This was pretty good – I read it quickly but probably more because (1) I was off work and (2) I had a book club deadline I wanted to meet more than that I couldn’t put it down. In fact, there was a few moments of fought off sleep.
On one hand, I like Aza as a character. She’s annoying and frustrating, but the way she’s struggling with this mental illness (It feels like a version of OCD to me) felt pretty realistic. My husband has OCD and believe me, he’s annoying and frustrating at times. But I still love him and Aza was still loveable. I felt for her and the pain and frustration she felt with her inability to control her spiral.
On the other hand, it’s so hard to picture a teenager talking/thinking the way she does. In fact, that would be my most common complaint with John Green’s portrayal of teenagers. Sometimes they get really angsty and realistic and other times, I find myself WISHING teens thought that deeply more often. This definitely had a bit of both.
I really REALLY enjoyed Aza interactions with her crush… whose name I have currently forgotten. Man, did I feel for him and his little brother Noah. And the mystery surrounding their father was interesting, though far less prominent to the story than i thought it would be.
Overall a good read, just not my favorite for the year or anything.
The only John Green I have read is The Fault in Our Stars and even though the characters were terminally ill they annoyed me. Ha ha. I don’t know if I would read another Green if I had the time, but I don’t have the time so I guess I dont have to worry about it. 😂 Thanks for sharing your thoughts. ☺
Awesome review!! I can’t wait to read this one! 🙂 I got it as a gift for Christmas, but haven’t had time yet.
I’ve yet to read anything from John Green. *hangs head in shame* I’ve had Looking for Alaska sitting on my nightstand for probably 3 years…Jax wanted me to read it. Still haven’t. *sigh* This one sounds interesting although maybe not as interesting as his previous books. I’m happy you liked it even if it didn’t really “light your fire” 😉
{{{big hugs}}}
I’ve heard really great things about John Green. I’ve never read him. He was a keynote speaker at a conference I went to for work. I really liked what he had to say. Glad you enjoyed this one.
I completely agree with everything in this review. I liked Turtles, but it’s not my favorite John Green book. Great review!