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A review by inkstndfngrs
Tales From Foster High by John Goode
2.0
I finished this book on Friday night, and had to really sit with it over the weekend so I didn't just come into it and rip it apart. Because, and I want to emphasize this: This book wasn't awful. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. Also, I'm a horrible spoiler, so...you've been warned.
First let me start with some of the comments I made while reading. Early on, Kyle mentions "photographic memories are great" --which is literally never mentioned ever again. And also, what he has just done is not "photographic". If anything, it was Eidetic Memory. Or, you know...he's just really good at memorizing things.
I also noted at the same time, that this book seems to be written by an Elder Queer who is trying to juxtapose their own experiences onto today's youth. And, after poking around a little bit and reading the About the Author. I think I'm spot on in that regard. There was too much emphasis on pop culture attempting to make the timing seem relevant. Then there were things like Kyle not having a cellphone. Look. Today, every damn kid has a cell phone. Even if your parents suck. It's probably a cheap pre-pay that he would end up changing the phone number of every couple of months, but he'd have a phone. It's a safety thing, for most of them. It's highly unlikely they'd have a landline in this day and age. Even my parents no longer have a landline, and the reception at our house stinks.
The timeline in this book also makes me inexplicably annoyed. It literally takes place over the course of two weeks or so. These boys are sixteen years old. This insta-attraction, I'm-so-in-love-with-you thing feels gross and toxic. Also, these vague sex scenes that were included made me, as a 32 year old non-binary person, feel a bit gross. I do not approve of the lack of condom use. Never have, never will, regardless of the situation.
The author also doesn't seem to understand poverty. There is a line about wearing Walmart Jeans and JC Penney t-shirt. Dude. Have you been in a Penney's? It was one of my grandmother's favorite stores when I was a kid. We maybe bought 1 outfit there for back to school (family of four kids), and that was the early 2000's. A Walmart t-shirt is $7.50 (average, sometimes $5.88 if they're on mark down). Penney's...I wouldn't expect to spend less than $15, but more likely $25-30. For a t-shirt.
It would have made more sense to just leave off the store names and say they were thrift or hand-me-downs from someone his Mom worked with, etc. A Lost and Found box somewhere.
In Part Two, Kyle says it's wrong it skip school. AFTER HE HAS LITERALLY CUT CLASSES AFTER LUNCH TWICE IN THE PAST WEEK.
Later, when Brad gets beat up, the description is incredibly over the top. "Pool of blood" and "more blood outside my body than inside". If I hadn't been reading on my phone, I would have thrown the book across the room. Talk about over dramatic.
...Anyway, there was just a lot here that over all was inconsistent. I didn't care for Kyle's Personified Feelings. It made him come off as schizophrenic, which is a whole other can of worms. In the last book/part, his chapters were frequently headed with his take on fairy tales or John Hughes movies (which was inconsistent as well) and frankly: I was bored after the first hot take. I stopped reading them.
I think this little trilogy as a whole could have been better told as the dueling storytellers the whole time, instead of giving Kyle and Brad each their own "book", then collaborating on the third. For one thing, Kyle's character development was basically lost in Book/Part 2. He had zero personality from Brad's perspective. Like, the author had forgotten what kind of person he was.
I also had some beef with some formatting issues. Not having this broken into chapters came of as amateur at best. It was really difficult to judge how much I had left in book because of it. I had to keep closing the book and checking my progress. I know, that's a "me" problem. It definitely could have used a round of stronger beta readers, or a developmental editor. Over all, it was just lacking. I don't think I'll be picking up any other books by this author.
First let me start with some of the comments I made while reading. Early on, Kyle mentions "photographic memories are great" --which is literally never mentioned ever again. And also, what he has just done is not "photographic". If anything, it was Eidetic Memory. Or, you know...he's just really good at memorizing things.
I also noted at the same time, that this book seems to be written by an Elder Queer who is trying to juxtapose their own experiences onto today's youth. And, after poking around a little bit and reading the About the Author. I think I'm spot on in that regard. There was too much emphasis on pop culture attempting to make the timing seem relevant. Then there were things like Kyle not having a cellphone. Look. Today, every damn kid has a cell phone. Even if your parents suck. It's probably a cheap pre-pay that he would end up changing the phone number of every couple of months, but he'd have a phone. It's a safety thing, for most of them. It's highly unlikely they'd have a landline in this day and age. Even my parents no longer have a landline, and the reception at our house stinks.
The timeline in this book also makes me inexplicably annoyed. It literally takes place over the course of two weeks or so. These boys are sixteen years old. This insta-attraction, I'm-so-in-love-with-you thing feels gross and toxic. Also, these vague sex scenes that were included made me, as a 32 year old non-binary person, feel a bit gross. I do not approve of the lack of condom use. Never have, never will, regardless of the situation.
The author also doesn't seem to understand poverty. There is a line about wearing Walmart Jeans and JC Penney t-shirt. Dude. Have you been in a Penney's? It was one of my grandmother's favorite stores when I was a kid. We maybe bought 1 outfit there for back to school (family of four kids), and that was the early 2000's. A Walmart t-shirt is $7.50 (average, sometimes $5.88 if they're on mark down). Penney's...I wouldn't expect to spend less than $15, but more likely $25-30. For a t-shirt.
It would have made more sense to just leave off the store names and say they were thrift or hand-me-downs from someone his Mom worked with, etc. A Lost and Found box somewhere.
In Part Two, Kyle says it's wrong it skip school. AFTER HE HAS LITERALLY CUT CLASSES AFTER LUNCH TWICE IN THE PAST WEEK.
Later, when Brad gets beat up, the description is incredibly over the top. "Pool of blood" and "more blood outside my body than inside". If I hadn't been reading on my phone, I would have thrown the book across the room. Talk about over dramatic.
...Anyway, there was just a lot here that over all was inconsistent. I didn't care for Kyle's Personified Feelings. It made him come off as schizophrenic, which is a whole other can of worms. In the last book/part, his chapters were frequently headed with his take on fairy tales or John Hughes movies (which was inconsistent as well) and frankly: I was bored after the first hot take. I stopped reading them.
I think this little trilogy as a whole could have been better told as the dueling storytellers the whole time, instead of giving Kyle and Brad each their own "book", then collaborating on the third. For one thing, Kyle's character development was basically lost in Book/Part 2. He had zero personality from Brad's perspective. Like, the author had forgotten what kind of person he was.
I also had some beef with some formatting issues. Not having this broken into chapters came of as amateur at best. It was really difficult to judge how much I had left in book because of it. I had to keep closing the book and checking my progress. I know, that's a "me" problem. It definitely could have used a round of stronger beta readers, or a developmental editor. Over all, it was just lacking. I don't think I'll be picking up any other books by this author.