A review by nmggomez
I Hate You, Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount
3.0
So torn on this book. It’s definitely somewhere between 2 or 3 stars. From the beginning it’s very clear the author is an amateur writer - which isn’t a bad thing, we all have to start somewhere. But it was more than just her writing that irked me.
She easily fell into the typical ya tropes, especially with the mean girls. Their dialogue and the way they talked was so unrealistic and made me feel disconnected from the story. If you’ve ever been a senior in high school you know most girls are not straight out mean to your face - and a mean nickname from the seventh grade would not have stuck that long. People would have long have forgotten about it. But these things seem to be a large premise in the story.
By the second half of the book the author seems to get more into a groove or writing and is able to better develop a voice for the two main characters, Wren and Fuller.
I did appreciate the sentimental parts of the book such as Wren grandpa recently being diagnosed with dementia and Fuller’s little brother having a bone disease. I liked how they were both able to bond over their shared family experiences.
Like I said my biggest problem with this book is it’s writing and dialogue- if both had been slightly more improved it would have made for a much better read.
She easily fell into the typical ya tropes, especially with the mean girls. Their dialogue and the way they talked was so unrealistic and made me feel disconnected from the story. If you’ve ever been a senior in high school you know most girls are not straight out mean to your face - and a mean nickname from the seventh grade would not have stuck that long. People would have long have forgotten about it. But these things seem to be a large premise in the story.
By the second half of the book the author seems to get more into a groove or writing and is able to better develop a voice for the two main characters, Wren and Fuller.
I did appreciate the sentimental parts of the book such as Wren grandpa recently being diagnosed with dementia and Fuller’s little brother having a bone disease. I liked how they were both able to bond over their shared family experiences.
Like I said my biggest problem with this book is it’s writing and dialogue- if both had been slightly more improved it would have made for a much better read.