – pretty, independent, self-assured, and pregnant. There’s just something special about this girl and she quickly becomes like one of the family and Homer is falling in love. So when she decides that it’s time to move on – to find an old friend who’s offered her a place to live – it’s not too weird for Homer, Einstein, and Mia to pile into an old beater car they call the Banana and head north. Along the way they meet some pretty strange & quirky people and discover that things don’t always work our as expected.
I loved this book. Homer, Mia, Einstein, and Sid are great characters. The story is funny and sweet and sad and tugs at every heartstring. I laughed, cried, and sighed. The roadtrip storyline alternates with “parables” that tell the backstories of each character that read like fairytales adding to the emotion of the story. With little or no profanity, only some kissing & cuddling, and a message of friendship, love, and being yourself, this is recommended for all teens, middle school and up.
I loved this book. Homer, Mia, Einstein, and Sid are great characters. The story is funny and sweet and sad and tugs at every heartstring. I laughed, cried, and sighed. The roadtrip storyline alternates with “parables” that tell the backstories of each character that read like fairytales adding to the emotion of the story. With little or no profanity, only some kissing & cuddling, and a message of friendship, love, and being yourself, this is recommended for all teens, middle school and up.
October 21, 2016
Two years after the release of her debut novel, Even in Paradise, Chelsey Philpot shows how her yarn-spinning skills have been honed by the writing process.
In Be Good Be Real Be Crazy, we follow Homer and Einstein, a pair of adoptive teenage brothers as they shepherd the entrancing Mia from their home in the Florida keys up the Eastern seaboard to New England. Philpot maximizes the road trip motif by expertly weaving poignant vignettes into her protagonists' drive, allowing a charmingly eclectic cast of characters to illustrate the texture of human life and experience.
Even in Paradise introduced us to a writer fond of delicious, toothsome language and detailed character development. With Be Good Be Real Be Crazy, Philpot complements her skillful prose and intimate character knowledge with a newfound level of plot mastery to provide turns both surprising and seamless. I hated to put it down and can't wait to see what she writes next(!)
In Be Good Be Real Be Crazy, we follow Homer and Einstein, a pair of adoptive teenage brothers as they shepherd the entrancing Mia from their home in the Florida keys up the Eastern seaboard to New England. Philpot maximizes the road trip motif by expertly weaving poignant vignettes into her protagonists' drive, allowing a charmingly eclectic cast of characters to illustrate the texture of human life and experience.
Even in Paradise introduced us to a writer fond of delicious, toothsome language and detailed character development. With Be Good Be Real Be Crazy, Philpot complements her skillful prose and intimate character knowledge with a newfound level of plot mastery to provide turns both surprising and seamless. I hated to put it down and can't wait to see what she writes next(!)
September 26, 2016
I am actually amazed by some of the reviews, particularly the one that noted this book was less believable because of stranger danger - I think it is all the more believable because of this; children still have an innocence about them and although their parents have warned them, there is a naivety and a desire to see the good in others that is still innate in them. I LOVED this book. While I thoroughly enjoyed Philpot's debut novel "Even in Paradise" BGBRBC was so much more. I found myself unable to put it down. The character development was great and it is the overall message I, as a parent, want to instill in my children - be yourselves, be kind, and don't lose yourself to others. In our current world, with so many examples of hate, this was such a refreshing message of the power of peace, love, and unity.
September 29, 2016
To say that I adored this book would be a gross understatement. Although I loved Chelsey's debut novel "Even in Paradise," I was simply spellbound by BGBRBC. The dialogue between the characters reminded me of John Green's "Looking for Alaska," or E. Lochart's "We Were Liars." BGBRBC will speak to not only the hearts of teenagers seeking an adventure beyond the social constraints of their friendships, but to adults who are looking to escape the responsibilities of their everyday lives and just be young again.
December 8, 2016
SO ADORABLE!!!!
