safemind27's review
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
saltyyurio's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
grayh722's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
annaeme's review
5.0
Re read in 2022, still beautiful. You will probably need to know Pete’s writing style (and like it) to enjoy this book. It’s heartbreaking and mesmerizing.
gothradiohour's review
2.0
It wasn't good. I wanted it to be good. I knew going in, the plot was very very very loosely based on Pete Wentz's life, so I was expecting the get's-it-all-but-is-still-sad-rockstar-story.
I think the book is called 'Gray' because the main character is depressed the entire time, and Pete might have been too when writing this. The surrounding characters are names that float around the through the main character's life rarely do they do anything besides interfere with the main character. I really don't care for Wentz's choice to call the love interest "Her". It both puts her on a pedestal and takes away her autonomy. Which sure we've all had a really bad break up. The whole thing is very mello-drama.
Towards the end when the main character hooks up with the major celebrity her words, "I think it's so cute how you little punk boys act like you hate girls [...] it's like we're your enemies..."
Considering how fast the main character goes from being love sick for Her to literally breaking her phone in a scene, the Super Starlette makes a very appt point.
People who love Fall Out Boy lyrics will enjoy the prose of this book. Formal sentences need not apply to this story. I wonder what level of influence James Montgomery had. All of the dialogue is correctly formatted.
I think the book is called 'Gray' because the main character is depressed the entire time, and Pete might have been too when writing this. The surrounding characters are names that float around the through the main character's life rarely do they do anything besides interfere with the main character. I really don't care for Wentz's choice to call the love interest "Her". It both puts her on a pedestal and takes away her autonomy. Which sure we've all had a really bad break up. The whole thing is very mello-drama.
Towards the end when the main character hooks up with the major celebrity her words, "I think it's so cute how you little punk boys act like you hate girls [...] it's like we're your enemies..."
Considering how fast the main character goes from being love sick for Her to literally breaking her phone in a scene, the Super Starlette makes a very appt point.
People who love Fall Out Boy lyrics will enjoy the prose of this book. Formal sentences need not apply to this story. I wonder what level of influence James Montgomery had. All of the dialogue is correctly formatted.
zombiegabby's review
3.0
i'm slightly disappointed with this semi-autobio as an avid fan of pete's usual lyrical ingenuity. not too sure if the monotony of his writing was done on purpose to portray his mood(s)/thoughts (or people with depression or bipolar or the likes of other mental illnesses)? i get that it's partly non-fictional, and considering the fact that the character is a touring musician, but i still felt that the plot development was pretty weak. there were lots of repeated scenarios as well (yet again not too sure if this was meant to illustrate the routineness and dreariness of the character's life). nonetheless, there were quite a number of quotes that really hit home. overall, it's worth a read if you're a fan of fall out boy and or pete; otherwise, i'd say it's a pass for the general reader.
briannarengland's review
3.0
I definitely thought this was an autobiography and in some ways it is. However, for the most part it's only a story based on Pete's experiences.
The writing is beautiful and intriguing but the lack of plot and direction of the story takes away from the rest.
(I have a feeling that the point of the novel was to not have a plot but I find it hard to love a book without one).
The writing is beautiful and intriguing but the lack of plot and direction of the story takes away from the rest.
(I have a feeling that the point of the novel was to not have a plot but I find it hard to love a book without one).
illbefinealone's review
5.0
Surprise, surprise, Pete Wentz's writing makes me feel things.
Let's talk about this book for a second, okay? I don't know why it took me so long to decide to finally read it. It's brilliant, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a big FOB fan.
This book captures the train of thought of a person with mental illness as beautifully as a book can. The constant change of mind, the continuous fears, the frequent panic attacks, the slow and sure slope into addiction (of any kind), the inability to do something about your state. It is heavy to consume, it took me more than one sitting, but it is all described perfectly and I wish there was more.
