Shorter Musings: Contemporary YA

Sometimes I read a book, and I even enjoy it, but I don't have much to say about it. I jot down a few thoughts and then I move on. Some of those are starting to pile up so I thought I would put them all together in one post.

Here are some YA Contemporary Fiction books I've read recently and my shorter musings on them.

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
I don't know why I put off reading this so long. It has a great title, it's British, and it is an iconic YA book. Maybe if I had read it earlier I would have been more impressed. I can see why so many people like this book. It is entertaining. Georgia is one of those characters that teens can identify with and is seriously flawed enough to be real. I am just not the right audience for this one. Girls like Georgia and her friends were why I was friends with boys in high school. Does anyone have thoughts on the movie? Can't decide if I should watch it or not.

The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour
I really wanted to love The Disenchantments. It's about music and a road trip and life altering decisions. I enjoyed it but couldn't love it. It is well written but I think I was looking for something other than what the author was giving and that it explains my dissonance with it. I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I can see how it would have a devoted audience though.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

This was a lovely romantic read. I know there were many people who LOVED Anna and the French Kiss. I wasn't one of them. (my thoughts) I enjoyed it for sure, but there were many parts that bothered me enough to matter. I liked Lola and the Boy Next Door much better. For me this book didn't stretch out the tension to what was more than believable. While there was a lot of drama and conflict it didn't feel as melodramatic as the first book. (I did think her dads overreacted a bit at one point, but dads are prone to that in such a situation.) I understood Lola and why she was so conflicted. I especially liked how she stepped back and took the time to build herself back up and reassess herself rather than jumping from one relationship directly to another. I feel like this novel came closer to the potential for greatness I saw in the writing of Anna. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Isla and the Happily Ever After turns out, especially since Perkins is taking longer to write it than originally intended.

Comments

Kara_Malinczak said…

I really agree with you here about the Disenchantments, Brandy. I felt much the same after reading. The book was just too simple for me and there wasn't as much depth as I was expecting, I guess.

April 28, 2013 at 7:08 PM

Brandy said…

Yes, it had so much potential for depth but it was just never tapped.

April 28, 2013 at 7:57 PM

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