Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones are those kids, the ones that barely pass each class just to graduate, are avoided by most other kids out of fear, and are basically going nowhere in life. No one takes them seriously because they come from the wrong side of mostly everything. At least they have each other. But the disappearance of one of the friends starts to dissolve the glue that holds the rest together. Wild guesses, twisted conclusions, and unchangeable actions later, and none of their lives will ever be the same.

Gentlemen is one of the books that sounds mildly interesting at first glance but turns out to be many times below my expectations. I did not like this novel at all, probably because it was just so boring. The plot seems to drag on and on with only one even slightly exciting section in the middle that also fizzles out. I didn’t enjoy reading about any of the characters either, since I couldn’t relate to any of them at all and because I just couldn’t understand how they functioned. The narrator Micheal’s stream of consciousness is boring as well and at times hypocritical. On top of that, the story often felt unrealistic to me, and I had a hard time believing that a remedial high school English class would read Crime and Punishment. Other readers may be able to take away some meaning from this story, but its depressing ending killed any theme of friendship Gentlemen had going for it. This book took way too long for me to struggle through, and unfortunately, I can honestly say it was one of the worst and least enjoyable books I’ve ever read.

I do not recommend Gentlemen, but readers who enjoyed The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger may find some merit in Northrop’s writing style.

Rating: 1.25

Review copy from publisher Scholastic

You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn

Beautiful Laura and chubby Miles are sister-cousins, cousins by blood but as close as sisters. That is, until adolescence, when perfect Laura ditches Miles for more popular friends, and outcast Miles is dubbed “8 Mile.” But during Laura’s last year of high school, the cousins reconnected over a shared love of getting high. Miles thought she had gotten Laura back; she didn’t know how far they really were until Laura commits suicide. Miles now finds herself lost, not knowing who to turn to or what to care about. You Know Where to Find Me follows a struggling Miles as she tries to figure out how life will go on.

I found You Know Where to Find Me a confusing novel at best. In all honesty, I liked the first and last chapters but pretty much nothing in between. Miles’ character was very confusing, and I didn’t feel that the rest of the characters were developed enough, especially Miles’ parents. I also never really felt the connection between Laura and Miles that should’ve been there. The novel follows Miles’ life, but I often felt myself thinking, “Well, so what?” You Know Where to Find Me lacks a certain something that could make it a really great novel, and I regret to say that this book greatly disappointed me. I originally expected this novel to be similar to other spectacular novels dealing with death and suicide such as The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin, and Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe, but You Know Where to Find Me unfortunately failed at this.

I’m sorry to say that You Know Where to Find Me is probably the first book I’ve read that I don’t recommend at all (not including school-required novels). This book was just too disappointing.

Rating: 1.0

Review copy from library