A review by rebeccafarren
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I first read this when I was 17 and I remember properly loving it. Recently, I found out that it didn't sell well and that received wisdom is that it's not very good, so I was bracing myself to be horrified by the book and by past me. Well, it's 12 years later and I still absolutely bloody love it! I think it loses it's way at the end a bit, but overall, the rereading experience was so joyful. I remember feeling like it was written for me, and I definitely re-experienced that this time around. It is so sociological, and nerdy, and summery, and fun! I love the footnotes so much; I hadn't read much YA back when I first read it, and I thought that footnotes must be a grown-up thing in YA and adult fiction, which is hilarious to me now! But honestly I think they work perfectly in the context of telling Colin's story.

It has a fair bit of offensive and outdated language, and it is niche and weird, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it now, but if you were a 2000s YA reader of summer road-trip romcoms (even though this isn't strictly a romcom) and you missed this one, it might be worth picking up. As I write this, my heart is hurts, I'm giddy with summer heat and nostalgia, and I'm chuffed to have reread this!
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