A review by imbookingit
The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff
4.0
(3.5 stars, rounding up because it picked up at the end)
This book got off to a slow start for me. I found Lily interesting in a fairly abstract way, but I never found her or her story compelling.
It really picked up for me when the book switched viewpoints, and I started to see Noah's perspective on some of the same events. If anything, Noah is a less interesting character, but the shift really pulled me in.
Then we got to Simon's section. I hadn't been interested in him either, but once I saw his perspective, and the parts of the story that his friends didn't see, his was the best part of the book.
His was also the most touching and the most real, since he was dealing with significant personal issues. He could have (and often did) hide from them, but in the end, they found him.
I do wish that the book had completed the circle and returned to Lily's POV. I think I would have appreciated her more at that point.
All three characters were fairly shallow, self centered teens. Personally, I didn't like the casual smoking and drugs in the book. I'm not saying it was unrealistic or shouldn't be there, but that did cut down on the personal appeal of the book.
In the end, I found the book interesting and well executed. I think the slower first part was necessary to get there.
This book got off to a slow start for me. I found Lily interesting in a fairly abstract way, but I never found her or her story compelling.
It really picked up for me when the book switched viewpoints, and I started to see Noah's perspective on some of the same events. If anything, Noah is a less interesting character, but the shift really pulled me in.
Then we got to Simon's section. I hadn't been interested in him either, but once I saw his perspective, and the parts of the story that his friends didn't see, his was the best part of the book.
His was also the most touching and the most real, since he was dealing with significant personal issues. He could have (and often did) hide from them, but in the end, they found him.
I do wish that the book had completed the circle and returned to Lily's POV. I think I would have appreciated her more at that point.
All three characters were fairly shallow, self centered teens. Personally, I didn't like the casual smoking and drugs in the book. I'm not saying it was unrealistic or shouldn't be there, but that did cut down on the personal appeal of the book.
In the end, I found the book interesting and well executed. I think the slower first part was necessary to get there.