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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This novel is YA and was recommended to me. I loved the authors ability to fluidly incorporate diversity within the novel. There is a myriad of dynamics and people in this novel but none of it is glaring— it just is. And it feels the way all books should be! I would have loved this even more as a teenager, so would def reccomend to anyone into YA.
I liked this even better than I thought I would! I like how Philippe wrote the moving to a new school narrative. Things happen so slowly that one day you look up and realize you made a life for yourself somewhere and I think he really drew that idea well. I really liked these characters and for the most part they felt real (if not a little too well adjusted in how they deal with break ups). Ben Philippe is definitely a writer to watch!
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The beginning of the book was super strong and I really liked Norris' character. I really loved Maddie and their friendship. When it got into the final act was when I started to dislike it and feel conflicted. His relationship with Aarti felt forced and uncomfortable. It felt like the book tried to show Norris as having developed, but the only development I saw was that he no longer wanted to leave Texas. His apologies didn't feel like apologies and Norris didn't seem very likeable by the end. Overall, I still liked the book, but the ending really sucked.
Took a while for me to get into it, but once I did, it was good
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
This was an awesome listen! I laughed out loud a few times and even shed some tears at one point. Norris is the son of Haitian immigrants to Canada. His father, a physician, has had an affair and started a new family. His mother, an anthropology professor, accepts a job with University of Texas at Austin and before 16 year old Norris knows what's happening, he has moved from his beloved Montreal to ungodly hot Austin. Norris begins the semester with a huge chip on his shoulder and he gladly puts all the cheerleaders and football players (the interest in football and not hockey being one of the horrors of it all) into a box labeled 'dumb, immature etc.' By the end of this witty, often snarky novel Norris has grown up a bit and learned to open his mind and heart. The reader/listener has worried about a black smart-Alec teenager in a US city and enjoyed several riffs on Canadian culture vs. U.S. culture, hockey vs. football, cold vs. hot. Thanks to Librofm for the bookseller listening program.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Funny. I just wish authors would stop using the word “tribe”.
So this was on my TBR forever and I am glad I actually got to it.
This book takes a fresh look on the classical high school character tropes like jocks, cheerleaders and nerds. The main character is sharp and snarky and those personality traits are even more intensified by his move from Canada to Texas. I am not going to talk about the plot, but let me say it seems a bit like mean girls. By a bit I mean a lot. I really liked how this author writes his characters, they are basically what carries the whole story.
If this story was like a lot of the other YA high school contemporaries (the trope riddled kind) I would probably not be able to finish it since I feel like my love for the genre is quickly declining. I need to get more into new adult since it is more relevant to my life now. But this was different in a lot of ways and I enjoyed it very much.
I will probably check his other books as well.
This book takes a fresh look on the classical high school character tropes like jocks, cheerleaders and nerds. The main character is sharp and snarky and those personality traits are even more intensified by his move from Canada to Texas. I am not going to talk about the plot, but let me say it seems a bit like mean girls. By a bit I mean a lot. I really liked how this author writes his characters, they are basically what carries the whole story.
If this story was like a lot of the other YA high school contemporaries (the trope riddled kind) I would probably not be able to finish it since I feel like my love for the genre is quickly declining. I need to get more into new adult since it is more relevant to my life now. But this was different in a lot of ways and I enjoyed it very much.
I will probably check his other books as well.