The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation Book 1) by Pembroke Sinclair

Book Description from Amazon.comKatie wants to invest her heart and soul in love, but she may lose both to Hell. Katie, a senior in high school, is torn between loving the “good” guy, her childhood friend Wes who makes promises he doesn't keep and abandons her when she needs him the most, and the “bad” guy, the new kid at school Josh who is also a real demon from Hell. Katie wants someone who pays attention to her and puts her first, but what is she willing to give up to find him? 
This YA book is a love triangle with one hell of a twist. Literally. 
Katie finds herself torn between two boys. The first is the boy she has been in love with since kindergarten. Unfortunately Wes has never treated her the way that a girl wants to be treated. All Katie longs for is true love, devotion, and a real relationship. Wes leads her on just enough to keep her hooked but never quite delivers.
When Katie meets Josh, the hottest boy in school, it appears as if all her dreams are about to come true. It turns out some of these dreams are something out of a nightmare because Josh is in fact, a demon from Hell. However, he always seems to be there for Katie when Wes fails.
To make matters even more complicated, Katie discovers that Wes is a Praesul, which is an ancient order of demon fighters. Katie finds herself not only trapped between bids for her heart, but smack in the middle of the war between good and evil that has gone on since the beginning of time.
Josh's pursuit of Katie is nothing short of relentless. He is, to put it bluntly, a controlling stalker. What I really liked about this novel is that even though Josh is a demon, he behaves the way any psychopathic stalker and abuser would behave. I think the book is a great lesson for young women on behaviors to look out for in guys that do not have their best interests as heart.
What I also liked about the story was that even though Wes is supposed to be on the good side, his behavior is sometimes questionable. Even though his heart is in the right place, he tends to make decisions over and over that hurt Katie. These behaviors sometimes seem no less manipulative than those of Josh.
This means the book is constantly asking the question, what is good and evil? Penbroke Sincliar does an amazing job of blurring these lines. She asks is a demon capable of love? Any stalker will tell you what he does in pursuit of his obeject of desire is because he loves her so much. Katie can't help but wonder does Josh just do what he does because cares about her so much? If it's because of that, how can it be so wrong?
However, like any situation with an emotionally controlling stalker you know things are going to eventually go bad. Sinclair does a great job of building up the tension in the love traingle. Sinclair doesn't skimp on the action either. I have often read YA books where the author is afraid to actually have anyone get hurt or physically fight. Wes and Josh not only use their minds to fight for Katie, they also use their fists. 
I do have a few complaints about the book. The first is that Katie's thoughts about the boys repeat themselves over and over. Sinclair does a great job of letting us into the mind of Katie, but at times she goes into streams of consciousness that are overwhelming and repetitive.
My second complaint is that Sinclair started what would have been a fascinating subplot of Katie's best friend having a Preasul in her family, but then never follows through on it. The plot thread is left dangling.
Hopefully Sinclair will go back to this story thread in the next book in the series. The way the book ended lets you know the next in the series will take you even deeper into this world of good versus evil and Katie is right in the middle of it. 
Unfortunately Book 2 hasn't been released yet. I guess I'll just have to wait to find out what happens next. Sinclair says she is currently working on the sequel.
My rating:

Penbroke Sinclair has a website and also can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Her book can be purchased here.
I was given a copy of the book for an honest review. No other compensation was received.

Labor Day Read-Along: My Book Review, Discussion Questions, and Movie Review

Please note this review does contain spoilers.

Book Description from Amazon.comWith the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart. 

 But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.


