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maryehavens's review against another edition
2.0
The best thing about this audiobook was that it was short.
The second person narrative was interesting - didn't realize how many times "I" is used until you switch it to second person and "you" is substituted.
As for the actual story: I really thought that Kyle was going to partner with Zach and Columbine the school or something; that incident would have been a final twist. Instead, Kyle is just a whiny, angsty white kid (assuming on the ethnicity) who plays the victim throughout the entire story. There's a bit of a recognition at the end with Zach's cruel way of shining a spotlight on Kyle's decision making but it's a bit too late. There's no redeemable arc and the readers are privy to Kyle's "wah wah I don't want to do anything I'm smarter than everyone my parents are idiots and I'm wearing black because #moods" internal dialogue that just made me want to slap him. Maybe this dialogue is representative of white teen males (or teen males) and I know I was super moody as a teen but I'm on the other side of the fence now and, cheese and crackers, GET OVER YOURSELF! Maybe your mom was going about things the wrong way, Kyle, but she's not an idiot. She probably doesn't tuck you in because you said something snotty to her and she thought that time of life was over. You're putting way too much stock in what you believe others think and then doing NOTHING about it. You don't want people to think you are a loser? Stop being a loser.
It doesn't help that I just finished "The Hate U Give" before this book where so many characters were struggling to just survive. Listening to Kyle's whining garnered zero sympathy from me. No one deserved to have Zach treat them like dirt but Kyle really wasn't changing anything around.
The second person narrative was interesting - didn't realize how many times "I" is used until you switch it to second person and "you" is substituted.
As for the actual story: I really thought that Kyle was going to partner with Zach and Columbine the school or something; that incident would have been a final twist. Instead, Kyle is just a whiny, angsty white kid (assuming on the ethnicity) who plays the victim throughout the entire story. There's a bit of a recognition at the end with Zach's cruel way of shining a spotlight on Kyle's decision making but it's a bit too late. There's no redeemable arc and the readers are privy to Kyle's "wah wah I don't want to do anything I'm smarter than everyone my parents are idiots and I'm wearing black because #moods" internal dialogue that just made me want to slap him. Maybe this dialogue is representative of white teen males (or teen males) and I know I was super moody as a teen but I'm on the other side of the fence now and, cheese and crackers, GET OVER YOURSELF! Maybe your mom was going about things the wrong way, Kyle, but she's not an idiot. She probably doesn't tuck you in because you said something snotty to her and she thought that time of life was over. You're putting way too much stock in what you believe others think and then doing NOTHING about it. You don't want people to think you are a loser? Stop being a loser.
It doesn't help that I just finished "The Hate U Give" before this book where so many characters were struggling to just survive. Listening to Kyle's whining garnered zero sympathy from me. No one deserved to have Zach treat them like dirt but Kyle really wasn't changing anything around.
barbarianlibarian's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, but the villain was over-the-top-unbelievable and that ruined it for me.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
i can see the audience for this book and recognize that i've never been part of it. while i respect ellen hopkins and chris crutcher, their books don't do it for me. and i think this book tries to bring something different to that genre, with its use of language, and i think that there are teens out there who will find it appealing and five star it.
there is a need for books that tell the story of the outsider who doesn't save the day, who doesn't get the girl, who lives in a very dark and real world that feels as if no one understands them.
but basically... i don't understand them.
the story is tightly wound, but i found myself racing through it just so i could get on to the next book, not because i wanted to know what would happen. i think the younger sister storyline is trite and totally pulled from catcher in the rye. i think the character of zach is unbelievable in a sea of totally believable characters. i also think the book can be a little pandering in points.
there is a need for books that tell the story of the outsider who doesn't save the day, who doesn't get the girl, who lives in a very dark and real world that feels as if no one understands them.
but basically... i don't understand them.
the story is tightly wound, but i found myself racing through it just so i could get on to the next book, not because i wanted to know what would happen. i think the younger sister storyline is trite and totally pulled from catcher in the rye. i think the character of zach is unbelievable in a sea of totally believable characters. i also think the book can be a little pandering in points.
beths0103's review against another edition
3.0
It is really hard to write well in 2nd person point-of-view and this was by far the best book I've ever read in that perspective. I wish the book didn't just end at the climax though. I'm not really sure what purpose that served.
ylshelflove's review against another edition
2.0
Appreciate the writing style, especially the take on second-person POV. Zach was a curious character; I liked him and hated him and hated myself for liking him. I think the whole book was a little too short, though. Would liked to have seen a little more dynamic between Kyle and his sister and his life before Midlands. Overall, I could have done with not reading this book.
ryn_k's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
allmadhere106's review against another edition
5.0
I was a little skeptical about this book as it's written in second person from a male's point of view. Writing a convincing second person narrative is difficult anyway, but to attempt to also write a teenage boy's voice in a convincing manner is VERY difficult. Benoit did so beautifully. He wasn't afraid to really tell the reader what a teenage boy would be thinking in each situation, nor was he afraid to explore the realities of high school with all of its cruelties. Wonderful.
minty's review against another edition
2.0
This book is so quick it's almost substanceless (less than 2 hours to read), but it does have substance. The second-person POV was nicely handled, but something about it left me cold and unengaged.
erebus53's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A note, the audiobook is recorded to play too slowly. It is dead on 3 hours in length if you play it at 1.3× speed (130%) which is what I did and at that speed it felt natural.
