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karrama's review
5.0
Covers a lot of hard topics and doesn't do it disrespectfully. The porcupine of Truth doesn't give you a stopping point where putting the book down is an option.
emrodav's review
4.0
(This is maybe actually closer to 3.5 stars, but I liked enough that I'll round up.)
Pros:
-Good characterization (yes even including Carson). Even when they're not likable or are actively pretty unlikeable, you still care. My personal faves were Aisha and Turk.
-The epic journey. It's a cliche in YA that coming-of-age novels have symbolic road trips. This one actually worked.
-A really moving and emotional final third part. I cried like a baby.
-Character development. Yes, Carson kind of sucks for a lot of the book, but he (and also Aisha) grow and learn.
-Dumb jokes. They're stupid and I like them.
Cons:
-Carson is annoying. As I said, I do think he grows a lot, but if you're not patient and willing to slog through him being kind of awful for the first 150 pages, you're SOL. Also, his obsession with getting with Aisha was creepy and weird.
-The religion thing. I get that it's important and plays a role and Carson and Aisha are trying to navigate what they think with what others think. There's just so much of it that it gets kind of annoying and repetitive.
So the pros outweighed the cons for me with this one. It's by no means a perfect book, but it was enjoyable and I'm glad I read it.
Pros:
-Good characterization (yes even including Carson). Even when they're not likable or are actively pretty unlikeable, you still care. My personal faves were Aisha and Turk.
-The epic journey. It's a cliche in YA that coming-of-age novels have symbolic road trips. This one actually worked.
-A really moving and emotional final third part. I cried like a baby.
-Character development. Yes, Carson kind of sucks for a lot of the book, but he (and also Aisha) grow and learn.
-Dumb jokes. They're stupid and I like them.
Cons:
-Carson is annoying. As I said, I do think he grows a lot, but if you're not patient and willing to slog through him being kind of awful for the first 150 pages, you're SOL. Also, his obsession with getting with Aisha
Spoiler
even though she's a lesbian-The religion thing. I get that it's important and plays a role and Carson and Aisha are trying to navigate what they think with what others think. There's just so much of it that it gets kind of annoying and repetitive.
So the pros outweighed the cons for me with this one. It's by no means a perfect book, but it was enjoyable and I'm glad I read it.
reefsharkie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
allysonbogie's review
5.0
Gorgeous book, compelling, honest, multi-layered....this is a great book for 8th grade all the way through to adult. It has some sophisticated themes in terms of discussing alcoholism so some students will be sensitive about that--I wouldn't make a blanket recommendation of this book to 8th graders. But many would be able to handle it, and would love it.
baldmarlin's review
2.0
Not even going to finish it. After reading 50 pages of some dbag trying to figure out a way to get a woman who isn't interested in men to still sleep with him, I had to stop.
My breaking point was him thinking of ways to go into the bathroom and sneak a peek at her while she's showering. Giving a homeless girl a place to stay but he only has the bare minimum of humanity to leave her alone while she gets clean. I don't care if it gets better. I don't care. It's gross to begin with.
My breaking point was him thinking of ways to go into the bathroom and sneak a peek at her while she's showering. Giving a homeless girl a place to stay but he only has the bare minimum of humanity to leave her alone while she gets clean. I don't care if it gets better. I don't care. It's gross to begin with.
lisawreading's review
3.0
This road trip story features two teens searching for meaning and connection, and has some nice moments -- but altogether was a bit of a letdown. The writing is quirky and humorous, but the story itself didn't grab me until close to the end. The plot peaks with the main character discover the truth about a long-lost family member and bringing closure and new hope to his family's saddest stories, and I found this part of the story quite moving. Still, that doesn't quite offset the slog through the road trip details. I loved this author's previous novel (Openly Straight), and look forward to reading the next one, but this one just didn't do it for me.
kpjt_books's review
4.0
This may very well be my favorite thing by Bill Konigsberg. Witty, heartfelt and focused on friendship and what it really means to be family.
fagtian's review
4.0
This book was so entertaining. I usually don't like books about religion but they way Bill approached it in this novel was so good and interesting.
And this was the first time I read a novel with a lesbian character and it was soo good. These characters had the best dialogues ever :)
And this was the first time I read a novel with a lesbian character and it was soo good. These characters had the best dialogues ever :)
tiller's review
challenging
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
dont