***I genuinely liked this book but I can totally understand why people wouldn't. It's hard to describe but... there wasn't really a plot but at the same time there was. I know the whole point of the concept of the book is to follow the others within a cliche novel that aren't the chosen ones but there wasn't much of a story arc within this book- we just followed a bunch of characters with issues.
So I can understand why it doesn't resonate with some people but I quite liked it. It was different and, while it will never be my favourite book, I found it interesting and refreshing.
I loved how it subtly mocked the cliche story-lines and tropes within literature- it was done in a respectful and humorous way that really worked.
I've also added some quotes that I liked throughout this post that I've personally edited- they'll get better as I get more into photography and can put nice backgrounds to the quotes, though, trust me.
SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
One thing I loved about this book was the blatant mockery of cliches in literature and fiction. The headers that started each chapter were quick, funny and glorious!!! I wanted to read that actual story and it just made humour of all 'the chosen one' tropes within fiction. I loved it- they made me laugh so much.
I began this book instantly shipping Jared and Mikey.... which ultimately ended in a lot of heartache for me but.... I will go down with this ship. Honestly, I genuinely thought they were endgame. The whole love-triangle thing (that I totally made up because it's not really canon anyway) between Henna, Mikey and Jared reminded me of the whole Nathan, Annalise and Gabriel triangle in the Half Bad trilogy by Sally Green. And, suffice it to say, I hardcore shipped Nathan and Gabriel.I loved Jared, though. He was the best character in this book. I mean, come on! He was a quarter God of cats!!! What more could you want?
It was interesting to follow Mikey's struggle with his anxiety and the loops he got caught into. It was insightful, hard-hitting and really added a level of depth into the story that Patrick Ness can never do without.
The first real incident we had was the car crash. Stupid Mikey was telling Henna about his stupid love for her and they proceeded to crash the car! I hate that he got his hopes up so much just because Henna said his name before being taken away.... he was really over-thinking that moment.There was a real prominence of parental issues in this book. For one reason or another, the parental situations were all a little clouded in this book and I loved how these situations were honestly portrayed and became a real root throughout the novel.
I loved the relationships that Mikey had with his siblings, though. Meredith was the cutest thing ever and their bond was so pure. I also really appreciated his relationship with Mel- they helped each other through both Mel's eating disorder and Mikey's anxiety.
The crush and love for Henna never sat comfortably with me in this book. When she started to take an interest (??) in Mikey after the crash it felt so forced simply because they had a near-death experience together! Every scene between them was awkward and stilted and I hated reading those parts.The main conflict we had in this book was the concert explosion... which is very coincidental that I read this now due to the recent events in Manchester. It made the whole situation more hard-hitting and it became such a vital part of the book because of this.
Imagine my surprise when Jared and Mikey.... weren't endgame! I honestly just assumed they'd be endgame and I will still totally go down with this ship.
And I hated it when they started fighting! Stupid, Nathan, it's all you fault (I didn't particularly like Nathan through this book, I have to say).
From then on, Henna and Mikey seemed to get closer which annoyed me to hell and back.
I never liked Henna with Mikey! It felt too forced as if Henna was settling for Mikey simply because he's been pining over her for too long. She always seemed to lead him on and if Nathan had requited her feelings for him, she would be with Nathan and not settling for Mikey. It just didn't sit well with me.
Thank God, they realised that they weren't right for each other after all. Though, it took a bloody while.Jared is turning all God? This was a bit of a weird story line slapped into the middle of our normal group but... I liked it. It was weird and that's good.
I'm happy that Mikey didn't just accept being healed- I appreciate his reasons why and strength to try and overcome his anxiety himself.
I started to really like the indie kids- I'd love a spin-off book about their actual story, though that sort of diminishes the whole point of this story if that happened. (Finn was definitely my favourite indie kid.... I can't remember if it was Finn 1 or Finn 2, though...).
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe
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