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raynebair's review against another edition
4.0
Teenagers programming video games in the 1980s. What more could I ask for. I’m an 80s kid and i loved seeing all the pop references of that era. This was a super fun read.
kerrymc's review against another edition
3.0
Fun read...love the 80s
This was a quick and pleasant read. Lots of nostalgia with elements of John Hughes, Stephen King and other favorites from my childhood. Somewhat predictable but not entirely. There was one point where a character just did a 180 in a,Michael urges time that I found unbelievable. But otherwise I felt the characters rang true to their age and era.
This was a quick and pleasant read. Lots of nostalgia with elements of John Hughes, Stephen King and other favorites from my childhood. Somewhat predictable but not entirely. There was one point where a character just did a 180 in a,Michael urges time that I found unbelievable. But otherwise I felt the characters rang true to their age and era.
jarrettwdavis's review against another edition
4.0
The book starts out with a teenage boy stereotype and then evolves rapidly from there. What felt like a forced plot device became something a lot deeper. This book was a quick, fun read that I would definitely recommend for a number of reason.
The book centers around Billy, a teenager who loves computers during a time when being involved in any way with technology was not a cool thing to do. He also loved girls, and so did his friends. The book seemed to hinge on this one stereotype, setting up a type of heist in order to procure a famous Playboy featuring none other than Vanna White. What follows goes deeper than that plot device dripping with teenage boy stereotypes.
While I didn't really grow up in the 80s (I was born the year the book is set), I felt a lot of nostalgia reading this book. It doesn't feel forced, but makes sense and is necessary. The very fact that the boys need to develop this elaborate heist-type plan to get a magazine from a store is due to the time in which this is placed. Nowadays, you can find anything on the Internet.
The real meat of the story is focused on Billy's relationship with Mary. The heist takes a backseat to the game they are creating together. Billy, originally painted as a horny teenager with arguably terrible friends, becomes a character that you really get behind. He develops a genuine relationship with Mary. It's one that is pretty believable.
The story somewhat jumps the shark near the end, but really adds some conflict. The resolution is not your typical happily ever after, which is refreshing. There is a happy ending, but it's... surprising, at the risk of a bit of spoilers.
I really enjoyed this debut novel and look forward to what Jason Rekulak comes up with next!
The book centers around Billy, a teenager who loves computers during a time when being involved in any way with technology was not a cool thing to do. He also loved girls, and so did his friends. The book seemed to hinge on this one stereotype, setting up a type of heist in order to procure a famous Playboy featuring none other than Vanna White. What follows goes deeper than that plot device dripping with teenage boy stereotypes.
While I didn't really grow up in the 80s (I was born the year the book is set), I felt a lot of nostalgia reading this book. It doesn't feel forced, but makes sense and is necessary. The very fact that the boys need to develop this elaborate heist-type plan to get a magazine from a store is due to the time in which this is placed. Nowadays, you can find anything on the Internet.
The real meat of the story is focused on Billy's relationship with Mary. The heist takes a backseat to the game they are creating together. Billy, originally painted as a horny teenager with arguably terrible friends, becomes a character that you really get behind. He develops a genuine relationship with Mary. It's one that is pretty believable.
The story somewhat jumps the shark near the end, but really adds some conflict. The resolution is not your typical happily ever after, which is refreshing. There is a happy ending, but it's... surprising, at the risk of a bit of spoilers.
I really enjoyed this debut novel and look forward to what Jason Rekulak comes up with next!
hellsbell's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted on HellyReads
I am an 80's obsessive so absolutely had to read this when I read the synopsis.
The premise is absolutely crazy - not ever having been a teenage boy, do they really feel so desperate to get a copy of Playboy to go to such lengths? Really? It was really good fun though. And the starting point for the ACTUAL heart & soul of the story of Billy & Mary and the Impossible Fortress...
Billy, Clark and Alf are 14 year-old boys who hatch a plan to steal a copy of Playboy as part of a money making scheme. Billy however becomes way more interested in entering a computer coding competition and needs the daughter of the store that sells the Playboy magazine's help to get his game to work properly. Getting close to Mary means he can fix his game (the competition prize being a state of the art computer) as well as getting the alarm code for the shop to give to his friends...
As you have probably guessed things don't quite go to plan... Mayhem ensues on the heist, people are double crossed, hearts are broken, trust is lost, friends fall out, teenage angst a plenty as well as multiple versions of the same story.
I really enjoyed this, however I found the representation of Clark's "Claw" a bit harsh, as well as the obsession over Playboy mildly excessive. It was a really easy fun read, with a lot of heart, and definitely had me filled with 80s nostalgia, it is just that parts of it fell a little flat, and I wanted a more satisfying ending.
