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A review by rray_
My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day
2.0
My Invisible Boyfriend is the second book by Susie Day, an author I have honestly never heard of until this book popped up on my Goodreads rec'd list. She has written a handful of YA/young children's novels so far.
Plot: Heidi feels a little jealous and left-out of the snogging scene so she invents a new boyfriend based off of/inspired by a fictional detective TV show (with some healthy homages to Sherlock Holmes and the Agatha Christie books) and fakes him through convincing online interaction. As her friends go through their own relationship drama, she tries her best to use her fake boyfriend persona to solve them. Cue typical finding YA true love tropes.
I'm struggling to find much to say about this book because frankly I gave up about halfway through. I simply found it too boring to maintain my interest enough to not move on to something else. Perhaps later when I feel I have more time that absolutely needs to be killed. I understand Day's intent on trying to keep the syntax authentic to the characters and age, but in more than a few parts it feels like an annoying distraction. Beyond that, the plotting and writing feels too boring, mundane and pat to justify finishing the book for now. One of the major issues that prevented me from finishing this book was because I kept falling asleep in the middle of it - yes, I'm being completely serious. David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle, Rainbow Rowell, really you name it - a very large number of "big name" YA authors have tackled the seemingly very mundane, very average and everyday teenage love plot/relationship misunderstanding plot that on the face of it seems too boring to justify being retold to hundreds of thousands if not millions (if not in long form, then at least in short story) and each and every one of them have turned it into a very entertaining and unique literary experience where the reader feels as if they've grown with the characters (I guess that's why they get paid the "big bucks.") David Levithan in particular, I feel, would've turned the plot and characters into another NYT Best Seller listee or at least would've made the gay characters in this book much more memorable.
Primarily for teen girls, also suitable for 7th or 8th graders. Male readers may more than likely be very put off by the genre, pacing and plot. Girls who love the British "snogging genre" may give this book consideration, though it reads more like the million American books out there about very basic and light middle school relationships. Parents who find such subject matter objectionable should know that there are references to "sex," although I personally didn't find anything objectionable or inappropriate for children as young as the 6th grade.
Positives:
-
Negatives:
- Unless light juvenile romances really do hold your attention, there is very little in here that will keep you reading.
Other similar works by the author:
- From what I've been able to tell, this is the sole genre the author has written in so far, so pretty much anything (including the awkwardly titled "serafina67 *urgently requires life*"[sic] since retitled "Big Whoo").
Similar works by other authors:
- Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (if you found the gay character Big Dai the most interesting one of all)
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green (has elements of this book's plot with frankly more entertaining elements and twists)
- Geektastic, a short story anthology by various (includes works by David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle and other YA science fiction/fantasy/ "nerdy" authors, many of which deal with similar plots and relationship hang-ups in shorter, more tolerable doses)
- Solving Zoe by Barbara Dee (includes actual mystery/cryptocipher elements, better plotting and romance, characters closer to the age of the actual expected readership)
- Never Mind! A Twin Novel by Rachel Vail and Avi (similar misunderstanding-based plot, faster pace and writing, suitable for even younger readers)
Totally Joe by James Howe (homosexual relationships and anti-gay bullying, targeted at and suitable for younger readers, for parents who wish to expose their young children to homosexual and bullying issues in a positive and relatable manner)
UPDATE: Yeah I finally read it all and...still the same.
Plot: Heidi feels a little jealous and left-out of the snogging scene so she invents a new boyfriend based off of/inspired by a fictional detective TV show (with some healthy homages to Sherlock Holmes and the Agatha Christie books) and fakes him through convincing online interaction. As her friends go through their own relationship drama, she tries her best to use her fake boyfriend persona to solve them. Cue typical finding YA true love tropes.
I'm struggling to find much to say about this book because frankly I gave up about halfway through. I simply found it too boring to maintain my interest enough to not move on to something else. Perhaps later when I feel I have more time that absolutely needs to be killed. I understand Day's intent on trying to keep the syntax authentic to the characters and age, but in more than a few parts it feels like an annoying distraction. Beyond that, the plotting and writing feels too boring, mundane and pat to justify finishing the book for now. One of the major issues that prevented me from finishing this book was because I kept falling asleep in the middle of it - yes, I'm being completely serious. David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle, Rainbow Rowell, really you name it - a very large number of "big name" YA authors have tackled the seemingly very mundane, very average and everyday teenage love plot/relationship misunderstanding plot that on the face of it seems too boring to justify being retold to hundreds of thousands if not millions (if not in long form, then at least in short story) and each and every one of them have turned it into a very entertaining and unique literary experience where the reader feels as if they've grown with the characters (I guess that's why they get paid the "big bucks.") David Levithan in particular, I feel, would've turned the plot and characters into another NYT Best Seller listee or at least would've made the gay characters in this book much more memorable.
Primarily for teen girls, also suitable for 7th or 8th graders. Male readers may more than likely be very put off by the genre, pacing and plot. Girls who love the British "snogging genre" may give this book consideration, though it reads more like the million American books out there about very basic and light middle school relationships. Parents who find such subject matter objectionable should know that there are references to "sex," although I personally didn't find anything objectionable or inappropriate for children as young as the 6th grade.
Positives:
-
Negatives:
- Unless light juvenile romances really do hold your attention, there is very little in here that will keep you reading.
Other similar works by the author:
- From what I've been able to tell, this is the sole genre the author has written in so far, so pretty much anything (including the awkwardly titled "serafina67 *urgently requires life*"[sic] since retitled "Big Whoo").
Similar works by other authors:
- Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (if you found the gay character Big Dai the most interesting one of all)
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green (has elements of this book's plot with frankly more entertaining elements and twists)
- Geektastic, a short story anthology by various (includes works by David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle and other YA science fiction/fantasy/ "nerdy" authors, many of which deal with similar plots and relationship hang-ups in shorter, more tolerable doses)
- Solving Zoe by Barbara Dee (includes actual mystery/cryptocipher elements, better plotting and romance, characters closer to the age of the actual expected readership)
- Never Mind! A Twin Novel by Rachel Vail and Avi (similar misunderstanding-based plot, faster pace and writing, suitable for even younger readers)
Totally Joe by James Howe (homosexual relationships and anti-gay bullying, targeted at and suitable for younger readers, for parents who wish to expose their young children to homosexual and bullying issues in a positive and relatable manner)
UPDATE: Yeah I finally read it all and...still the same.