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A review by jsncnrd
Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden
5.0
Tobias Madden is the king of making books that are compulsively readable. If given the chance, I'd have read this book in one sitting. I read Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell earlier this year and absolutely adored it. I read it in 24 hours -- I simply could not put it down, needing to know what would happen. Anything But Fine managed to take a hold of me the same way.
Luca's story was beautiful. One of redemption, growth, and courage. Heartbreaking, yes -- but also heartwarming. Watching Luca's journey was a delight. Seeing him develop further and further as a human as he found his place in a new life that he did not ask for was touching. And along the way, we had amazing characters like Amanda, Jordan, and Luca's father. Watching his individual relationships with the 3 of them was a true delight.
Despite Luca seeing himself as a horrible human during the third act when everything that could possibly go wrong goes wrong, my heart had so much love for him -- because when all was said and done, he was trying his best and was being so hard on himself. He had an enormous heart, which is what I loved the most about him. When you connect with a protagonist this way, it makes for a different reading experience. And it's the same reason I loved Noah in Tobias' next book -- because you care about what happens to them.
I am such a fan of Tobias' writing and will be eagerly awaiting his 2024 release. If you are looking for a read with both light-heartedness / levity and a healthy dose of emotional impact -- this is your book. Cannot recommend both Anything But Fine AND Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell enough.
"I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror. / It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero."
- Taylor Swift
Luca's story was beautiful. One of redemption, growth, and courage. Heartbreaking, yes -- but also heartwarming. Watching Luca's journey was a delight. Seeing him develop further and further as a human as he found his place in a new life that he did not ask for was touching. And along the way, we had amazing characters like Amanda, Jordan, and Luca's father. Watching his individual relationships with the 3 of them was a true delight.
Despite Luca seeing himself as a horrible human during the third act when everything that could possibly go wrong goes wrong, my heart had so much love for him -- because when all was said and done, he was trying his best and was being so hard on himself. He had an enormous heart, which is what I loved the most about him. When you connect with a protagonist this way, it makes for a different reading experience. And it's the same reason I loved Noah in Tobias' next book -- because you care about what happens to them.
I am such a fan of Tobias' writing and will be eagerly awaiting his 2024 release. If you are looking for a read with both light-heartedness / levity and a healthy dose of emotional impact -- this is your book. Cannot recommend both Anything But Fine AND Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell enough.
"I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror. / It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero."
- Taylor Swift