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A review by frasersimons
Mr. Kiss and Tell by Jennifer Graham, Rob Thomas
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is… almost suspiciously good. It bears little resemblance to the last book. Co author, that you? Or did they just take criticisms of the first book to heart. Either way, this is vastly superior on every level. On a technical one the writing has much more connective tissue, feeling competently dressed toward young adult, to the point where it’s more PG than the show. There is far more connective tissue for plot beats. The themes hit harder, the characters feel both true to themselves and well realized, while also feeling like they’ve finally aged forward, too. Particularly with Logan, who now finally makes more sense as a character and was by far the weakest aspects to the second and third seasons, where the show becomes gonzo and contrived, rarely returning to the heart of what made the show work.
With Veronica finally having more complex relationships, so too is the morality being more nuanced. It is, perhaps quietly, actually feminist with this story; showcasing a rich compliment of women dealing with a problem unique to them, and then solving their own problems, rather than having men come in and save them, like in the show. A constant irritation for me was Logan coming to rescue. Veronica is, I’m sorry, the dumbest smartest person in the show, constantly in need of a white knight. Last book she actually carries a gun, this time the world presents additional options that aren’t so black and white—it’s much more interesting.
It also manages to tie-in to an episode that has bugged me for ages. What happened to a certain character and how lame it felt as a follow through on Veronica’s part. It manages to address it and make it a pivotal aspect of the primary theme of the book. And the popping up of bit parts even manages to feel organic, due to how things progress from there. It’s really, really good.
A wonderfully pleasant surprise. Unironically probably better than any single episode of the tv show. What an improvement over the somewhat mediocre (but serviceable) previous instalment.
With Veronica finally having more complex relationships, so too is the morality being more nuanced. It is, perhaps quietly, actually feminist with this story; showcasing a rich compliment of women dealing with a problem unique to them, and then solving their own problems, rather than having men come in and save them, like in the show. A constant irritation for me was Logan coming to rescue. Veronica is, I’m sorry, the dumbest smartest person in the show, constantly in need of a white knight. Last book she actually carries a gun, this time the world presents additional options that aren’t so black and white—it’s much more interesting.
It also manages to tie-in to an episode that has bugged me for ages. What happened to a certain character and how lame it felt as a follow through on Veronica’s part. It manages to address it and make it a pivotal aspect of the primary theme of the book. And the popping up of bit parts even manages to feel organic, due to how things progress from there. It’s really, really good.
A wonderfully pleasant surprise. Unironically probably better than any single episode of the tv show. What an improvement over the somewhat mediocre (but serviceable) previous instalment.