Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Initially, I was going to give it 4 stars but you know what to hell with that 5 stars it is. I'll admit I went into this happy that it was short-ish so I could get through it quickly and be done but I'm so glad I gave it a chance because by the end I wished it was 100 pages longer so I could relish in the characters more. I'll agree with everyone here that Norris is definitely not my favourite character but it's not because he was written badly, au contraire actually, he's a bad person but he was written phenomenally~. He's kind of, and mind my language here, a dick but it was so satisfying to reach the end and see all his improvement. Instead of my usual rambling, I'll give a few reasons why I liked this book in a list!
Firstly, it was effortlessly diverse. The author wasn't trying to check off some diversity checklist and instead created a story where I could actually relate to some of the characters, immigrant parents and all. There were mentions of mental health and depression, a black character and mentions of police brutality, a gay character and mentions of homophobia, these things weren't the main focus of the book obviously but they were mentioned in a way that didn't feel forced and that didn't diminish their meaning, again as I said, effortless, it was really admirable actually.
Second, and I feel really silly saying this every time, but the plot and characters were really fun to follow and I genuinely had an enjoyable time reading. I blame this book for me not leaving my bed for the past three days, maybe I'm just easy to impress or maybe this book was just that good but I recommend it, as long as you can keep up with Norris and his attitude of course. (I blame him being so entitled on him being an only child.)
Thirdly, I love the little bits at the beginning of each chapter. I love that the chapters had names I think that's definitely something we should have more of. I'm also a total sucker for cliche airport scenes and I love when books are realistic so the fact that this book's ending was able to combine both of these things? Simply phenomenal.
I could write a lot more reasons for liking this book and specifically nitpick the finer details and talk about my favourite characters at length but alas I'm running out of energy( and creative adjectives). I'll just conclude this by saying two last things. I'm glad I have more Ben Philippe books on my 'tbr' list along the line since I have a feeling I'll like his other book as well. And this book has easily become the best YA book I've read this year. The bar might be low here but I still felt it necessary to point out, anyway peace.
Firstly, it was effortlessly diverse. The author wasn't trying to check off some diversity checklist and instead created a story where I could actually relate to some of the characters, immigrant parents and all. There were mentions of mental health and depression, a black character and mentions of police brutality, a gay character and mentions of homophobia, these things weren't the main focus of the book obviously but they were mentioned in a way that didn't feel forced and that didn't diminish their meaning, again as I said, effortless, it was really admirable actually.
Second, and I feel really silly saying this every time, but the plot and characters were really fun to follow and I genuinely had an enjoyable time reading. I blame this book for me not leaving my bed for the past three days, maybe I'm just easy to impress or maybe this book was just that good but I recommend it, as long as you can keep up with Norris and his attitude of course. (I blame him being so entitled on him being an only child.)
Thirdly, I love the little bits at the beginning of each chapter. I love that the chapters had names I think that's definitely something we should have more of. I'm also a total sucker for cliche airport scenes and I love when books are realistic so the fact that this book's ending was able to combine both of these things? Simply phenomenal.
I could write a lot more reasons for liking this book and specifically nitpick the finer details and talk about my favourite characters at length but alas I'm running out of energy( and creative adjectives). I'll just conclude this by saying two last things. I'm glad I have more Ben Philippe books on my 'tbr' list along the line since I have a feeling I'll like his other book as well. And this book has easily become the best YA book I've read this year. The bar might be low here but I still felt it necessary to point out, anyway peace.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At the beginning of the book, you’ll find Norris to be an ass. Somewhere around the middle he’s making you smile. Toward the end his missteps are making you put your head in your hands. You’re rooting for him even though he doesn’t totally deserve it. A good YA. Witty and worthy.
Good concept, and well thought out chapters. Not sure that the descriptions of each “type” matched what happened. Still an enjoyable read, however.
Funnier than most YA, and though the plot wasn’t terribly inventive, there was no mushy-stuff and limited angst.
I was turned off by this book on Page 1 with the absurd idea that Austin, TX is 104 degrees Fahrenheit in January. All it takes is a quick Google search to know that's about 40 degrees too hot. For a book supposedly breaking down barriers and bias, is it really fair to play with geography and climate that way? Not all of Texas = stupid hot all year round.
Interesting (an unfortunate coincidence, perhaps) that the only truly "good" people (nice, non-judgmental) in the book are white...
Those critiques aside, the book was engaging and with some solid messages. Not as predictable as one might fear with YA lit.
