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joyousreads132's review against another edition
5.0
Bonnie and Clyde meets Robinhood – the premise couldn’t have sound any more interesting and unique as that. Come to think of it, there have been books written within the parameters of either work but never both. Such an ambitious undertaking, if I may say so myself.
Seventeen year-old Michal is a bookie who had never known what it’s like to live the life of a person of her occupation. And although the temptation to gamble was severe, she’d never once given in…until Josh Ellison moved to town and dared her to step away from the sidelines. She’s always been careful – a bystander. But with Josh’s appearance in her life, she was suddenly craving for a thrilling life. She soon found the high of gambling addictive. But when she starts to lose, she felt little choice but to bet money she never had and on occasions, was never hers. As bad ideas go, Josh and Mike decided to steal to pay off her debts. It soon becomes a challenge, a mission. At first, the stealing was justified by giving them to those in need and stealing from the rich vindicated the act of thievery. Desperation sets in as authorities’ clue in on the Babylonia duo. Mike makes the biggest gamble of her life in an attempt to right all the wrongs. One bad decision led to another and at the end of it all, she would come to a delayed conclusion that it was all worth it.
This was my first Heidi Ayarbe work and I have a hunch that it won’t be the last. I’ve read some of the blurbs for her books and they just give you a hint that the themes veer toward social consciousness. The same could be said for Wanted. It was so much more than just bored, rich kids gambling their money away. Here, the topic of social and racial divide between Mexican-Americans and Americans was highlighted by the lack of respect between the two. Like it or not and whether you agree or disagree, this issue is still relevant.
Wanted is also about a girl finding herself in a world where she felt she didn’t belong and where her existence wasn’t wanted. But if you’re anticipating a girl who’d cry a river about her shortcomings, and, or whine about her social inadequacies, Mike isn’t that girl. I thought that she was TOO accepting of her place in the world that when she was speaking about her failures, physical or otherwise, it felt too matter-of-fact. I have a lot of admiration for this girl; she commands attention with a single word; she’s strong when she wants to be and weak when she can’t help it. In other words, she’s pretty freaking normal.
The romance was subtle through practically the entirety of the novel. Finding her challenger in Josh, the boy showed her all the things she’s been missing while she was busy watching life pass her by. The subtlety however, added to the culminating build-up when these two finally happened. It was sad, unfair and ultimately just…tragic.
VERDICT: Powerful, heart-wrenching, eye-opening novel. Wanted goes to the very heart of a girl who would learn who she is through some questionable decisions she would make in life. The Bonnie and Clyde part gives you an inkling of how this book ends; the Robinhood, gives you some insight on what our two main characters are about. But this book turned out to be so much more. Heidi Ayarbe’s writing is very real and compelling. She stripped away all the high school drama and replaced it with a very mature reality. I can’t wait to read the rest of her work.
Seventeen year-old Michal is a bookie who had never known what it’s like to live the life of a person of her occupation. And although the temptation to gamble was severe, she’d never once given in…until Josh Ellison moved to town and dared her to step away from the sidelines. She’s always been careful – a bystander. But with Josh’s appearance in her life, she was suddenly craving for a thrilling life. She soon found the high of gambling addictive. But when she starts to lose, she felt little choice but to bet money she never had and on occasions, was never hers. As bad ideas go, Josh and Mike decided to steal to pay off her debts. It soon becomes a challenge, a mission. At first, the stealing was justified by giving them to those in need and stealing from the rich vindicated the act of thievery. Desperation sets in as authorities’ clue in on the Babylonia duo. Mike makes the biggest gamble of her life in an attempt to right all the wrongs. One bad decision led to another and at the end of it all, she would come to a delayed conclusion that it was all worth it.
This was my first Heidi Ayarbe work and I have a hunch that it won’t be the last. I’ve read some of the blurbs for her books and they just give you a hint that the themes veer toward social consciousness. The same could be said for Wanted. It was so much more than just bored, rich kids gambling their money away. Here, the topic of social and racial divide between Mexican-Americans and Americans was highlighted by the lack of respect between the two. Like it or not and whether you agree or disagree, this issue is still relevant.