April 13, 2018
This was a cute teen romance that is, unusually, from the boy's perspective. Homer has fallen in love with Mia, the unusual girl who is living in a boat in the parking lot of his fathers' tourist gift shop. But Mia has bigger problems than where she's living -- she's pregnant and has no family. The only plan that makes sense to her is to head north to Massachusetts and find her favorite foster sister, who said she'd always give her a place to stay. But Homer can't let her make the trip alone, and after some cajoling his fathers agree to let him drive her -- as long as he takes along his little brother, Einstein. Einstein has a detour in mind after they drop Mia off -- he wants to ultimately end up at a conference about the end of the world.
And so begins a wacky, wild road trip, where they meet some unusual characters and things don't go exactly as planned. It's a fun, sad story, but it's definitely not realistic. The whole thing has almost a fairy tale feel to it, which is added to by the addition of "parables" throughout the story, which usually explain some bit of a character's or place's history. I'm not sure exactly how it would be categorized -- it's definitely not fantasy, and I don't think it's quite magical realism either. There's no magic, just things that wouldn't really happen.
Regardless, I thought it was a cute story even if things don't end quite how anyone expected.
And so begins a wacky, wild road trip, where they meet some unusual characters and things don't go exactly as planned. It's a fun, sad story, but it's definitely not realistic. The whole thing has almost a fairy tale feel to it, which is added to by the addition of "parables" throughout the story, which usually explain some bit of a character's or place's history. I'm not sure exactly how it would be categorized -- it's definitely not fantasy, and I don't think it's quite magical realism either. There's no magic, just things that wouldn't really happen.
Regardless, I thought it was a cute story even if things don't end quite how anyone expected.
July 11, 2017
*NO SPOILERS*
“For fans of Mosquitoland and Paper Towns” (Goodreads). That is a bunch of lies! Mosquitoland is one of my all-time favorite books and this one was nothing like it. I honestly don’t know how I even finished this book, it was slow in the beginning but I thought it would pick up. I was wrong, I managed to push through to the end, but I was completely bored the whole time. The story itself was supposed to be of a road trip from Florida to somewhere way up north, but there weren’t any adventures. I picked up this book mainly because it was a road trip book. In these types of books, you expect there to be spontaneous stops and awesome adventures, I didn’t get any of that in this book. I wanted a whole lot more from this book. Out of all my TBR this one I was the most excited about, and it let me down. Not only was the story uninteresting, the writing style wasn’t for me. The only thing I liked about this book was this one quote: “Human beings are like planets. We have individual orbits that overlap in places, but whether or not we meet at the overlaps is all about timing and chance. But that possibility is enough to keep us spinning in circles.” I was really hoping this would be a light, fun beach read and I would love it, but it wasn’t and I didn’t like it at all. I won’t do a spoiler section because it would just be me complaining about everything.
“For fans of Mosquitoland and Paper Towns” (Goodreads). That is a bunch of lies! Mosquitoland is one of my all-time favorite books and this one was nothing like it. I honestly don’t know how I even finished this book, it was slow in the beginning but I thought it would pick up. I was wrong, I managed to push through to the end, but I was completely bored the whole time. The story itself was supposed to be of a road trip from Florida to somewhere way up north, but there weren’t any adventures. I picked up this book mainly because it was a road trip book. In these types of books, you expect there to be spontaneous stops and awesome adventures, I didn’t get any of that in this book. I wanted a whole lot more from this book. Out of all my TBR this one I was the most excited about, and it let me down. Not only was the story uninteresting, the writing style wasn’t for me. The only thing I liked about this book was this one quote: “Human beings are like planets. We have individual orbits that overlap in places, but whether or not we meet at the overlaps is all about timing and chance. But that possibility is enough to keep us spinning in circles.” I was really hoping this would be a light, fun beach read and I would love it, but it wasn’t and I didn’t like it at all. I won’t do a spoiler section because it would just be me complaining about everything.
