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carolynm's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I adored it
abeaninapod's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What did I think? What did I think?!
I think WOW! That's what I think!. Well not "WOW, I've been blown away!" but more like a "Wow, that was SO amazingly good."
Three amazing things (in broad) to love about this book:
1) (à mon avi) Best girl meets boy story ever.
2) feminism...through the eyes of young people and also mentions of feminist authors.
3) a not-so-happy ending that I can handle.
To have a crush on an older is one scary thing but to be 15 and the guy be 21 is unimaginable. And some how after reading Good Oil I feel as if I once experienced this strange and awful thing. Amelia Hayes is like the ultimate 15year old. Old beyond her age. Fancies a bit of reality unlike most teens. But like all 15 year olds full of hormones and self-loathing she happens to have the biggest crush on the "older" guy at work. Yeah the "older guy" by like 6 years. Crikey!
I don't know id I'm just not as worldly as I think I am or that I don't pick up on things as quickly as other people but I was very confused about the location of this story. At first, like all books I read, I started off thinking it was in America. Then when I saw the mention of Donna's mother moving to America I thought "Oh, well England then!" soon to have all dreams crushed and realising it was written about Australia. Good ole Aussie! Never read one from there before.
Anyways. Chris. Ah...Chris. 21 and still writing in a journal diary. It's super cute. And he's struggling with getting over his "one true love" Michaela and hiss on and off again crush on Kathy from Woolies, also feelings he can't act on for aforementioned Amelia who he refers to as the "Youngster". It's really amazing the way Ms Buzo captured the true essence of the story. (I sounded like a complete stick saying that). it was really great. It me as the reader really feel, you know. Understand what Chris as struggling with, what Amelia was trying to deal with. Even the little side stories about Penny's parents and Chris' sister were fun to read.
Once I found myself in the right location things really worked out great in my head. It was fun and cute and all the conversations about feminism that Chris and said Youngster have are really knowledgeable. Loved how she opened his eyes to things going on in his house the way she saw in hers. And I feel encouraged to read some of the book they discussed, just because of the way they described them.
Lastly to end with after the actual "pashing" (Aussie thing that sounds more sexual than it actually is) of Chris and the Youngster and he acknowledges his feelings AND the fact that nothing can come out of them, as long as she is 15, he does something tolerable (not saying) and gets out of the way so she can grieve and whatever. Nice ending. Great point of views. I like when authors can do the POV switcheroo and still manage to distinguish between two completely different characters.
Well done Laura.
Also the miniature "heart-to-heart" between Chris and his mum was one of the nicest things I've ever read , as short as it was. Sigh... well then Laura.
Feeling: Contentment.
I think WOW! That's what I think!. Well not "WOW, I've been blown away!" but more like a "Wow, that was SO amazingly good."
Three amazing things (in broad) to love about this book:
1) (à mon avi) Best girl meets boy story ever.
2) feminism...through the eyes of young people and also mentions of feminist authors.
3) a not-so-happy ending that I can handle.
To have a crush on an older is one scary thing but to be 15 and the guy be 21 is unimaginable. And some how after reading Good Oil I feel as if I once experienced this strange and awful thing. Amelia Hayes is like the ultimate 15year old. Old beyond her age. Fancies a bit of reality unlike most teens. But like all 15 year olds full of hormones and self-loathing she happens to have the biggest crush on the "older" guy at work. Yeah the "older guy" by like 6 years. Crikey!
I don't know id I'm just not as worldly as I think I am or that I don't pick up on things as quickly as other people but I was very confused about the location of this story. At first, like all books I read, I started off thinking it was in America. Then when I saw the mention of Donna's mother moving to America I thought "Oh, well England then!" soon to have all dreams crushed and realising it was written about Australia. Good ole Aussie! Never read one from there before.
