What About Will - June 2022

[Kadi, Creator]

Kacie I think you put the end spoiler tag in the wrong place😂

[Kacie]

oops I'll have to fix that on my computer lol

[Kacie]

I totally agree with that (about girls) too.

[Kacie]

Oki I fixed my spoiler tags XD

[Kadi, Creator]

I found this in my notes app which I barely remember writing it was very late at night but it’s some interesting thoughts on Will and Trace’s relationship:

(view spoiler)[ It’s so interesting to see how much of a complicated relationship Trace has with Will. Like he’s jealous of the fact that his mum only seems to care about Will but then he cares enough about Will that he also wants her to tell him that so he can be happy. He’s not just bitter, he’s still caring. That’s pretty amazing. I’ve had to deal with favouritism from parents and I know it made me angry and uncaring for while. Things are way different now so I’m all good but reflecting on it I definitely wasn’t mature enough like Trace to still be thinking of the well-being of the person I’d been jealous and resentful of. (hide spoiler)]

Even towards the end I felt a bit like either their relationship was one sided or that they both just showed love in a different way. It was very noticeable and annoying to me that (view spoiler)[ Will never apologised for physically hurting Trace, stealing his money, pawning his glove. And it really hurt to see Trace apologise to Will for not stopping his drug abuse. Will was right in telling him that he couldn’t stop him even if he’d tried to, but what I felt like he should’ve said was told him that it wasn’t even his place to apologise. He didn’t need to. And Trace’s dad afterwards telling him to always tell him in the future if something happens, like how out of it is his dad that he didn’t notice after Trace hinted at it for so long? And then he has the gall to tell him he should trust him and persist telling him things even when he doesn’t understand at first🤦🏻‍♀️ I’m not mad at the dad but it’s just sad for him I guess. (hide spoiler)]

I say all this and it’s easy to judge characters, like I know they’re not real so you don’t always have to hold back on being critical of them. But I know that this kind of stuff does happen to people in real life and I could in no way judge anyone then. I don’t even know how hard it is to have kids and look after them but it must be so much so please know I’m only judging these characters from a critical literary standpoint, not as though they are reflections of real life people or situations.

[Kadi, Creator]

Yes! I’m glad we’re in agreement on that Kacie👏🏻 female empowerment and rights are important!

Also what you said about his mum and Trace’s lack of support system is so true! This is why I love discussing it because I didn’t really think of that but now that you said it it brings to mind how Trace (view spoiler)[ accepted Lily in the end because he said he wanted someone who would be there for him because his mum wasn’t and his dad had work and Will was gone, Lily was reliable and someone who proved she would be there for him. (He also wanted her to be there for his dad in case of when he wouldn’t be, but that was another reason beyond this first reason) (hide spoiler)]

That makes me feel like the conclusion was well wrapped up but ill-timed because it didn’t show much change for Trace. By the end his support system hadn’t changed or improved, it only was hinted that it might be changing in the future.

[Lynn]

Kacie wrote: "they do have Christian themes but I don't think it's super overpowering. like they mention going to church and being angry at God and having to fix their relationship and pray... stuff like that"

Thanks.

[Kadi, Creator]

This book has just been sitting on my currently reading shelf even though I finished it a few days ago😂 I’m struggling to write a review because of all the discussion we had. It’s such great food for thought but makes anything I write seem too simplistic for such a complex topic.

Anyway, how is everyone else doing? Those who were planning on reading it have you managed to find copies yet? Has anyone else started it? Feel free to respond to any of my previous comments if you do😊

[Kelly]

I've obtained it from the library and plan on reading it soon. I'm avoiding the discussion till I start ;-)

[EdenB15]

Starting it tonight!!! My exams r over

[Kadi, Creator]

Kelly wrote: "I've obtained it from the library and plan on reading it soon. I'm avoiding the discussion till I start ;-)"

Smart avoiding the discussion. Most if not all spoilers are hidden in spoiler tags but if you’re anything like me I always get an urge to open them and read them as soon as I see the messages😂

EdenB15 wrote: "Starting it tonight!!! My exams r over"

Ooh how are you finding it so far? Glad your exams are over. It feels good to be free enough to read again doesn’t it!

[EdenB15]

50 pages in and I’m rlly enjoying it so far. It’s super long but I always get is sucked into verse books and read them so fast haha

[EdenB15]

Just finished and rlly enjoyed it

[Kadi, Creator]

Wow that was so fast Eden! What are your final thoughts on it

[Kelly]

Kadi wrote: "Kelly wrote: "I've obtained it from the library and plan on reading it soon. I'm avoiding the discussion till I start ;-)"

Smart avoiding the discussion. Most if not all spoilers are hidden in spo..."

