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hjmo's review against another edition
3.0
There is something disingenuous about having your narrator be a thirteen-year-old but making him a genius so you can still write in his voice like an adult and then making him emotionally detached to boot. Look I liked the idea of this story exploring the afterlife and solving your own murder. I liked some of the world building of that afterlife and the questions posed but never quite answered was intriguing. The twists weren't terribly surprising but they were emotionally poignant.
It's well written and an enjoyable read.
Oh and I was very annoyed that in 2015 the author couldn't be bothered to accurately represent the beliefs of Mormons. Doubly annoying that one of the characters was supposedly Mormon while alive and repeating the inaccurate half-truths that a wikipedia search would have cleared up.
It's well written and an enjoyable read.
Oh and I was very annoyed that in 2015 the author couldn't be bothered to accurately represent the beliefs of Mormons. Doubly annoying that one of the characters was supposedly Mormon while alive and repeating the inaccurate half-truths that a wikipedia search would have cleared up.
donnakayhall's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliant author and a unique, unusual book that entranced me from the first sentence. This is one of those stories that will stay with me long after reading. One of the best books I have read in a while. Highly recommend!
glire's review against another edition
2.0
"Do you ever wonder, dear mother and father, what kind of toothpaste angels use in heaven?"
A story with some serious creative writing (I specially love the way every chapter is named after one of the 106 elements in the periodic table), but that lacks character development and plot credibility.
The synopsis promised a "dark but whimsical debut novel", but all we get is this really slow, really childish story, with a mystery that is no mystery at all. Actually, I'm shocked by the number of readers that found the "plot-twists" surprising - everything was obvious from the beginning! Also, the subject is sad and meaningful, but everything is treated so lightly that it was hard for me to take it seriously.
I would recommend this book only to die-hard fans of bullying stories.
oldandnewbooksmell's review against another edition
5.0
When Oliver "Boo" Dalyymple wakes up in a "heaven" called Town, the 13-year-old thinks he died from the hole in his heart in the hallway of his middle school. But soon after arriving at the place reserved for 13-year-olds who have passed, Boo discovers he's a 'gommer', a kid who was murdered and that his killer may very well be in this heaven. With the help of Johnny, a classmate who was killed at the same school, Thelma, a 'Do-Gooder' Oliver meets when he first arrives in Town, and Ester, a 'Do-Gooder' in training, Oliver sets out to track down the mysterious Gunboy.
Written as letters to his parents, Boo tells them about his heavenly adventures as he forms friendships for the first time, learns about forgiveness, and makes peace with the boy he once was.
Boo is one of those books I've had on my TBR shelf for years that, through all the weeding I have done with that shelf, I knew I would want to read it. I'm glad I kept it because it's easily become one of my favorite books.
I will be honest and say I wasn't sure about Oliver/Boo and if I would like this at the beginning. Super smart teenagers almost always come across as too cocky for me to care. I'm not entirely sure when my feelings switched and I did a 180, but it wasn't very far into the novel (pretty sure it was a page after the thought that I might not enjoy this ran across my mind). Boo has become one of my favorite characters and his story is one that will stay with me.
Boo and Johnny's journey kept me interested throughout the whole thing. Boo's voice and his little inputs to his Mother and Father would almost always make me smile.
Though the characters are all thirteen-year-olds, I don't know if I would see myself as categorizing this as young adult... it just didn't really feel like your typical YA. It's for sure a coming-of-age type of story, but I would just put this as regular fiction that would also appeal to teens.
Written as letters to his parents, Boo tells them about his heavenly adventures as he forms friendships for the first time, learns about forgiveness, and makes peace with the boy he once was.
Boo is one of those books I've had on my TBR shelf for years that, through all the weeding I have done with that shelf, I knew I would want to read it. I'm glad I kept it because it's easily become one of my favorite books.
I will be honest and say I wasn't sure about Oliver/Boo and if I would like this at the beginning. Super smart teenagers almost always come across as too cocky for me to care. I'm not entirely sure when my feelings switched and I did a 180, but it wasn't very far into the novel (pretty sure it was a page after the thought that I might not enjoy this ran across my mind). Boo has become one of my favorite characters and his story is one that will stay with me.