Wanted is also about a girl finding herself in a world where she felt she didn’t belong and where her existence wasn’t wanted. But if you’re anticipating a girl who’d cry a river about her shortcomings, and, or whine about her social inadequacies, Mike isn’t that girl. I thought that she was TOO accepting of her place in the world that when she was speaking about her failures, physical or otherwise, it felt too matter-of-fact. I have a lot of admiration for this girl; she commands attention with a single word; she’s strong when she wants to be and weak when she can’t help it. In other words, she’s pretty freaking normal.
The romance was subtle through practically the entirety of the novel. Finding her challenger in Josh, the boy showed her all the things she’s been missing while she was busy watching life pass her by. The subtlety however, added to the culminating build-up when these two finally happened. It was sad, unfair and ultimately just…tragic.
VERDICT: Powerful, heart-wrenching, eye-opening novel. Wanted goes to the very heart of a girl who would learn who she is through some questionable decisions she would make in life. The Bonnie and Clyde part gives you an inkling of how this book ends; the Robinhood, gives you some insight on what our two main characters are about. But this book turned out to be so much more. Heidi Ayarbe’s writing is very real and compelling. She stripped away all the high school drama and replaced it with a very mature reality. I can’t wait to read the rest of her work.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
2.0
Ayarbe calls this an "unconventional western" in her acknowledgments and I think that's a great description. This is a little bit like Robin Hood meets Bonnie and Clyde.
Michal's a bookie, and she's a tough girl because of it. It's how she makes her money and earns her reputation. Her own rule is never to play the game herself. Always be the one watching, not betting. But then Josh moves to town and he convinces her to try her hand at the game and when things don't go well, they really don't go well.
I found this kind of a slow starting book, but the pace picks up quite a bit in the middle, then through to the end. Ayarbe writes some rough teens in a rough world and she does a good job of it. There's a lot of social class stuff playing into this one, too, and it's handled well. And this one does a good job of giving a setting that helps elevate the story.
That said, the writing itself left a lot to be desired for me. It tried almost too hard to be pretty when I didn't necessarily read Michal that way at all. Some of the things she said or observed or the way she described what was going on just didn't sound like her voice at all.
This book also had two things going on I really don't like: Michal gives up her toughness, her independence, for a boy (even in the end or maybe especially in the end when it looked like she was finally facing her demons head on by herself) and the book begins with a flash-forward to the ending of the story.
Putting this book in the same category I've put Ashley Hope Perez's: not for me, but they reach a certain readership that will eat them up. Ayarbe's writing reminds me a lot of Ellen Hopkins's, too, especially with how gritty she is.
Michal's a bookie, and she's a tough girl because of it. It's how she makes her money and earns her reputation. Her own rule is never to play the game herself. Always be the one watching, not betting. But then Josh moves to town and he convinces her to try her hand at the game and when things don't go well, they really don't go well.
I found this kind of a slow starting book, but the pace picks up quite a bit in the middle, then through to the end. Ayarbe writes some rough teens in a rough world and she does a good job of it. There's a lot of social class stuff playing into this one, too, and it's handled well. And this one does a good job of giving a setting that helps elevate the story.
That said, the writing itself left a lot to be desired for me. It tried almost too hard to be pretty when I didn't necessarily read Michal that way at all. Some of the things she said or observed or the way she described what was going on just didn't sound like her voice at all.
This book also had two things going on I really don't like: Michal gives up her toughness, her independence, for a boy (even in the end or maybe especially in the end when it looked like she was finally facing her demons head on by herself) and the book begins with a flash-forward to the ending of the story.
Putting this book in the same category I've put Ashley Hope Perez's: not for me, but they reach a certain readership that will eat them up. Ayarbe's writing reminds me a lot of Ellen Hopkins's, too, especially with how gritty she is.
pegahe's review against another edition
DNF.
I didn't stat rate this book because it wasn't awful. I stopped reading because I have a horrible headache and I need something to take my mind off it and this book failed at that.
It was already a bit of a stretch, in terms of being the type of book I like, but I decided to give it a chance. The problem I had
was it didn't contain enough initial emotion for me. About 70 pages in based on Kobo's number system and I wasn't into the writing which was a little bit too descriptive for me.
The concept at that point didn't draw me in. The biggest issue I had was that I didn't feel any connection to the characters and I didn't feel like that would change. For example Josh was meant to be a character I liked and admired, but I didn't like a lot of the pranks. The characters were meant to be outsiders and their oppressors, from what I read, were stereotypes.
That meant Michal had this condescending tone whenever she spoke of them, like me, I am enlightened while everyone else my age is an idiot. Maybe this does happen but I've never experienced it and I honestly can't deal with protagonists that think this way.
I can fully admit that I probably didn't give this book the chance it deserves, but reading isn't charity. It takes so much of my time and so when I'm looking for entertainment, I need to be entertained. I no longer have the energy to keep going with something I don't have a good feeling about.
This isn't a permanent rating. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow and not have a migraine and decide that I should give this book another chance. And maybe I'm giving up on one of the best books I'll ever read. Either way, a slow contemporary with romance as a primary storyline doesn't interest me.
I didn't stat rate this book because it wasn't awful. I stopped reading because I have a horrible headache and I need something to take my mind off it and this book failed at that.
It was already a bit of a stretch, in terms of being the type of book I like, but I decided to give it a chance. The problem I had
was it didn't contain enough initial emotion for me. About 70 pages in based on Kobo's number system and I wasn't into the writing which was a little bit too descriptive for me.
The concept at that point didn't draw me in. The biggest issue I had was that I didn't feel any connection to the characters and I didn't feel like that would change. For example Josh was meant to be a character I liked and admired, but I didn't like a lot of the pranks. The characters were meant to be outsiders and their oppressors, from what I read, were stereotypes.
That meant Michal had this condescending tone whenever she spoke of them, like me, I am enlightened while everyone else my age is an idiot. Maybe this does happen but I've never experienced it and I honestly can't deal with protagonists that think this way.
I can fully admit that I probably didn't give this book the chance it deserves, but reading isn't charity. It takes so much of my time and so when I'm looking for entertainment, I need to be entertained. I no longer have the energy to keep going with something I don't have a good feeling about.
This isn't a permanent rating. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow and not have a migraine and decide that I should give this book another chance. And maybe I'm giving up on one of the best books I'll ever read. Either way, a slow contemporary with romance as a primary storyline doesn't interest me.
dukesangel002's review against another edition
5.0
Find more of my reviews at www.readingangel.com
I read somewhere on the publishers website that Wanted was like a modern day Robin Hood and Bonnie and Clyde. As soon as I saw that I knew I was going to have to read it as soon as I possibly could. Let me just say, they did not get it wrong. Michal (aka Mike) and Josh definitely form their own two-person Robin Hood team stealing from the rich and giving to the needy, and when that all goes bad it escalates in to one final ride that would make Bonnie and Clyde proud!
I absolutely adored Wanted. While the first 50 pages or so started a little slow, I still enjoyed them. Once Mike and Josh joined forces the book really took off and I was swept away into this story of two kids who were trying to make a difference and feel alive.
The love story was very endearing and sweet. It was all so new to Michal and she felt like she was never really deserving, but watching her take a chance had my own heart racing right along with hers. Josh was incredibly charming and funny and I just loved him!
Wanted is a whirlwind of gangs, bookies, violence, discrimination, love, loss, and redemption that kept me flipping the pages at lightning speed to see what would happen next. With an ending that left me slamming the book closed and shock all over my face, Wanted is a hard-hitting, emotional contemporary that you don't want to miss!
I read somewhere on the publishers website that Wanted was like a modern day Robin Hood and Bonnie and Clyde. As soon as I saw that I knew I was going to have to read it as soon as I possibly could. Let me just say, they did not get it wrong. Michal (aka Mike) and Josh definitely form their own two-person Robin Hood team stealing from the rich and giving to the needy, and when that all goes bad it escalates in to one final ride that would make Bonnie and Clyde proud!
I absolutely adored Wanted. While the first 50 pages or so started a little slow, I still enjoyed them. Once Mike and Josh joined forces the book really took off and I was swept away into this story of two kids who were trying to make a difference and feel alive.
The love story was very endearing and sweet. It was all so new to Michal and she felt like she was never really deserving, but watching her take a chance had my own heart racing right along with hers. Josh was incredibly charming and funny and I just loved him!
Wanted is a whirlwind of gangs, bookies, violence, discrimination, love, loss, and redemption that kept me flipping the pages at lightning speed to see what would happen next. With an ending that left me slamming the book closed and shock all over my face, Wanted is a hard-hitting, emotional contemporary that you don't want to miss!
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