Cover Love: I like this cover a lot. It's eye catching and each pane tells a little about each character.
Why I Wanted to Read This:
I didn't. I passed it up when I had the opportunity to read an egalley and didn't give it another thought...until the movie was made and got such stellar reviews at the Sundance Film Fesitval. Still I wasn't sold, then the trailer was released. Now I am a bit obsessed with it. Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.
Romance?: No. Just the usual teenage boy obsession with girls.
My Thoughts:
Lots of teenage boy talk. Lots of it. Like to the point I think even a high school library would think twice about putting this in their collection (However, a quick check tells me that my son's high school has it their collection). This is not to say that teenage boys don't talk this way, I am sure a lot of them do.
Greg's voice is awesome. I had very many laugh out loud moments, and a few good chuckles.The book is from Greg's point of view and his world is funky. I am not sure why Greg wants to go around being invisible at all times, but he has some issues to say the least. I would say it all developed when he was in high school, but it seems like he was always this way. Never really puts himself out there and is very, very private. But he is sharp and funny and observant.
I love Earl, or at least Greg's version of Earl. And we don't really get to know Rachel, which is mirrored in Greg's eyes later in the book when he realizes he doesn't really know Rachel either. Because the book is written from Greg's point of view I can see why some people would get frustrated by him as a character. He really, really doesn't want to get involved in anyone's life. He has to be forced to by his mom and he doesn't have a clue how to be a friend to someone. He;s a weird guy, but very funny, guy!
I would have given this book a five cookie rating, because it was so funny and I enjoyed the heck out of reading it, except there isn't a lot of resolution or growth for Greg by the end. With what he experienced with Rachel and seeing how she handled everything, you would think he would take more positive steps in the end towards making a change. But I guess this was more true to life than some coming of age books, he was taking baby steps. I just wanted more for Greg!
To Sum Up: So glad I read this book, it kept me very entertained. Can't wait for the movie! Watch the trailer!
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