Book Review
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard is part love story, part coming of age novel. I was actually surprised this novel wasn't considered Young Adult. The book description on the back of the book gives no indication whatsoever that this book is narrated by the son, Henry.. I wasn't expecting this and was expecting more of an adult romance novel. It's not that there's anything wrong with this. It's just that I've been reading a lot of YA this year and was looking for something from an adult perspective. Had I read the story description from Amazon I would have expected this.
A quote from Jane Hamilton is on the cover calling the story "sexy." Yes it had the great potential to be a sexy story but considering it is the son describing his mother having relations with Frank, to call it "sexy" is just a bit twisted in my opinion. The romance between Frank and Adele is quite sexy and thrilling when you imagine just them. There's not much appeal in listening to a child describe his mother's love affair.
I loved the character of Frank. I always fall for the misunderstood bad boys with a heart of gold so I fell in love with Frank along with Adele. Frank was surprising in so many ways. If it wasn't for the fact that he was an escaped prisoner, I would have considered him to be too good to be true (in a good way) and the ideal husband. 
However, he seemed to be in complete denial about his situation, as was Adele. I also was surprised at how well and how quickly he adapted to life outside of prison. I don't think someone who just escaped the prison he was in for 18 years would be concerned with all the little chores he helped Adele do. I know they may come pick me up anytime and I'll never see you again but let's paint the storm windows. Seriously?
Adele was a deeply complex character and I loved that about her. She appeared to have mental illness but when her back story is explained you understand why she behaves the way that she does to a point. That said, if you have suffered from miscarriage or stillbirth this story will be extremely hard for you to read.
However, as complex as she was, I felt she was a selfish mother and no amount of trauma excuses her of that. Up until meeting Frank she treats her son almost like a surrogate husband and speaks to him about things that are extremely inappropriate. She put her love for Frank (a man she had known for only a handful of days) over the needs of her son and even disregards the custody she shares with her ex husband. 
The moment that Henry reveals to his friend Eleanor that Frank is at his house, you knew what Frank's fate was going to be. It was just a matter of time. What frustrated me is that Henry is more angry at Eleanor than he is himself for being stupid enough to tell her about Frank. 
Henry's character overall frustrated me. I understand he is a teenage boy but he is basically obsessed with sex. Hearing him ramble on for the fourth time about all the girls he's attracted to and would like to have sex with got annoying. 
He also couldn't make up his mind about how he felt about Frank and his mother. I understand that is completely normal but he seemed to change his mind whenever he talked to Eleanor. Eleanor is a know it all, cynical brat and I wanted so badly for Henry to tell her to shut up because she doesn't know what she's talking about.
What completely ruined the story for me was how at the end, Adele voluntarily gave up custody of Henry to her ex husband.  I think she made the right choice but the way Maynard treated this infuriated me. Maynard wrote as if this was no big deal or at least doesn't tell us how this is traumatic for Adele. I found it impossible to believe a woman that was devastated by miscarriage and a still birth would handle giving up her only child so well.
I did like the ending of the book though. I never had considered the possibility that Frank would try to get back with Adele after he was released from prison. I thought that was unbelievably romantic. 
I have one final observation but not really a complaint. None of the dialogue has apostrophes. I didn't know writers were even allowed to do that. 
Overall I found this book to be a page turner but contrived and completely unrealistic. Maynard is extremely talented at writing complex characters but the story was just too unbelievable to me. My rating   
Labor Day Discussion QuestionsThis post has already ran quite long so I will only post my answers to the questions. You can find the list here.
1. I didn't see Henry as being steady at all. Sure it's easy to appear steady when you follow a daily routine and remain isolated, but whenever Henry starts interacting with the outside world he doesn't seem to know what he wants or feels. Yes I felt Adele was a bad mother in some ways. I explain why earlier in this post.
