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bluebeereads's review
3.0
Quite The Novel Idea ~ Words from the Clouds
3.5 stars
Charming, fun, heartwarming, funny and quick read. At times a tad far-fetched and overly dramatic, but fun nonetheless. Loved the relationship between Deacon and his grandmother. I did have a lot of feels in the second half. Never quite connected to the romance though and at the end things wrapped up a bit too quickly and nicely. But Deacon was adorable and awkward and sweet and dammit he just needed a hug. This book could also be titled: Deacon Locke Can't Catch a Break. #accurate I loved Elijah too. Just wanted to put that out there.
RTC
3.5 stars
Charming, fun, heartwarming, funny and quick read. At times a tad far-fetched and overly dramatic, but fun nonetheless. Loved the relationship between Deacon and his grandmother. I did have a lot of feels in the second half. Never quite connected to the romance though and at the end things wrapped up a bit too quickly and nicely. But Deacon was adorable and awkward and sweet and dammit he just needed a hug. This book could also be titled: Deacon Locke Can't Catch a Break. #accurate I loved Elijah too. Just wanted to put that out there.
RTC
debi_g's review against another edition
5.0
Quintessential Katcher:
Quippy protagonist
Quirky characters and conflicts
Quality ideas
Quick, optimistic read
Quibbling reviewers
Deacon, the main character, is remarkably blasé about all sorts of social pitfalls, yet ridiculously insecure about other interactions. This level-headed attitude and anxiety-prone behavior combine to make Deacon a believable guy. I am also fond of the side characters. Each member of the supporting cast is distinct from the others, shaping and supporting the main character's trajectory in an individual and often subtle manner.
As with any story unconfined by the boundaries of convention and formula, there are elements of this novel that demand suspension of disbelief. That's a fair exchange for a book that is unlike any other. This novel's structure poses a surprising number of conflicts that unfold at varying paces and with multiple highs and lows. Such elements prove that Katcher's writing talent gains complexity with each new project.
Although I don't feel the epilogue was necessary--the final chapter ends on a pitch-perfect note-- I like it because it unfolds in a highly visual way. When this is made into a movie, the epilogue will fit well after the credits have rolled.
As far as negatives, I was alarmed by two editing misfires early in the book. On page 11, the main character reflects that "There's been a couple of close calls" (have, not has) and on page 16, Deacon asks, "Do us poor guys even stand a chance?" (It's we. Do WE stand a chance?) Since the second gaffe is part of the dialogue, I forgave and moved on. Fortunately, the story soon held me in its grip and if there were more errors, I neglected to notice.
I'll be recommending this novel to many students.
Quippy protagonist
Quirky characters and conflicts
Quality ideas
Quick, optimistic read
Quibbling reviewers
Deacon, the main character, is remarkably blasé about all sorts of social pitfalls, yet ridiculously insecure about other interactions. This level-headed attitude and anxiety-prone behavior combine to make Deacon a believable guy. I am also fond of the side characters. Each member of the supporting cast is distinct from the others, shaping and supporting the main character's trajectory in an individual and often subtle manner.
As with any story unconfined by the boundaries of convention and formula, there are elements of this novel that demand suspension of disbelief. That's a fair exchange for a book that is unlike any other. This novel's structure poses a surprising number of conflicts that unfold at varying paces and with multiple highs and lows. Such elements prove that Katcher's writing talent gains complexity with each new project.
Although I don't feel the epilogue was necessary--the final chapter ends on a pitch-perfect note-- I like it because it unfolds in a highly visual way. When this is made into a movie, the epilogue will fit well after the credits have rolled.
As far as negatives, I was alarmed by two editing misfires early in the book. On page 11, the main character reflects that "There's been a couple of close calls" (have, not has) and on page 16, Deacon asks, "Do us poor guys even stand a chance?" (It's we. Do WE stand a chance?) Since the second gaffe is part of the dialogue, I forgave and moved on. Fortunately, the story soon held me in its grip and if there were more errors, I neglected to notice.
