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A review by bespectacledbibliophile
Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me by Carrie Dirisio, Broody McHottiepants
5.0
Admittedly, I'm biased in favor of this book both because it fulfills a number of things on my narrative wish list--the evil ex is given a voice! be still my beating heart--and because I've had a number of lovely online conversations with the author.
That said, this book was FUN. I really enjoyed the scrapbook-like quality of the book itself, which felt like Broody had received all his literary advice from teen magazines circa 1998. The quizzes, bits of narrative, and interruptions from Blondie lent it a good deal of energy.
And speaking of Blondie, I love her. I do. Before this book came out, I spent a not insubstantial amount of time being frustrated with Hallmark movies for many of the reasons I am frustrated with the evil ex girlfriend trope. Blondie is a sassy antidote to that. Not only does she tear down a number of the problematic tropes and trends that surround many a brooding YA hero, but making those great points doesn't require her to be any less blonde, feminine, designer-fashion-loving, or, to some extent, mean.
Genuinely, may Broody forgive me, I'd love to read more about Blondie's quest to become a main character in her own right.
That said, this book was FUN. I really enjoyed the scrapbook-like quality of the book itself, which felt like Broody had received all his literary advice from teen magazines circa 1998. The quizzes, bits of narrative, and interruptions from Blondie lent it a good deal of energy.
And speaking of Blondie, I love her. I do. Before this book came out, I spent a not insubstantial amount of time being frustrated with Hallmark movies for many of the reasons I am frustrated with the evil ex girlfriend trope. Blondie is a sassy antidote to that. Not only does she tear down a number of the problematic tropes and trends that surround many a brooding YA hero, but making those great points doesn't require her to be any less blonde, feminine, designer-fashion-loving, or, to some extent, mean.
Genuinely, may Broody forgive me, I'd love to read more about Blondie's quest to become a main character in her own right.