2. I knew Frank was a good guy from the beginning. Why? Because this book is described as a love story. What I didn't expect was for him to be so sensitive and caring. The scenes when he is interacting with the challenge boy were particularly touching. I expected to like him but didn't expect to develop a crush on him myself.
3. We never know Adele's thoughts so I wonder if she was as trusting as she first appears. How could I be surprised though because if she hadn't there would be no story. I think Adele did it because he was hot and she craved adventure.
4. Because he loves his mother and would rather be with her than with his father where he feels like an outsider. He hides his mother's behavior to protect himself not her.
5. No it was not surprising that Frank was a good baker. The pie making technique was charming in itself but then it's later used in the story when Henry is an adult. I was more surprised how the pie making was what stuck with Henry.
6. Henry is at puberty. Frank is transitioning to freedom. But Adele wasn't transitioning to anything until Frank showed up. It's like she needed something to help her find happiness again. It's summer transitioning to fall. It's a cliche. 
7. I don't think Henry understands what family truly means until the end of the book. He realizes that all families are messed up just in different ways. There is no normal or regular family. And family doesn't always mean blood related.
8. Eleanor seemed cool at first but as my 18 yr old daughter would describe her, she was "thirsty" for sex. She appeared at first to be a misguided but cynical friend but was just using Henry in the end. I knew she would rat Frank out the second Henry told her about him. She had motivation to get the reward.
9. Eleanor was projected her own fears and experiences onto Henry. That was her experience so she expects it to be his too.
10. His conflicting feelings were completely normal. He seemed to finally reconcile them when he tests his mother and Frank by mentioning that he will get left behind and they confirm that isn't the case at all. He realizes they were just empty fears.
11. The only thing that would have definitely been different is the pie making story would not have ended up in the magazine. His mother may have kept custody of him but I doubt it. She seemed like if she hadn't had met Frank she would've had some kind of mental breakdown. 
12. There's really know way of knowing because we never read anything from Adele's point of view. But Adele knew she had some mental issues that she needed to deal with and taking care of Henry at the same time was not in his best interests. Or maybe she blamed Henry for Frank getting caught. It's hard to say. Henry returns because he loved her and understood she was mentally ill.
13. What kind of person is Eleanor? She was never developed enough to say one way or the other especially when Henry meets her again. I think the dog was named Jim because she liked Jim Morrison.
14. I think Henry's father was completely wrong in his observation that Adele was "in love with love." Women who are "in love with love" are constantly chasing after relationships. Adele was not like this as all. Although I do think she was in complete denial of how her and Frank would end up but I think her love was real and sincere especially because she was never with anyone afterwards. It's like she waited for him to get out of prison.
15. I have experiences that were life altering in bad ways but I am still grateful I met the person involved. Adele seemed to be the only women who ever truly loved Frank and Frank's baby died so Henry was his chance to be a father figure. There are things Frank may have never had otherwise. Yes love like that (at first sight) can exist. I fell in love immediately with my husband and we were inseparable from the time we met.
Movie ReviewThe movie was different from the book in onlya few minor ways and one major one. The major one being that there was no chemistry at all between Frank and Adele. It was impossible for me to believe that Adele had fallen in love with him and wanted to run away with him. However, I found it easy to believe Josh Brolin. I thought he did a great job in this movie.
I blame Kate Winslet's bad acting. I've always felt the woman's facial expressions never change. When she speaks emotionally her face never seem to match what she is saying unless she is smiling. I do think she has an amazing smile but the character of Adele rarely smiles.
A few minor differences from the book is that Henry doesn't tell Eleanor about Frank (she guesses). There's a horrible scene where the kid in the wheelchair gets smacked across the face by his mother. It's also never revealed who tipped off the police. I almost liked this part better than book because no one is to blame in the movie version. In the book, it was clearly Henry's fault because he couldn't keep a secret.
The flashback secnes and montages of Henry's fantasies would be confusing for someone who hadn't read the book. Lastly, the music. I don't know who chose the music for this movie but it was grating. The movie only gets

