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marieintheraw's review
2.0
Quick and enjoyable while reading, but not super memorable. The author really captured the feel of 80s New York though.
misamille's review
4.0
This book was a roller coaster in the best way possible!!! Going on this crazy nostalgic ride with J.J. was amazing and very very very 80s. Not bad 80s but like all those things that the ones that didn't live during that time hear about it and wish we were apart of (I was born in 1990. You do the math.). So my comparison would be a tame Sid and Nancy and that one movie with Robert Downey Jr. and Molly Ringwald but not as campy. It's a weird reference but it's the only one I got!
X-It has you rooting for the underdog and in love with characters that if they were real you would want to help them with every part of your being! I highly suggest this if you are an 80s-phile, need some nostalgia from days past, or just need a good read!
X-It has you rooting for the underdog and in love with characters that if they were real you would want to help them with every part of your being! I highly suggest this if you are an 80s-phile, need some nostalgia from days past, or just need a good read!
castlelass's review
4.0
Historical fiction and coming of age story set in the early 1980’s in New York. The protagonist, J.J., leaves San Francisco and heads to New York to establish her independence. She acquires two jobs and a roommate to make ends meet, working as a mannequin face painter and server in a bakery. Her past family life is awful, and we learn her backstory gradually over the course of this short novel – her damaged father, judgmental grandmother, and absent mother. She falls in “love” through osmosis and obsesses over X-It, an attractive young man working as a bicycle messenger, who becomes her platonic roommate. Both are aspiring artists. A group of her friends follow her to New York, take over her apartment, and complicate her life. One of these “friends” is a drug dealer who eventually entices her into the drug scene.
This is quite outside my normal fare, but I really liked this quirky book. First the positives, and they were many. I thought the author did a great job of depicting the New York punk-club scene of the 1980s, evoking the era through music, dress, cultural references, and lack of technology. J.J. is a wonderful character. She is insecure, sensitive, and easy to like, though I wanted to warn her several times to make different decisions. She seemed very real in terms of making mistakes and learning from them through life experience, though she is still very young. Though they have not treated her well, she still yearns for approval from her family. Over time, she gradually comes to appreciate her value as a person. The book is short and easily digested. I enjoyed the author’s writing style. I found it expressive and eloquent. I appreciated the artistic elements in this book, and even obtained a few tips on use of the use of line and color in drawings and paintings. I found the book as a whole very creative.
On the downside, the plot contained several huge holes. A significant crime takes place at one point, and the police investigation that would have inevitably followed is totally ignored. Also, it is a book that places a woman’s worth as subject to having “the right man” in her life. The reasons for her friends following her to New York are never given, and they are critical to the storyline. One of the leaders of the group of friends moves away and disappears from the plot, leaving me to wonder if she was only there as a device. There was a lot of uncovered ground in terms of her behavior, and it would have been nice if it had been explored further.
Gut-wrenching but hopeful, this book is a unique blend of punk stylings, artistry, and self-discovery. Content warnings include drug addiction, language, sex, and violence. Recommended to those interested in character-driven novels, the punk scene of the 1980’s, or coming of age stories.
This is quite outside my normal fare, but I really liked this quirky book. First the positives, and they were many. I thought the author did a great job of depicting the New York punk-club scene of the 1980s, evoking the era through music, dress, cultural references, and lack of technology. J.J. is a wonderful character. She is insecure, sensitive, and easy to like, though I wanted to warn her several times to make different decisions. She seemed very real in terms of making mistakes and learning from them through life experience, though she is still very young. Though they have not treated her well, she still yearns for approval from her family. Over time, she gradually comes to appreciate her value as a person. The book is short and easily digested. I enjoyed the author’s writing style. I found it expressive and eloquent. I appreciated the artistic elements in this book, and even obtained a few tips on use of the use of line and color in drawings and paintings. I found the book as a whole very creative.
