Age: 16
Title: Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You
Author: Todd Hasak-Lowy
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub Date: 03/24/15
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: When it comes to this book, I don't know whether to say it was strong or weak. I did like the author's writing, how his description and word choice sucked us into the story as if we were right there next to the protagonist, Darren. I also liked how far the author brought us into the mind of Darren, making him seem incredibly real. The whole list concept, too, must have taken a lot of planning, and I commend him for it. However, the plot itself was kind of boring. It really seemed to be about an average guy going about his average life. Also, there didn't seem to be a conclusion. Problems in the relationships between the protagonist and the other characters didn't seem to be resolved, and I also didn't really see the growth of Darren's character; It seemed like he became accepting of his life all of a sudden out of nowhere rather than the usual, more realistic gradual change. I also got annoyed with how much the characters complained about things that really didn't warrant complaint.
Memorable or Forgettable: What made this book memorable for me is quite obvious: the fact that it was written in lists. I really appreciate the author's attempt at being unique, and, as aforementioned, it must have taken quite a bit more planning than the average book. Sometimes it was hard to remember what exactly the list was, though, and I'd have to go back to look. Another memorable aspect was how real and true to life it was. I really appreciated that the author didn't censor certain details just to please audiences, but rather wrote how it would actually be in real life.
Cover: I really liked the cover. It was simple, artsy, and had a cool font. I would probably be attracted to it in a bookstore. As for reflecting the contents, it's mostly just words so not really, but the protagonist and the girl he liked had an artsy thing going between them, so that could explain the artsy background.
Age Range: 14 through 17
Quality: 3Q - Readable
Popularity: 3P - Some teen appeal
tags: coming of age / lists / ya lit
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