A book aimed at teens, focused on the adventures of a low flying drop out, that is told mostly in the second person... I immediately felt like this was written by a highschool English Lit teacher.. and well.. yes.
Let's just say I think this teacher/author may have loved Catcher in the Rye a little too much (a book that is written by a drop out who keeps explaining "what You feel like doing", "what you do in these situations"), leaning into that whole "You" narrative technique so much that he named the book after it.
When Kyle starts giving up on his own prospects his teacher is quick to tell him that he needs to take control of his destiny and make "good choices", his parents jump at the chance to organise him job interviews and nag him to be more forward thinking. Kyle is a normal teen who is floundering under the weight of authoritarian parents who are giving up on him almost as quickly as he is giving up on himself.
Then he meets an aggressively non-conformist Wunderkind who loves to push everyone's buttons. He's bored with trying to play games by Their rules and has the brains and social manipulative skills to busy himself with getting everyone else to play by His rules. He comes across like a cross between Mary Poppins and Dirk Gently, and Kyle starts hanging around with him as though they are buddies after he rescued him from GBH at the hands of a school bully, and social boredom by inviting him to exclusive parties.
The story starts with a scene of loads of blood but it is unclear what happens, so we know that somehow this odd boy is going to get Kyle into some real trouble... just how far things go you need to find out for yourself.
Let's just say that the kid is a sociopath, thrill seeker, who draw people around him with ease, and his social satellites crash and burn at his hands all the time.
Chaotic evil? Most likely. Char 18, Int 19? Quite possibly. I am a nerd? Indubitably.
I feel like this is a cautionary tale for kids who already come from a privileged background, to pull their darned socks up. It certainly doesn't challenge many ideas about what it's like for children who have to struggle just to GET an education or a job.
Although the narrative seems to challenge some ideas about the stupidity of the US schooling system (of teaching to tests, and pop quizzes) it grazes that point and places the onus of motivation squarely in the hands of students. "Don't do things your way.. do it the right way!" is a surefire way to cultivate switched-off students with a sense of learned incompetence; growing kids who expect to be told what to do, don't develop their own problem solving skills by trial and error, and can't assess a situation or make decisions for themselves.
A book aimed at teens, focused on the adventures of a low flying drop out, that is told mostly in the second person... I immediately felt like this was written by a highschool English Lit teacher.. and well.. yes.
Let's just say I think this teacher/author may have loved Catcher in the Rye a little too much (a book that is written by a drop out who keeps explaining "what You feel like doing", "what you do in these situations"), leaning into that whole "You" narrative technique so much that he named the book after it.
When Kyle starts giving up on his own prospects his teacher is quick to tell him that he needs to take control of his destiny and make "good choices", his parents jump at the chance to organise him job interviews and nag him to be more forward thinking. Kyle is a normal teen who is floundering under the weight of authoritarian parents who are giving up on him almost as quickly as he is giving up on himself.
Then he meets an aggressively non-conformist Wunderkind who loves to push everyone's buttons. He's bored with trying to play games by Their rules and has the brains and social manipulative skills to busy himself with getting everyone else to play by His rules. He comes across like a cross between Mary Poppins and Dirk Gently, and Kyle starts hanging around with him as though they are buddies after he rescued him from GBH at the hands of a school bully, and social boredom by inviting him to exclusive parties.
The story starts with a scene of loads of blood but it is unclear what happens, so we know that somehow this odd boy is going to get Kyle into some real trouble... just how far things go you need to find out for yourself.
Chaotic evil? Most likely. Char 18, Int 19? Quite possibly. I am a nerd? Indubitably.
I feel like this is a cautionary tale for kids who already come from a privileged background, to pull their darned socks up. It certainly doesn't challenge many ideas about what it's like for children who have to struggle just to GET an education or a job.
Although the narrative seems to challenge some ideas about the stupidity of the US schooling system (of teaching to tests, and pop quizzes) it grazes that point and places the onus of motivation squarely in the hands of students. "Don't do things your way.. do it the right way!" is a surefire way to cultivate switched-off students with a sense of learned incompetence; growing kids who expect to be told what to do, don't develop their own problem solving skills by trial and error, and can't assess a situation or make decisions for themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Drug use, and Sexual content