Be More Chill

HMM. I picked this up because I'm seeing the musical in a few months and wanted to check out the source material (tho I know changes have been made and this is and older book). This book is...gross, in a way that is intentional. I have read a few other YA books that are focused on like, a graphically realistic Teenage Boy POV, and since I have never been a teenage boy I cannot speak to the realism of it. I can say it's gross to read the POV of someone who so completely objectifies women (even if he does so to a lesser degree than some of his gross male peers).

That said–I think the SQUIP idea is very interesting and compelling, and I think Jeremy's arc is interesting and moves toward growth/understanding Women Are People. That said, I mean, this book is 15 years old and in a lot of ways feels very dated. I wouldn't recommend it to teens now.

It's also odd because I think Vizzini's other books are so full of empathy that it's odd to find that quality lacking here :/