A review by domenicfarinelli
How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater by Marc Acito

4.0

This is such a feel-good book. It's absolutely ridiculous, but it is the perfect thing to pick up after reading a horrifying murder mystery. It kind of fits the "coming of age" category, along with "Catcher in the Rye" and "Perks of Being a Wallflower," but I think that "How I paid for College" is better than the others. First of all, I love that we finally get a realistic book about a kid who is struggling with his sexuality; while the outcome of this facet of the book is not completely satisfying, the author leaves it somewhat open-ended, so hopefully we'll see more depth in the sequel. I do think that the first half of the book (before the scheming and embezzling) was more interesting than the latter, and I would have possibly enjoyed the book more if it just focused on the sexual and theatrical misadventures of this hilarious group of teenagers. But overall, this is a great book, both moving and funny, and I would suggest it to anyone well-versed in musical theatre and teenage angst.