devoted_bookworm's review against another edition
The writing was different than I'm used to. Sometimes this bothered me, but for the most part it was nice to read something a little different. I wasn't able to guess what the big revelation at the end was going to be, but I wasn't very surprised to find out what it was. The rest of the story seemed fairly predictable. I'm glad I read this book because I usually read books that are from the female perspective and it's nice to read something from a male perspective sometimes.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
3.0
Ehrenhaft's tone and humor reminds me so much of Blake Nelson. This was a good book with definite boy appeal (minus the cover). There's a little mystery and no dead people. Not my favorite but I loved the voice.
virginiaduan's review against another edition
2.0
*sigh* Where did I get this recommendation? I knew within the first chapter that I wouldn't like this story. Instead, I slogged through because I knew it wouldn't take more than an hour or two to get through. The protagonist was annoying and Emma is the only person I liked. I guess there were some interesting plot points, but other than that, blech.
sarcrawsh's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. Could not get into this book and then the library loan was over. Doubt I'll pick it up again.
librandian's review against another edition
3.0
Everything changed after Hen’s sister Sarah disappeared a year ago. No one knows where or why she went, but there are speculations everywhere that she is in some kind of trouble. Since his sister vanished, Hen has fallen in love (he thinks), played the bass guitar in his girlfriend, Petra’s, band (subpar, at best), and managed ridiculously paranoid parents (he’s not going to run away, you know). Now everything is slowly crumbling to Hen’s feet. Petra dumped him and kicked him out of the band leaving his social life an empty void except for his best friend Emma and the addictive VH1 Behind the Music marathons. Right when Hen is getting settled in his new, slightly boring life, he comes home to an empty house with only a note stating that Sarah had returned. His parents refuse to acknowledge the fact that Sarah had been missing for a year and life continues on as it had before she left. The worst part is no one will tell Hen where she was or why she was gone, but he’s positive that his parents know everything.
With the reemergence of Sarah comes the paranoid artist, Gabriel Stern. Gabriel was apparently with Sarah while she was gone and is now trying to become a part of Hen’s life as well. When Gabriel offers to teach Hen how to play the bass better, Hen agrees with the hopes that Gabriel will shed some light on the last year of Sarah’s life. On top of some sneaking around Gabriel’s apartment, Hen finds a few new activities to keep him busy. Hen gets a part-time job walking dogs for some very wealthy women. He is also invited to join back up with Petra and her band for a very important gig. Can Hen juggle everything after having a boring, uneventful life?
A down-to-earth story, Friend is not a Verb mirrors the real lives of teenagers fairly accurately. Hen is a likeable character with the habit of narrating his life like an announcer for a biographical TV show. One of the only negative thoughts I have about this book refers to the cover. A boy and a girl holding hands is not a good representation for this book and I fear it will turn guys away. Don’t believe the cover! Pick it up today!
With the reemergence of Sarah comes the paranoid artist, Gabriel Stern. Gabriel was apparently with Sarah while she was gone and is now trying to become a part of Hen’s life as well. When Gabriel offers to teach Hen how to play the bass better, Hen agrees with the hopes that Gabriel will shed some light on the last year of Sarah’s life. On top of some sneaking around Gabriel’s apartment, Hen finds a few new activities to keep him busy. Hen gets a part-time job walking dogs for some very wealthy women. He is also invited to join back up with Petra and her band for a very important gig. Can Hen juggle everything after having a boring, uneventful life?
A down-to-earth story, Friend is not a Verb mirrors the real lives of teenagers fairly accurately. Hen is a likeable character with the habit of narrating his life like an announcer for a biographical TV show. One of the only negative thoughts I have about this book refers to the cover. A boy and a girl holding hands is not a good representation for this book and I fear it will turn guys away. Don’t believe the cover! Pick it up today!
jadesofiee's review against another edition
2.0
Don't you just hate it when you like the cover + title more than the book itself?
hdbblog's review against another edition
2.0
Let's start with the positives shall we? I always like to get off on a good foot. This book is pretty funny. Plain and simple there are parts in this book where I found myself laughing out loud, "Hen" or Henry, the main character, is witty and ridiculous at times. He tends to surround himself with other characters of the same magnitude, and watching them interact with one another can be pretty hilarious.