Anyways. Chris. Ah...Chris. 21 and still writing in a journal diary. It's super cute. And he's struggling with getting over his "one true love" Michaela and hiss on and off again crush on Kathy from Woolies, also feelings he can't act on for aforementioned Amelia who he refers to as the "Youngster". It's really amazing the way Ms Buzo captured the true essence of the story. (I sounded like a complete stick saying that). it was really great. It me as the reader really feel, you know. Understand what Chris as struggling with, what Amelia was trying to deal with. Even the little side stories about Penny's parents and Chris' sister were fun to read.
Once I found myself in the right location things really worked out great in my head. It was fun and cute and all the conversations about feminism that Chris and said Youngster have are really knowledgeable. Loved how she opened his eyes to things going on in his house the way she saw in hers. And I feel encouraged to read some of the book they discussed, just because of the way they described them.
Lastly to end with after the actual "pashing" (Aussie thing that sounds more sexual than it actually is) of Chris and the Youngster and he acknowledges his feelings AND the fact that nothing can come out of them, as long as she is 15, he does something tolerable (not saying) and gets out of the way so she can grieve and whatever. Nice ending. Great point of views. I like when authors can do the POV switcheroo and still manage to distinguish between two completely different characters.
Well done Laura.
Also the miniature "heart-to-heart" between Chris and his mum was one of the nicest things I've ever read , as short as it was. Sigh... well then Laura.
Feeling: Contentment.
kaitlynbingham's review
5.0
I loved this book so much. I just finished reading it at school today. I was quite close to tears with the ending. IDK, I sort of expected (WANTED) Chris to come home and they get together or anything. But yeah. D:
amberisreading's review
4.0
I think I enjoyed this book because I related to Amelia in some kind of way. I know what's it like to be acutely aware of your crush whenever they're nearby and always trying to look good, at least in front of them, and even though my most recent crush was short-lived (and I didn't have to deal with that wide age gap thank God) I could kinda put myself in her shoes about the whole situation and understand what she was going through, feel the things that she was feeling.
Also, {spoiler alert} there was no fairy tale happily-ever-after. Things didn't work out the way she wanted which is what happens more than likely to each and every one of us and which made this story even more realistic. In addition, I enjoyed learning about the Second-Wave Feminism (and the First and Third ones too :D) and I greatly enjoyed the Great Expectations reference since I read it a really long while now and kinda got what Chris and Amelia were talking about.
Also, {spoiler alert} there was no fairy tale happily-ever-after. Things didn't work out the way she wanted which is what happens more than likely to each and every one of us and which made this story even more realistic. In addition, I enjoyed learning about the Second-Wave Feminism (and the First and Third ones too :D) and I greatly enjoyed the Great Expectations reference since I read it a really long while now and kinda got what Chris and Amelia were talking about.
themaddiest's review
4.0
“Miss Amelia Hayes, welcome to The Land of Dreams. I am the staff trainer. I will call you grasshopper and you will call me sensei and I will give you the good oil. Right?”
15-year-old Amelia Hayes is in love with Chris Harvey from the moment she meets him when he trains her in at Woolworth’s. Chris is funny, charming, and smart, and he offers a respite from all the immature boys at Amelia’s school. The only problem is, Chris is 21. The age difference notwithstanding, the two talk about everything from feminism to literature to movies, but Amelia worries that he’ll never look at her the way she looks at him. Will Chris ever see her as anything but the kid at the check-out lane?
Here’s the thing about Laura Buzo’s debut novel: it’s really, really good. Buzo takes a simple enough concept–a young girl falling for an older man–and turns it into something complex, beautiful, and utterly real. Amelia is searching for identity and Chris is searching for meaning. Despite their age difference, the two have a lot of common ground, and credit has to be given to Buzo for managing to create such undeniable chemistry between the characters by allowing them to actually interact. There is no insta-love here; it is slow-building and palpable.
Make no mistake: the characters in Buzo’s novel are remarkably well-rendered. There’s great attention to detail here, ranging from general characterization to mannerisms to speech patterns. Because Amelia and Chris trade off sections of the book (it’s not alternating chapters so much as giant chunks) whose time frames overlap, Buzo keeps the momentum going through vivid characters and genuinely funny dialogue. She also manages to craft distinct voices for both characters.
