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A review by ellelainey
Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch
5.0
POV : 1st person, one character POV
Triggers : discussions about mental health, coming out, and political espionage
Themes : YA, class president, break-up, LGBT, coming out, self-discovery
Blaine for the Win is another great story, with relatable characters, from Robbie Couch. I loved [b:The Sky Blues|54304017|The Sky Blues|Robbie Couch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598640708l/54304017._SY75_.jpg|73531148], and this one is just as good, if not better.
Our MC, Blaine, is a fun, artistic, bow-tie wearing sixteen year old, who is floating on a cloud. About to go on the date of all dates with his one-year boyfriend, Joey, life is good for Blaine. Until that date turns into a gut-wrenching break-up in one of the swankiest - and unreachable, to financially struggling Blaine - of restaurants. Worse, the break-up isn't his fault, but because he's not "serious" enough for a budding future President of the USA.
Completely blind-sided, Blaine mourns his relationship over spring break, then comes up with the worst of all plans to win Joey back - sign up to become Senior Class President - to show Joey how serious he can be. Except...Joey is now dating someone else. And...Blaine hasn't got a clue how to be class president. And...everything goes downhill right from the word Go!
~
I'll admit, the break-up was BRUTAL. Total caps moment, because that was hard to read, and painful to watch. Maybe not as painful as Blaine fumbling his way through a campaign to become class president, and that first debate - OUCH! - but it's definitely up there.
All the plot twists were clever, well paced and well thought through, so that they happened at just the right moment.
I loved the foreshadowing of introducing Danny before we'd even met Joey, because he is SUPER important to the plot.
Normally, I don't love 1st person POV, as it takes FOREVER to find out the name/details of the central character, but Couch completely bypassed all that, and we had full deets on Blaine by page 2.
Blaine, as a main character, was awesome. A total wreck of a teenager, coasting through school, barely known by anyone outside his circle, thought a little weird, and prone to panic, with a fear of failure, and who jumps to all the wrong conclusions quicker than he could scoff a slice of pizza. I mean...that was most of us, right? And when failure, or a break-up, hits...it hits HARD. Mooning, moaning, and sulking included.
There really wasn't one other main character in the book, but rather a cast of supporting characters that all had their place in the story, and all pulled their weight.
Joey - obvs, as the ex.
Zach - his new boyf, and Blaine's opposition, running for class president
Ashlyn - Joey's bestie, who hates Blaine
Trish - Blaine's bestie
Camilla - Trish's girlfriend, and Blaine's friend
Danny - student council member, and new friend to Blaine
Together, Trish, Camilla and Danny give us - and Blaine - the full scope of friendship necessities. Trish is a strong young Black woman, Blaine's motivator, who is starkly honest and sometimes brutal. Camilla is fun, easy-going, and loves dinosaurs. Danny is Vietnamese, recently out as Bi, and loves plants. They all add something to Blaine's run for presidency, as well as becoming a strong team of friends who are always there for each other.
Joey's role as Blaine's ex is complex, but cleverly done. Ashlyn is a total witch, while Zach is even more complex than Joey, and shows some interesting fair play throughout the campaign.
Then, of course, there is Aunt Starr. Who is, of course, a total star. She's Blaine's rock, his encouragement, and a loveable, crazy aunt who is happy to lead him down whatever path he's chosen. Their bond is really nice to see, while his parents work hard to keep them financially afloat.
~
I don't want to say much about the plot, because it's more fun if you just trust the journey. However, I loved the diverse cast, the clever twists and avenues the plot went down. I loved the strong message about mental health, and how it was linked through everything Blaine was experiencing. His self-doubt, his self-worthy, his struggles with identity and his place in the world. I loved that he worked through each problem, whether alone or with his friends, in a way that most teenagers would be. Stroppy, at times, but getting there eventually, because it takes time to see yourself as you truly are.
The campaign for class presidency was, honestly, secondary to the plot of Blaine learning to accept himself as he was, without letting Joey's judgements change his perception of himself. Words truly can hurt more than actions, and Blaine learned the hard way that not everyone can be trusted, but also that sometimes finding where you belong means trying a lot of things that don't work out as you hoped.
~
OVERALL
Blaine for the Win was a resounding success, and I'm confident I'm going to love whatever else Robbie Couch publishes, from now on. He has a way of showcasing that inner teenager we all were, wanted to be, or loved/hated at school, and making you relive your high school years with a heavy dose of second hand embarrassment you just can't resist.
The characters he writes are visceral, clever and stronger than they realise, while enduring things that every teenager has lived through, dreamed about, or had nightmares about, at least once in their life. And somehow, we all manage to make it to 'The End' unscathed.
