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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I loved this sweet and different perspective.
The book was well written, funny and real.
The book was well written, funny and real.
I really enjoyed this book. My book club selected it because it was selected as a finalist for the William C. Morris award for a YA debut author. It was a different perspective on the typical coming of age story. It was witty, the character development was fascinating, and it was realistic...not a "happily ever after" ending, but a "well I screwed up, but I'll work hard to redeem myself" ending. Looking forward to more books by Ben Philippe.
Witty observations about life in high school and Texas! And the acknowledgments at the end were delightful to read!
Norris is black, Canadian, and new to Austin, Texas. He's determined to hate it there and all the typical American's he finds there. But he's promised his mother to try.
I wasn’t sure how much I would get into the snarkiness of this depiction of high school that in the beginning seemed very one-dimensional, but of course, that was all intended by the author. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that it was all a bit of a defense mechanism of the main character and more nuanced depth of emotion and relationships emerge as the book unfolds. It does make me think about all of the kids I work with who are constantly in “joking” mode with the constant sharpness and sarcasm of meme-filled culture. It makes me think about all they are hiding and masking and the vulnerability they are attempting to protect. Good, fun read that ends up filled with a lot of heart.
I really enjoyed this book and I wish it had existed back when I was in high school because then I would have loved it since then and related to it so well. You get all the cringe of being a high schooler and the messiness of life in this extremely wonderful book.
This book should be nominated for some type of award based on the title alone! Best title ever! Funny, heartwarming coming-of-age story about a black French-Canadien boy finding himself transplanted to Austin, Texas for his mother’s job. Enjoyable, quick read.
I really enjoyed this contemporary. It is a rare male MC in YA and obviously, I cannot speak to if it is authentic to the male perspective, but I can speak to how I personally digested the novel. I had seen a lot of talk about the MC, Norris, being unlikable, but I had the opposite reaction. I really enjoyed how snarky Norris was. I don't think he was oblivious to how he reacted to people and situations. There was definitely a good character arc with lots of personal growth. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments and although nothing was too surprising in the plot itself, it was still a story worth reading. I loved Norris's mom, Liam, and Maddie too. Honestly, the only character I really didn't enjoy was Aarti. I liked the ending a whole lot and look forward to what Philippe brings to the table in the future. Highly recommend reading the acknowledgements which were quite humorous :)