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A review by dervela
You Know Who You Are by Ben Dolnick
2.0
I had tried reading You Know Who You Are once before, but had abandoned the book as it didn’t initially hook me. I recently picked it up again after some time, willing to give it another try. I was excited to read a coming of age story about a misunderstood middle child transitioning from childhood into adulthood.
Apart from being a middle child, I didn’t find the main character, Jacob Vines, to be particularly relatable by any means. I felt as though the main character makes the same mistakes over and over agin without learning from them, which felt frustrating as a reader. However, the author does a great job of detailing the struggles Jacob faces after his mother’s death, primarily with developing relationships with friends, family members, and girlfriends.
I personally felt the story fell flat once Jacob graduates high school and moves on to college and post-college life. At times I was bored while reading, and disappointed that certain characters weren’t further developed, while others completely disappeared all together. By the middle, I found my self wanting the book to end, yet wasn’t content when it ended. I’m all in favor of leaving certain questions unanswered, but felt the ending seemed rushed and almost a cop-out. Though the author had some great moments of engaging the reader, this wasn’t my favorite read.
Apart from being a middle child, I didn’t find the main character, Jacob Vines, to be particularly relatable by any means. I felt as though the main character makes the same mistakes over and over agin without learning from them, which felt frustrating as a reader. However, the author does a great job of detailing the struggles Jacob faces after his mother’s death, primarily with developing relationships with friends, family members, and girlfriends.
I personally felt the story fell flat once Jacob graduates high school and moves on to college and post-college life. At times I was bored while reading, and disappointed that certain characters weren’t further developed, while others completely disappeared all together. By the middle, I found my self wanting the book to end, yet wasn’t content when it ended. I’m all in favor of leaving certain questions unanswered, but felt the ending seemed rushed and almost a cop-out. Though the author had some great moments of engaging the reader, this wasn’t my favorite read.