I'll be recommending this novel to many students.
erindurrett's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciate how true to life it is, everything is entirely plausible and not an idealized version of life.
suey's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this one from the first moments. This dude, this shy tall awkward dude, takes his grandma to prom. And then.. stuff happens that he so does not expect and his whole life changes. And how does he deal with this? Read the book. I loved it.
kallbri's review against another edition
1.0
I am supposed to dislike Deacon Locke, right? The character is awful: whiny, narcissistic, and always unsure. About 2/3 through, it feels as though every character goes through some sort of unexplained change. Lots of intense topics where brought up and briefly addressed, though it would have read the same if they had been skipped altogether. The author leaves zero room for any reader imagination, like the person who always explains their jokes. I did finish the book, but I would not recommend it to any reader.
chwaters's review against another edition
3.0
Deacon Locke really wants to go to prom. He's missed all of his other school dances and now he's a senior with only one high school dance left. Unfortunately, Deacon is a bit awkward around girls, even those he's been friends with for a long time. The only girl Deacon considers asking winds up with a date before Deacon gets the chance to ask, so he comes up with what seems like an ideal solution to the problem: invite his grandmother, Jean, to prom. It's perfect; she missed her own prom since her date, Deacon's late grandfather, was en route to serve in Vietnam at the time. Jean eventually agrees on the condition that Deacon take a dance class with her. Deacon is happy to oblige.
Deacon expects to have fun preparing for the dance with Jean, what he doesn't expect is to develop a massive crush on their dance instructor, Soraya (who has also been asked to prom by someone that isn't Deacon). At the dance itself, Deacon and Jean have a wonderful time dancing the night away. After the dance, however, things start to get more than a little weird. Jean is starting to show signs of serious memory problems. Soraya seems like she might reciprocate some of Deacon's attraction. Oh, and a bunch of people filmed Deacon and his grandmother at prom and now the videos have gone viral, making Deacon and Jean instant celebrities.
Deacon Locke Went to Prom is a sweet and funny little diversion. At times, it verges on too sweet, particularly when Deacon talks about his grandmother. It has a tendency to feel somewhat less than authentic for a teenager, even if this is the type of kid that invites their grandparent to prom. There are some surprising twists in the post-prom story, some of which can be seen coming from a mile away while others seem almost jarringly out of the blue. That being said, most readers are going to be willing to overlook some of these flaws in favor of characters they can root for and a storyline that isn't super-bleak. I enjoyed reading it, though it's not normally something I would have picked up for myself. As it turned out, I genuinely appreciated reading something lighter and more fun after all the depressing books I've been reading lately.
Deacon expects to have fun preparing for the dance with Jean, what he doesn't expect is to develop a massive crush on their dance instructor, Soraya (who has also been asked to prom by someone that isn't Deacon). At the dance itself, Deacon and Jean have a wonderful time dancing the night away. After the dance, however, things start to get more than a little weird. Jean is starting to show signs of serious memory problems. Soraya seems like she might reciprocate some of Deacon's attraction. Oh, and a bunch of people filmed Deacon and his grandmother at prom and now the videos have gone viral, making Deacon and Jean instant celebrities.
Deacon Locke Went to Prom is a sweet and funny little diversion. At times, it verges on too sweet, particularly when Deacon talks about his grandmother. It has a tendency to feel somewhat less than authentic for a teenager, even if this is the type of kid that invites their grandparent to prom. There are some surprising twists in the post-prom story, some of which can be seen coming from a mile away while others seem almost jarringly out of the blue. That being said, most readers are going to be willing to overlook some of these flaws in favor of characters they can root for and a storyline that isn't super-bleak. I enjoyed reading it, though it's not normally something I would have picked up for myself. As it turned out, I genuinely appreciated reading something lighter and more fun after all the depressing books I've been reading lately.
mrsjhasbooks's review
3.0
I know there will be many students who adore this book; however, the gaps in the narrative and the flat main characters made this book one that is easily forgotten.
Deacon Locke is a nearly 7' tall beastly big boy in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He lives with his grandmother, Jean, in a ramshackle country home just off a golf course. Deacon's mother is dead and his father is somewhere in Amsterdam completing unsavory business transactions. Needless to say, Deacon and Jean are all each other have. Deacon doesn't have many friends. As a matter of fact, he has one, Kelli, who is more like a drill sergeant and not so much a friend. It's Deacon's senior year, and he decides he is going to attend prom, the quintessential teen American experience. The problem is that he is too shy to ask anyone, so he ends up asking Jean because she never got to go to her prom because her boyfriend at the time (Deacon's grandfather) was stationed in Vietnam.
Jean doesn't want to be embarrassed at Deacon's prom, so she signs them up for dance lessons at the YMCA. Let's flash forward some plot points, only because it was so disappointing...
-Deacon falls for the instructor Soraya, and Jean watches that romance blossom.
-Deacon takes Jean to prom.
-Deacon and Jean cut a rug and are a HUGE hit.
-So huge, that somebody posts a video of them dancing to YouTube.
-It gets 700,000+ hits.
-Deacon becomes internet famous.
-Deacon is asked to go on a celebrity dance competition.
