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slsj_'s review against another edition
2.0
Perfectly Good White Boy is a book about nothing. Literally. And I knew this, as I read the reviews before buying the book, but I still thought there might be an element of sadness to overcome, a plot that kept me reeling in this contemporary world, a point. There was no arch, no real climax, there was no purpose. This book was just words with no objective. I think this was the authors intention, but to me it was just incredibly boring.
This is the story: teen white boy melodramatic Sean lives his life and thinks about sex often. Thats it. There is this alluded backstory that ended up being not as bad as it was perceived really, and a girl who is now in his life that he starts to really care for. But other than that there wasn't much else. There are smaller elements to the story, like how his brother sucks, and he wants to join the Marines but he doesn't know how to tell him family. This was just a story about life. I didn't learn anything new, I didn't laugh until I cried, nothing spectacular happened.
I really thought I would have enjoyed this, and I read it in two sittings. Not because it was amazing and I couldn't put it down, but because I spent the first 70 pages waiting for something to happen and when I realized nothing was going to happen I just wanted to get it over with so I could read something else.
This is the story: teen white boy melodramatic Sean lives his life and thinks about sex often. Thats it. There is this alluded backstory that ended up being not as bad as it was perceived really, and a girl who is now in his life that he starts to really care for. But other than that there wasn't much else. There are smaller elements to the story, like how his brother sucks, and he wants to join the Marines but he doesn't know how to tell him family. This was just a story about life. I didn't learn anything new, I didn't laugh until I cried, nothing spectacular happened.
I really thought I would have enjoyed this, and I read it in two sittings. Not because it was amazing and I couldn't put it down, but because I spent the first 70 pages waiting for something to happen and when I realized nothing was going to happen I just wanted to get it over with so I could read something else.
janceetabacnic's review against another edition
4.0
I love Carrie Mesrobian because she writes serious books. Important books. Books that matter and that have the potential to make readers think about important things.
A while back, I read Sex & Violence. I loved the rawness and authenticity of the text. I raved about it, petitioned my library to buy a copy, made my friends and coworkers promise to read it. Because it's that good.
Perfectly Good White Boy is much the same. It's deep and raw and important. I have to admit, I found Sean's first-person perspective extremely annoying for the first couple of chapters, until I settled in to his particular thought patterns and manner of talking. Once I got used to that, I saw just how well-written the book is. Mesrobian almost perfectly pins down Sean's voice...at least as well as an adult woman possibly could. She forces the reader into the thoughts of a teenage boy - sex and opportunity and the future and struggles with school and parents and drugs and feelings of inadequacy. I don't know about you, but I don't get that perspective often, so it was really interesting for me. I liked Sean, and I disliked Sean, and I invested my feelings and hopes in Sean.
Plotwise, this isn't a book filled with action. There aren't any time travelers or vampires, no court intrigues or dystopian societies or boarding school dramas. Instead, it's more of a gentle character study. The story follows Sean throughout his senior year in high school, as he faces the uncertainties of the future and tries to decide what happens next. It's a beautiful snapshot of the pressures teens face to live up to expectations and to have everything figured out.
When it comes down to it, I really enjoyed this novel. I think we expect so much from our teenagers today that the younger generations are being crippled by anxiety, inadequacy, and doubt. This book is a great testament to that. I can't stress enough how important every section of this novel is, even in the seemingly trivial matters that Sean faces. I highly recommend this!
A while back, I read Sex & Violence. I loved the rawness and authenticity of the text. I raved about it, petitioned my library to buy a copy, made my friends and coworkers promise to read it. Because it's that good.
Perfectly Good White Boy is much the same. It's deep and raw and important. I have to admit, I found Sean's first-person perspective extremely annoying for the first couple of chapters, until I settled in to his particular thought patterns and manner of talking. Once I got used to that, I saw just how well-written the book is. Mesrobian almost perfectly pins down Sean's voice...at least as well as an adult woman possibly could. She forces the reader into the thoughts of a teenage boy - sex and opportunity and the future and struggles with school and parents and drugs and feelings of inadequacy. I don't know about you, but I don't get that perspective often, so it was really interesting for me. I liked Sean, and I disliked Sean, and I invested my feelings and hopes in Sean.
Plotwise, this isn't a book filled with action. There aren't any time travelers or vampires, no court intrigues or dystopian societies or boarding school dramas. Instead, it's more of a gentle character study. The story follows Sean throughout his senior year in high school, as he faces the uncertainties of the future and tries to decide what happens next. It's a beautiful snapshot of the pressures teens face to live up to expectations and to have everything figured out.