The story as a whole is incredibly well-written and heart-breaking in its realness. The story engages both the characters and the reader. Funny and charming, this is perfect contemporary YA. The novel’s bittersweet ending will leave readers satisfied and a little ache-y. Highly, highly recommended.
Unfortunately, Good Oil hasn’t been released in the U.S. If you can find a way to get one, you should do it. The trouble is worth it.
Good Oil by Laura Buzo. Allen & Unwin: 2010. Borrowed copy.
15-year-old Amelia Hayes is in love with Chris Harvey from the moment she meets him when he trains her in at Woolworth’s. Chris is funny, charming, and smart, and he offers a respite from all the immature boys at Amelia’s school. The only problem is, Chris is 21. The age difference notwithstanding, the two talk about everything from feminism to literature to movies, but Amelia worries that he’ll never look at her the way she looks at him. Will Chris ever see her as anything but the kid at the check-out lane?
Here’s the thing about Laura Buzo’s debut novel: it’s really, really good. Buzo takes a simple enough concept–a young girl falling for an older man–and turns it into something complex, beautiful, and utterly real. Amelia is searching for identity and Chris is searching for meaning. Despite their age difference, the two have a lot of common ground, and credit has to be given to Buzo for managing to create such undeniable chemistry between the characters by allowing them to actually interact. There is no insta-love here; it is slow-building and palpable.
Make no mistake: the characters in Buzo’s novel are remarkably well-rendered. There’s great attention to detail here, ranging from general characterization to mannerisms to speech patterns. Because Amelia and Chris trade off sections of the book (it’s not alternating chapters so much as giant chunks) whose time frames overlap, Buzo keeps the momentum going through vivid characters and genuinely funny dialogue. She also manages to craft distinct voices for both characters.
The story as a whole is incredibly well-written and heart-breaking in its realness. The story engages both the characters and the reader. Funny and charming, this is perfect contemporary YA. The novel’s bittersweet ending will leave readers satisfied and a little ache-y. Highly, highly recommended.
Unfortunately, Good Oil hasn’t been released in the U.S. If you can find a way to get one, you should do it. The trouble is worth it.
Good Oil by Laura Buzo. Allen & Unwin: 2010. Borrowed copy.
hyc's review
4.0
What's great about this is that you can relate to Chris and Amelia. Chris,who's a 22 years old who constantly wants to sort out his life and find himself. And Amelia,who's 15,and like other 15 year olds,she wants to fit in and to belong,she's also introspective and smart. Also I enjoyed that both of this characters likes to read,you can pick up so much from Amelia's rants and discussions. The ending completely justifies Amelia and Chris outlook when it comes to love and life.
jessryn's review
3.0
aka Love and Other Perishable Items
While I didn't dislike the book, I found Chris to be whiny and a bit annoying and I had a difficult time believing a 15 year old could be as naive as Amelia.
While I didn't dislike the book, I found Chris to be whiny and a bit annoying and I had a difficult time believing a 15 year old could be as naive as Amelia.
angela's review
3.0
I came across this book when I was searching for ebooks to borrow from the library and I thought the cover was cute so I thought I'd read it. (Also it turns out this is an alternate title for the US and the original title is Good Oil which doesn't make sense to me?? I don't recall reading anything about oil or anything related to oil at all in the book.) Anyways, it was good. I'm not going to lie, I had low expectations for it because I wasn't into the whole girl-falls-in-love-with-boy-but-the-age-gap-is-too-big sort of thing, but the conversations between Amelia and Chris made it worth it. They talked about really interesting topics, such as the whole thing about feminism and I really enjoyed reading it. I also liked how they were told in both perspectives. And although it's clear that they had really great chemistry, I'm glad they didn't end up together in the end. Overall, 3/5 stars.
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