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A review by emleemay
The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle
3.0
My rating has moved between 4 and 2 stars, then halfway back again. There are definitely good things about [b:The Great American Whatever|25663382|The Great American Whatever|Tim Federle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433439493s/25663382.jpg|45486309], but I honestly just want to tell you to read [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579] instead. It has all the warm, funny bits but without the self-masturbatory writing style, overdone loss of a loved one, and tedious film trivia.
As I said, though, this is not really a negative review. I really enjoyed some of the humour, especially in the beginning, mostly because the narrator - Quinn - is cynical and sarcastic. His morning negativity is relatable and really funny:
Made me giggle.
And if I'm being honest, I can totally see why this book has gotten so many starred reviews. It's a book with diverse characters, a nice LGBT romance, a nice road to recovery from grief aided by said romance, and a quirky "outsider" protagonist who knows everything about movies. It goes down smooth and easy, while doing absolutely nothing new.
It's almost like the author was working off a checklist: diversity... check. Romance... check. Loss of a family member and subsequent getting on with one's life... check. What does this book actually do that a number of others don't? Where does it stand out? I can't tell you.
At least [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579] is just a funny book that doesn't take itself too seriously. This book reminds me of novels like [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360206420s/11870085.jpg|16827462] and [b:Mosquitoland|18718848|Mosquitoland|David Arnold|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402661616s/18718848.jpg|26584442] where everything is so contrived, so deep and meaningful that you can feel the author giving themselves a self-congratulatory pat on the back while writing. I'm amazed that people see these philosophers as the "perfect voices of YA" when I cringe every time I remind myself they're supposed to be teens!
This review sounds really negative, so I'll say once again that this book is fun in parts and I liked the portrayal of a platonic relationship between a gay teen and his straight male friend But books have been doing what this book does a lot over the past few years and, of them all, this isn't even close to being the most memorable.
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As I said, though, this is not really a negative review. I really enjoyed some of the humour, especially in the beginning, mostly because the narrator - Quinn - is cynical and sarcastic. His morning negativity is relatable and really funny:
It actually sounds amazing to dive into the pool right now. A freezing one. Headfirst. In the shallow end.
If I took out my broken AC and cracked the window, I’d have to confront the reality that I might hear, like, birds, or worse: the merry squeals of neighborhood children. And who has the stomach for that kind of unannounced joy at this hour?
Made me giggle.
And if I'm being honest, I can totally see why this book has gotten so many starred reviews. It's a book with diverse characters, a nice LGBT romance, a nice road to recovery from grief aided by said romance, and a quirky "outsider" protagonist who knows everything about movies. It goes down smooth and easy, while doing absolutely nothing new.
It's almost like the author was working off a checklist: diversity... check. Romance... check. Loss of a family member and subsequent getting on with one's life... check. What does this book actually do that a number of others don't? Where does it stand out? I can't tell you.
At least [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579] is just a funny book that doesn't take itself too seriously. This book reminds me of novels like [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360206420s/11870085.jpg|16827462] and [b:Mosquitoland|18718848|Mosquitoland|David Arnold|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402661616s/18718848.jpg|26584442] where everything is so contrived, so deep and meaningful that you can feel the author giving themselves a self-congratulatory pat on the back while writing. I'm amazed that people see these philosophers as the "perfect voices of YA" when I cringe every time I remind myself they're supposed to be teens!
This review sounds really negative, so I'll say once again that this book is fun in parts and I liked the portrayal of a platonic relationship between a gay teen and his straight male friend
Spoiler
a little too easy and unexplored, though? I'm not sure. Maybe that's worth having a discussion about sometime.Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Store