Update (April 6th 2016):
I fall in love with this book every time I read it, and I've read it four times so far. It can be surprisingly funny at moments and extremely sad just a few sentences later, but at the end of the day, it's incredibly deep and beautifully written. I cannot stress the beautifully enough.
As someone who struggles with mental illness, I understand these things on a higher level that I don't think the average reader will be able to. I feel the sentences. And I praise whoever Pete for writing them the way he did.
And I know that people should be warned that the book is quite dark, and it might be triggering, there were moments, as I read on, where I thought it would be triggering to me too. But as I finally closed it, after reading the last words, for the fourth time, I felt heaviness on my chest because I had just read some of my darkest thoughts written down by one of my favorite people on the planet. I felt understood.
Instead of triggering me, this book pulls me up every time I feel as if I'm starting to fall. And I'm not ready to give up the relationship I have with it. There can be a million other books on similar subjects, but I'll always come back to this one.
Let's talk about this book for a second, okay? I don't know why it took me so long to decide to finally read it. It's brilliant, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a big FOB fan.
This book captures the train of thought of a person with mental illness as beautifully as a book can. The constant change of mind, the continuous fears, the frequent panic attacks, the slow and sure slope into addiction (of any kind), the inability to do something about your state. It is heavy to consume, it took me more than one sitting, but it is all described perfectly and I wish there was more.
Update (April 6th 2016):
I fall in love with this book every time I read it, and I've read it four times so far. It can be surprisingly funny at moments and extremely sad just a few sentences later, but at the end of the day, it's incredibly deep and beautifully written. I cannot stress the beautifully enough.
As someone who struggles with mental illness, I understand these things on a higher level that I don't think the average reader will be able to. I feel the sentences. And I praise whoever Pete for writing them the way he did.
And I know that people should be warned that the book is quite dark, and it might be triggering, there were moments, as I read on, where I thought it would be triggering to me too. But as I finally closed it, after reading the last words, for the fourth time, I felt heaviness on my chest because I had just read some of my darkest thoughts written down by one of my favorite people on the planet. I felt understood.
Instead of triggering me, this book pulls me up every time I feel as if I'm starting to fall. And I'm not ready to give up the relationship I have with it. There can be a million other books on similar subjects, but I'll always come back to this one.
piperhudsburn's review
4.0
Though this book was not written entirely by Pete Wentz, I can definitely see him this book. His trade-mark thought provoking lyrics permeate each and every page. It's not high-brow literature, but it's a moving, honest attempt at a pseudo-autobiography.
It follows an anonymous band member through his journey into fame. The protagonist is basically Wentz, which was tedious at first (cause the main character was kind of an asshole), but it makes sense at the end. I love rise and fall stories, and this is definitely a novel that highlights that. Fame- the music industry in particular, is so chaotic. And that chaos coupled with mental illness, it can't be good.
The novel's strength is its honesty. It's not a glamorous tell-all, soaking up each and every cliche. It moves fast- so fast we lose touch with who some characters are, but that's okay, because our pop-punk protagonist is losing touch with them too. I did not find myself for either love interest, by the way. I don't think this novel was a love story. It felt more like a tall-tale.
And while Wentz does not let us off easy, he manages to make an irritating, narcissistic, paranoid main character sympathetic. And that deserves four stars.
It follows an anonymous band member through his journey into fame. The protagonist is basically Wentz, which was tedious at first (cause the main character was kind of an asshole), but it makes sense at the end. I love rise and fall stories, and this is definitely a novel that highlights that. Fame- the music industry in particular, is so chaotic. And that chaos coupled with mental illness, it can't be good.
The novel's strength is its honesty. It's not a glamorous tell-all, soaking up each and every cliche. It moves fast- so fast we lose touch with who some characters are, but that's okay, because our pop-punk protagonist is losing touch with them too. I did not find myself for either love interest, by the way. I don't think this novel was a love story. It felt more like a tall-tale.
And while Wentz does not let us off easy, he manages to make an irritating, narcissistic, paranoid main character sympathetic. And that deserves four stars.