I also very much enjoyed the multiple pop culture references in the story, especially Henry's love for the 90's and all the nostalgia there within. Bands, television shows, it was all there in its truly cheesy 90's glory. Truthfully I began to get a little peeved near the end at how many times Facebook was mentioned, however I know this to be true to life. I can't count how many times I've been at a bar and heard that word thrown around. Yes, it's pop culture and yes it's here to stay. Daniel Ehrenhaft's mention of these items did help me form a connection with the characters as I read.
However this is where my love for the book ended. Although I found Henry to be funny at times, I mainly found him to be awkward and obnoxious. His incessant side notes to himself (set off like this) throughout the book were endearing at first, and then became extremely distracting. Henry's sole focus in this story was to be a rock star, and it seemed to me like it was a little forced. He knew he wasn't good at bass, and yet he continued to convince himself that that was what he needed to be happy. In Henry's mind, stardom = money = happiness and I just couldn't get behind that. Maybe it's just me, but I really thought he could have directed his confusion and family angst into something more worthwhile.
As for his sister Sarah and her story, the entire first half of the story had me wondering out loud when I was going to get to find anything out about her disappearance. There were no clues, no hints, her parents didn't even seem fazed when she showed up out of nowhere. I was also so frustrated at how uncaring she seemed and how distant. She was Henry's sister after all, doesn't that afford them some kind of confidence? As the book neared the end and I finally unraveled the mystery behind Sarah's disappearance, I began to wonder why it was all such a big deal. Why couldn't Henry's parents have shared that with him? It just seemed like extremely poor parenting to me.
Overall this was a book that just irked me too much to really appreciate it. There were high points and low points, but sadly the things I disliked really weighed in strongly. More than once I had to resist simply giving up on reading this book, and that made me sad. It's not often that I find a book I have that much trouble reading. I think that this book has great potential, but that the quirkiness makes it a difficult read. Perhaps there are those out there who will think differently than me and if so, great!
I also very much enjoyed the multiple pop culture references in the story, especially Henry's love for the 90's and all the nostalgia there within. Bands, television shows, it was all there in its truly cheesy 90's glory. Truthfully I began to get a little peeved near the end at how many times Facebook was mentioned, however I know this to be true to life. I can't count how many times I've been at a bar and heard that word thrown around. Yes, it's pop culture and yes it's here to stay. Daniel Ehrenhaft's mention of these items did help me form a connection with the characters as I read.
However this is where my love for the book ended. Although I found Henry to be funny at times, I mainly found him to be awkward and obnoxious. His incessant side notes to himself (set off like this) throughout the book were endearing at first, and then became extremely distracting. Henry's sole focus in this story was to be a rock star, and it seemed to me like it was a little forced. He knew he wasn't good at bass, and yet he continued to convince himself that that was what he needed to be happy. In Henry's mind, stardom = money = happiness and I just couldn't get behind that. Maybe it's just me, but I really thought he could have directed his confusion and family angst into something more worthwhile.
As for his sister Sarah and her story, the entire first half of the story had me wondering out loud when I was going to get to find anything out about her disappearance. There were no clues, no hints, her parents didn't even seem fazed when she showed up out of nowhere. I was also so frustrated at how uncaring she seemed and how distant. She was Henry's sister after all, doesn't that afford them some kind of confidence? As the book neared the end and I finally unraveled the mystery behind Sarah's disappearance, I began to wonder why it was all such a big deal. Why couldn't Henry's parents have shared that with him? It just seemed like extremely poor parenting to me.
Overall this was a book that just irked me too much to really appreciate it. There were high points and low points, but sadly the things I disliked really weighed in strongly. More than once I had to resist simply giving up on reading this book, and that made me sad. It's not often that I find a book I have that much trouble reading. I think that this book has great potential, but that the quirkiness makes it a difficult read. Perhaps there are those out there who will think differently than me and if so, great!