When it comes down to it, I really enjoyed this novel. I think we expect so much from our teenagers today that the younger generations are being crippled by anxiety, inadequacy, and doubt. This book is a great testament to that. I can't stress enough how important every section of this novel is, even in the seemingly trivial matters that Sean faces. I highly recommend this!
jshel10's review
5.0
Such a great read. This is the kind of male POV YA book we need more of. Realistic experiences and emotions, with some very wry humor mixed in. Great characters and dialogue.
maggiemaggio's review
4.0
4.25 stars
Let's talk about how brilliant Carrie Mesrobian is. She is so brilliant that she wrote a book that features two things I absolutely CANNOT stand and made me love the book! Love! After reading and LOVING Sex & Violence I was so flipping excited when I heard Mesrobian had a new book coming out, but then I read the description and I wasn't sure what exactly the book was about. His girlfriend dumped him. He lives in a crappy rental. He works in a thrift shop. But what's the plot? Well, I should have been worried because, uh-oh, this is a character-driven story. Which are pretty much the bane of my existence because, what's the point? But Carrie Mesrobian absolutely killed it by creating a main character and a world around him that were so interesting and real they were enough to hold my interest despite there not being a really pressing or immediate plot.
The other thing Mesrobian did that normally drives me mad, but, again, worked here, was tell a story that kept a secret for much of it. Sean's father has left and we know pretty early on that his dad has substance abuse problems and that his addiction caused Sean's family to lose their house and devastate his mom. We also know, from pretty much the first few pages, that Sean punched his best friend, something out of character for him, for a reason that had something to do with what his family was going through, but we don't find out until towards the end of the book what exactly happened between Sean and his father. It's not a huge secret in the book, but it is mentioned several times and is obviously something that had a big impact on Sean. The way that Mesrobian tells the story though, and how she created Sean's character, somehow made the secret really work and it didn't feel like it was being lorded over our heads.
Those are the two parts of the story I normally wouldn't like but ended up liking, but this book has so many other strong aspects like the way sex is handled, Sean's family, and the secondary characters. When I first started reading part of me worried that the character of Sean was going to end up being too similar to Evan from Sex & Violence. Both boys spend a lot of time thinking about girls, not always in the most respectful or appropriate way, but then I stepped back and realized that that description probably sums up 99% of teenage boys and also most of the guys I know in their 20s and early 30s. At the beginning of the story Sean meets Hallie Martin (also the name of a girl I went to middle school and high school with and it weirded me out the entire time), a senior girl (Sean is a junior) who takes an interest in Sean and the two start dating and eventually having sex. The sex they had was so honest and real and awkward and sweet and complicated and simple just like, you know, real life. It's also some of the most description and graphic sex I've ever come across in YA, which isn't a bad thing at all, it's done very tastefully, but it still surprised me.
Sean's family was also outstanding. For some reason going into the book I expected Sean to be neglected or to have had a really rough upbringing, but, even with his father's substance abuse problems, that wasn't the case. Sean lives with his mom, a school psychologist who tries really hard to be a part of Sean's life and support him. Along with Sean's grandfather, who's more in the background, but is clearly still important to Sean, he has a really solid foundation at home. Sean also has a somewhat mean older brother, but he still fit really well into the story, as did his fiancee, a really sweet girl who kind of mystifies Sean, but who obviously really cares about Sean.
Besides Sean and his family there's also Neecie, a girl who Sean works with at the thrift shop who becomes close to Sean after Hallie breaks up with him because she's going away to college. Neecie (who is hearing impaired and it was nice to see a character with a disability but not have the story be about the disability) was a great foil for Sean and while there is attraction between them Sean is mostly still hung up on Hallie and Neecie is secretly hooking up with a popular guy they go to school with. Neecie is a pretty central character, but Mesrobian also did a great job with the many secondary characters in the story. From Sean's coworkers and boss to the guy Neecie to hooking up with to Neecie's best friend and little sisters I felt like I knew the characters, big and small, inside and out.
Bottom Line: Perfectly Good White Boy is a character-driven story about a typical middle-America boy that just plain works. Sean was so real, the relationships he had were spot-on, and the rest of the characters were outstanding that the fact that it was a character-driven story and that it kept a secret for much of the book didn't bother me in the slightest. Carrie Mesrobian is seriously a YA master (if you haven't read Sex & Violence you need to do that NOW) and I am so excited to see what she does next.
I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
Let's talk about how brilliant Carrie Mesrobian is. She is so brilliant that she wrote a book that features two things I absolutely CANNOT stand and made me love the book! Love! After reading and LOVING Sex & Violence I was so flipping excited when I heard Mesrobian had a new book coming out, but then I read the description and I wasn't sure what exactly the book was about. His girlfriend dumped him. He lives in a crappy rental. He works in a thrift shop. But what's the plot? Well, I should have been worried because, uh-oh, this is a character-driven story. Which are pretty much the bane of my existence because, what's the point? But Carrie Mesrobian absolutely killed it by creating a main character and a world around him that were so interesting and real they were enough to hold my interest despite there not being a really pressing or immediate plot.
