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A review by squirrelsohno
Roomies by Tara Altebrando, Sara Zarr
3.0
Find more of my reviews at BOOK BRATS
ROOMIES was a much anticipated book for me, a girl who dreams about reliving her college days - not the partying part (hahaha, like that even happened) but the classes, the learning, the Model UN conferences. Yes, I am a huge nerd. But what I didn't expect about ROOMIES was that really, it was not about girls living together, more about the process of girls getting to know one another from a distance, preparing to spend hours upon hours a day in close quarters. It's about two girls sharing emails over the course of the summer before they meet, and all internet users know that internet communication is asking for drama.
"IS SHE BLACK, TOO?"
I'll just get my biggest qualm about this book out of the way first - the focus on race in this book really annoyed me. I loved that Lauren, our San Francisco roomie coming from a poor background, dates outside her race, but at the same time, I did not like how her and Elizabeth (aka EB) the preppy New Jersey roomie constantly focused on Keyon being black. For a long stretch of the book, his race was mentioned on every other page, accompanied by questioning perceptions, worrying about it, wondering about it, etc. Above the main aspects of the book, this is what I recall the most - Keyon was black, you guys! His entire family is black! Lauren is dating a black guy! Is Lauren black, too?
It's important for YA books to incorporate diversity, but to make it a front and center aspect of all discussion? It was a rather large turnoff.
Keyon is black, ladies. Move on and get to the more important parts of life, like...
LIFE BEFORE THE COLLEGE DORM
One part I loved about this novel was about the ups and downs of finding out more about a person before your lives become tangled together against your will. Welcome to the summer before freshman year. Unlike Lauren and Elizabeth, I knew nothing about my roommate before I moved into my dorm since she was a late admission. And we did not get along at all, probably due to our radically different lives and personalities.
EB and Lauren, like me and my roommate, have completely different personalities, backgrounds, and outlooks on life. And as such, their solutions to problems lead the other to have completely different solutions that often result in anger, distrust, and confusion. I know from personal experience that this is what college is - a lot of anger, distrust, and confusion, plus sex, alcohol, and Adderall.
While ROOMIES succeeded on this front, I still think it fell short in the characterization department. Their actions at times were very foolish, and their reactions - particularly that of Elizabeth with the situation surrounding her father - seemed forced and unrealistic. I still enjoyed this novel, just not to the extent I had hoped, but I am now very attuned to finding more college YA novels - just not NA as much.
VERDICT: Although beset by a number of issues, ROOMIES is a great story for fans of FANGIRL looking for more of the early college experience. Check it out.
♥♥♥ - THREE HEARTS
ROOMIES was a much anticipated book for me, a girl who dreams about reliving her college days - not the partying part (hahaha, like that even happened) but the classes, the learning, the Model UN conferences. Yes, I am a huge nerd. But what I didn't expect about ROOMIES was that really, it was not about girls living together, more about the process of girls getting to know one another from a distance, preparing to spend hours upon hours a day in close quarters. It's about two girls sharing emails over the course of the summer before they meet, and all internet users know that internet communication is asking for drama.
"IS SHE BLACK, TOO?"
I'll just get my biggest qualm about this book out of the way first - the focus on race in this book really annoyed me. I loved that Lauren, our San Francisco roomie coming from a poor background, dates outside her race, but at the same time, I did not like how her and Elizabeth (aka EB) the preppy New Jersey roomie constantly focused on Keyon being black. For a long stretch of the book, his race was mentioned on every other page, accompanied by questioning perceptions, worrying about it, wondering about it, etc. Above the main aspects of the book, this is what I recall the most - Keyon was black, you guys! His entire family is black! Lauren is dating a black guy! Is Lauren black, too?
It's important for YA books to incorporate diversity, but to make it a front and center aspect of all discussion? It was a rather large turnoff.
Keyon is black, ladies. Move on and get to the more important parts of life, like...
LIFE BEFORE THE COLLEGE DORM
One part I loved about this novel was about the ups and downs of finding out more about a person before your lives become tangled together against your will. Welcome to the summer before freshman year. Unlike Lauren and Elizabeth, I knew nothing about my roommate before I moved into my dorm since she was a late admission. And we did not get along at all, probably due to our radically different lives and personalities.
EB and Lauren, like me and my roommate, have completely different personalities, backgrounds, and outlooks on life. And as such, their solutions to problems lead the other to have completely different solutions that often result in anger, distrust, and confusion. I know from personal experience that this is what college is - a lot of anger, distrust, and confusion, plus sex, alcohol, and Adderall.
While ROOMIES succeeded on this front, I still think it fell short in the characterization department. Their actions at times were very foolish, and their reactions - particularly that of Elizabeth with the situation surrounding her father - seemed forced and unrealistic. I still enjoyed this novel, just not to the extent I had hoped, but I am now very attuned to finding more college YA novels - just not NA as much.
VERDICT: Although beset by a number of issues, ROOMIES is a great story for fans of FANGIRL looking for more of the early college experience. Check it out.
♥♥♥ - THREE HEARTS