On the downside, the plot contained several huge holes. A significant crime takes place at one point, and the police investigation that would have inevitably followed is totally ignored. Also, it is a book that places a woman’s worth as subject to having “the right man” in her life. The reasons for her friends following her to New York are never given, and they are critical to the storyline. One of the leaders of the group of friends moves away and disappears from the plot, leaving me to wonder if she was only there as a device. There was a lot of uncovered ground in terms of her behavior, and it would have been nice if it had been explored further.
Gut-wrenching but hopeful, this book is a unique blend of punk stylings, artistry, and self-discovery. Content warnings include drug addiction, language, sex, and violence. Recommended to those interested in character-driven novels, the punk scene of the 1980’s, or coming of age stories.
tashalostinbooks's review
5.0
I received this book free from Goodreads' first reads.
I don't know what made me enter to win this book. It's not the type of book I normally read. In fact after I entered I almost withdrew. It's not really fair to be given a book to read when it's not your usual genre; when you are not the target audience. I didn't withdraw. I figured I wouldn't win anyway. When I did win it, I wasn't too excited about reading it. It sat on my coffee table for several weeks. Finally I started it one night. I read the first two chapters and thought "meh." I let it sit there a couple more days. I wasn't impressed. It was okay, but not great. Also, it was told in first person present tense. I know that is a ploy to make the story more interesting, but mostly it's just annoying. A couple days later I impulsively put it in my bag to read at lunch. The next day I did the same. Then I stayed up half the night to finish it. Anyway, enough with this boring stuff, here's my review.
I am in love with J.J. I don't mean she is a realistic, sympathetic, well rounded character who grows during the story, she does, but that's not what I mean. I mean I AM IN LOVE WITH J.J. I want to know her, be friends with her, help her, give her a hug and some chocolate. I felt with her. I felt every fear and insecurity, every obsession and depression. I was not familiar with her world, but J.J. (or rather Jane George) brought me there, and I was truly there. And isn't that what fiction is for?
I usually wait and digest a book before I write a review, but this book needs to be rated on emotion. The five star rating doesn't mean this was a perfect book, it wasn't, in fact the ending was a bit corny, but that it took me on a journey that I enjoyed and believed.
I don't know what made me enter to win this book. It's not the type of book I normally read. In fact after I entered I almost withdrew. It's not really fair to be given a book to read when it's not your usual genre; when you are not the target audience. I didn't withdraw. I figured I wouldn't win anyway. When I did win it, I wasn't too excited about reading it. It sat on my coffee table for several weeks. Finally I started it one night. I read the first two chapters and thought "meh." I let it sit there a couple more days. I wasn't impressed. It was okay, but not great. Also, it was told in first person present tense. I know that is a ploy to make the story more interesting, but mostly it's just annoying. A couple days later I impulsively put it in my bag to read at lunch. The next day I did the same. Then I stayed up half the night to finish it. Anyway, enough with this boring stuff, here's my review.
I am in love with J.J. I don't mean she is a realistic, sympathetic, well rounded character who grows during the story, she does, but that's not what I mean. I mean I AM IN LOVE WITH J.J. I want to know her, be friends with her, help her, give her a hug and some chocolate. I felt with her. I felt every fear and insecurity, every obsession and depression. I was not familiar with her world, but J.J. (or rather Jane George) brought me there, and I was truly there. And isn't that what fiction is for?
I usually wait and digest a book before I write a review, but this book needs to be rated on emotion. The five star rating doesn't mean this was a perfect book, it wasn't, in fact the ending was a bit corny, but that it took me on a journey that I enjoyed and believed.
lowlovesbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
melaniejayne35's review against another edition
3.0
Solid 3 stars. Young adult book covering some heavy subjects, the main one being drug addiction. I would definitely read something else by this author.
The only reason I read this book is because I'm trying to complete an alphabet challenge for a book club here on GR. The only books I didn't already own were a book starting with X (for which I found this book) and an author name starting with X. I enjoyed both books I found so thanks to GR I read two books I never would have heard of.
The only reason I read this book is because I'm trying to complete an alphabet challenge for a book club here on GR. The only books I didn't already own were a book starting with X (for which I found this book) and an author name starting with X. I enjoyed both books I found so thanks to GR I read two books I never would have heard of.
ohbookisme's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
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