Scan barcode
joleneiscool's review against another edition
1.0
dnfed at page 136 worst book i’ve read in a long while don’t read this i hate teenage boys go watch the musical and don’t put urself thru this absolute torture
blurrypetals's review against another edition
3.0
When I found out this had been adapted into a musical, I was pretty damn surprised about it. Ned Vizzini's writing, as I knew it from It's Kind of a Funny Story, is adaptable, sure, but into a musical? I couldn't see it.
Now, though, after listening to the audiobook (which is very short and very well-narrated by Jesse Eisenberg) I kind of wonder how this wasn't a musical sooner in a lot of ways. I haven't listened to or watched anything from the musical, since I wanted to try to read the book first, but adapting this weird story about people in a play into a play seems like one of the more genius moves of the decade thus far, so I'm very, very excited to jump into the cast recordings.
That said, this book is far from being great. It's cute, the idea of a computer being put into a nerd's brain to make him cool is really funny (and makes for some pretty great comedy throughout) but everything flew by so quickly and in such a blasé manner I found myself not really caring about consequences or what little character developments there were, but I am glad it was short, because if it were any longer, I'd have dropped it, just like I did with It's Kind of a Funny Story. Again, it's cute and it's special in its own little facets, but not great.
The musical, however, probably will be.
Now, though, after listening to the audiobook (which is very short and very well-narrated by Jesse Eisenberg) I kind of wonder how this wasn't a musical sooner in a lot of ways. I haven't listened to or watched anything from the musical, since I wanted to try to read the book first, but adapting this weird story about people in a play into a play seems like one of the more genius moves of the decade thus far, so I'm very, very excited to jump into the cast recordings.
That said, this book is far from being great. It's cute, the idea of a computer being put into a nerd's brain to make him cool is really funny (and makes for some pretty great comedy throughout) but everything flew by so quickly and in such a blasé manner I found myself not really caring about consequences or what little character developments there were, but I am glad it was short, because if it were any longer, I'd have dropped it, just like I did with It's Kind of a Funny Story. Again, it's cute and it's special in its own little facets, but not great.
The musical, however, probably will be.
meg510's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lookslikezombies's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
smateer73's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty interesting and completely different from the kind of books I usually read, with a lot of stuff I have absolutely no experience with, but it still shows the unpredictability of teenage lives. It delves into lots of crazy scenes that are pretty uncomfortable at points, and presents a side of teens a lot of people won’t talk about. I’ve seen the musical version based on this book, and the parts that were different were completely unexpected. I would probably give it 3.5 stars.
larrytheladybug's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
headinthebooks's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
if you like the musical, just skip this book - the plot of the musical is better anyways.
if you like the musical, just skip this book - the plot of the musical is better anyways.
rori_does_art's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The second-hand embarrassment you feel for the main character is insane.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Sexism
jess_mango's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5 stars. This is definitely more of an older teen read than a pre-teen read..based on the subject matter and language. I found the concept interesting (a geek eats a "squip", a microcomputer in pill form, that tells him what to do and how to dress in order to be cool and get girls) and the book was witty. However, the end sort of abrupt. But maybe that is how the kids like it these days. ;)