I am an 80's obsessive so absolutely had to read this when I read the synopsis.
The premise is absolutely crazy - not ever having been a teenage boy, do they really feel so desperate to get a copy of Playboy to go to such lengths? Really? It was really good fun though. And the starting point for the ACTUAL heart & soul of the story of Billy & Mary and the Impossible Fortress...
Billy, Clark and Alf are 14 year-old boys who hatch a plan to steal a copy of Playboy as part of a money making scheme. Billy however becomes way more interested in entering a computer coding competition and needs the daughter of the store that sells the Playboy magazine's help to get his game to work properly. Getting close to Mary means he can fix his game (the competition prize being a state of the art computer) as well as getting the alarm code for the shop to give to his friends...
As you have probably guessed things don't quite go to plan... Mayhem ensues on the heist, people are double crossed, hearts are broken, trust is lost, friends fall out, teenage angst a plenty as well as multiple versions of the same story.
I really enjoyed this, however I found the representation of Clark's "Claw" a bit harsh, as well as the obsession over Playboy mildly excessive. It was a really easy fun read, with a lot of heart, and definitely had me filled with 80s nostalgia, it is just that parts of it fell a little flat, and I wanted a more satisfying ending.
mjcosgrove's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure why I bought the book except that was looking for something light and fun. I think after Ready Player One and Ready Player Two, I was a little bit over nostalgic-for-the-80s novels, but this one didn’t overdo it, and I got drawn into the love story. It took a turn I did not see coming and am not totally sure I liked, but overall, it was a decent book that was worth the time.
unclebuddy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is the second book by Jason Rekulak that I have read and I have loved bith of them. It is best to not know a whole lot about this book. It is so good though.
sjj169's review against another edition
2.0
Billy and his two buddies Alf and Clark are desperate. They have learned about the teenage holy grail. Vanna White is in Playboy!
They hatch schemes to get their hands on a copy since it's the late 80's and no one will sell it to them since they are all under the age of eighteen. So they devise a plan to steal that sucker.
Billy's job is to get the security code from the grouchy old man that owns the stores daughter. Mary is a bit on the chubby side but Billy can handle it. (Not my words because my arse is chubby too.)
The thing is? Mary is kinda cool. She knows another one of Billy's kryptonites. Computer coding.
Keep in mind this is the eighties and computer programming is a whole different bag of nuts than it is now. She also tells him about a super cool contest going on where the winner of the best computer game gets a brand new computer (back in the day when those things were the cost of a house) and they get to meet the video game wizard of the time.
So Billy gets himself all worked up, he does have that game of strip poker featuring Christie Brinkley but Alf makes fun of it because her pubic hair is all jacked up. So he takes his second best game, The Impossible Fortress and knows it's a winner.
With Mary's help. (Because she totally is the brains in this operation)
This sounds like a cute book doesn't it? And in some ways it is. It does end up going in a very weird story arc in my opinion, but I'm not the best judge of crap like that.
The thing I am judgey about is if you are going to write a book about the eighties...get your stuff right. I have no clue about all the video game/computery stuff so I'm not judging there. BUT there is a joke made that threw off the whole book. I know the eighties were forever ago.
But you gotta know that some old asshole (namely me) is going to notice when you get something glaringly wrong and there are several things so wrong in this book.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
They hatch schemes to get their hands on a copy since it's the late 80's and no one will sell it to them since they are all under the age of eighteen. So they devise a plan to steal that sucker.
Billy's job is to get the security code from the grouchy old man that owns the stores daughter. Mary is a bit on the chubby side but Billy can handle it. (Not my words because my arse is chubby too.)
The thing is? Mary is kinda cool. She knows another one of Billy's kryptonites. Computer coding.
Keep in mind this is the eighties and computer programming is a whole different bag of nuts than it is now. She also tells him about a super cool contest going on where the winner of the best computer game gets a brand new computer (back in the day when those things were the cost of a house) and they get to meet the video game wizard of the time.
So Billy gets himself all worked up, he does have that game of strip poker featuring Christie Brinkley but Alf makes fun of it because her pubic hair is all jacked up. So he takes his second best game, The Impossible Fortress and knows it's a winner.
With Mary's help. (Because she totally is the brains in this operation)
This sounds like a cute book doesn't it? And in some ways it is. It does end up going in a very weird story arc in my opinion, but I'm not the best judge of crap like that.
The thing I am judgey about is if you are going to write a book about the eighties...get your stuff right. I have no clue about all the video game/computery stuff so I'm not judging there. BUT there is a joke made that threw off the whole book. I know the eighties were forever ago.
But you gotta know that some old asshole (namely me) is going to notice when you get something glaringly wrong and there are several things so wrong in this book.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
dreamingintext's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0