leftik's review
3.0
This book was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. At the beginning I out and out hated it. The middle, I loved. The end...eh? It was def. creative. And I can actually see myself revisiting it in the future. But the characters were such extremes that I can never saw that I loved this book.
But I did like it.
I think.
But I did like it.
I think.
redwheeler721's review
2.0
This book was really hard to get through. It's so full of over-sexualized teen boy thoughts and strong "future school shooter" energy. The main character is so entitled, creepy, horny, and needs a lot of therapy.
Trigger warning for self harm, suicide, bullying, and thoughts of mass/school shootings.
Trigger warning for self harm, suicide, bullying, and thoughts of mass/school shootings.
nerfherder86's review
4.0
The main character, never named, is a 15 year old boy, comic book fan and aspiring artist, who has only one friend (sort of--football jock Cal only wants to be his friend when other jocks aren't around) and a "List" of enemies--all the kids and teachers who've bullied him, hit him, or otherwise made his life miserable. He does well in school coz he's smart and likes to read, but otherwise he's not happy. His home life's nothing great either; parents divorced, he lives with his mom and "step fascist" (her 2nd husband), who are expecting a new baby and totally oblivious to Fanboy's lousy school situation. But Fanboy manages to cope by working on his graphic novel, doing all of the writing and drawing and layouts. His dream is to show his work to a famous comic artist and be able to get out of his small town. Then he meets Kyra, aka "Goth Girl", whose confident attitude, outrageous clothes and actions both attracts and repels him. Life will never be the same for Fanboy.
ubalstecha's review
5.0
This is pretty much a perfect book. Donnie's life is a struggle. His mom and dad are divorced. His mom has remarried to a man Donnie refers to as stepfacist and is pregnant. Donnie is also a nerd and is bullied at school. His one friend seems to be drifting away. In order to cope, Donnie has begun to create his own graphic novel, which he shows to no one.
Into his life comes Kyra, who claims she is post-goth and has a dark past of her own. She encourages him to continuim to develop his graphic novel, even going as far as to help him get the attention of Brian Bendis, although not in the way he had hoped. But through Kyra, Donnie learns to stand up and fight for himself and that maybe life is imperfect for evryone else too.
It is easy to see why critics have hailed this book as a masterpiece. Lyga captures exactly what it is like to be an awkward teenager. His gaze is unflinching, as he refuses to take the easy way out. Brilliant.
Into his life comes Kyra, who claims she is post-goth and has a dark past of her own. She encourages him to continuim to develop his graphic novel, even going as far as to help him get the attention of Brian Bendis, although not in the way he had hoped. But through Kyra, Donnie learns to stand up and fight for himself and that maybe life is imperfect for evryone else too.
It is easy to see why critics have hailed this book as a masterpiece. Lyga captures exactly what it is like to be an awkward teenager. His gaze is unflinching, as he refuses to take the easy way out. Brilliant.
bethanymiller415's review
3.0
Donnie (A.K.A. Fanboy) has been bullied mercilessly throughout middle and high school. His only friend is Cal, who is also friends with the “jock jerks” and ignores Donnie when they are around. Donnie dreams of the day that he will leave high school and go on to college where he thinks life will be better. In order to achieve this, he uses his natural intelligence to do well in school, and he works obsessively on his graphic novel, which he hopes to show to his comic book idol Brian Michael Bendis at an upcoming comic convention. Donnie’s life changes when he receives an IM from Kyra (A.K.A. Goth Girl), a girl at his school who has witnessed him getting bullied in gym class. They develop a friendship that has many twists and turns throughout the book, and each seems to teeter on the brink of doing something to hurt themselves or someone else.
I had a mixed reaction to this book. It definitely wasn’t a novel that appealed to my personal tastes, probably because much of it was very dark and depressing. However, I did feel that it realistically portrayed the bullying that many high school students have to contend with on a daily basis. The resolution of the book was somewhat unsatisfying as it left a lot of unanswered questions and tied up some loose ends a little too easily.
I had a mixed reaction to this book. It definitely wasn’t a novel that appealed to my personal tastes, probably because much of it was very dark and depressing. However, I did feel that it realistically portrayed the bullying that many high school students have to contend with on a daily basis. The resolution of the book was somewhat unsatisfying as it left a lot of unanswered questions and tied up some loose ends a little too easily.
shinychick's review
3.0
It just sounded interesting. A teensy bit hard to follow the IM conversations in audio, but I managed well enough. Ended a little oddly, but not badly, no entirely. Not something I think I'd buy, though I may attempt to rent it again to see if there are illustrations and such. Also, I think the guy who read it also read another audiobook I listened to... (ETA: Confirmed. He read last year's "So Yesterday.")
amyjoy's review
3.0
I liked this book, but I feel the ending could have had a better resolution. The character explains it away, kind of, but I would have liked something more definite.
tinkerbeckss's review
4.0
There was something about this book that I really liked.
I don't know if it was because I hated the characters or loved them, because really... the whole time I couldn't decide if the characters were just dickheads or what. I'm still trying to process and remember, but honestly. I just thought they were annoying. And I don't remember seeing any healthy relationships in this book.
But, for some reason... I'm going to pick up the sequel and see where it goes.
I don't know if it was because I hated the characters or loved them, because really... the whole time I couldn't decide if the characters were just dickheads or what. I'm still trying to process and remember, but honestly. I just thought they were annoying. And I don't remember seeing any healthy relationships in this book.
But, for some reason... I'm going to pick up the sequel and see where it goes.