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ninetalevixen 's review for:
The Hectic Headspace of Abigail Squall
by Scott O'Neill
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway and received a copy from the author for review purposes. This does not affect my rating or opinions of the book.
My biggest issue is that this book feels outdated — not just in the plot prevalence of radio or the awkward texting ("I'm here 4 U", typed no teen ever) — but also the casual ableist slurs (use of the r-word, the s-word, and others), in-your-face binary political controversies ("shop local, not global" and Abigail's vehement vegetarianism), and problematic archetypes (Aunt Gemma as manipulative, two-faced, paranoid, and generally "unstable"; the pop star groupies/teenyboppers as vapid, high-energy, dressed in revealing clothing). There are very few genuinely likable characters, because I had difficulty finding moments that felt authentic: otherwise it was morally ambiguous juvenile delinquency or super emotionally charged (whether it was angst or reconciliation), while I'd prefer to see more moments in between.
Neither of the romantic subplots seemed particularly necessary; Henryk the baker boy across the street is cute but I'm concerned about, and while Violet is sweet, seemed overdramatic.
Actually, as much as I hate writing off entire books as "overdramatic," that's the descriptor that comes most strongly to mind. For me, this one fell on the awkward side of quirky, and I spent a lot more time cringing than laughing at the jokes.
My biggest issue is that this book feels outdated — not just in the plot prevalence of radio or the awkward texting ("I'm here 4 U", typed no teen ever) — but also the casual ableist slurs (use of the r-word, the s-word, and others), in-your-face binary political controversies ("shop local, not global" and Abigail's vehement vegetarianism), and problematic archetypes (Aunt Gemma as manipulative, two-faced, paranoid, and generally "unstable"; the pop star groupies/teenyboppers as vapid, high-energy, dressed in revealing clothing). There are very few genuinely likable characters, because I had difficulty finding moments that felt authentic: otherwise it was morally ambiguous juvenile delinquency or super emotionally charged (whether it was angst or reconciliation), while I'd prefer to see more moments in between.
Neither of the romantic subplots seemed particularly necessary; Henryk the baker boy across the street is cute but I'm concerned about
Spoiler
his rapid shift from "omg she said yes to a date" to "holy shit she's threatening a pop star with a blowtorch, bitches be crazy" to "of course she's out of her mind, she would never have agreed to go out with me in her right mind" back to "she's awesome I'm in love"Spoiler
her confrontation with Gemma in the grocery followed by finding Jonathan at her house and their subsequent love confessionsActually, as much as I hate writing off entire books as "overdramatic," that's the descriptor that comes most strongly to mind. For me, this one fell on the awkward side of quirky, and I spent a lot more time cringing than laughing at the jokes.