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A review by comicsandcoffee
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
3.0
"In order to hit a home run...someone else has to pitch the ball."
I've really enjoyed Lyga's Jasper Dent series and we owned a copy of Boy Toy at the library. The topic was one I'd never seen approached in a young adult novel (I'm sure there are other books that tackle this subject, but this is the first that I've seen) and although I was certain it was going to horrify me, I wanted to see his approach.
The goods: Josh's thinly concealed contempt for the world, his temper that seemed to be boiling just below the surface, the honest conversations Josh ends up having with his friends, Josh's realization on love.
The not-so-good: I'm not convinced that Lyga can write females. I've read three books by him now, and the teenage girlfriends seem the same. Sassy, independent girls, who are super strong enough to care for their wounded boyfriend. I found the adults in this completely not-believable, including an over the top villainous baseball coach, and Josh's parents who don't seem to be there at all.
I don't think I'd read this again, because the descriptions of sexual acts against a minor made me feel entirely uncomfortable--of course, they should, that's the whole point. It's both a shame and sort of poetic that Josh's healing doesn't come with the help of an adult, but from himself.
I've really enjoyed Lyga's Jasper Dent series and we owned a copy of Boy Toy at the library. The topic was one I'd never seen approached in a young adult novel (I'm sure there are other books that tackle this subject, but this is the first that I've seen) and although I was certain it was going to horrify me, I wanted to see his approach.
The goods: Josh's thinly concealed contempt for the world, his temper that seemed to be boiling just below the surface, the honest conversations Josh ends up having with his friends, Josh's realization on love.
The not-so-good: I'm not convinced that Lyga can write females. I've read three books by him now, and the teenage girlfriends seem the same. Sassy, independent girls, who are super strong enough to care for their wounded boyfriend. I found the adults in this completely not-believable, including an over the top villainous baseball coach, and Josh's parents who don't seem to be there at all.
I don't think I'd read this again, because the descriptions of sexual acts against a minor made me feel entirely uncomfortable--of course, they should, that's the whole point. It's both a shame and sort of poetic that Josh's healing doesn't come with the help of an adult, but from himself.