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A review by hayjp8
As Far as You'll Take Me by Phil Stamper
3.0
2.5/5 stars (rounded up)
As Far As You’ll Take Me follows newly graduated Marty as he spends a parent-free summer in London staying with his cousin. His parents and aunt assume he’s there for a music program (that he was actually rejected from), but he spends his time travelling with his new friends and getting to know his first boyfriend. I enjoyed many of Marty’s interactions with the side characters. His relationships with his cousin and friends were really layered and interesting to read. The writing style was simple but I liked it for the most part. However, I think the dialogue felt slightly stilted and unnatural sometimes, like if I were to read it out loud it would fall flat. Like many others, I had assumed it would be a more light hearted coming of age book from the marketing of it. The book delved into some very serious topics, which isn’t bad, but I feel like it was way too much too fast. And despite the many problems Marty faces, the ending was quite conveniently wrapped up and felt unnatural to me. Overall, this book was not for me but I can still see why others enjoyed it!
As Far As You’ll Take Me follows newly graduated Marty as he spends a parent-free summer in London staying with his cousin. His parents and aunt assume he’s there for a music program (that he was actually rejected from), but he spends his time travelling with his new friends and getting to know his first boyfriend. I enjoyed many of Marty’s interactions with the side characters. His relationships with his cousin and friends were really layered and interesting to read. The writing style was simple but I liked it for the most part. However, I think the dialogue felt slightly stilted and unnatural sometimes, like if I were to read it out loud it would fall flat. Like many others, I had assumed it would be a more light hearted coming of age book from the marketing of it. The book delved into some very serious topics, which isn’t bad, but I feel like it was way too much too fast. And despite the many problems Marty faces, the ending was quite conveniently wrapped up and felt unnatural to me. Overall, this book was not for me but I can still see why others enjoyed it!