Haha, yes! I'm always way too tempted to read the spoilers! I'll be starting this in a few days.

[EdenB15]

Kadi wrote: "Wow that was so fast Eden! What are your final thoughts on it"

Honestly I did enjoy it. It did make me feel sad but not too the point which some books do where I have to put them away

[EdenB15]

How did u guys find it

[Kadi, Creator]

EdenB15 wrote: "How did u guys find it"

I really enjoyed it! It was very thought provoking. I wish I’d written a review after I’d read it because it’s been a few weeks now and I can’t remember all of my thoughts on it😭 writing a review now is going to be a struggle.

[Kadi, Creator]

So this is kinda random but at the end of last month I was perusing goodreads lists to find new vampire books to read and I came across This MG vampire book called Eighth Grade Bites and I thought it looked cool. Then when I read What About Will it actually mentioned the book! It was such a strange coincidence.
Anyway now I’m reading Eighth Grade Bites and it’s not too bad!

[Kacie]

wow! it's crazy when things like that happen!

[Kacie]

haha I started that book a few months ago... XD

[Kadi, Creator]

Kacie wrote: "haha I started that book a few months ago... XD"

But you didn't end up finishing it? Or...?
It's got some really harsh reviews but I'm quite enjoying it. It's not even as badly written as the reviews suggest, the writing flows at least. It's a little simplistic but there are actually some attempts at good emotional characterisation and I'm not even a quarter in yet. It's already 3 stars for me at this point, although it could still tank from here.

Sometimes I feel like non-mg readers really don't know what to expect from mg books and then they come out with super harsh critiques that from an mg standpoint make no sense. I feel like maybe this book is a victim of that.

[Kacie]

I read the sample on Kindle. I didn't feel like buying the book tho. I have been looking for a good vampire book so I should finish it one day XD

yeah I totally agree!! like you have to think about the audience for mg books...

[Kadi, Creator]

Kacie wrote: "I read the sample on Kindle. I didn't feel like buying the book tho. I have been looking for a good vampire book so I should finish it one day XD..."

Omg I have recently fallen into this habit and I absolutely love it. I don't know why it took me so long to do this but reading kindle samples is amazing. It helps me decide if I want to read the book and if I don't enjoy the sample I can just drop it without feeling obligated to log it as DNF on goodreads like I would have to if I had started the ebook instead. Plus it feels so great after finishing the kindle sample and opening the ebook on my kindle to continue reading the book to find I read like 10% or 15%. It feels like starting the book with a head start.
Sorry that was so random but I love it😂 It has helped me read so many books lately that I probably wouldn't have read otherwise.

If you're looking for a good vampire book you should check out: The Vampire's Photograph. It's a great MG vampire series!
And I recently read Glass Houses which is YA vampire but pretty good too!
Oh and how could I forget! Department Nineteen!!! Best vampire series!! It's like MG+ but gets more YA by the last books in the series.
Yeah I really love vampires😂 I have a shelf just for them!

[Kelly]

Kadi wrote: "Ok guys so I’m one quarter through! The 1/4 mark starts from the chapter titled: “Despite Tossing and Turning” and here are some of my thoughts:

The new girl on the team:
I am not here for the se..."

(view spoiler)[ I was happy to see how fast Trace got over his shock that a girl could play baseball. Some of his comments really rubbed me the wrong way, but then I had to remind myself that he was 12!

The way his dad told him about his girlfriend, yes, I thought it was strange that he had a friend come along. Knowing 12 year olds, this would embarrass them so much! Trace and Will's dad seemed more in tune with them so this seemed odd, I agree. (hide spoiler)]

[Kelly]

So I finally got around to reading this, even though it's July, it kept staring at me! I started yesterday and finished today; super quick read (even though I probably stayed up way too late reading, hehe).

My thoughts mirror a lot of those written out here! It's a three star read for me. I didn't like the formatting of the verse. I've read some kick butt novels in verse for kids, (Moonwalking being a recent one and Out of the Dust probably my favorite so far), and this one sometimes seemed like it might as well have been written normally. It didn't work for me most of the time.

Setting wise, I thought reading about a family living in Vegas was interesting. I thought it added a cool element to the story (definitely no pun intended!) ;-)

The characters were choppy for me. I think the character I liked the best was Cat. She seemed the most real and genuine.

Overall, I'm glad I gave this a read but I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone at my library as like, "You HAVE to read this." :-( I do really appreciate that it focuses on (view spoiler)[ opioid addiction in teens. (hide spoiler)]