Reviews

The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson

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silenthillda's review

3.0

Teen Romance from across political standpoints. Dean, Republican senator’s son who’s never had time out of his shell. Dre, the out and proud outspoken son on the democratic side. Both boys meet at a presidential candidate debate and soon start their secret relations. Can love exist between both party lines?

Started off shaky at first and that’s only because I don’t really dig the enemies to lovers trope. The dialogue and banter can become cringe. There are moments of levity but the boys come off more middle grade than young adult. I did like it in a sense of “tv movie-nothing else is on” vibe.

There are endearing lessons to take out from this for a younger audience even if not totally fleshed out well. The boys characters are decent, but their chemistry is a bit all over the place. The plot also goes slightly silly with a over the top villain.

Only recommend for younger readers or those wanting something cheesy and not too serious.

biblioemily's review

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4.0

*Thank you to Edelweiss & HarperTeen for the eARC* Yes, please! This was such a fun read. Loved the demi rep & sons grappling with their parents' politics, especially with Dean & his mom. I loved the ending, though I did feel things wrapped up a bit too nicely like the Scooby Doo caper referenced in the story. Overall, this was fun & intriguing and I can't wait to recommend it to teens!

anghrae's review against another edition

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3.0

I can't stand how bad the title sounds, but anyway~

Jeez that was awfully cute and stupid. Disgustingly adorable but stupid!
It felt like I was reading a fun fiction, but that's totally fine. I just wanted something chill and light so I didn't have huge expectations.

It wasn't something groundbreaking, heart-stopping, jaw on the floor, but I still enjoyed it. Cheesy af but kept me smiling and not gonna lie, got me squirreling a couple of times...

I also really related to Dean... As a person who's also somewhere in the asexual spectrum and isn't sure of anything yet, I liked his character. Even when I wanted to slap him a couple of times :)

Overall, even if it went a little bit to fast for me, I had a good time reading it.

sc104906's review

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4.0

I received this as an eARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Dre's father is running for president as the democratic candidate and Dean's mother is running for president as the republic candidate. Both are trying to take down the corrupt independent candidate. Dre and Dean are from very different backgrounds and their family's values are polar opposite. When the two are unexpectedly pushed together, they find that perhaps they have more in common than they could ever imagine. The two begin texting using a secure app and find that they have growing romantic feelings for each other. A romance between the two is an impossibility, but maybe love will win in the end.

I love Hutchinson's realistic fiction books! This novel is told through dual narrators in a spectacular fashion. Dean and Dre have very distinct voices and it is never unclear who is talking. This novel poses layered questions related to politics and family. Can you love someone, but not their political affiliation? I also like that Dean's struggles with ADD are different than the stereotype that is typically presented. It enhances him as a character and reaches out to readers that may not find themselves in books. This is one I will be recommending.

havenbarrett's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

skywhales's review

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reviewing another book i haven't read which is bad goodreads etiquette or something but URGH and BLEUGH and every other expression of disgust, i had to do something about my immense disappointment. i haven't had an author let me down this badly since she of the british child wizard books. and even in that scenario i wasn't that into those books in the first place because i'd kind of outgrown them. i loved everything i've ever read by shaun david hutchinson but knowing he wrote this appalling centrist ripoff of a book i already didn't like has pretty much permanently tainted my view of him. what a fucking disaster. i'd advise reading other reviews by people who more eloquently sum up the problems with this book, particularly poc pointing out the terrible handling of race throughout. just. ugh. wish i had known about this when it was released so i didn't waste my money on sdh's other books.