The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating by Carole Raziwell

Book Description from Booklist

When Claire Byrne’s intellectual husband dies in a freak accident with a falling sculpture (a fake, at that), she must figure out how to be a widow. Her marriage was defined by the age gap, Charles’ insistence (academic and otherwise) that there is either love or sex (not both), and his frequent infidelities. Claire has almost no identity of her own, and she is convinced by friends to lose her widowed virginity and move on. Radziwill’s first novel (after her memoir, What Remains, 2005) is a very New York book, even when Claire travels to L.A. to interview (and sleep with) a movie star. There is a constant war between lightness and heaviness in the subject, in the story, and in the telling that seems intrinsic to city dwellers. The plot features a lot of takeout, and Claire sees multiple therapists, a psychic, and a botanomanist to get herself sorted out, which, by the end, she more or less does. Radziwill’s book may receive extra coverage due to her association with the Kennedys and her appearance on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. --Susan Maguire

The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating by Carole Raziwell left me feeling many different things. Some good, some bad.

The Good
This book is about modern widowhood. When Claire's famous husband dies suddenly and absurdly by a giant piece of artwork, Claire must learn how to go on with her life. She has two problems. The first is that she wants sex and love. The second is that even though her husband is dead, she still has to live in his shadow.

As a widow myself, I found what Raziwell, as Claire, writes about widowhood all too familiar. We aren't allowed to think about dating or men or sex because we are supposed to spend the first year mourning.

I love that Raziwell is honest about how there are "perks" to being a widow. The biggest perk of all is that we don't have the baggage of divorce and other women perceive that as a threat.

I particularly found the 3 - 6 - 3 rule true. During the first 3 months of widowhood people bend over backwards to make sure you are okay. Then during the next six months they are somewhat concerned but go back to their own lives while you try to figure out yours. The last 3 months of the first year, they practically forget you are a widow.

This book made fun of being a widow without being insensitive or cruel. It observed the truth about death and widowhood: they are absurd. Having to date again after being married for years or decades is absurd. And most of us widows have no idea what we are doing when it comes to dating and relationships.

I think that was my favorite part about Claire. She was a widow who had no idea how to date again. And when she gets involved with Mr. Hollywood Movie Star himself she doesn't know what to do with herself. This is a book about misadventures. (Fun Fact: Mr. Hollywood Movie Star's character is rumored to be based on George Clooney.)

The Bad
Some of this book was badly written. For example, at one point Radziwill literally explains what the phrase "talking animatedly" means. In another part, drinks that were cleared away two paragraphs ago suddenly reappear. She begins part two of the book by summarizing what happened in part one. These could have been fixed with some better editing.

There are characters in the book and interactions that seem pointless. Like all of Claire's therapy sessions with therapist #1 about her dreams. One dream which Anna Karenina had. (The therapist says so.) That's just lazy writing. Radziwell couldn't even think up an original dream?

While Claire's observations about widowhood are true, she never seems to grieve. True she didn't have the happiest marriage but you only see her break down and cry over her husband once. She never misses him at random moments like real widows do. A song comes on the radio that brings back a flood of memories and emotions. You're channel surfing and the movie you saw on your first date comes on. Things like that never happen to Claire. It makes her seem...well, rather cold.

Lastly, and this is my biggest complaint. What the heck does Claire do all day for over a year? She's rich from her late husband so doesn't have to work. She barely works on the book she is supposed to be finishing (about Mr. Hollywood Movie Star himself). Does she do charity work? Does she just shop all day? Watch soap operas? What?

I am a single mother in a small town struggling financially and my late husband died leaving me four children to take care of by myself. It was really hard for me to sympathize with Claire, a rich widow whose biggest problem seems to be that she can't figure out the Starbucks menu and that she's not sure if she's just casually dating the most famous movie star in Hollywood. While the book was entertaining and fun, it would have been nice to see something more real and down to earth in it. The truth is Claire seemed rather shallow. Add that to her seeming cold and it just made the main character overall completely unlikable. I almost rooted for Mr. Hollywood Movie Star to break her heart.

Oh wait, I do have one final complaint. The muddled ending that seemed to go on way too long and took itself way too seriously. The tone of the last 20 pages was completely different than the rest of the book. It's like Radziwill wanted her fun, chick lit book to suddenly become deep and meaningful.

Overall I did truly enjoy the book. I do hope Carole Radziwill writes more. I hear her memoir What Remains is very good. My rating

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

Book Description from Booklist

It’s been 15 years since readers first met the charmingly insecure Bridget Jones, and 13 since her last adventure in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2000). Bridget is now 51, and, most readers will be chagrined to learn, a widow. She is also raising the two children she had with the now deceased Mark Darcy and gingerly wading back into the dating pool while working on a screenplay. When she joins Twitter, she obsesses about the number of Twitter followers she has the same way she used to agonize over her weight, which does remains a concern. Bridget begins a Twitter flirtation with a sexy guy named Roxster, who turns out to be only 29. Most of the novel is devoted to the ups and downs of their ensuing relationship. It is fun to revisit Bridget and all her neuroses, but the novel is at its best when Fielding focuses on the challenges Bridget faces as a single parent, including her love/hate relationship with one of her son’s teachers, rather than on the somewhat unrealistic May-December romance.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The longed-for return of Bridget Jones is supported by a hefty print-run (250,000), a first serial in Vogue, and a major author tour. --Kristine Huntley

How on earth I reviewed Bridget Jones's Diary only a few weeks ago and completely missed that Helen Fielding finally wrote a third book after only 14 years, I don't know. I discovered Mad About the Boy while at the library. There it sat in the new books display and I was so excited that I immediately rattled off a Facebook status to express my excitement. Then I was as anxious as a child who had to wait to play with a new toy while I ran my errands. I couldn't wait to get home and begin reading!

