minty's review against another edition
2.0
This book is so quick it's almost substanceless (less than 2 hours to read), but it does have substance. The second-person POV was nicely handled, but something about it left me cold and unengaged.
erebus53's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A note, the audiobook is recorded to play too slowly. It is dead on 3 hours in length if you play it at 1.3× speed (130%) which is what I did and at that speed it felt natural.
A book aimed at teens, focused on the adventures of a low flying drop out, that is told mostly in the second person... I immediately felt like this was written by a highschool English Lit teacher.. and well.. yes.
Let's just say I think this teacher/author may have loved Catcher in the Rye a little too much (a book that is written by a drop out who keeps explaining "what You feel like doing", "what you do in these situations"), leaning into that whole "You" narrative technique so much that he named the book after it.
When Kyle starts giving up on his own prospects his teacher is quick to tell him that he needs to take control of his destiny and make "good choices", his parents jump at the chance to organise him job interviews and nag him to be more forward thinking. Kyle is a normal teen who is floundering under the weight of authoritarian parents who are giving up on him almost as quickly as he is giving up on himself.
Then he meets an aggressively non-conformist Wunderkind who loves to push everyone's buttons. He's bored with trying to play games by Their rules and has the brains and social manipulative skills to busy himself with getting everyone else to play by His rules. He comes across like a cross between Mary Poppins and Dirk Gently, and Kyle starts hanging around with him as though they are buddies after he rescued him from GBH at the hands of a school bully, and social boredom by inviting him to exclusive parties.
The story starts with a scene of loads of blood but it is unclear what happens, so we know that somehow this odd boy is going to get Kyle into some real trouble... just how far things go you need to find out for yourself.
Let's just say that the kid is a sociopath, thrill seeker, who draw people around him with ease, and his social satellites crash and burn at his hands all the time.
Chaotic evil? Most likely. Char 18, Int 19? Quite possibly. I am a nerd? Indubitably.
I feel like this is a cautionary tale for kids who already come from a privileged background, to pull their darned socks up. It certainly doesn't challenge many ideas about what it's like for children who have to struggle just to GET an education or a job.
Although the narrative seems to challenge some ideas about the stupidity of the US schooling system (of teaching to tests, and pop quizzes) it grazes that point and places the onus of motivation squarely in the hands of students. "Don't do things your way.. do it the right way!" is a surefire way to cultivate switched-off students with a sense of learned incompetence; growing kids who expect to be told what to do, don't develop their own problem solving skills by trial and error, and can't assess a situation or make decisions for themselves.
A book aimed at teens, focused on the adventures of a low flying drop out, that is told mostly in the second person... I immediately felt like this was written by a highschool English Lit teacher.. and well.. yes.
Let's just say I think this teacher/author may have loved Catcher in the Rye a little too much (a book that is written by a drop out who keeps explaining "what You feel like doing", "what you do in these situations"), leaning into that whole "You" narrative technique so much that he named the book after it.
When Kyle starts giving up on his own prospects his teacher is quick to tell him that he needs to take control of his destiny and make "good choices", his parents jump at the chance to organise him job interviews and nag him to be more forward thinking. Kyle is a normal teen who is floundering under the weight of authoritarian parents who are giving up on him almost as quickly as he is giving up on himself.
Then he meets an aggressively non-conformist Wunderkind who loves to push everyone's buttons. He's bored with trying to play games by Their rules and has the brains and social manipulative skills to busy himself with getting everyone else to play by His rules. He comes across like a cross between Mary Poppins and Dirk Gently, and Kyle starts hanging around with him as though they are buddies after he rescued him from GBH at the hands of a school bully, and social boredom by inviting him to exclusive parties.
The story starts with a scene of loads of blood but it is unclear what happens, so we know that somehow this odd boy is going to get Kyle into some real trouble... just how far things go you need to find out for yourself.
Chaotic evil? Most likely. Char 18, Int 19? Quite possibly. I am a nerd? Indubitably.
I feel like this is a cautionary tale for kids who already come from a privileged background, to pull their darned socks up. It certainly doesn't challenge many ideas about what it's like for children who have to struggle just to GET an education or a job.
Although the narrative seems to challenge some ideas about the stupidity of the US schooling system (of teaching to tests, and pop quizzes) it grazes that point and places the onus of motivation squarely in the hands of students. "Don't do things your way.. do it the right way!" is a surefire way to cultivate switched-off students with a sense of learned incompetence; growing kids who expect to be told what to do, don't develop their own problem solving skills by trial and error, and can't assess a situation or make decisions for themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Drug use, and Sexual content
carstensena's review against another edition
4.0
A very quick, can't-put-it-down, read. Teens will race through it, and I can also easily imagine a great book group discussion.
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
I really want to choose this unique, awesome novel (written totally in the second person) for the lower secondary book flood project in my school, but I think the children would need an adult to talk them through the darker, more violent parts of the tale - and the project doesn't have scope for that level of conversation for now.
cestdanielle's review against another edition
4.0
I was in the library the other day, scanning the YA section for something decent to read when I saw this. I thought that the title looked interesting--simplicity always captures my attention--so I picked it up. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.
It's brilliant; the second person point of view is something even I've never read before, the characters are really interesting, and the plot is really good at keeping your attention. I thought it was captivating to see the world from a very real teenage boy's eyes, especially since not all YA novels written with a male protagonist are this realistic. I really liked Zack because I've seen very few supporting characters who are as interesting as he is.
I'm not going to say much about this other than, if you like YA books with a male protagonist, you should definitely read this book.
It's brilliant; the second person point of view is something even I've never read before, the characters are really interesting, and the plot is really good at keeping your attention. I thought it was captivating to see the world from a very real teenage boy's eyes, especially since not all YA novels written with a male protagonist are this realistic. I really liked Zack because I've seen very few supporting characters who are as interesting as he is.
I'm not going to say much about this other than, if you like YA books with a male protagonist, you should definitely read this book.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Heather B. Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Syou%20benoit__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
tameka_young's review against another edition
4.0
What an amazing ride! I have never been a fan of books in the 2nd person, but the author does an amazing job of engaging the reader from page one. I love that Kyle could be any guy in any high school in America. His emotions are so honest and open, even if he doesn't admit them to himself. Very suspenseful and gripping story, a for sure must read!
b00knerd's review against another edition
1.0
This slightly intrigued me in the beginning but then plot fell through and it had absolutely NO ending.
kathleenboggs's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
aomernik's review against another edition
5.0
Still just as terrifying as it was 1.5 years ago. And also amazing.