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mmajer's review against another edition
4.0
I would say this book is just shy of 4 stars, but more than say 3.5. I really loved Sutter's voice throughout the book even though at times he was a complete idiot. It just didn't feel complete to me. Overall I really enjoyed it and it has been a while since I have been so hooked to a book that I read it in such few sittings.
theloststreetmouse's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. I was so bored with it and I could not connect with any of the characters.
narcissia's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this book, despite the fact that the main character is constantly making me feel disappointed in him. The end leaves me with such ambivalence of feeling that I can't help but adore it for its realness.
mimimilaa's review against another edition
3.0
I actually enjoyed way more than I was expecting to and I was so sure that I was going to give this 4 stars, but that ending ughh. I just felt like there was so much that was unresolved and not in a good way. Sometimes I can handle a little room for the audience's imagination to finish the story in their own way, but this was just too much for me.
While reading, I thought Tharp was going to touch on some pretty big topics like alcoholism, familial values, the importance of friendship, even rape, but he just kind of beat around the bush with all of these, which I didn't like. This book had so much potential to have a lasting impression and it just totally fell short of that. That being said, the more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to stick with 3 stars with this book and not bump it to 3.5 because of how I enjoyed it. It was definitely an easy read, but I just think that there was so much room for important topics to be discussed. Tharp didn't really capitalize on these opportunities, leaving this book just kind of meh in my opinion.
While reading, I thought Tharp was going to touch on some pretty big topics like alcoholism, familial values, the importance of friendship, even rape, but he just kind of beat around the bush with all of these, which I didn't like. This book had so much potential to have a lasting impression and it just totally fell short of that. That being said, the more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to stick with 3 stars with this book and not bump it to 3.5 because of how I enjoyed it. It was definitely an easy read, but I just think that there was so much room for important topics to be discussed. Tharp didn't really capitalize on these opportunities, leaving this book just kind of meh in my opinion.
millsy07's review
4.0
I had been contemplating reading this book for a couple months, because I read many reviews, and a lot of them were bad. I watched the movie, and really liked it, so I decided to give the book a try. And i'm really glad I did. Although this wasn't the best book I've ever read, I think it was really great. I read a lot of reviews on it, and a lot of people don't like the message Sutter (the main character) promotes. He basically says who cares about anything in the past or future, you just have to live your life to the fullest by drinking every day. And I agree. Yeah it's a bad message, especially to younger readers, but you have to understand that that is Sutter's character. That's what makes him who he is. Also, although I didn't like the ending, it's understandable. SPOILER ALERT He realizes that he really does love Aimee, so he has to leave her. He knows he can't give her the future she wants, and he knows that being in her life, will only ruin things for her. Sutter had a purpose for dating Aimee, and that was to save her. He didn't intend on falling in love with her, but inevitably, that's what happened. He knew he wasn't good for her, and he was only trying to do what was right. Overall, The Spectacular Now was a really "spectacular" book.
lindsayaunderwood's review
4.0
I agree with my sister's review of this book completely. Everyone knows a Sutter Keeley. I absolutely love the movie based on this book (shoutout Miles Teller on whom I frequently crush). The book was surprisingly darker than the movie.
Feel free to read Halle's review on bighairbiggerbooks.com. She basically shares sentiments and is a much better writer than I.
Feel free to read Halle's review on bighairbiggerbooks.com. She basically shares sentiments and is a much better writer than I.
bookdevouringmisfit's review against another edition
4.0
My Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
The Spectacular Now is just so genuine that it hurts. It just hurts in the worst possible way ever.
What shattered me the most was the book's ending. Did it really have to end like that? As much as I want more and even if it tore me to pieces and left me wanting so much more - for Sutter to get better, for him to finally change - I think, yes. Because knowing that if these things happen it will just wash away the realness of this book. That's what life is. It's a mess. And no mess can ever be solved if we don't do anything about it. Sutter, he just remained living in his spectacular now. He thought he could save someone but he never once thought that maybe he was the one in need of saving. But maybe not everybody could ever be saved. I guess that's what Tim Tharp's trying to tell us all.
The Spectacular Now is just so genuine that it hurts. It just hurts in the worst possible way ever.
What shattered me the most was the book's ending. Did it really have to end like that? As much as I want more and even if it tore me to pieces and left me wanting so much more - for Sutter to get better, for him to finally change - I think, yes. Because knowing that if these things happen it will just wash away the realness of this book. That's what life is. It's a mess. And no mess can ever be solved if we don't do anything about it. Sutter, he just remained living in his spectacular now. He thought he could save someone but he never once thought that maybe he was the one in need of saving. But maybe not everybody could ever be saved. I guess that's what Tim Tharp's trying to tell us all.
goodem9199's review
2.0
The Spectacular Now is the story of a teen boy who finds life to be one big party. He does his share of dating and entertaining everyone under the sun, but falters at having any real relationships. He has been in a volatile relationship with a girl who promptly dumps him and quickly moves on to a new love. In his anger and shock, he begins paying attention to an outcast of a girl, attempting to make himself feel better by the charity work. Naturally, his feelings grow, and we see character depth that was previously missing. I trudged through this read, and can't say that I enjoyed much of it. The author is a decent storyteller, but not a writer, if that makes any sense. I found the main character to be obnoxious, and the plotline to be very predictable.
chuskeyreads's review against another edition
4.0
It's been awhile since I've read a book with the voice that captures the typical teenaged boy, and it's refreshing to be able to recommend this book to those boys who really don't read. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending or the fact that there's not an overt moral to Sutter's story. I suppose this novel is truly realistic - not every story ends with all the loose ends tied in a neat little bow. Part of the realism is that this novel is not the typical after school special. Sutter's character is both funny and tragic, and so must his story be as well.
As a former high school English teacher, Sutter's Keely flies in the face of the definition of a dynamic character. I mean, I've always taught my kids that round/dynamic characters are the ones who change as a result of facing conflict throughout the novel. Sutter, however, doesn't fit into that definition, but his dynamic personality and outlook on life changes others - Aimee, Ricky, Cassidy. Maybe that's the disturbing part about this book. I can't actually put my finger on it. This is one of those books that sparks great discussion, and well worth reading.