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A review by rj921
How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith
2.0
This book is a high school, speech-club-rivals take on You've Got Mail, where the MCs start exchanging notes because of swapped assignments and continue writing to each other. However, it did not live up to my expectations.
I have not personally ever been part of the speech and debate club in school, nor have I attended American high school, but I liked how it was depicted well enough. However, I did not like Quinn, the main character much. Apart from basing her entire opinion of Grayson because of one incident, she also treats her male friend Carter very badly. I mean, I understand - I too was 17 once, and I too treated my friend badly. But that doesn't mean I condone the way she led Carter on and even lied to him, causing him to make a rash mistake that nearly had irrevocable consequences for Quinn. I liked Grayson and I understood his reason for not revealing his identity at the first rendezvous. He puts in a lot of effort to make Quinn like him. Towards the end, he puts his own chances of winning to seek her out. He is part of the speech club, not because he is particularly interested in it, but simply because he's pretty damn good at it (those people are annoying, amirite?). But Quinn's passion encourages him to give some thought to what his passions actually are. Both the MCs have confident and strong mothers, however, Grayson's relationship with his mother is a little reserved because she is a politician and has a lot on her plate.
Overall it was an ok read, but I would've liked it to be a little more nuanced, or the very least, for Quinn to understand her part in what went wrong.
I have not personally ever been part of the speech and debate club in school, nor have I attended American high school, but I liked how it was depicted well enough. However, I did not like Quinn, the main character much. Apart from basing her entire opinion of Grayson because of one incident, she also treats her male friend Carter very badly. I mean, I understand - I too was 17 once, and I too treated my friend badly. But that doesn't mean I condone the way she led Carter on and even lied to him, causing him to make a rash mistake that nearly had irrevocable consequences for Quinn. I liked Grayson and I understood his reason for not revealing his identity at the first rendezvous. He puts in a lot of effort to make Quinn like him. Towards the end, he puts his own chances of winning to seek her out. He is part of the speech club, not because he is particularly interested in it, but simply because he's pretty damn good at it (those people are annoying, amirite?). But Quinn's passion encourages him to give some thought to what his passions actually are. Both the MCs have confident and strong mothers, however, Grayson's relationship with his mother is a little reserved because she is a politician and has a lot on her plate.
Overall it was an ok read, but I would've liked it to be a little more nuanced, or the very least, for Quinn to understand her part in what went wrong.