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A review by susannahf
The Boy Who Couldn't Fly Straight by Jeff Jacobson
5.0
The Boy Who Couldn't Fly Straight has been sitting on my Kindle for almost 6 months. I just never really felt like diving into it. But lately, every time I go to borrow a new Kindle Unlimited title Amazon will sort of subtly say "Why don't you just return this one? You'll never read it. Let it go!" and over the weekend the guilt got to be too much.
So, I finally read this book. And I loved it.
I loved the characters, I enjoyed the author’s writing and the story, and I really hope this series isn’t over yet.
Charlie’s character was so realistic for me. He wasn’t a Bella Swan, moving to a new town and suddenly loved by all for his awkwardness and endearing flaws. He wasn’t a Harry Potter, thrust into the wizarding world and taking to it naturally. He was shy, and he had trouble expressing himself sometimes, and he felt overwhelmed by life. He did frustrate me at certain points – I just wanted to reach in and say “talk to them, Charlie!”, but it’s probably more realistic for him to be introspective as a teenager.
I really liked the dynamics in Charlie’s family, and how they changed and developed over the course of the story. I loved Randall! Supportive parental figures are my jam, so Randall and Beverly were my favourite characters.
The author did a good job of bringing this world to life. Charlie learned things bit by bit, and so we did too. I don’t read fantasy often, so this book did seem slower than I am used to. I don’t think this was an issue with pacing, though – I have just gotten into a habit of reading books where the romance is the main plot, and the romance in this was more of a sub-plot.
Speaking of romance, I really appreciate that this wasn’t a sexy book. For me, YA books have to be a good balance between realistic (the characters are teenagers) and chaste (the characters are teenagers). I’m probably a bit of a prude that way, but I just don’t want to feel pervy while reading about characters who are underage. Also, Charlie was a shy character, and spent much of the book coming to terms with himself and his sexuality. It wouldn’t have made much sense for him to suddenly be really bold and uninhibited.
I had a few issues, but they weren’t enough to change my opinion of the book. I would have liked for Charlie to have made a few more friends his own age, but I understand that it wasn’t a focus for him. And I really would’ve liked for there to have been a resolution to the bullying problem. Oh, and what was the deal with Tony? His character was just… strange.
All in all, while there were some loose ends and some things were lacking, I enjoyed it and am glad to have read it. I certainly won’t be forgetting it any time soon!
So, I finally read this book. And I loved it.
I loved the characters, I enjoyed the author’s writing and the story, and I really hope this series isn’t over yet.
Charlie’s character was so realistic for me. He wasn’t a Bella Swan, moving to a new town and suddenly loved by all for his awkwardness and endearing flaws. He wasn’t a Harry Potter, thrust into the wizarding world and taking to it naturally. He was shy, and he had trouble expressing himself sometimes, and he felt overwhelmed by life. He did frustrate me at certain points – I just wanted to reach in and say “talk to them, Charlie!”, but it’s probably more realistic for him to be introspective as a teenager.
I really liked the dynamics in Charlie’s family, and how they changed and developed over the course of the story. I loved Randall! Supportive parental figures are my jam, so Randall and Beverly were my favourite characters.
The author did a good job of bringing this world to life. Charlie learned things bit by bit, and so we did too. I don’t read fantasy often, so this book did seem slower than I am used to. I don’t think this was an issue with pacing, though – I have just gotten into a habit of reading books where the romance is the main plot, and the romance in this was more of a sub-plot.
Speaking of romance, I really appreciate that this wasn’t a sexy book. For me, YA books have to be a good balance between realistic (the characters are teenagers) and chaste (the characters are teenagers). I’m probably a bit of a prude that way, but I just don’t want to feel pervy while reading about characters who are underage. Also, Charlie was a shy character, and spent much of the book coming to terms with himself and his sexuality. It wouldn’t have made much sense for him to suddenly be really bold and uninhibited.
I had a few issues, but they weren’t enough to change my opinion of the book. I would have liked for Charlie to have made a few more friends his own age, but I understand that it wasn’t a focus for him. And I really would’ve liked for there to have been a resolution to the bullying problem. Oh, and what was the deal with Tony? His character was just… strange.
All in all, while there were some loose ends and some things were lacking, I enjoyed it and am glad to have read it. I certainly won’t be forgetting it any time soon!