joshua.

I started this book early in December, but it was slow going because of the holiday season. Finally, yesterday, I sat down and read a good 100+ pages all in one day, which is pretty good for me. I got quite emotional near the end of the book, which I wasn't quite expecting. I was pleased, even if the premise of the novel is a little over the top. Danny was my favorite character, which I didn't expect.

I... I'm not quite sure how I feel. I read it quite quickly. I liked it, but I feel like it was missing something. It has very dark, sad subject matter, but I loved the last book I read (Love Is the Higher Law) and it had sad subject matter as well. The difference between these two books, though, is that I finished Love Is the Higher Law - and even It's Kind of a Funny Story, which is also about a suicidal teen - feeling uplifted, and I finished this feeling like I just read a good story, but emotionally deflated. I suppose that's fitting though. It's real.

So, this is my third attempt at reading this book. I read the first few chapters in those original attempts, and I was never able to connect, but for some reason it really DID this time. I loved the characters. I laughed, I cried, I smiled... The math related stuff I still sort of skimmed over, but I really did enjoy the novel.

Not my favorite of either author's books, but I looooved it all the same! It took a while to really get going, but once it did, it was wonderful! Also, it was nice to see some big people featured in Young Adult literature, in a way that isn't mocking, or degrading.

It did not live up to the hype for me, but...I'm happy other people seemed to get something out of it that I didn't, I suppose. Maybe it's because it wasn't what I was expecting (I was unfamiliar with Saunders's work), or it just wasn't the right book at the right time.