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A review by missprint_
Nothing by Annie Barrows
3.0
Nothing ever happens to Charlotte and Frankie. Their lives are never going to be immortalized in the pages of a YA novel because they are way too boring. They don't have glorious red hair or super hot love interests. Theirs lives aren't falling apart and they definitely aren't werewolves. Charlotte and Frankie just live at home with their parents who are pretty normal. They go to high school. That's about it. Nothing.
Charlotte decides to prove how boring their lives are by writing all about everything that happens to both of them during their sophomore year. But as Charlotte tries to prove that life doesn't have a plot or character development she starts to realize that real life might have its charms after all in Nothing (2017) by Annie Barrows.
Nothing is Barrows' YA debut novel. The story was inspired by Barrows' own children bemoaning their totally mundane and non-book-worthy lives.
The novel is written in alternating first person narration with Charlotte's writing project and Frankie's more traditional prose. Despite having distinct personalities and unique arcs, it's often hard to distinguish between Frankie and Charlotte's narrations as their voices blend together thanks to similar phrasing and cadence.
Charlotte and Frankie are authentic teens who fall decidedly on the younger end of the YA spectrum. There are no soul mates or life and death situations here but there are crushes, party-induced hangovers, and a couple of big surprises.
A quick, contemporary read ideal for anyone who enjoys realistic fiction with a healthy dose of laughs, strong friendships, and minimal drama or tears.
Possible Pairings: Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira, Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg, Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley, Confessions of a Not It Girl by Melissa Kantor, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales
Charlotte decides to prove how boring their lives are by writing all about everything that happens to both of them during their sophomore year. But as Charlotte tries to prove that life doesn't have a plot or character development she starts to realize that real life might have its charms after all in Nothing (2017) by Annie Barrows.
Nothing is Barrows' YA debut novel. The story was inspired by Barrows' own children bemoaning their totally mundane and non-book-worthy lives.
The novel is written in alternating first person narration with Charlotte's writing project and Frankie's more traditional prose. Despite having distinct personalities and unique arcs, it's often hard to distinguish between Frankie and Charlotte's narrations as their voices blend together thanks to similar phrasing and cadence.
Charlotte and Frankie are authentic teens who fall decidedly on the younger end of the YA spectrum. There are no soul mates or life and death situations here but there are crushes, party-induced hangovers, and a couple of big surprises.
A quick, contemporary read ideal for anyone who enjoys realistic fiction with a healthy dose of laughs, strong friendships, and minimal drama or tears.
Possible Pairings: Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira, Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg, Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley, Confessions of a Not It Girl by Melissa Kantor, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales