Review: Freak Show by James St. James

Title: Freak Show
Author(s): James St. James
Genre: YA Contemporary, High School
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Puffin

The Summary: Meet Billy Bloom, new student at the ultra-white, ultra-rich, ultra-conservative Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy and drag queen extraordinaire. Actually, “drag queen” does not begin to describe Billy and his fabulousness. Any way you slice it, Billy is not a typical seventeen-year-old, and the Bible Belles, Aberzombies, and Football Heroes at the academy have never seen anyone quite like him before. But thanks to the help and support of one good friend, Billy’s able to take a stand for outcasts and underdogs everywhere in his own outrageous, over-the-top, sad, funny, brilliant, and unique way.

The Review: I will not lie, this book made me feel like I was on the sugar high of my life. (btw this is not a bad thing. I love my sugar!) Probably because our protagonist is outrageously funny, witty and all around awesome. I basically giggled my way through this book as Billy swoops in with theatrics and charisma pouring out of the pages, demanding you pay attention as she puts sequins onto her face. It’s like life and reality keep shoving Billy all this crap, but does our star of the story take this lying down? NO, BILLY BLOOM WILL ALWAYS BOUNCE BACK. She gets up again and again, striving to be true to herself. * She will come back at you, with more sparkle and charm than before, and win the heart of her audience. She certainly won my heart, at any rate.

Looking back, there were a lot of intense issues raised in this novel, and Billy had to go through some experiences of abuse and abandonment that was so very wrong. And yet, I do not recall feeling once deep bouts of angst or moments I wanted to cry in this novel. In fact, I mostly felt that sugar high happiness I mentioned previously, even during the bad times. (Okay, a bit towards the end I felt a little like crying and hurting a certain bastard, but then our author gave us the sweetest, darling ending ever of cute and happiness, and I totally forgot about the jerk, who totally wasn’t worth the expenditure of my anger, at any rate.) When faced with bigotry, bullying and abuse, she fights back with her endless supply of humour and refuses to change herself. And for the really scarring moments of her life, she relays them in this dream-like, disconnect fashion, implying that what’s past has past, and what’s important is moving on. I might be wrong about this, but this novel, above all, conveys the message that life’s too short to let bigots bring you down, and Billy’s attitude of never apologizing or changing herself, of bouncing back is so uplifting to see. How can you not help but root for her?

My favourite part about this novel though, outside of Billy’s narration, is the sweet romance that builds between Billy and the Golden boy of the school, the star football player, Flip. At first it just seems like your average crush that probably won’t go anywhere. But then towards the middle of the novel they start to become friends, and it’s so sweet and adorable as Billy learns about the person behind Everyone’s Nice, To-Go-To Guy. (I really like what he had to say about love and like, wherein – paraphrased, mind – he says it’s so easy for him to fall in love with a hot guy, liking someone was far more difficult, and how that made Flip special. No lie: I aww’ed *is such a sap*) Flip himself is sweet too, and he was so very typical dumb hot jock on the surface, but the author gives Flip such character nuances through Billy’s eyes, and I loved him very much as we start seeing his character grow and all the sweet, endearing moments he shares with Billy.

Of course, I adore the writing. Not so much because it’s sophisticated or pretty, but it captures Billy’s drama queen persona so well. James St. James doesn’t pull any stops; he brings on the capslock, the italics, the exclamation marks with unabashed zeal and fervour. And I love every second of it! I suppose theoretically one can be put off by this kind of writing, but I had too much fun reading this to take anyone’s criticisms on the capslock crazy seriously. I personally say that all the nay-sayers just need to find themselves a sense of humour. And I thought this novel covered a lot perfectly even sequencing that made sense. The novel passes by the three main stages of new-girl-in-town, romantic development, and then her empowerment as a transwoman and reaffirmation of identity sprinkled with flashbacks. (I especially love the third part of the novel, wherein Billy declares loud and proud that gender is a choice and sticks it to the Bible Belles of the school who won’t accept her or label her as a freak.) I suppose it’s all kind of predictable, but the theatrics of our lead character will keep readers entertained throughout the reading experience. Above all, Billy is a very sympathetic teen voice with very high school-esque concerns ranging from finding your place in the high school social hierarchy and what to wear for prom. You can’t help but love her.

And finally, this book may possible contain the best football game commentary ever. None of that game plan technical ramblings that no one cares about, and focuses instead on Flip, Flip, and more Flip. Our protagonist totally got her priorities down pat.

The Verdict: So much outrageous fun! You like YA contemporary and comedy? A sweet romance? Drama queen personas? If so, run and get a copy of this novel NOW. I had an absolute blast reading this.

Rating: 4.5/5
Enjoyment: !!!100+++%!!!

Title and Cover Discussion: I’ll say upfront that I have no way of weighing on this objectively. Every time I see this cover, the pink glow radiates off and colours my vision, and just looking at the pink cover of happiness makes me so, so happy. The sound of the title makes me smile and giggle like a fiend. I kind of, sort of, maybe remember a time when I first saw the cover and recoiled, but I decided that my past self simply had no taste. Am not going to rate this, and any criticisms of the pink cover of awesomesauce gets a LALALA CAN’T HEAR YOU from me. 8D

*I am purposely using the ‘she’ pronoun because it is pretty clear that the gender Billy identifies with is female.

Review: Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn

Title: Very LeFreak
Author(s): Rachel Cohn
Genre: YA College, addiction, character-driven
Page Count: 303
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

The Summary: Meet Very LeFreak, playlist maker, party planner, heartbreaker, good-time girl who can't get enough good time.

Mute Button? As if.

Off button? Never.

-- from backcover

The Review: As much as I enjoyed this novel, I suspect that it isn’t for everyone. Very’s voice is very pronounced, and it’s a bit hard to get into at first because she’s just so intense and almost offputting with her out there, off-kilter personality, but if you adjust to “Very speed” you’ll find a most enjoyable novel. In fact, I ended up enjoying this novel for its extremely character-driven story, and Very’s over the top antics. And I loved that despite how off-kilter and out there Very can be, there’s a part about her that makes you think that you can see a bit of yourself in her character. (On the flip side, if you never warm up to Very then you’re never going to enjoy this novel. Your enjoyment is mostly definitely dependant on how much you like the main character here.)

I actually reallyyyyy liked the fact that Very was totally open about sexuality. I know that given Very’s personality, she would probably resist all attempts at labels, but she comes across to me as pansexual, which is totally cool in my books. Also, it’s just so refreshing to see female characters who own their sexuality and are not portrayed as evil!whores (usually next to the nice virgin female protagonist) because of it. I’m also extremely happy that this technological addict protagonist of ours is depicted as totally a social extrovert and gorgeous to boot. I haven’t read much YA books with techno addicts as part of the cast, but usually in animanga and stuff, girls who like techno, internet or gaming related things are depicted as these super hideous, socially awkward people.

While this book is very much an All-Very on-the-spotlight show 24/7, we get a nice cast of diverse characters with strong personalities that make a lasting impression. I really love the growing relationship between Very and Lavinia-who-is-really-Jennifer. (this book totally passes the bedchel test, btw. ♥) MAJOR ENDING SPOILERS: [ It’s so nice to see relationships that start off with two people actually being FRIENDS first, instead of you know, jumping into the whole love-at-first-sight thing. They kill me with their cuteness.] I love seeing their banter, and the way Lavinia shakes her head at her impossible friend but sticks with her to the end. And the boys! Cuddly-yet-total-sore-loser Bryan, to green eyeliner French-Canadian-Chinese Jean-Wayne, and extreme, sultry, gorgeous Vikram. All delightful, fascinating interactions. I ate up the dialogue in this novel like cake.

I really enjoyed this novel’s use of technology. I know all the pop culture references could end up sounding dated, but for me I really connected with it. And I’d like to think that the descriptions of the way Very was obsessed would override the dated aspect that may arise in readers of the future diving into this novel. And that obsession with technology totally rang true for me. Incidentally I connected with the playlist and music stuff less, because I only casually listen to USian music, but I found them enjoyable even if I didn’t know a lot of the songs mentioned, because the song titles were cues enough to understand what Cohn was trying to get at. I’ve seen reviews saying that they found the first part lacking/boring/confusing, but I confess that I really enjoyed it. I liked the depiction of campus life. It conveyed all that rush and buzz of March Madness in the undergrad’s life, and how you should really be writing this paper but end up using media to block out all the pile of assignments that are overwhelming you. (Who has gone through undergrad and NOT done this? If anyone says otherwise they’re liars) I also think this part was necessary for the second part to ring true because we need to see Very’s high before she crashes in order to embark on a journey with her to deal with her addiction.

The second part was most excellently done without being preachy as well. It was less on how Technology Addiction Is Bad, and more focused on Very unpacking her emotional baggage and trying to forge a new, healthier path for herself, trying to change for the better. I surprisingly enjoyed all the Keisha-the-counselor and Very interactions, and I liked how Keisha lets Very sort things out for herself, and guides her when Very asks for advice. There was a lot of hilarious anecdotes in this second half as well. One of my favourite interaction scenes, besides the Lavinia ones (which carry on being awesome into the second half), was the confrontation moment between Very and her aunt. It was awkward yet sweet, the tender attempts at bonding with your estranged family relation. (I’m a total sucker for family moments, in case my followers haven’t realized yet, lol.)

I really enjoyed the writing too, because it captured Very’s voice so beautifully in the Very Narration. (Har har, my puns are fail) I loved her splattered tangents, her fluid exchange from real life experiences to her constant text-ing, her endless and highly amusing fantasies with El Virus. Even the use of capslock was totally effective. (I was with Very 100% on her rage over Bryan. That may say something more about me than I’d care to admit though, lawl.) It’s so original and fun, and I just had a blast reading this from front to back. And I’m resolved to read more of Cohn’s works after this (Can you believe this is my first exposure to Rachel Cohn?! Blasphemous, I know)

The Verdict: SO MUCH FUN AND AWESOME. I had a great time reading this novel. I love the voice, the characters, VERY HERSELF, I know it’s hard to get into at first because it’s just so out there, but seriously, so much fun, everyone should at least give it a shot. All those negative reviews are LIES, LIES I TELL YOU I think undergrad students will enjoy this novel a lot, especially if you’ve just got passed March Madness, and finished with the last of your exams. (I mean, it was fun to read this, but I think if I read it during March some of her procrastination experiences mayyyy hit a little too close to home, lol. Er, not that I am an extreme procrastinator or anything like that!! <- lies lies lies) I can’t wait to check out more of Rachel Cohn’s works!

Rating: 4/5
Enjoyment: 100%!

Title and Cover Discussion: omg, the cover is SO PERFECT. Unique, strange, and memorable, and embodies the whole novel snugly like a glove. And I personally think the cover is drop dead gorgeous. The cover model’s got some seriously beautiful hair, and I am simply in love with the font. It’s the kind of cover that makes me stop and reach out for a copy in the bookstore. 8D

Title: A++++++
Cover: A!