A review by upsidedown10
Struts & Frets by Kelley Skovron

emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I first read this in 2012 when I was a teenager, so this book had a huge impact on me. I'm glad to see that all my re-reads meant that I mostly remembered the plot and even some lines. This time around, I was a little nervous to see if it held up. After some deliberation, I think it holds up like a 90's romance movie. There might be some dated and problematic language (in this case, a handful of era-appropriate slurs), but it is the perfect encapsulation of its time. I have never read another book that so perfectly depicts what it was like (for me) to be a teenager in the mid 2000's. 

I really like these characters, especially Sammy. He's so convincingly a teenager trying to figure out what he wants and how to get it. He has a lot of emotions that I remember really liking how they were articulated. I really related to Sammy in my teenage years and it was nice to come back to this book.