Want to read
July 23, 2019Chelsey Philpot has written another book and I did not know about it for three years? Unacceptable! I must read this now!
January 10, 2017
This book got very boring at some parts and I lost interest quickly. There were some parts that could've been more descriptive, in my opinion. I also wish the book ended differently.
June 20, 2017
It was aight. Kinda boring but it was kinda interesting.
December 15, 2017
I liked the road trip theme and I loved the main cast of characters and how the relationships develop.
May 14, 2018
Actual rating: 2.75 stars
May 21, 2019
So good!
August 29, 2020
It was a good book, but a lot of it just didn't make sense.
July 24, 2021
so good. one of the most influential stories for middle school me. amazing characters and memorable moments. reminds us what it means to be human
October 27, 2016
[ Won an ARC courtesy of NBS x EpicReads on #MIBF2016 ]
2.5/5 Stars
I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. The story was dragging, which is probably because of the author's writing style. The ending was the only good part about it, imo.
2.5/5 Stars
I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. The story was dragging, which is probably because of the author's writing style. The ending was the only good part about it, imo.
October 27, 2016
I picked up Be Good Be Real Be Crazy because I really liked Even In Paradise. Unfortunately, this one wasn't nearly as awesome as I hoped.
Shy Homer is impossibly in love with Mia. Impossible because a girl like that could never return his feelings. But being a typical myrtar of unrequitted love, Homer decides to further torture himself by offering to drive his (very pregnant, but not by Homer) dream girl from southern Florida to her new home in Glory-Be-By-The-Sea, a postcard New England town. Accompanying them on their road trip will be Homer's doomsday-obsessed little brother, Einstein, who, true to his name, is a certified brainiac. And their mode of transportation? It's ugly, it's smelly, and it's very, VERY yellow. Like, rotten banana/Minion/taxi cab from hell yellow. Homer's mission: To confess his feelings to Mia and, maybe, convince her to stay with him and live happily ever after.
If this sounds like the typical setup for a typical road trip story, you're absolutely right. It is.
Be Good Be Real Be Crazy reads more like a collection of random cliches than a linear story. Things switch gears a lot to introduce characters and concepts, and these transitions are kind of jarring.
Mia is the stereotypical Manic-Pixie-Dream-Girl. She dyes her hair unnatural colors, revels in cloud shapes, shoplifts junk jewelry (but it's ok, because she can charm her way out of trouble), and has a deliberstely mysterious past (because, of course, she's a fabulous liar). She's so quirky she's almost ordinary for a MPDG. She's more caricature than character, and that made her hard to relate to (or even care much about). As a reader, I've encountered countless MPDGs in my literary travels. They're generally bluring together and becoming, if anything, unremarkable.
Homer and Einstein are equally quirky and have equal amounts of personal baggage, but they're, at least, more sympathetic.
As is typical with road trip stories, Homer, Mia, and Einstein encounter a series of unusual characters, eat bad road trip food, take photos on disposable cameras, and have a series of unfortunate (and also fortunate) things happen to them. Drama and angst and ghosts from the past abound. And then...the bittersweet resolution that has everyone looking fondly, whistfully, back over their shoulders at what could have been. If only.... *sign* It would have been tragically romantic if I hadn't been rolling my eyes by this point.
My overall reaction to Be Good Be Real Be Crazy was lukewarm, at best. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. I'll definitely keep reading this author, though. I mean, even the Greats had sophomore book slumps.
Shy Homer is impossibly in love with Mia. Impossible because a girl like that could never return his feelings. But being a typical myrtar of unrequitted love, Homer decides to further torture himself by offering to drive his (very pregnant, but not by Homer) dream girl from southern Florida to her new home in Glory-Be-By-The-Sea, a postcard New England town. Accompanying them on their road trip will be Homer's doomsday-obsessed little brother, Einstein, who, true to his name, is a certified brainiac. And their mode of transportation? It's ugly, it's smelly, and it's very, VERY yellow. Like, rotten banana/Minion/taxi cab from hell yellow. Homer's mission: To confess his feelings to Mia and, maybe, convince her to stay with him and live happily ever after.