Before I started reading Mad About the Boy I made the huge mistake of going onto Amazon to see the release date. (October! This book had been out for months and I didn't even know!) I couldn't help but notice there were some less than stellar reviews. I started reading some and ran into a huge spoiler. I normally don't write spoilers into my reviews but if you've read anything about Mad About the Boy (articles and such) then you will find out Mark Darcy is dead. Bridget Jones is a widow and mother of two.

While other decade long fans were furious that Mark Darcy was killed off, I was even more excited to read the book. You see, I'm a widow and a single mother myself. The idea that my favorite literary heroine of all time was now a widow just like me was almost more than I could stand. It was as if Helen Fielding had peeked into my head and written the perfect book. (And truth be told, I never really liked Mark Darcy anyway.)

Then I read another detail about Bridget Jones that made my "perfect book" not so perfect anymore. Bridget Jones is fifty-one!? Was this some kind of joke? But even` at 38, I could still relate to Bridget worrying about grey hair, wrinkles, and getting older.

Which brings me to the biggest flaw in the book. It is impossible to believe that Bridget Jones is 51. She doesn't even remotely behave like someone middle-aged. She seemed much more like someone my age. So I decided to ignore the fact that Bridget is supposed to be middle-aged and decided she was in her late thirties. The story just works better that way.

Many people complained that Bridget hadn't learned her relationships lessons and behaved, well, like the Bridget Jones we know and love who is obsessed with men, weight, dating, and relationships. I assure you this is actually quite realistic. You see, after being married for a long time and suddenly thrust into the world of the singleton as a widow, it is exactly like that. You have to resort to remembering what things were the last time you were single and dating.

Like Bridget, I could relate to suddenly having to deal with meeting people online, social media, and texting. I have never met anyone from Twitter though. I found it a little hard to believe that Roxster was willing to meet Bridget having never actually seen what she looked like even in a picture. Although I imagine he probably asked their mutual friend what Bridget looked like. While I've never dated anyone 20 years younger than me, how Roxster reacted to the idea of dating someone with a pre-made family was realistic. (However, I did find it hard to believe that Bridget got over 700 Twitter followers.)

What was most touching about the novel was what Bridget experiences as a widow. This was so true to how it really is. The memories of your late husband and the grief can strike you completely out of the blue even when you are at your happiest. Like Bridget, you feel guilty for feeling happy. You don't want to feel sad but you just can't help it and sometimes the grief and stress is overwhelming.

The part of the book that affected me deeply was when Bridget was at the picnic style concert watching her son playing his solo on the bassoon. She watched all the other married couples with their children and felt intense loneliness and grief that her husband and father of her children couldn't be there. Even anger about the unfairness of it all. I had to put the book down because I was crying so hard. Helen Fielding couldn't have gotten this experience more perfect or right. 

However, the entire book wasn't always this perfect or right. While I loved the storyline, I absolutely hated at least the first one third of this book. I can't really tell you what was so bad about it. Bridget just got on my nerves and was just such a ridiculous person. 

Then I started to like the book but two sentences nearly made me want to put the book down and never return to it ever. There's this scene where Bridget feeds her children chocolate buttons that may or may not be smeared with dog poo. I wish I was joking. It reads:

"'Two trails,' I added laying a careful line of exactly matching chocolate buttons...ignoring the fact that tradesmen may previously have trailed dog-poo traces into carpet. The two of them [Bridget's kids] obediently trotted up the stairs after me, stuffing the no-doubt-poo-smeared buttons into their mouths."

WTF!? Seriously WTF? What in God's name is wrong with Helen Fielding that she would write this? What is wrong with her editor that the editor would leave it in the book? It was just messed up on so many levels.