The other thing Mesrobian did that normally drives me mad, but, again, worked here, was tell a story that kept a secret for much of it. Sean's father has left and we know pretty early on that his dad has substance abuse problems and that his addiction caused Sean's family to lose their house and devastate his mom. We also know, from pretty much the first few pages, that Sean punched his best friend, something out of character for him, for a reason that had something to do with what his family was going through, but we don't find out until towards the end of the book what exactly happened between Sean and his father. It's not a huge secret in the book, but it is mentioned several times and is obviously something that had a big impact on Sean. The way that Mesrobian tells the story though, and how she created Sean's character, somehow made the secret really work and it didn't feel like it was being lorded over our heads.
Those are the two parts of the story I normally wouldn't like but ended up liking, but this book has so many other strong aspects like the way sex is handled, Sean's family, and the secondary characters. When I first started reading part of me worried that the character of Sean was going to end up being too similar to Evan from Sex & Violence. Both boys spend a lot of time thinking about girls, not always in the most respectful or appropriate way, but then I stepped back and realized that that description probably sums up 99% of teenage boys and also most of the guys I know in their 20s and early 30s. At the beginning of the story Sean meets Hallie Martin (also the name of a girl I went to middle school and high school with and it weirded me out the entire time), a senior girl (Sean is a junior) who takes an interest in Sean and the two start dating and eventually having sex. The sex they had was so honest and real and awkward and sweet and complicated and simple just like, you know, real life. It's also some of the most description and graphic sex I've ever come across in YA, which isn't a bad thing at all, it's done very tastefully, but it still surprised me.
Sean's family was also outstanding. For some reason going into the book I expected Sean to be neglected or to have had a really rough upbringing, but, even with his father's substance abuse problems, that wasn't the case. Sean lives with his mom, a school psychologist who tries really hard to be a part of Sean's life and support him. Along with Sean's grandfather, who's more in the background, but is clearly still important to Sean, he has a really solid foundation at home. Sean also has a somewhat mean older brother, but he still fit really well into the story, as did his fiancee, a really sweet girl who kind of mystifies Sean, but who obviously really cares about Sean.
Besides Sean and his family there's also Neecie, a girl who Sean works with at the thrift shop who becomes close to Sean after Hallie breaks up with him because she's going away to college. Neecie (who is hearing impaired and it was nice to see a character with a disability but not have the story be about the disability) was a great foil for Sean and while there is attraction between them Sean is mostly still hung up on Hallie and Neecie is secretly hooking up with a popular guy they go to school with. Neecie is a pretty central character, but Mesrobian also did a great job with the many secondary characters in the story. From Sean's coworkers and boss to the guy Neecie to hooking up with to Neecie's best friend and little sisters I felt like I knew the characters, big and small, inside and out.
Bottom Line: Perfectly Good White Boy is a character-driven story about a typical middle-America boy that just plain works. Sean was so real, the relationships he had were spot-on, and the rest of the characters were outstanding that the fact that it was a character-driven story and that it kept a secret for much of the book didn't bother me in the slightest. Carrie Mesrobian is seriously a YA master (if you haven't read Sex & Violence you need to do that NOW) and I am so excited to see what she does next.
I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
"perfectly good white boy" follows sean as he navigates his first break-up, works in a thrift store, makes new friends, and joins the marines. i love carrie mesrobian's characters. they feel very real to me, and not everything gets tied up in a pretty ending. this book did ramble on a little bit towards the end, but i was ok with that because i was enjoying it so much.
i have to LOL at another reviewer mentioning that sean's "sex addiction" never gets addressed. sex addiction? a 17 year old boy who thinks about sex constantly has a sex addiction? have you ever met a teenage boy? haha.
one teeny complaint:
i have to LOL at another reviewer mentioning that sean's "sex addiction" never gets addressed. sex addiction? a 17 year old boy who thinks about sex constantly has a sex addiction? have you ever met a teenage boy? haha.
one teeny complaint:
Spoiler
honestly, i think the book didn't need the whole hallie-has-an-abortion thing. it seemed detached from the rest of the plot and was overly-dramatic for what ended up being such a small part of the story.sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
Sean is a senior in highschool and doesn't plan on going to college. He is going to join the Marines. Sean's father and brother never graduated from college, but his father became a drunk and his brother is stuck in their home town. Sean will get out of town and he plans on using the Marines to do this.
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
4.0
Anyone who knows me knows I generally shy away from male POV because I genuinely don't care about men or their stories. But this was a really well-written exception, and I enjoyed reading it. The author did a great job of getting me to care about a man's POV.
Definitely hoping the author writes a female POV story in the future. I have to admit that the sexual thoughts thing was a huge turn-off for me as a reader. Not into the whole teenaged boys are oversexed thing as a trope, but I guess it didn't get too bad.
Definitely hoping the author writes a female POV story in the future. I have to admit that the sexual thoughts thing was a huge turn-off for me as a reader. Not into the whole teenaged boys are oversexed thing as a trope, but I guess it didn't get too bad.
rattymatty's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Solid YA realism. Loved Mesrobian's frankness about sex, love, and the awful pressure of deciding one's wn future at the tender age of 17-18.