If this sounds like the typical setup for a typical road trip story, you're absolutely right. It is.
Be Good Be Real Be Crazy reads more like a collection of random cliches than a linear story. Things switch gears a lot to introduce characters and concepts, and these transitions are kind of jarring.
Mia is the stereotypical Manic-Pixie-Dream-Girl. She dyes her hair unnatural colors, revels in cloud shapes, shoplifts junk jewelry (but it's ok, because she can charm her way out of trouble), and has a deliberstely mysterious past (because, of course, she's a fabulous liar). She's so quirky she's almost ordinary for a MPDG. She's more caricature than character, and that made her hard to relate to (or even care much about). As a reader, I've encountered countless MPDGs in my literary travels. They're generally bluring together and becoming, if anything, unremarkable.
Homer and Einstein are equally quirky and have equal amounts of personal baggage, but they're, at least, more sympathetic.
As is typical with road trip stories, Homer, Mia, and Einstein encounter a series of unusual characters, eat bad road trip food, take photos on disposable cameras, and have a series of unfortunate (and also fortunate) things happen to them. Drama and angst and ghosts from the past abound. And then...the bittersweet resolution that has everyone looking fondly, whistfully, back over their shoulders at what could have been. If only.... *sign* It would have been tragically romantic if I hadn't been rolling my eyes by this point.
My overall reaction to Be Good Be Real Be Crazy was lukewarm, at best. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. I'll definitely keep reading this author, though. I mean, even the Greats had sophomore book slumps.
July 9, 2016
This book is the story of a good, wholesome boy who falls in love with a mysterious whirlwind of a girl. Homer and his brother Einstein are living in South Florida with their adoptive dads who run a souvenir shop. One day, Mia walks in with all her charm and gets hired. Homer, a recent high school graduate himself, finds himself falling in love with an 18 year-old pregnant girl, whom his parents adore. Her pregnancy, however, is not a major factor of the overall story, of course it is mentioned frequently, but it doesn’t hinder her character.
The plot of the story thickens when Mia’s houseboat burns down and she decides to decline Homer’s dads’ offers to live with them and find where one of her foster sisters lives across the country and make the road trip herself. Homer and his brother offer to go with her, and the trip begins.
Along the way, these young people face plenty of detours and meet many new characters. One thing I enjoyed throughout this book that this author did, is that every chapter after a new character was introduced she would have a short “parable” about them to explain their background. Which, I felt, made the story a bit more personal.
Eventually, after many events, Mia ends up stealing the vehicle, Einstein gets a broken wrist, and a “bad boy” rock star helps the brothers and a friend made along the way get to a convention, which was one of Einstein’s conditions for joining the road trip in the first place. Mia shows up once more and conflicts are resolved.
I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t at all a bad read - it just didn’t have that umph. I felt a little complacent at times while reading it and I wasn’t rushing to pick it up every time I had put it down.
However, I did my best to not spoil any big events from the plot with too many details, so if you would like to know more, it’s worth giving the book a chance.
http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2016...
The plot of the story thickens when Mia’s houseboat burns down and she decides to decline Homer’s dads’ offers to live with them and find where one of her foster sisters lives across the country and make the road trip herself. Homer and his brother offer to go with her, and the trip begins.
Along the way, these young people face plenty of detours and meet many new characters. One thing I enjoyed throughout this book that this author did, is that every chapter after a new character was introduced she would have a short “parable” about them to explain their background. Which, I felt, made the story a bit more personal.
Eventually, after many events, Mia ends up stealing the vehicle, Einstein gets a broken wrist, and a “bad boy” rock star helps the brothers and a friend made along the way get to a convention, which was one of Einstein’s conditions for joining the road trip in the first place. Mia shows up once more and conflicts are resolved.
