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A review by theseventhl
You by Charles Benoit
5.0
I could go on and on about how this book made me think and feel but I'm afraid I would pass Goodreads' character limit, so I'll try to keep it short enough. People have compared it to the works of Ellen Hopkins, and it is a very apt comparison indeed except that in the case of You everything is directed at the reader - the reader becomes the main character, pulled forcefully into the action. For young teens who are currently experiencing what You's troubled protagonist is going through, this will be a quite effective slim book to read.
It also helps that the main protag is one that readers will be confused and conflicted on whether he's someone to cheer for or someone to hate. This is, of course, up to each reader to decide for themselves - I personally found him lacking in features that would make me like him, as most of his misfortune is pretty much his fault. The fact that I feel this so vehemently - and the fact that I can't get this bloody book out of my head days after reading it - is a powerful testament to this book's staying power. It will pull violently at your emotions, twist and turn them, and never let go until the final page, in which the novel's ending pages will sit in your mind and haunt your thoughts in the most delicious ways for days to come. If you like your YA books with a believable male protag caught up in his own cautionary tale with a unique POV twist and is very dark in nature, you will absolutely love You. It won't take you very long to read it - because once you start, it will be hard to put it down until it's over.
Note of Discretion: A free copy of You was provided to me via a free contest held by Goodreads and HarperCollins.
It also helps that the main protag is one that readers will be confused and conflicted on whether he's someone to cheer for or someone to hate. This is, of course, up to each reader to decide for themselves - I personally found him lacking in features that would make me like him, as most of his misfortune is pretty much his fault. The fact that I feel this so vehemently - and the fact that I can't get this bloody book out of my head days after reading it - is a powerful testament to this book's staying power. It will pull violently at your emotions, twist and turn them, and never let go until the final page, in which the novel's ending pages will sit in your mind and haunt your thoughts in the most delicious ways for days to come. If you like your YA books with a believable male protag caught up in his own cautionary tale with a unique POV twist and is very dark in nature, you will absolutely love You. It won't take you very long to read it - because once you start, it will be hard to put it down until it's over.
Note of Discretion: A free copy of You was provided to me via a free contest held by Goodreads and HarperCollins.