I decided to return to the book but I was only able to continue reading because I pretended like these two horrifying sentences were not actually in the book. Fortunately after this the book got quite good. There were lots of laugh out loud and touching moments of Bridget as a mother and singleton. It was refreshing even to read about a mom that isn't Supermom and doing everything perfect all the time. However, sometimes the idea that Bridget is still screwing up so much at the age of 51 is a bit ridiculous.

The book also needed some editing. There was a lot of subplots regarding Twitter, the neighbor with the weird hair, the leathercoatman, and this part where Bridget puts her to do list into The 7 Habits of Higly Successful people into quadrants, and so on that just cluttered up the story.

There is one final unbelievable thing that Bridget does. She is writing a modern adaption "Hedda Gabler" for the silver screen called "The Leaves in His Hair." She misspells it "Hedda Gabbler" and believes it was written by Anton Chekhov. This is ridiculous and stupid. Helen Fielding makes Bridget a complete joke as a career woman. I understand it's Bridget's thing to screw up constantly but couldn't Fielding let her get just one thing right?

This novel was hit and miss. There were parts I adored and parts that I absolutely loathed. (Still it was better than The Edge of Reason. I didn't like the Edge of Reason so won't bother rereading and reviewing it.) Was Mad About the Boy worth a 14 year wait? It wasn't what I, along with thousands of other fans were expecting. We wanted Bridget planning a wedding, experiencing pregnancy, and we wanted to see her married to Mark. Maybe Helen Fielding will take the hint and write us a prequel?

My rating is overall is  but the book was only two stars in some places and a solid four in others. I don't think I've ever read a book that wavered so much in quality. And I sincerely do hope this book becomes a movie.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Book Description from Amazon.com

In The Fault in Our Stars, John Green has created a soulful novel that tackles big subjects--life, death, love--with the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion. Hazel is sixteen, with terminal cancer, when she meets Augustus at her kids-with-cancer support group. The two are kindred spirits, sharing an irreverent sense of humor and immense charm, and watching them fall in love even as they face universal questions of the human condition--How will I be remembered? Does my life, and will my death, have meaning?--has a raw honesty that is deeply moving. --Seira Wilson

I loved this Young Adult book in all its pretentious glory. Then again I love anything where people discuss philosophy and existential crises. I sometimes wish every human being on earth talked like Hazel and Gus. Okay maybe that would be too much. I'd settle for one person in my life who talked like these completely unbelievable but completely enchanting characters.

Hazel is a 17 year old who has terminal cancer. She meets and begins a romance with Augustus who is a cancer survivor. The story is about their journey through first love, the meaning of life and death, and of course, cancer. 

I found Hazel and Gus to be utterly charming. I loved that this book made me think. Think about the meaning of words, ponder various existential issues, and remember that prose can sound like poetry.  I also loved the fictional book An Imperial Affliction. I loved it so much I actually went to Amazon hoping it was a real book. Sadly it is not. I love so many of the lines in this book that I was sad my copy was a library copy and I couldn't highlight them.

This book made me cry a few times because these teenagers fight with cancer seemed very real and touching. I admit it did get overly sentimental at times but death and family and first love is overly sentimental. However, I laughed twice as much as I cried and this is another reason I fell in love with the book.

Like some I got the feeling while reading the book, this book is one of the best books I have ever read. It's written so well in places that you forget overall it's actually pretty badly written overall. The idea that two teenagers like this would happen to find each other is a bit unbelievable. The idea that they would talk like this is completely absurd. Yet I loved that they did. The teenagers debated the deeper meaning of scrambled eggs for goodness sakes!

What bothered me most about the story is the subplot with Peter van Houten. I wish I could say what bothered me so about what happens with Peter van Houten but that would be a MAJOR spoiler. I will simply say this one word: contrived.

In fact, that kind of sums up the entire plot of this story: contrived. Oh and of course, pretentious. But like I said I loved that it was pretentious. I think the pretentiousness of it all was actually a metaphor. Ironic even. As much as we like to give life and death deep meaning, in the end it's all kind of bullshit. 

This makes John Green kind of a genius in my eyes. 

Even with the incredibly contrived plot there was so much I loved about this book that I'm giving it

.

Movie Review coming...not so soon!
The movie version is due for release June 6 of this year. I predict that it won't even be close to as good as the book.