DNF Chronicles #2: Grown Ups by Emma Jane Unsworth

About the Book

Grown Ups by Emma Jane Unsworth

Published by Gallery/Scout Press on August 18, 2020

GoodReads Description

Fleabag meets Conversations with Friends in this brutally honest, observant, original novel about a woman going through a breakup…but really having more of a breakdown.

Jenny McLaine’s life is falling apart. Her friendships are flagging. Her body has failed her. She’s just lost her column at The Foof because she isn’t the fierce voice new feminism needs. Her ex has gotten together with another woman. And worst of all: Jenny’s mother is about to move in. Having left home at eighteen to remake herself as a self-sufficient millennial, Jenny is now in her thirties and nothing is as she thought it would be. Least of all adulthood.

Told in live-wire prose, texts, emails, script dialogue, and social media messages, Grown Ups is a neurotic dramedy of 21st-century manners for the digital age. It reckons with what it means to exist in a woman’s body: to sing and dance and work and mother and sparkle and equalize and not complain and be beautiful and love your imperfections and stay strong and show your vulnerability and bake and box…

But, despite our impossible expectations of women, Emma Jane Unsworth never lets Jenny off the hook. Jenny’s life is falling apart at her own hands and whether or not she has help from her mother or her friends, Jenny is the only one who will be able to pick up the pieces and learn how to, more or less, grow up. Or will she?

I didn't like this book because...

1. I was absolutely annoyed by the main character after the first chapter.  I found her rather dull and unintelligent.
2. I believe that there is much more to women in their thirties than this book represents.  I felt like it paints a bleak picture of what young girls have to look forward to.
3. Unsworth tries desperately to be funny.  Unfortunately, I felt like this fell short of its mark.  

To maintain complete honesty, there is a good chance that all three of my reasons for disliking this book change/improve over the course of the novel.  I was so frustrated and annoyed by Jenny, however, that I did not read past the 30th page.

In the future...

I would be interested to read other books by this author, but I will never be interested in reading this one.

Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

About the Book

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Published by Balzer + Bray on February 28, 2017

GoodReads Description

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

My Thoughts

Please allow me to be honest.  I had a very hard time reviewing this novel.  I am a white lady living in a very white part of Minnesota.  I teach a total of three African American students in all six of my classes.  Reading this novel was like opening a whole different part of the world.  I am really not sure about how much of this was exaggerated for the purpose of entertainment and how much is based on the way that things really are.  As a result of my lack of knowledge, I don't think I'm the right person to speak about this book from a political/racial point of view.  I do, however, know quite a bit about readability and literature in general.  Please allow me to write my review about the things I do know about.

Angie Thomas is a master of characterization.  If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know that I find it impossible to get into a book when I don't care about the characters. Thomas' characters destroyed me.  I know that Khalil really didn't spend much time in this novel, but I cried when he died.  After all, he was just a kid! He was trying to take care of his friend. I can't imagine being Starr in this particular instance, watching my good friend get murdered right before my eyes.  I don't think that I would have the personal strength to come back from that.  This, however, is where Starr really shines. Not only does she choose to grow from a timid follower to a brave leader.  She stands up against her friends, her society, and even her own comfort.  I hope that every one of my students chooses to read this book so that they can learn from Starr's wonderful example of pure bravery and courage.

Throughout the entire novel, I fell deeper and deeper in love with Thomas' writing style.  She may be an adult herself, but she knows how to get into the mindset of a teenager with impressive accuracy.  Too often, adult writers strive to make teenagers seem whinier than they truly are.  Many (not all) adult writers forget that, like adults, kids have worries and fears and concerns about things that matter.  It isn't all just about their hair products or dating.  Thank you, Thomas, for bringing a fresh sense of reality to the Young Adult genre.  

I absolutely adore this book.  It is one that I put off reading because of my limited knowledge with the politics surrounding it.  After reading it, I will admit that it is truly eye-opening.  I am excited to read more from Angie Thomas.

My Rating

Review: It Started with Goodbye by Christina June

 I am so excited to share my stop on the It Started With Goodbye tour!  June's debut novel does not disappoint!

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she’s stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert graphic design business at night (which includes trading emails with a cute cello-playing client). When Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way.

This book is available from: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

My Thoughts

It was so hard to adult while I was reading this book!  All I wanted to do was read!  I fell in love with the characters and found the story so very easy to relate to.  

Let's talk about the MC.  Tate is a very strong and very stressed teenager.  Like most teenage girls, she sees the world around her only through her filter.  She has a difficult time looking outside of herself to the way the world affects those around her.  She is definitely oblivious to the effects that her choices have on others.  The best part of her character, however, is that she overcomes all of these things.  She grows in a way that we hope most teenagers do.  I would LOVE to share this book with my students as the bildungsroman motif is one that they are currently living out.  

Additionally, Tate's relationship with SK was so very organic!  I loved that it grew and matured in a very realistic way instead of them being just thrown together.  It was a reminder that love can develop in some of the most unlikely ways.  

Lastly, I ADORED the way that June approached the Cinderella tale.  I think she did a wonderful job of including all of the mystical parts while still keeping the story very true to life.  Did real magic happen?  No.  Did it seem like magic to Tate and Tilly?  You better believe it!  The prince was perfect and the keychain was a wonderful alternative to the glass slipper!  June promises her readers a wonderful tale and what she delivered was more magical than I had truly expected.

My Rating

About the Author

Christina June writes young adult contemporary fiction when she’s not writing college recommendation letters during her day job as a school counselor. She loves the little moments in life that help someone discover who they’re meant to become – whether it’s her students or her characters.

Christina is a voracious reader, loves to travel, eats too many cupcakes, and hopes to one day be bicoastal – the east coast of the US and the east coast of Scotland. She lives just outside Washington DC with her husband and daughter.

Her debut novel, IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE, was published by Blink/HarperCollins on May 9, 2017.

WEBSITE: https://christinajune.com/
TWITTER: @ChristinaJuneYA
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13987227.Christina_June
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