A review by zmull
The Haters by Jesse Andrews

4.0

Jesse Andrews, author of the very funny, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, is back with his second novel, The Haters. The Haters is also very funny. The story this time involves two friends who meet a Manic Pixie Dream Girl at jazz camp, start a band, and have a spontaneous tour / road trip. The book is not without its problems. There are some under-cooked plot threads, including a weird one about a nut allergy that takes a sudden left turn to nowhere, and some zero-to-60 emotional craziness that doesn't feel quite honest. But, quibbles aside, The Haters, like Earl, is a joy to read. It's got a strong voice and plenty of good laughs. The characters are well conceived and, though turned up to eleven for comedy, they all live and breathe on the page. (Calling Ash a Manic Pixie Dream Girl is probably a little unfair, but not so unfair I'm changing it.) The book is YA, and like most YA, its FULL of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And cussing. Tons of motherfucking cussing. Had such novels existed when I was fifteen, I would have nearly died of excitement and read the thing 100 times. As a sad old man, it's fun to go back to when everything really mattered and passions ran high. The Haters makes me want to put a my dick into a bag of heavy rocks and toss it out the car window into a river. Recommended.

(I guess I should add, I got an advance reader copy of this from work and, while I was under no obligation to review it, I liked it, so I did.)