Interesting (an unfortunate coincidence, perhaps) that the only truly "good" people (nice, non-judgmental) in the book are white...
Those critiques aside, the book was engaging and with some solid messages. Not as predictable as one might fear with YA lit.
Review copy: Purchased
The buzz around Ben Philippe’s debut novel was catching and everyone was talking about how funny and witty the novel was, so when I saw a copy out in the wild, I decided to buy it. I like witty novels, but for some odd reason, Field Guide to the North American Teenager didn’t click with me. It could have been the mood I was in when I read it, or something, but on the whole I struggled to get through the book. Yes, there were parts where I giggled, but I expected to laugh a lot more than I actually did.
I’d have to say the reason why I didn’t connect with this novel is that I didn’t quite connect with the main character, Norris. Norris is extremely smart and mature for his age, which makes him not quite fit in with his classmates. Of course, moving to a new country in the middle of the school year doesn’t help matters. However, Norris doesn’t make any real attempt to get to know the students at his school, nor really makes any effort to try to relate to them. All the relationships he does end up forming come from others taking the first steps, not Norris (aside from his crush that is). On the whole I found Norris to be a bit arrogant and it turned me off. I do know that Norris reminded me of a student who was way more intelligent than his classmates, who was a bit arrogant, and that caused issues in my classroom. I think, for me, Norris reminded me of this student, therefore I couldn’t connect with him because Norris tapped into my worry for this student and I couldn’t enjoy the book.
What I did enjoy about the book was an outsider’s perspective of America. Having been to Austin, Texas, where the novel takes place, I know that it is a progressive city in a state that is not-so-much. I found it humorous that Norris struggled with believing Austin to be progressive. Norris is from Montreal, so I understood his perspective and understood his struggle. I think setting the novel is Texas was genius by Philippe because, as most Americans know, Texas really is whole world and culture of it’s own. And Austin is definitely a mix of American extremes, so dropping Norris in this environment gives both a window and mirror for the reader, allowing us to see ourselves from another perspective, while giggling at the foibles of American culture.
I did enjoy Philippe’s writing and felt the novel moved at a good pace. Even though I didn’t connect with Norris, I did like many of the other characters, especially Liam, and I look forward to what Philippe writes next.
The buzz around Ben Philippe’s debut novel was catching and everyone was talking about how funny and witty the novel was, so when I saw a copy out in the wild, I decided to buy it. I like witty novels, but for some odd reason, Field Guide to the North American Teenager didn’t click with me. It could have been the mood I was in when I read it, or something, but on the whole I struggled to get through the book. Yes, there were parts where I giggled, but I expected to laugh a lot more than I actually did.
I’d have to say the reason why I didn’t connect with this novel is that I didn’t quite connect with the main character, Norris. Norris is extremely smart and mature for his age, which makes him not quite fit in with his classmates. Of course, moving to a new country in the middle of the school year doesn’t help matters. However, Norris doesn’t make any real attempt to get to know the students at his school, nor really makes any effort to try to relate to them. All the relationships he does end up forming come from others taking the first steps, not Norris (aside from his crush that is). On the whole I found Norris to be a bit arrogant and it turned me off. I do know that Norris reminded me of a student who was way more intelligent than his classmates, who was a bit arrogant, and that caused issues in my classroom. I think, for me, Norris reminded me of this student, therefore I couldn’t connect with him because Norris tapped into my worry for this student and I couldn’t enjoy the book.
What I did enjoy about the book was an outsider’s perspective of America. Having been to Austin, Texas, where the novel takes place, I know that it is a progressive city in a state that is not-so-much. I found it humorous that Norris struggled with believing Austin to be progressive. Norris is from Montreal, so I understood his perspective and understood his struggle. I think setting the novel is Texas was genius by Philippe because, as most Americans know, Texas really is whole world and culture of it’s own. And Austin is definitely a mix of American extremes, so dropping Norris in this environment gives both a window and mirror for the reader, allowing us to see ourselves from another perspective, while giggling at the foibles of American culture.
I did enjoy Philippe’s writing and felt the novel moved at a good pace. Even though I didn’t connect with Norris, I did like many of the other characters, especially Liam, and I look forward to what Philippe writes next.
Sweet and funny, a straightforward look at high school from an original voice.
Lord! Did I laugh during this book?! So much it sometimes prevented me from going on until I shared what I had just read with someone in my vicinity! I mean, this is a really funny and also very well-written book. It was not what I anticipated, but it delivered laughs and lots of me saying “right?!” I dug it.