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zdrhyne's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ginger_curmudgeon's review against another edition
4.0
The only complaint I have is that the gay bashing is too predictable from the first time Larry is warned to beware of Billy and Drew. It's pretty clear that it's going to happen from the beginning. Otherwise I really liked this book. I enjoyed having the story told from the point of view of three different characters; very Faulkner-esque. I just wish the story were longer.
isabag's review against another edition
4.0
Though I loved the book, I didn't like the ending. I felt that the book just ended too fast. I wanted another three chapters at least just to sum things up instead of one person doing that.
marx's review against another edition
2.0
You know, when I checked out this book from the library, the librarian asked me who had recommended in to me. She said a lot of people had been talking about it lately. Truth be told, I had just grabbed it, more or less at random, on my way to class, mainly because it had a cool-looking cover. But hey, if people were talking about it, that was a good thing, right? At the very least, it meant the book had to be worth talking about.
Now that I've read it, I'm wondering if my librarian wasn't confused. To me, this book doesn't seem particularly worthy of discussion. Its basic premise- three colse friends at a crossroads in their lives- offers plenty of material, and Ron Koertge adds in plenty of interesting subplots. But then he doesn't DO anything with them. The book doesn't same to have an overreaching plot, and I don't know what, in the end, the author was trying to say. The book just sort of meanders on to an ending- and honestly, I'm not even sure why it ends where it does. Even that seems rather arbitrary.
I think my main issue with the book is that everything about it just feels so rushed. The short length, the complete lack of character development, the inconclusive ending, the way Koertge just, in general, seems unsure of what he's doing and what he wants to say. All of it smacks of his needing to meet a deadline. And if that's the case, then it's a shame, because the author had some good ideas here, and I would liked to see them explored in much more detail.
Now that I've read it, I'm wondering if my librarian wasn't confused. To me, this book doesn't seem particularly worthy of discussion. Its basic premise- three colse friends at a crossroads in their lives- offers plenty of material, and Ron Koertge adds in plenty of interesting subplots. But then he doesn't DO anything with them. The book doesn't same to have an overreaching plot, and I don't know what, in the end, the author was trying to say. The book just sort of meanders on to an ending- and honestly, I'm not even sure why it ends where it does. Even that seems rather arbitrary.
I think my main issue with the book is that everything about it just feels so rushed. The short length, the complete lack of character development, the inconclusive ending, the way Koertge just, in general, seems unsure of what he's doing and what he wants to say. All of it smacks of his needing to meet a deadline. And if that's the case, then it's a shame, because the author had some good ideas here, and I would liked to see them explored in much more detail.
alienconspirest's review against another edition
2.0
I almost feel like I meet three teenagers who all tried to start a project then quit for no apparent reason other then they got bored....
I do appreciate the heavy topics but I didn’t feel
Any backstory to make these topics actually deep more so just random acts of the teenage life that are all thrown in with half ass context.......
I do appreciate the heavy topics but I didn’t feel
Any backstory to make these topics actually deep more so just random acts of the teenage life that are all thrown in with half ass context.......
evila_elf's review
2.0
One good thing...this was a fast read. Otherwise....eh.
It tells a story from 3 points of view, once each chapter. It seems these kids are looking forward to HS graduation so they can run away to California. It seemed like, at first, that the run away would be the main focus...yet it never happened.
One of the boys got the crap beaten out of him and almost died, and it took me a couple chapters to realize something bad had even happened because I wasn't focussing.
In an an author's note at the end, the author says he was experimenting with the changing POVs, even though he says the story doesn't need it. 168 pages
It tells a story from 3 points of view, once each chapter. It seems these kids are looking forward to HS graduation so they can run away to California. It seemed like, at first, that the run away would be the main focus...yet it never happened.
One of the boys got the crap beaten out of him and almost died, and it took me a couple chapters to realize something bad had even happened because I wasn't focussing.
In an an author's note at the end, the author says he was experimenting with the changing POVs, even though he says the story doesn't need it. 168 pages
debshelf's review
2.0
2.5 stars, really. It was okay. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, didn't move me. But at least the inner monologues of the characters felt real--if a bit too Dawson's Creek-y advanced.
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