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A review by sophiareagan
By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is the kind of book that I can easily see people adoring even though I didn't. It has a very vibrant voice that is conversational and gives you a lot of insight into the main character. If it works for you, I imagine it would be a delight to read. For me, I appreciated it but didn't enjoy it very much.
I did enjoy the story overall, though. It's about a boy figuring out what he owes his family and himself, living with trauma and grief, falling in love, making friends, figuring out what he's passionate about, learning to stand up for his community and what he believes in, and making decisions about his future. It has so many important and meaningful conversations about gentrification, violence, homophobia, racism, masculinity, found family, and activism.
My problem with the book isn't so much a problem as just a lack of enthusiasm. I didn't feel as strongly about the story and characters as I wanted to. It's not the kind of book that's meant to be surprising or anything, but I still felt like I knew exactly what I was going to get out of the book before I even read it and the experience of reading it didn't give me anything more than that. It was all good and I liked it, but it didn't do anything special for me. I would definitely still recommend this book, though, especially if you are a teenager. (I think I definitely would have gotten more out of it when I was younger.) Also, it reminds me of Nic Stone's books, both in writing style and content, so if you're a fan of her, I would check this out.
I did enjoy the story overall, though. It's about a boy figuring out what he owes his family and himself, living with trauma and grief, falling in love, making friends, figuring out what he's passionate about, learning to stand up for his community and what he believes in, and making decisions about his future. It has so many important and meaningful conversations about gentrification, violence, homophobia, racism, masculinity, found family, and activism.
My problem with the book isn't so much a problem as just a lack of enthusiasm. I didn't feel as strongly about the story and characters as I wanted to. It's not the kind of book that's meant to be surprising or anything, but I still felt like I knew exactly what I was going to get out of the book before I even read it and the experience of reading it didn't give me anything more than that. It was all good and I liked it, but it didn't do anything special for me. I would definitely still recommend this book, though, especially if you are a teenager. (I think I definitely would have gotten more out of it when I was younger.) Also, it reminds me of Nic Stone's books, both in writing style and content, so if you're a fan of her, I would check this out.