kricketa's review
4.0
alyssa and lana are best friends, partially because of their shared russian jewish heritage, which is rare in their community. lana keeps saying that alyssa's mom is fine- everyone's parents get sloppy when they drink sometimes. alyssa's dad just looks the other way. but alyssa knows her mom has a problem, and she's tired of cleaning up after her when she has her own problems to deal with- a blossoming but confusing romance with keith, her stretching partner for cross country, and lana's obsession with becoming friends with the obnoxious beautiful people at school, at the cost of their own friendship.
i really liked this book. it suffers from an unattractive cover (was the photoshop supposed to look that bad?) and i was the first person to check it out from the new teen fiction shelf, where it sat untouched
for three months. (my teens do love an attractive cover.) but now that i've read it, i am excited to hand-sell it as a great realistic story. it's perfect for anyone who's ever grown apart from a friend, or
had a bumpy start to a romance with a high school dude (seriously, keith gets the award for "most realistic high school boyfriend in teen fiction EVER").also might be of interest for sporty types, because
of the cross country action.
obviously it's also perfect if anyone comes in specifically asking for a story about about teen children of alcoholics. i would definitely recommend it over "a room on lorelei street."
i really liked this book. it suffers from an unattractive cover (was the photoshop supposed to look that bad?) and i was the first person to check it out from the new teen fiction shelf, where it sat untouched
for three months. (my teens do love an attractive cover.) but now that i've read it, i am excited to hand-sell it as a great realistic story. it's perfect for anyone who's ever grown apart from a friend, or
had a bumpy start to a romance with a high school dude (seriously, keith gets the award for "most realistic high school boyfriend in teen fiction EVER").also might be of interest for sporty types, because
of the cross country action.
obviously it's also perfect if anyone comes in specifically asking for a story about about teen children of alcoholics. i would definitely recommend it over "a room on lorelei street."
michellesantiago's review
4.0
The blurb does a great job summarizing what Inconvenient was about so I'll just go on about my thoughts and feelings about this book. I've been reading out of my comfort zone lately, picking up "tough issues" type of books, and I am glad because Inconvenient was a fantastic, worthwhile read. While the book did mostly center around Alyssa's mother's descent into alcoholism, this book was a lot more than that. Themes of identity, family, friendship, loyalty, growing up, ethnic pride and first love were touched upon in this honest, emotional and unputdownable read.
I loved Alyssa's character--she was a real girl in her thoughts, emotions and actions. She wasn't perfect but I thought her first-person narrative was spot on. In the beginning and all through book, we are given hints as to how close and special Alyssa and her mom's relationship were and watching it deteriorate was painful. I really felt for her but I really liked how her character grew and evolved throughout the book. Besides the alcoholism--and this book definitely didn't shy away from the harsh realities of living with an alcoholic--what made this book a powerful read for me was that I related to Alyssa and her friend Lana in terms of their immigrant identity in school. I moved to the United States from the Philippines when I was nine years old and just like Alyssa and Lana, my friends and I endured teasing and innuendos in school and in the community. And just like Alyssa, I felt like an outsider for most of my years in school.
The glimpse of Russian-Jewish culture in the book were interesting and one of the aspects of the book I particularly enjoyed. The secondary characters added to the story and I thought Alyssa's blossoming romance with Keith, her running partner, was sweet. I was thoroughly riveted by this book until I got to the end. My one complaint about this book was that it ended abruptly--I understand that it's impossible for this book to have a happy ending concerning Alyssa's mom (I'm certain her alcoholism will be an ongoing battle for her and her family for many years) but what about Alyssa and Lana's friendship or Alyssa and Keith's romantic relationship? I don't know if there's going to be a sequel but this book reads like a standalone and an epilogue would've been nice. All in all, though, I really liked this book and thought it a fantastic debut by Maggie Gelbwasser. I am definitely excited for her next book.
