ARC Review: Reality Boy

Book Title/Author: Reality Boy by A.S. King
Publication Date/Publisher: October 22, 2013/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: No
Source and Format: Received e-ARC from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 stars

From Goodreads:

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

I think my feelings about Reality Boy will change over time. Currently I almostlove it, but I just don’t have that 5 star feeling.

Reality Boy is the story of Gerald “the Crapper” Faust, who got famous on a nanny-to-the-rescue kind of reality show for pooping on things out of anger when he was 5. Everyone in his small town still knows this about him, his family was never fixed by the super nanny, and one of his sisters is still trying to murder him. Gerald has spent years in anger management and is just starting to get to a better place when Tasha, the murderous sister, moves back home and ruins all his progress.

I was reminded a lot of my childhood while reading Reality Boy. Things never got to the level they’re at in the book, the family dynamics were different, and no one ever anger-shat on anything (that I can remember) – but one of my brothers just wanted to set the whole world on fire and watch it burn. My mom sent him away, when he came back he ran away and lived on the streets for some amount of time, and then was forced to join the military. I have no idea where he is now, but the idea that the government probably trusts him with weapons and complicated decision making scares the shit out of me (in the appropriate place for such a thing, of course, and not in someone’s shoes).

Anyway. Gerald is made to believe that he is “slow” and is in the special ed classes at school. He’s told he will wind up in jail because of his anger. He lets what his mother and sister tell him become the truth – he stays angry and gets in fights and goes to Gersday – the magical land in his head. Eventually Gersday starts bleeding into reality and things start getting really weird.

I have previously only read one other book by A.S. King: Please Ignore Vera Dietz. Reading her books makes me want to read her books. I have a few others on my shelf, now I just need to find the time.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books at the TOP of my TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week, The Broke and the Bookish want to know the “Top Ten Books at the TOP of my TBR”. These are actually just the next ten books I’m reading, so I guess that puts them at the top of my TBR.

1. Sever by Lauren DeStefano
2. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
3. Dust of 1000 Dogs by A.S. King
4. None of the Regular Rules by Erin Downing
5. The Look by Sophia Bennett
6. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
7. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
8. Requiem by Lauren Olivier
9. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
10. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Review: Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Book Title/Author: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Publisher/Year:  October 12, 2010

Series: No.
Source and Format: Bought
Rating: 3.8 stars (4 stars on Goodreads)

From Goodreads:

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.

Uh. I forgot how to read books that don’t have a highlight function. And to think, I held out on the kindle for so long – I said so many horrible things (baby, I’m sorry).

I really liked Vera, when she wasn’t drunk driving all over the place. I didn’t like Charlie. Bayl orpnhfr bs uvz uvggvat ure. V pbhyq sbetvir uvz oernxvat Iren’f urneg, ohg abg gung. V nyfb yvxr Iren n yvggyr yrff sbe fgvyy orvat fb va ybir jvgu uvz nsgre ur uvg ure (Spoilers can be decoded at rot13). I liked Ken, Vera’s dad, but I feel weird for having more in common with parents than the teenager MC. It seemed weird to me that a high school student would have a full time job, but at least Vera makes pizza delivery seem cooler than it probably is.

I could never figure out when this book was taking place. It had an 80’s vibe to it, and until cellphones were mentioned, I was really confused. I don’t know if my high school experience was the weird one, but it was SO DIFFERENT. Maybe it’s the big city/small town difference? Did I just not pay attention to anyone? I seriously don’t understand anything that’s going on here.

With the mention of dark secrets, mysterious death circumstances, and betrayal in the description, I expected more of a mystery. Especially the way the story is told, it seems like it’s building up to something more – the flashbacks, the chapters from Vera’s dad, the chapters from Charlie, the chapters from the freaking pagoda (sadly no chapters from the tree house). I really liked the story unfolding this way. I was never really sure if Charlie was realllllly doing all the things described or if Vera was just imagining it – even with the Charlie chapters.

Up next is Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff, so I guess I’m on a ‘haunted by best friend’ kick.