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verynicebook's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
The book that everyone is talking about. The first part of this was nostalgic (minus some questionable ‘90s chronology references that I ignored), hilarious, silly, and obnoxious. Sadly, I thought the writing to be a little repetitive and not great overall. This novel is mostly dialogue, which makes it easy to read but quickly becomes redundant. I couldn't identify what I was reading half of the time. Was this satire? Was it written only for shock value/attention? It was really difficult to get past the blatant racism, transphobia, homophobia, and bullying directed at disabled people.
I'm aware that the ‘90s and ‘00s were filled with offensive language and bullying, so while a lot of this book is somewhat accurate to how people were at the time, it went a little too far for me. I wondered whether the author was using this book to express their own personal biases rather than trying to make it "accurate" to the time. It just rubbed me the wrong way and became tedious to read after a while, and with the comparisons to Bret Easton Ellis in the marketing, I felt like I was looking at it through a magnifying glass the entire time, and as a lover of BEE's work, I couldn't see the similarities.
Don't get me wrong, I get what the author was attempting with this book; I "get it," but it fell short for me.
While this book has some good parts, lots of nostalgia for the ‘90s / ‘00s kids, and read very easy and quick despite its longer-than-necessary page count, this book was trying a bit too hard for me, and I overall didn’t love it. Thanks to the publisher for my review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
donnyeatsbooks's review
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
(I was graciously sent an ARC of this book by Permuted Press in exchange for an honest review!)
Repulsive. Reprehensible. Borderline demonic.
New Millennium Boyz is a remarkable feat in literary terrorism that explores its themes of apathy, isolation, male fragility, self-discovery, and even cancel culture with the subtlety and tact of a drug-induced mass shooting. It’s a blatant assault on the senses, as well as on traditional moral values, whose lack of conventional structure lends to its disorienting, almost stream-of-consciousness narrative. This book’s primary aim is to shock and revolt, with the purpose of commenting on multiple facets of our society and culture, but particularly those involving our male youth. The characters are despicable, their actions even more so, but the author’s examination of their strive for individuality and notoriety, and struggle with identity and self-realization, feels brutally honest despite the novel’s satirical overtones. As a man who was once a teenage boy, who longed to fit in with my peers, I related to the main character’s plight—the lengths he was willing to go to to feel accepted, loved, noticed. I certainly didn’t go to the same extremes (believe me), but boyhood and male camaraderie often feels like an endless series of hazing rituals, that can sometimes spin out of control. And this book depicts that frighteningly well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment