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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book once before in 2021 and loved it but I wanted to have another go so I can annotate. I loved all the characters and the story and since it's marked as juvenile fiction you know exactly what you're getting in.
Is this for middle schoolers? yes. Am I 17 and about to graduate high school? also yes.
reread: this book is just as funny as i remember. i was literally chuckling out loud at this multiple times.
Is this for middle schoolers? yes. Am I 17 and about to graduate high school? also yes.
reread: this book is just as funny as i remember. i was literally chuckling out loud at this multiple times.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's really as grossly misogynistic and repulsive as other reviews claim it to be. This was my second time reading Be More Chill, and it was somehow even worse than I remember. Its only redeeming qualities are a somewhat potentially-interesting plot and the squip's personality, though it uses homophobic rhetoric to criticize Jeremy Heere's anxieties. There is little character development and the flattest personalities you can encounter in writing (every single girl in the book is written as a sex-addicted airhead, except for Christine, who exists to suffer repeatedly from Jeremy's unwanted advances). Michael fetishizes Asian girls and is creepy in general but the reader is expected to feel pity(?) for him, and there's a manic pixie girl who self-harms because she thinks it's "pretty". Honestly, I'm not sure who the target audience was for this book. It's full of toxic mentalities that can harm youths, and it's not funny (at best there are outdated, bizarre pop culture references) or relatable enough for adults looking to reminisce. At least we got the musical, but even that is average at best (why are they making a film now?).
Very great read! Vizzini somehow managed to reference artists that have remained relevant since it's publishing in 2004 (spoiler alert: Eminem and Keanu Reeves). Aside from that, the dangers that the squip presented are insane but present to this day. The afterword featured in it was also fantastic.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Let's get this straight. It's not the entirety of the book that I hate. In fact, I really liked it up until the ending (the downfall of many). I knew I was in trouble when 30 pages remained and we never reached a main conflict with the squip and never got a resolution to...well anything. What a waste.
Ok. I couldn't do it. Not even 50 pages in, and this book sucked. The MC's pov just sucked. This is not just a socially anxious kid stuttering about. I understand anxiety too well, it's just any conversation by any character feels pretty juvenile and after its kind of a funny story, this is infuriating and I'm not doing this.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
not a lot of thoughts about this one actually?? there are a few parts that are pretty uncomfortable to read (particularly the misogyny -- i understand the book is by and large a social commentary, so making all the male characters so weird about women was definitely a conscious choice to make a statement about men in the real world, and it makes me cringe because it's supposed to, but that doesn't make it enjoyable) but i really like the message vizzini was communicating and how he communicated it. also, it's pretty funny at times, which is always a plus for me!