I can't wait for the next journey.
Triggers : discussions about mental health, coming out, and political espionage
Themes : YA, class president, break-up, LGBT, coming out, self-discovery
Blaine for the Win is another great story, with relatable characters, from Robbie Couch. I loved [b:The Sky Blues|54304017|The Sky Blues|Robbie Couch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598640708l/54304017._SY75_.jpg|73531148], and this one is just as good, if not better.
Our MC, Blaine, is a fun, artistic, bow-tie wearing sixteen year old, who is floating on a cloud. About to go on the date of all dates with his one-year boyfriend, Joey, life is good for Blaine. Until that date turns into a gut-wrenching break-up in one of the swankiest - and unreachable, to financially struggling Blaine - of restaurants. Worse, the break-up isn't his fault, but because he's not "serious" enough for a budding future President of the USA.
Completely blind-sided, Blaine mourns his relationship over spring break, then comes up with the worst of all plans to win Joey back - sign up to become Senior Class President - to show Joey how serious he can be. Except...Joey is now dating someone else. And...Blaine hasn't got a clue how to be class president. And...everything goes downhill right from the word Go!
~
I'll admit, the break-up was BRUTAL. Total caps moment, because that was hard to read, and painful to watch. Maybe not as painful as Blaine fumbling his way through a campaign to become class president, and that first debate - OUCH! - but it's definitely up there.
All the plot twists were clever, well paced and well thought through, so that they happened at just the right moment.
I loved the foreshadowing of introducing Danny before we'd even met Joey, because he is SUPER important to the plot.
Normally, I don't love 1st person POV, as it takes FOREVER to find out the name/details of the central character, but Couch completely bypassed all that, and we had full deets on Blaine by page 2.
Blaine, as a main character, was awesome. A total wreck of a teenager, coasting through school, barely known by anyone outside his circle, thought a little weird, and prone to panic, with a fear of failure, and who jumps to all the wrong conclusions quicker than he could scoff a slice of pizza. I mean...that was most of us, right? And when failure, or a break-up, hits...it hits HARD. Mooning, moaning, and sulking included.
There really wasn't one other main character in the book, but rather a cast of supporting characters that all had their place in the story, and all pulled their weight.
Joey - obvs, as the ex.
Zach - his new boyf, and Blaine's opposition, running for class president
Ashlyn - Joey's bestie, who hates Blaine
Trish - Blaine's bestie
Camilla - Trish's girlfriend, and Blaine's friend
Danny - student council member, and new friend to Blaine
Together, Trish, Camilla and Danny give us - and Blaine - the full scope of friendship necessities. Trish is a strong young Black woman, Blaine's motivator, who is starkly honest and sometimes brutal. Camilla is fun, easy-going, and loves dinosaurs. Danny is Vietnamese, recently out as Bi, and loves plants. They all add something to Blaine's run for presidency, as well as becoming a strong team of friends who are always there for each other.
Joey's role as Blaine's ex is complex, but cleverly done. Ashlyn is a total witch, while Zach is even more complex than Joey, and shows some interesting fair play throughout the campaign.
Then, of course, there is Aunt Starr. Who is, of course, a total star. She's Blaine's rock, his encouragement, and a loveable, crazy aunt who is happy to lead him down whatever path he's chosen. Their bond is really nice to see, while his parents work hard to keep them financially afloat.
~
I don't want to say much about the plot, because it's more fun if you just trust the journey. However, I loved the diverse cast, the clever twists and avenues the plot went down. I loved the strong message about mental health, and how it was linked through everything Blaine was experiencing. His self-doubt, his self-worthy, his struggles with identity and his place in the world. I loved that he worked through each problem, whether alone or with his friends, in a way that most teenagers would be. Stroppy, at times, but getting there eventually, because it takes time to see yourself as you truly are.
The campaign for class presidency was, honestly, secondary to the plot of Blaine learning to accept himself as he was, without letting Joey's judgements change his perception of himself. Words truly can hurt more than actions, and Blaine learned the hard way that not everyone can be trusted, but also that sometimes finding where you belong means trying a lot of things that don't work out as you hoped.
~
OVERALL
Blaine for the Win was a resounding success, and I'm confident I'm going to love whatever else Robbie Couch publishes, from now on. He has a way of showcasing that inner teenager we all were, wanted to be, or loved/hated at school, and making you relive your high school years with a heavy dose of second hand embarrassment you just can't resist.
The characters he writes are visceral, clever and stronger than they realise, while enduring things that every teenager has lived through, dreamed about, or had nightmares about, at least once in their life. And somehow, we all manage to make it to 'The End' unscathed.
I can't wait for the next journey.