I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t at all a bad read - it just didn’t have that umph. I felt a little complacent at times while reading it and I wasn’t rushing to pick it up every time I had put it down.
However, I did my best to not spoil any big events from the plot with too many details, so if you would like to know more, it’s worth giving the book a chance.
http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2016...
December 27, 2016
This book was read and reviewed by my co-worker, Nicole
“Be Good Be Real Be Crazy” is like a mix of John Green, Francesca Lia Block, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” and classics thrown together.
The story follows Homer, a teenage whom has lived on a tiny island off of Florida with his two dads and genius brother Einstein, his whole entire life. Till one day, Mia rushes in and upturns his world. Mia, an aged out foster kid, with fruit punch hair- is expecting, and is leaving Florida. Homer desperately wants Mia to stay, and offers to drive her up towards Maine in the hopes he can convince her to stay.
Their car is a smelly old neon yellow thing they nickname Banana. Along the way they run into a variety of characters to include: an oracle, who pays the price of her knowledge with scars; a sheltered homeschooled boy, a transgender cabaret singer, a super pop singer, and a scientist whom has predicted the end of the world.
After we meet some of these characters we get “parables” for each of them with names like The Parable of the Girl Who Would Chose Her Own Name…. each of these feels like you are reading a miniature fairytale. There is very little language, sexual references and drinking in this book.
I would highly recommend it for teens who want a light, fun read and enjoy realistic fiction.
“Be Good Be Real Be Crazy” is like a mix of John Green, Francesca Lia Block, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” and classics thrown together.
The story follows Homer, a teenage whom has lived on a tiny island off of Florida with his two dads and genius brother Einstein, his whole entire life. Till one day, Mia rushes in and upturns his world. Mia, an aged out foster kid, with fruit punch hair- is expecting, and is leaving Florida. Homer desperately wants Mia to stay, and offers to drive her up towards Maine in the hopes he can convince her to stay.
Their car is a smelly old neon yellow thing they nickname Banana. Along the way they run into a variety of characters to include: an oracle, who pays the price of her knowledge with scars; a sheltered homeschooled boy, a transgender cabaret singer, a super pop singer, and a scientist whom has predicted the end of the world.
After we meet some of these characters we get “parables” for each of them with names like The Parable of the Girl Who Would Chose Her Own Name…. each of these feels like you are reading a miniature fairytale. There is very little language, sexual references and drinking in this book.
I would highly recommend it for teens who want a light, fun read and enjoy realistic fiction.
September 29, 2016
Serendipitously, I happened to come across a copy of BGBRBC earlier this month and, for the first time in recent memory, had the opportunity to read a new book without interruption or shaped expectations (I neither read Philpot's first novel, nor searched reviews of her recent publication). Although I am outside the targeted demographic, I was instantly captivated by the curious characters and developing plot line. What's more, this book pulled me in deeper with each passing page and ever-broadening subject matter encountered at each twist and turn.
Homer, Mia and Einstein do find themselves in outlandish situations, however. With that said, the surreal facets of the book, when interwoven and simultaneously juxtaposed with the real world and relatable themes, are what I found so interesting and fun. Indeed, I found myself thinking of the Big Fish and even the Wizard of Oz after I finished this read.
I highly recommend this exceedingly creative novel and further recommend that it is read with an imaginative embrace. I most definitively did and found it to be one heck of a story.
Homer, Mia and Einstein do find themselves in outlandish situations, however. With that said, the surreal facets of the book, when interwoven and simultaneously juxtaposed with the real world and relatable themes, are what I found so interesting and fun. Indeed, I found myself thinking of the Big Fish and even the Wizard of Oz after I finished this read.
I highly recommend this exceedingly creative novel and further recommend that it is read with an imaginative embrace. I most definitively did and found it to be one heck of a story.
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