Reviews

It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious 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

3.25

This was a funny and silly ride of a book. I would compare the comedy level to that of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The plot overall didn't feel like much happened, however, I think the goofy nature of the story made it worth the read and fun to follow along with. 

danilatrice87's review

funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

librarianboy's review

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I like a good aside to the reader, but this was excessive! The ADHD representation in the writing was neat though. Halfway through I switched to listening to it, and it’s much better that way!

mikeyandherbooks's review against another edition

This was a fun light read a little juvenile (middle grade duh) but overall enjoyable

readsknitsrepeats's review against another edition

3.0

Maybe closer to 3.5? I loved Eddie and his thoughts! However, the first half of the book seemed like it was a bit too long of a set up.

hdcamp's review against another edition

3.0

It's AP testing season my dudes, and what that means apparently is that since I finished my "Work that can be done outside of the library and without a computer" (which is a short list let me tell you), I got to read this book. The best kind of Calculus test is the one you don't take lol.

This book started off really strong - the narrator's voice is so clear, and his sense of humor is peak, and I was laughing out loud at some of his lines. The cover is great, the scenario is fun. Sometimes it got a little distracted, and for a book about the end of the world, there's almost nothing apocalyptic about this story. I am surprised how disappointed I am by that.

In between getting just a touch bored by the never ending tangential goings-on, I was noticing a lot of plot threads that might make for a really emotional story (which I really love). Everything with Eddie's Real Dad vs. WBD, his relationship with his brother, the way things were left with his mom, the girl he has a crush on - all this made for some really heavy things that would have been great off-set with the over-the-top sillyness of the rest of the story. Instead, the only particularly emotional moment is when Eddie is talking to Trey about the pressure Trey is under because of sports. They talk about Eddie's therapy and his ADHD medication. They grow closer as a result, but Eddie doesn't grow in any way as a result of the conversation (even though he says some interesting things about his Real Dad that could've opened the door for something).

Spoiler

There's no real hope for a sequel, but there is so much left open at the end of this that I'm going crazy.

And me, watching you to make sure you're not cheating

lzprsn's review

funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

dereckhale08's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

imdunn's review against another edition

3.0

This was pretty cute! Eddie had a very distinctive narrative voice, and I don't usually like it when the narrator breaks the fourth wall, but I think it worked in this book. I wasn't expecting there to be a sequel, so I was a bit concerned about how everything was going to wrap up, but that all worked out. I'm excited to continue to the series!

literatehedgehog's review against another edition

3.0

Billed as fantasy/dystopian, really this reads as a humorous summer story, or even a thought experiment: what would happen if a handful of kids had the run of their neighborhood? A live action video game, a major snack attack, a race against the fastest friendly dog on the block...

Eddie is funny, honest, and real. He's a likable character whose tangents are enjoyable - although I wonder how many kids will follow them all thoroughly, especially other neurodivergent kids.

The pacing of the plot feels very off. The beginning stretches out, entirely in the realistic realm, then it's nearly 3/4 of the book before there's more interesting action.

I'm going to pilot this as a student book club this spring. We'll see how it goes.