Book Review: The Insomniacs

The Insomniacs

by Marit Weisenberg

Pub Date 01 Sep 2020 

Read Courtesy of NetGalley.com

Even though I really enjoyed this book, there were a few quirks about the characters' motivations that left me scratching my head. However, and more importantly, the main male character is consistent. Van doesn't waiver from whom he is; we just get to see him through many other people's eyes. That makes him interesting and engaging; the reader keeps waiting for him to falter, and he doesn't. I'm not a competitive athlete, so I don't know how to evaluate the main female character, Ingrid, as easily. She's a super confident athlete, but a wishy-washy friend. Well, at least she's consistently characterized that way.

The story kept my interest: I eagerly followed Ingrid's journey in wanting to know what caused her bad dive. I was curious about her relationship with Van.  It was refreshing to see she had real friends. The adults were flawed people without being made out as stupid people - that's refreshing in a YA novel.

Some of the author's writing was basic YA; how's this for a metaphor? "...reminding me of a spoiled young nobleman in the red-and-faux-gold powder room." And when Ingrid is told by a teammate, "Don't worry...It's just a little injury. I had one in gymnastics before I moved to Texas." If it was just a little injury, why'd she leave gymnastics? OK, minor things that didn't detract from the story; they just made my reading stutter a bit.

Caroline (a diving teammate) kept me guessing. Kevin (Van's stepfather) kept me guessing. Even Ingrid's mom kept me guessing. That's what made this engaging and mysterious. In spite of me questioning some of the motives or actions that move the story forward, I was invested from the warm-up all the way through the dive in. Four ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book review: The Con Code

The Con Code

by Shana Silver

Pub Date: 25 Aug 2020 

read courtesy of NetGalley.com

I was hooked in chapter one of The Con Code. What struck me, though, was that the tone of the first chapter felt like an entirely different book from the rest of the book. I thought the father-daughter relationship was going to be the action of the book, but it ended up being the motivation behind the story. The action of the book became much more teen-oriented for the remainder of the story. That's not a judgment, just an observation. Once I got my head around the change in tone, I still enjoyed the story.

I liked the intertwined spying on each other, the breaking and establishing of trust, and the playing along with Fiona's planning of the heists. I appreciated the characterizations with the exception of Tig; this nonverbal character received no explanation for this quality, so the reader was left chalking it up to Tig's personality. Tig was written consistently, though, so at least there was that. 

I did have a problem with the travel camp, however. How could it just happen to stop at places Fiona needed to go? It's never said, but were they duped and set up by the FBI? With all of their abilities to beat the system, it doesn't make sense that they'd fall into the trap just like it doesn't make sense about the Camp's itinerary. Then, of course, there's the inclusion of Lakshmi, the annoying camper. (I can't say more about her, or I'd have to say, "spoiler alert.") This trip was a convenient way to move the action forward, and in the end, it made me feel as duped as Colin and Fiona.

The build-up to the conclusion ended abruptly - big build-up, quick finish. In a way, I felt like it made light of mental health issues; it was rather dismissive. Everyone just moved on. 

Regardless, it was a fun, interesting read, and I will be getting it for my high school library. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Review: Being Toffee

Being Toffee

by Sarah Crossan

Pub Date: 14 Jul 2020

Read courtesy of NetGalley.com

I didn't know what to expect; I didn't expect a verse novel. So because of the online format in which I began to read it, I didn't catch on the the verse novel's format at first, which added to the disconnected, choppy storytelling I thought I was experiencing. Once I caught on, it became a really fast, emotional read. However, I still don't know who Marla's Toffee is.

Although this wasn't meant to be fantasy, I had to suspend disbelief that Allison could be a squatter in an occupied house without someone calling her out. Although Marla had dementia, others coming and going didn't. In spite of this, I liked Allison, and I liked who she was when she was with Marla.  Allison's past didn't ruin her; it made her empathetic. 

I agree with other reviewers that the verse novel format served the story well; it reflected both broken characters' trying to understand the world and each other. 

.... Hang on... I'm going to read the story again; no, seriously. I can't decide where on the scale of "stars" I'd place this book.  Hum the Jeopardy tune a few times... I'll BRB.

OK, I'm back. Thanks for waiting. You can stop humming now.

The writing is lyrical, and I still love Allison/Toffee and Marla. It's the other characters that get in the way. Not so much the other teens, but the adults. Though I guess they are meant to get in the way. Like some movies, I guess this is a story one could read over-and-over and still find something new to discover and discuss. I like that about it. But I know better who Toffee is now, and this just confuses me more. I might have to go for a third read... You don't have to wait around this time. Oh, yeh, I forgot to tell you... I gave it 4 ****

Book review: Some Kind of Animal

Some Kind of Animal
by Maria Romasco-Moore
Pub Date 04 Aug 2020
read courtesy of Netgalley.com

I so so SO want to give this book 5 stars, but one thing keeps me from doing it: I'm not a prude by any means, but when a pastor curses like a sailor in front of a 9th grader, the story loses a star. ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ I really regret it; it's a fantastic book, but the gratuitous extreme foul language is shock value and not characterization.

Regardless, I loved this book. It was so fresh; it told a new story and kept me engaged the whole way through. Part bildungsroman, part adventure, part suspense, part horror, it tells the story of a multi-generational dysfunctional family. The main character, Jo, is one of the most believable, age-appropriate characterizations I've ever read. Hearing the story from her point-of-view adds to the vividly impaired and maladaptive family life that moves the story forward.

There's something about the book that reminds me of The Bad Seed by William March. The reader doesn't know who is trustworthy, and that creates a lovely tension. The twist at the end was so well set up that I didn't expect it; does that make sense? It was hidden in plain sight.

I'm going to quote something from the book that doesn't give anything away but demonstrates the skillful characterization:

Savannah would absolutely lose her shit if I told her that I'd slept over at some guy's place.  That he was offering me coffee now. It seems like a very grown-up thing. To be offered coffee in the morning by a stranger. 

That resonated with me as something a 9th grader would absolutely feel.

The title itself is worthy of an entire discussion. Bravo. But $%FYU^^%F.

Book Review: The Do-Over

The Do-Over
by Jennifer Honeybourn
Pub Date 14 Jul 2020
Read Courtesy of NetGalley.com

The Do-Over shouldn't have done it over. Many others have already done it, movies like Big, 17 Again, 13 Going on 30, Peggy Sue Got Married, etc. "But these are movies," you might argue... OK, here's a sample of just one list of similar books: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/125747.Peggy_Sue_Got_Married, and without having read them, I'd bet at least some of them are better than The Do-Over.

The main character's all-or-nothing thinking probably is a real teen's thinking; however, in The Do-Over it gets repetitive and whiny rather than coming across as true self-insight. Even before she finds a way to do-it-over, she says if she "could take it all back, I'd do everything differently." She can - it's called making amends and being humble. This is a character with low self-esteem who acts like a victim. She has every opportunity to do things differently, and she doesn't take the steps to do-over. She wants magical thinking, literally, to make things right for her. Her character growth is as translucent as her wishing stone is.

This is only for teens who thrive on wish stories.