sarahannkateri's review against another edition
4.0
Parker Santé is hanging out in the Palace Hotel, skipping school and looking for an easy mark, when he sees a young woman with silver hair and a giant roll of hundred-dollar-bills. When he botches the theft, the girl - Zelda - insists Parker spend the day with her in repayment. She instructs him to show her a perfectly teenage day, complete with a shopping spree and house party, after which she is going to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. Parker has no idea what he's gotten himself into, but he knows his life will never be the same...
It took me awhile to get into, but the payoff was worth it. I enjoyed the way Wallach played with the Manic Pixie Dream Girl concept, and Parker's writing voice felt authentically teenage, occasionally annoyingly so, and I was glad there were some less over-the-top supporting characters to counteract Zelda's whimsy.
I think Thanks for the Trouble might have a hard time finding an audience. Is it for fans of tragic love stories? Magical realism? Wes Anderson? But those who are willing to try it out and go with it will find a lot to like. It might be a good choice for fans of [a: A. S. King|1651879|A.S. King|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323437957p2/1651879.jpg], [a: Andrew Smith|1383409|Andrew Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1455127379p2/1383409.jpg], or [b: The Rest of Us Just Live Here|22910900|The Rest of Us Just Live Here|Patrick Ness|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429800081s/22910900.jpg|42475450]
It took me awhile to get into, but the payoff was worth it. I enjoyed the way Wallach played with the Manic Pixie Dream Girl concept, and
Spoiler
his use of an unreliable narrator. As I got closer to the end and realized it likely had all along been a story within a story written by a grieving, lonely teenage boy, Zelda's MPDG qualities made perfect sense. I also found Wallach's exploration of what immortality would *really* mean interesting, especially the parts about the Law of Diminishing Returns.I think Thanks for the Trouble might have a hard time finding an audience. Is it for fans of tragic love stories? Magical realism? Wes Anderson? But those who are willing to try it out and go with it will find a lot to like. It might be a good choice for fans of [a: A. S. King|1651879|A.S. King|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323437957p2/1651879.jpg], [a: Andrew Smith|1383409|Andrew Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1455127379p2/1383409.jpg], or [b: The Rest of Us Just Live Here|22910900|The Rest of Us Just Live Here|Patrick Ness|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429800081s/22910900.jpg|42475450]
hereistheend's review against another edition
4.0
i cannot believe that a book with that ending can leave me feeling so good. i feel like this book was to capture the essence of youth, while exploring grief, change, and the meaning of life. and it's so sweet. parker is an innocent lil bean. and i love this.
nicolemhill's review against another edition
4.0
Fear not: There's far too much heart -- and clever, clever writing -- here to get sidetracked by manic pixie dream girl syndrome.
zoethydear1850's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I am absolutely in love with Parker’s voice (ironically) and I found many passages resonating with me. I laughed out loud and underlined sentences.
As a whole, there will be moments you’ll enjoy and moments you’ll mutter, “oh, boy.” But isn’t that most YA novels after reading a bunch of dense nonfiction books? It’s a quick, light read with a classic case of manic pixie dream girl but Parker’s narration makes up for most of it.
Would have preferred Parker found his own way to self-discovery without the need of a mythical, beautiful mystery girl. Would have been much more worthwhile and fulfilling.
I am absolutely in love with Parker’s voice (ironically) and I found many passages resonating with me. I laughed out loud and underlined sentences.
As a whole, there will be moments you’ll enjoy and moments you’ll mutter, “oh, boy.” But isn’t that most YA novels after reading a bunch of dense nonfiction books? It’s a quick, light read with a classic case of manic pixie dream girl but Parker’s narration makes up for most of it.
Would have preferred Parker found his own way to self-discovery without the need of a mythical, beautiful mystery girl. Would have been much more worthwhile and fulfilling.
earthlings's review against another edition
5.0
this is the first tommy wallach book i have read. i have known about wallach and his rise to fame for a while now.
this book is written in a rally interesting style: the whole novel is the answer to the university admission essay question of the single most important experience of your life. the weekend during which parker meets silver-haired zelda. the novel is all over the place in some ways: parker switches between first and second person narration, uses direct address every so often, pops in memories and stories he’s written, as well as the main arc of the novel.
the story of parker and zelda is definitely fresh and new and also what wallach is trying to do with the voice, so i guess the concept of the whole book is trying to be fresh. the way the characters are developed in the great writing is almost a complete snap shot of teenagers in the world, as though wallach took inspiration from people he knows well.
wallach discussed mental health in a really interesting way in Thanks for the Trouble. parker's journey and relationship with his illness is unlike anything i've read before: he's comfortable with it. he's become used to his silence and uses it as a defense against the world and it takes him a long time to even make an effort to get help and so there was no sign of a miracle cure at the end of the novel. it felt much more natural in that way.
i was pleasantly surprised by how much i enjoyed Thanks for the Trouble and if you are looking for a far-fetched out of this world kind of teenage real life book than Thanks for the Trouble is the book for you.
this book is written in a rally interesting style: the whole novel is the answer to the university admission essay question of the single most important experience of your life. the weekend during which parker meets silver-haired zelda. the novel is all over the place in some ways: parker switches between first and second person narration, uses direct address every so often, pops in memories and stories he’s written, as well as the main arc of the novel.
the story of parker and zelda is definitely fresh and new and also what wallach is trying to do with the voice, so i guess the concept of the whole book is trying to be fresh. the way the characters are developed in the great writing is almost a complete snap shot of teenagers in the world, as though wallach took inspiration from people he knows well.
wallach discussed mental health in a really interesting way in Thanks for the Trouble. parker's journey and relationship with his illness is unlike anything i've read before: he's comfortable with it. he's become used to his silence and uses it as a defense against the world and it takes him a long time to even make an effort to get help and so there was no sign of a miracle cure at the end of the novel. it felt much more natural in that way.
i was pleasantly surprised by how much i enjoyed Thanks for the Trouble and if you are looking for a far-fetched out of this world kind of teenage real life book than Thanks for the Trouble is the book for you.
bolshv's review against another edition
2.0
I would give this 2.5 stars. I enjoyed the short stories in the novel more than the actual novel itself.
ianthereader0's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book was waaaay better than I expected. I cannot recommend it enough!!
mayfield89's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Well.... I have many thoughts right now
- I didn't find any character interesting they all felt very hollow and we never know anything about anyone except that his dad died and he can't move on and one or 2 things about Zelda.
- the writing wasn't the best tbh
- the ending felt so rushed that I had to take a moment to make sense of what was happening
- there was no moral or anything to learn from the story really...
- there were some chapters that felt like it didn't belong to the book or just some filler chapters
- the author expected us to root for their romance however it felt so freaking forced and very rushed.
Overall I was very disappointed with this read because I was really excited to read it.
- I didn't find any character interesting they all felt very hollow and we never know anything about anyone except that his dad died and he can't move on and one or 2 things about Zelda.
- the writing wasn't the best tbh
- the ending felt so rushed that I had to take a moment to make sense of what was happening
- there was no moral or anything to learn from the story really...
- there were some chapters that felt like it didn't belong to the book or just some filler chapters
- the author expected us to root for their romance however it felt so freaking forced and very rushed.
Overall I was very disappointed with this read because I was really excited to read it.
andimontgomery's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! I liked Parker's "voice," and how Zelda helped to open his eyes to life around him. Very quick read.