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A review by nicolemhewitt
Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I’d read that this book was a bit grittier than other books with similar storylines, so I was ready for that when I started reading it. I would agree with that assessment, but I don’t think that it necessarily made the MC less relatable. The story is told from the POV of Tyler’s twin brother, Marvin. Marvin realizes his brother has flaws and has gotten himself involved in some things he shouldn’t, but he also knows the person Tyler is—he knows him in a way no one else can. So, when Tyler is killed, Marvin has trouble reconciling people’s reactions—both the people who want to paint Tyler as a thug and people who want to use him as some sort of symbol of oppression. Marvin wants justice for his brother’s death. It’s personal to him, and it changes his whole outlook on life. While I thought that Marvin was a likable and relatable MC, I never really got emotional over the book like I expected to. Still, I flew through the book (which is a plus for me lately, since I feel like some of my reading has been plodding) and I was invested in the story. I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book as well—though the connection was made relatively quickly, I thought that was believable given the high emotional stakes. Sometimes tragedy can bring people together. I think this book is definitely a worthwhile read and I give it 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
I’d read that this book was a bit grittier than other books with similar storylines, so I was ready for that when I started reading it. I would agree with that assessment, but I don’t think that it necessarily made the MC less relatable. The story is told from the POV of Tyler’s twin brother, Marvin. Marvin realizes his brother has flaws and has gotten himself involved in some things he shouldn’t, but he also knows the person Tyler is—he knows him in a way no one else can. So, when Tyler is killed, Marvin has trouble reconciling people’s reactions—both the people who want to paint Tyler as a thug and people who want to use him as some sort of symbol of oppression. Marvin wants justice for his brother’s death. It’s personal to him, and it changes his whole outlook on life. While I thought that Marvin was a likable and relatable MC, I never really got emotional over the book like I expected to. Still, I flew through the book (which is a plus for me lately, since I feel like some of my reading has been plodding) and I was invested in the story. I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book as well—though the connection was made relatively quickly, I thought that was believable given the high emotional stakes. Sometimes tragedy can bring people together. I think this book is definitely a worthwhile read and I give it 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***