Reviews

Kids These Days by Drew Perry

peej210's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

lisaw17's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

shelleyrae's review against another edition

2.0

When Walter is unexpectedly downsized and his wife announces she is pregnant, he and Alice are left with no option other than to relocate to Florida and live rent free in Alice's dead aunt's condo. Generously, Walter's successful brother in law, Mid, offers him a job assisting with the maintenance of his various business interests, but it soon becomes obvious that something isn't quite right about Mid's dealings and added to his general anxieties about impending fatherhood and his family's future, when things begin to spiral out of control Walter has no idea what to do about it.

This book didn't really work for me, I found Walter largely irritating, as his constant angst became wearying. While I understood he was struggling to deal with the upheaval in his life - the loss of his job, the forced move and the impending birth of his first child, for a thirty something year old who had a successful career, he was painfully clueless and I couldn't really identify with him much at all. I did have some empathy for Alice, especially when she had difficulties with the pregnancy, and Mid and Caroyln's rebellious teenage daughter, but most of my sympathy lay with Mid's wife Carolyn, who obviously put up with a lot with regards to her husband's scheming.

The action in the novel stems from Mid's dubious business interests, in which he involves Walter. There is some mystery as Walter tries to make sense of Mid's investments, and his clandestine meetings with a pair of law enforcement agents. The story descends into a bit of a farce as Mid's schemes begins to fall apart, though it is amusing to think of he and Walter fleeing the police in a canary yellow Camaro and Mid flying off in a parachute buggy as Walter stands open mouthed below.

I think I just wasn't the right audience for this story which perhaps better suits hipster readers who have managed to grow older, without actually growing up.

norrin2's review against another edition

2.0

Some very funny stuff in the beginning but falls completely apart in the end.

karak's review against another edition

2.0

I think this was an attempt to be madcap and zany, but it just came out flat.

moirab's review against another edition

3.0

Enjoyable beach read. Not as great as Carl Hiassan or Dave Berry

lumpacole's review against another edition

4.0

Kids These Days is a subtly humorous story of lives unraveling. The financial crisis leaves the protagonist, Walter, out of a job right around the time his wife becomes pregnant. With no income and a child on the way, they take one of the few options open to them by moving to Florida to occupy the house of a recently deceased relative. There, Walter works under the employ of his brother-in-law, Mid, whose life also seems to be unraveling.

What I enjoyed most about the book is it's ability to remain funny and lighthearted while perfectly conveying the mind of a person who has realized they are not as in control of their life as they once believed. The dialogue is quick and witty, the emotions painfully relatable, and the plot increasingly unpredictable. My only real gripe is that the ending comes too soon, but that just speaks to how much I enjoyed the time I spent in Walter's head.

I received a free copy from LibraryThing for the purpose of reviewing

swhuber's review against another edition

3.0

This was another book I got from the Green Apple Books book of the month club. I enjoyed it enough. I liked the writing style and the characters intrigued me, but the plot felt a bit all over the place. It moves slowly for most of it and then much too fast in the last 50 pages. It was a good idea, and the author makes the whole "really growing up, preparing to have a baby, oh shit how can I take care of another life when I can't even take care of myself" thing feel very real.

It's okay, but that's about it.

hedonismbookbot's review against another edition

3.0

Disappointing

simsarah79's review against another edition

5.0

Smirk. That's what I did whilst reading this book. I LOVED IT!! Okay so I couldn't keep the main character, our protagonist Walter bring really being Geroge Clooney (like the Descendants) but whatever, it worked.
I loved that it didn't need to be something sensational. It didn't involved zombies or vampires or something really outrageous. It was just about a guy who (okay so it had a shoot out and a parachute dude but still..) is scared of what's to become of his life since his wife got pregnant. They are human beings going through the emotions of dealing with life.
And it was funny, but realistic and sweet and I may have wanted to know more about Alice but that's okay. So, how about a sequel mr. Perry??

hugs. this book rocked. the first one was good too but this one was even better.