4.5 out of 5 stars
I loved Alyssa's character--she was a real girl in her thoughts, emotions and actions. She wasn't perfect but I thought her first-person narrative was spot on. In the beginning and all through book, we are given hints as to how close and special Alyssa and her mom's relationship were and watching it deteriorate was painful. I really felt for her but I really liked how her character grew and evolved throughout the book. Besides the alcoholism--and this book definitely didn't shy away from the harsh realities of living with an alcoholic--what made this book a powerful read for me was that I related to Alyssa and her friend Lana in terms of their immigrant identity in school. I moved to the United States from the Philippines when I was nine years old and just like Alyssa and Lana, my friends and I endured teasing and innuendos in school and in the community. And just like Alyssa, I felt like an outsider for most of my years in school.
The glimpse of Russian-Jewish culture in the book were interesting and one of the aspects of the book I particularly enjoyed. The secondary characters added to the story and I thought Alyssa's blossoming romance with Keith, her running partner, was sweet. I was thoroughly riveted by this book until I got to the end. My one complaint about this book was that it ended abruptly--I understand that it's impossible for this book to have a happy ending concerning Alyssa's mom (I'm certain her alcoholism will be an ongoing battle for her and her family for many years) but what about Alyssa and Lana's friendship or Alyssa and Keith's romantic relationship? I don't know if there's going to be a sequel but this book reads like a standalone and an epilogue would've been nice. All in all, though, I really liked this book and thought it a fantastic debut by Maggie Gelbwasser. I am definitely excited for her next book.
4.5 out of 5 stars
kristid's review
3.0
Inconvenient is an honest and somewhat brutally portrayed novel on the effects of alcoholism on a family. As well as a story about growing up and finding oneself.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for what seems like forever. I would always forget that it was there to read. Inconvenient sounded like a good book and I wanted to read it, but the summary didn’t make it stick out in my mind. Which is probably why it sat on my shelf for so long. Once I started reading the story, I rarely put it down.
The thing that I enjoyed most about this novel was the main character Alyssa. I commend her for not being afraid to embrace her Russian-Jewish heritage even when her classmates taunt her for it. Her insecurities are similar to the ones that I had as a teenager. Perhaps that is why I felt such a deep connection with her. And of course you can’t help but empathize with her dealing with an alcoholic parent. Alyssa experiences things that no teen should have to face.
There were aspects of the novel such as Keith and Alyssa’s relationship and Lana & Alyssa’s relationship that I didn’t agree with but found added extra depth to the novel. And when I say I didn’t agree with them, I don’t mean that they were wrong for the story! I just wish things would have worked out differently! For instance, I was disappointed that Lana was more worried about being popular than being there for her friend. Although I’ve seen the same thing happen in real life as a teen.
The ending was also unexpected. I think I was expecting some sort of resolution. For Alyssa’s mother to be over her addiction. I wanted so badly for Alyssa to have a happy ending. That being said, I agree with the ending the author chose. It might not have been a “happy” ending, but it was a “hopeful” ending.
Looking forward to more from Gelbwasser!
This book has been sitting on my shelf for what seems like forever. I would always forget that it was there to read. Inconvenient sounded like a good book and I wanted to read it, but the summary didn’t make it stick out in my mind. Which is probably why it sat on my shelf for so long. Once I started reading the story, I rarely put it down.
The thing that I enjoyed most about this novel was the main character Alyssa. I commend her for not being afraid to embrace her Russian-Jewish heritage even when her classmates taunt her for it. Her insecurities are similar to the ones that I had as a teenager. Perhaps that is why I felt such a deep connection with her. And of course you can’t help but empathize with her dealing with an alcoholic parent. Alyssa experiences things that no teen should have to face.
There were aspects of the novel such as Keith and Alyssa’s relationship and Lana & Alyssa’s relationship that I didn’t agree with but found added extra depth to the novel. And when I say I didn’t agree with them, I don’t mean that they were wrong for the story! I just wish things would have worked out differently! For instance, I was disappointed that Lana was more worried about being popular than being there for her friend. Although I’ve seen the same thing happen in real life as a teen.
The ending was also unexpected. I think I was expecting some sort of resolution. For Alyssa’s mother to be over her addiction. I wanted so badly for Alyssa to have a happy ending. That being said, I agree with the ending the author chose. It might not have been a “happy” ending, but it was a “hopeful” ending.
Looking forward to more from Gelbwasser!
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