Boo and Johnny's journey kept me interested throughout the whole thing. Boo's voice and his little inputs to his Mother and Father would almost always make me smile.
Though the characters are all thirteen-year-olds, I don't know if I would see myself as categorizing this as young adult... it just didn't really feel like your typical YA. It's for sure a coming-of-age type of story, but I would just put this as regular fiction that would also appeal to teens.
ericahun's review against another edition
4.0
A captivating and worthwhile read, with engaging characters and plot. The timely subject of school shootings and teen suicide is dealt with in a sensitive manner. Despite its rather heavy subject matter, the novel is an easy and enjoyable read.
My only critique of this novel surrounds the character, Thelma. Thelma is a female black resident of "Town", the novel's setting and the afterlife for protagonist Boo. Thelma is a "do-gooder", the novel's name for citizens who devote their afterlife to philanthropic work. She is assigned to help Boo acclimatize and quickly becomes a motherly presence for him. Since there is no overt discussion in the novel about race, Thelma's role of caretaker for newcomer Boo, who is white, seems to be a racial trope. At the very least, I think the novel could have done a better job of adding complexity to this important character, but a bolder choice might have been to deal with the subject of race head on.
My only critique of this novel surrounds the character, Thelma. Thelma is a female black resident of "Town", the novel's setting and the afterlife for protagonist Boo. Thelma is a "do-gooder", the novel's name for citizens who devote their afterlife to philanthropic work. She is assigned to help Boo acclimatize and quickly becomes a motherly presence for him. Since there is no overt discussion in the novel about race, Thelma's role of caretaker for newcomer Boo, who is white, seems to be a racial trope. At the very least, I think the novel could have done a better job of adding complexity to this important character, but a bolder choice might have been to deal with the subject of race head on.
izzy01's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the story of Boo a lot when I read it.
In honesty, I was compelled to because I stumbled upon the bright green cover, opened the book, and read: "do you ever wonder, mother and father, what kind of toothpaste angels use in heaven?"
And like, yes - not your mother - but of course I do! That's the kind of thing I would google at night, like - how tall was Jesus? And do penguins have knees? DO THEY?
Anyway, I cannot say much more without spoiling it. It's slow in the beginning, but it's all worth it once he returns to his old school and - well. Yeah. The reveal is super sad, FUCKED. ME. UP.
Honestly.
This book fucked me up.
It was very original, too. This afterlife (written by an atheist) is one I can get behind. No dead things, only people your age (k that's terrifying ngl) and bikes, brick walls and science kits? Halloween parties! In the afterlife! YES?!
Interesting premise with a story full of twists and turns that delivers. Would you please release another book soon, Neil?
Thanks.
In honesty, I was compelled to because I stumbled upon the bright green cover, opened the book, and read: "do you ever wonder, mother and father, what kind of toothpaste angels use in heaven?"
And like, yes - not your mother - but of course I do! That's the kind of thing I would google at night, like - how tall was Jesus? And do penguins have knees? DO THEY?
Anyway, I cannot say much more without spoiling it. It's slow in the beginning, but it's all worth it once he returns to his old school and - well. Yeah. The reveal is super sad, FUCKED. ME. UP.
Honestly.
This book fucked me up.
It was very original, too. This afterlife (written by an atheist) is one I can get behind. No dead things, only people your age (k that's terrifying ngl) and bikes, brick walls and science kits? Halloween parties! In the afterlife! YES?!
Interesting premise with a story full of twists and turns that delivers. Would you please release another book soon, Neil?
Thanks.
l11yra's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nina_andreyevna's review against another edition
3.0
My kingdom for a 3.5! This was a touching read, and I'll be thinking about the final revelations for a while. That said, there were a few distracting loose ends, and I didn't totally love the way race and mental illness were woven into the narrative. (PS: why use the elements as chapter headers if you aren't going to use all of them? Oliver's fixation on memorizing all 106, and later all 109, seems like something to abide by there; the end of the book seems to suggest that they're a way of indicating how much time has passed, but that wasn't clear.)