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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I found this book hilarious.
I loved Del's tone and his voice. The writing just flowed so well. The story follows Del as he makes some very questionable decisions when he accidentally joins a church group that vows to not have sex before marriage. This book called out toxic masculinity in a way that wasn't preachy and gave amazing examples of the different standards held between men and women in society. All the characters were layered and interesting and I loved not knowing all their motives because of Del's skewed POV. It made the story more compelling.
It was a highly entertaining, insightful, and great read.
I loved Del's tone and his voice. The writing just flowed so well. The story follows Del as he makes some very questionable decisions when he accidentally joins a church group that vows to not have sex before marriage. This book called out toxic masculinity in a way that wasn't preachy and gave amazing examples of the different standards held between men and women in society. All the characters were layered and interesting and I loved not knowing all their motives because of Del's skewed POV. It made the story more compelling.
It was a highly entertaining, insightful, and great read.
Ever zone out? Ever zone out and volunteer for something without knowing what it is? Ever zone out and accidentally sign up for a Purity Pledge because you were just following your lifelong crush?
That’s exactly what happens to Del. After realizing what he’s done, Del sets a plan in motion to FINALLY snag his dream girl. But the deeper in Del gets, the more complicated his schemes become, and he begins to lose himself and his beliefs in the chase.
Y’all! Y’ALL! This might be one of my favorite books of the year! More Lamar Giles forever and ever, please!
This book is witty and complex. It covers toxic masculinity, sexuality, religion, assault, and I’m sure a bunch of other things I’m forgetting to mention because I’m just that hyped on this book! Honestly, when you have that many topics on one plate, the story can easily suffer and tend to feel very after-school-specially. But, nope! Not this one! Giles covers a myriad of relevant subjects that feels genuine to 16 year-old Del aka my new favorite YA protagonist.
But Del wasn’t the only character who I couldn’t help rooting for—it happened with almost every single one (even some of the shittier dudes, but I’m rooting for everybody Black so let us pray for their growth). I may be a TEENY bit biased because this story takes place in my neck of the woods (Commonwealth University is based on my alma mater—waddup, RAMNATION!) but I’m fairly certain this story could’ve taken place on Mars and I still woulda repped this hard for it.
Educators should seriously consider using this book as a teaching tool. Bring it up with your principals, have it in your classrooms, recommend it to your kids. Comprehensive sex education is crucial and kids need to feel comfortable enough to come to adults if they want to seek out safe sex practices.
(reviews can also be found on my Instagram, @rvareader)
That’s exactly what happens to Del. After realizing what he’s done, Del sets a plan in motion to FINALLY snag his dream girl. But the deeper in Del gets, the more complicated his schemes become, and he begins to lose himself and his beliefs in the chase.
Y’all! Y’ALL! This might be one of my favorite books of the year! More Lamar Giles forever and ever, please!
This book is witty and complex. It covers toxic masculinity, sexuality, religion, assault, and I’m sure a bunch of other things I’m forgetting to mention because I’m just that hyped on this book! Honestly, when you have that many topics on one plate, the story can easily suffer and tend to feel very after-school-specially. But, nope! Not this one! Giles covers a myriad of relevant subjects that feels genuine to 16 year-old Del aka my new favorite YA protagonist.
But Del wasn’t the only character who I couldn’t help rooting for—it happened with almost every single one (even some of the shittier dudes, but I’m rooting for everybody Black so let us pray for their growth). I may be a TEENY bit biased because this story takes place in my neck of the woods (Commonwealth University is based on my alma mater—waddup, RAMNATION!) but I’m fairly certain this story could’ve taken place on Mars and I still woulda repped this hard for it.
Educators should seriously consider using this book as a teaching tool. Bring it up with your principals, have it in your classrooms, recommend it to your kids. Comprehensive sex education is crucial and kids need to feel comfortable enough to come to adults if they want to seek out safe sex practices.
(reviews can also be found on my Instagram, @rvareader)
This was SO good! Took a very different route than I expected, and really flipped some tropes on their heads. I loved Del and he sure learns a lot in this book. Lots of good discussion and breakdown of religion, racism, sexism, and the male entitlement to "get the girl". I love YA books from a male perspective, and this also had an excellent, well-rounded cast. The way the religious leaders tried to control the congregation made me very mad, lol. But it was an interesting look inside some of those problems and I loved the discussion of it overall. I had a few minor pacing issues with this book so I can't quite give it 5 stars, but I still loved it!
challenging
funny
informative
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the overall message of this book but I wish it hadn’t taken so long to get there. The pacing almost made the lessons learned feel like some plot-twist reveal
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual assault
I'll be honest--as I read this book I could feel my apprehension growing. Reading stories from teen boys' perspectives where I know their feelings about girls will be discussed are tricky reads for me. I've read books where the male protagonist's thoughts are toxic and that isn't really addressed, and it reminds me why I tried to give up seeing men as much as possible in college. I will say that this book, while I felt uncomfortable at moments, does not leave toxic masculinity as a positive thing. It was worth the awkward moments, because I needed to hear where Del was to see where he would grow.
I listened to this book, so I'm not 100% on how some of the character's names are spelled, but Cheyenne was a particular favorite of mine, as well as Cressie.
Some reviewers have noted mixed feelings about the pastor character, and I do agree, although I also think that is very true to life.
I listened to this book, so I'm not 100% on how some of the character's names are spelled, but Cheyenne was a particular favorite of mine, as well as Cressie.
Some reviewers have noted mixed feelings about the pastor character, and I do agree, although I also think that is very true to life.
I honestly still don't know how I feel about this book. I gave it 3 stars because I didn't hate it. It was interesting. The main characters thought process really irritated me but I liked that in the end they seemed to learn better.
This book was a minefield for second hand embarrassment but it was so so so good. It was an awesome character driven book with a whole host of characters that I actually cared about that had meaningful development. I also really enjoyed the social commentary of the book even if it was spelled out a bit more that I usually prefer.
funny
hopeful
tense
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I initially had a hard time getting into this book because I disagreed with the main character's perspective so strongly. Del's view of women and relationships was so frustrating as to almost distract me from the story - but in the end, his flawed perspective was what made the book worthwhile. Entertaining, funny, realistic, and enjoyable, while still dealing with important teen issues. Skillfully and respectfully handles the connection (and sometimes collision) between religion and teen sexuality. An excellent book for teen boys to relate to.
I enjoyed this book way more than I first thought. After I read the summary, I thought this would be a nice little read without much meaning but I was wrong!
It was a nice read but the feminism in this was strong! On his way through the book Del learned what is right and wrong and how not to treat women and I loved it!
It was a nice read but the feminism in this was strong! On his way through the book Del learned what is right and wrong and how not to treat women and I loved it!
I discovered this by accident while looking for some diverse reads on scribd. I am glad about picking this up to read.
It had a nice flow and was simple to follow. The characters felt real and the pacing was engaging. But, while I loved the discussion and topic matter, it felt a little too forced at times. I guess it was slightly overexplained? I'm not sure, but felt off to me while reading sometimes.
Not saying at all that this affected my overall enjoyment of this. The writing was incredible and real in a way that is refreshing. I would definitely encourage a read of this one!
It had a nice flow and was simple to follow. The characters felt real and the pacing was engaging. But, while I loved the discussion and topic matter, it felt a little too forced at times. I guess it was slightly overexplained? I'm not sure, but felt off to me while reading sometimes.
Not saying at all that this affected my overall enjoyment of this. The writing was incredible and real in a way that is refreshing. I would definitely encourage a read of this one!