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A review by hezann73
Playing with Matches by Brian Katcher
5.0
Time to be honest here. I only read this book as a favor to a friend who gave me a stack of books to read. I picked this one to read first because it was the one I wanted to read the least. The cover did nothing for me and I dreaded starting it. Imagine my surprise to discover I couldn't put it down.
Leon is a self-professed loser. He was bullied in middle school and has gotten throgh high school by essentially being invisable. But when he has to do a project with the school "freak" - burn victim Melody, he knows attention will come his way. Little did he know it would be romantic attention from the girl no one wants to look at. Leon manages to work through some of his prejudices about Melody, but throws it all away when beautiful Amy starts to notice him.
Yes, the message of "it's what's inside that counts" is a little heavy, but I didn't care for one second. I LOVED the language of this book and found myself reading it outloud to my husband. I thought Leon was totally believable (often thinking with his brain below the waist like a lot of high school guys). I liked him when I was supposed to, wanted to smack him when I was supposed to, but wanted him to be happy in the end. A totally satisfying read.
Leon is a self-professed loser. He was bullied in middle school and has gotten throgh high school by essentially being invisable. But when he has to do a project with the school "freak" - burn victim Melody, he knows attention will come his way. Little did he know it would be romantic attention from the girl no one wants to look at. Leon manages to work through some of his prejudices about Melody, but throws it all away when beautiful Amy starts to notice him.
Yes, the message of "it's what's inside that counts" is a little heavy, but I didn't care for one second. I LOVED the language of this book and found myself reading it outloud to my husband. I thought Leon was totally believable (often thinking with his brain below the waist like a lot of high school guys). I liked him when I was supposed to, wanted to smack him when I was supposed to, but wanted him to be happy in the end. A totally satisfying read.