-Jean has dementia.
So much angst. So much flip flopping of character emotions. I don't feel like I really knew Deacon, and I was disappointed that there was so much going on. I'd be curious to see what my students think about this book...
Deacon Locke is a nearly 7' tall beastly big boy in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He lives with his grandmother, Jean, in a ramshackle country home just off a golf course. Deacon's mother is dead and his father is somewhere in Amsterdam completing unsavory business transactions. Needless to say, Deacon and Jean are all each other have. Deacon doesn't have many friends. As a matter of fact, he has one, Kelli, who is more like a drill sergeant and not so much a friend. It's Deacon's senior year, and he decides he is going to attend prom, the quintessential teen American experience. The problem is that he is too shy to ask anyone, so he ends up asking Jean because she never got to go to her prom because her boyfriend at the time (Deacon's grandfather) was stationed in Vietnam.
Jean doesn't want to be embarrassed at Deacon's prom, so she signs them up for dance lessons at the YMCA. Let's flash forward some plot points, only because it was so disappointing...
-Deacon falls for the instructor Soraya, and Jean watches that romance blossom.
-Deacon takes Jean to prom.
-Deacon and Jean cut a rug and are a HUGE hit.
-So huge, that somebody posts a video of them dancing to YouTube.
-It gets 700,000+ hits.
-Deacon becomes internet famous.
-Deacon is asked to go on a celebrity dance competition.
-Jean has dementia.
So much angst. So much flip flopping of character emotions. I don't feel like I really knew Deacon, and I was disappointed that there was so much going on. I'd be curious to see what my students think about this book...
ida_ree's review against another edition
5.0
Full disclosure: I was one of the beta readers for early drafts of this book. I enjoyed it enough to read the final version once it was released.
Deacon is a sweet, if sometimes clueless, high school senior. He lived an unsettled life (to put it mildly) with a father who is out of the picture by the time the story begins. Only in the last couple of years has Deacon found any kind of stability, living with his grandmother, Jean, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
As senior prom approaches, Deacon decides he'd like to grasp this one last chance to do a normal teen activity, but he procrastinates too long to get a date. The answer is obvious -- Jean missed her own prom due to his grandfather's military service in Vietnam. Yes, he takes his grandma to prom. And she's a hit. Video clips of the two of them dancing go viral. Fame and complications ensue.
One complication is Deacon's growing awareness that Jean is in the early stages of dementia, just as he is about to head off and leave her.
Another is Deacon's new girlfriend, Soraya, the dance instructor at the Y, where Deacon and Jean took lessons. Soraya attends the local Islamic school. Internet fame for Deacon unfortunately leads to nasty bigotry toward Soraya. I love how she handles herself and the lessons Deacon learns about the difference between being supportive and being a savior. In fact, props for many strong female characters in this book.
Though some of the issues are heavy, there's lots of humor.
I especially enjoyed the gutter repair scene.
Deacon is a sweet, if sometimes clueless, high school senior. He lived an unsettled life (to put it mildly) with a father who is out of the picture by the time the story begins. Only in the last couple of years has Deacon found any kind of stability, living with his grandmother, Jean, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
As senior prom approaches, Deacon decides he'd like to grasp this one last chance to do a normal teen activity, but he procrastinates too long to get a date. The answer is obvious -- Jean missed her own prom due to his grandfather's military service in Vietnam. Yes, he takes his grandma to prom. And she's a hit. Video clips of the two of them dancing go viral. Fame and complications ensue.
One complication is Deacon's growing awareness that Jean is in the early stages of dementia, just as he is about to head off and leave her.
Another is Deacon's new girlfriend, Soraya, the dance instructor at the Y, where Deacon and Jean took lessons. Soraya attends the local Islamic school. Internet fame for Deacon unfortunately leads to nasty bigotry toward Soraya. I love how she handles herself and the lessons Deacon learns about the difference between being supportive and being a savior. In fact, props for many strong female characters in this book.
Though some of the issues are heavy, there's lots of humor.
I especially enjoyed the gutter repair scene.
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Jennie
Cover Story: Puttin’ On The Ritz
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: I Came, I Danced, I Went Viral
Bonus Factors: Kick-Ass Gram, Internet Fame
Relationship Status: Drinking Buddy
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Puttin’ On The Ritz
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: I Came, I Danced, I Went Viral
Bonus Factors: Kick-Ass Gram, Internet Fame
Relationship Status: Drinking Buddy
Read the full book report here.
christygoldsmith's review against another edition
5.0
Big fan of all of Katcher’s lovable and well-voiced characters, and Deacon is no different.