So I ended up appreciating this book far more than I thought I would after reading the first 50 pages last night. I really disliked the first half of this book. I didn't care for the writing style, I felt like the voices of the two protagonists didn't seem realistic for their supposed ages, and I found Ashley especially to be completely insufferable and unlikable. The second half of this book was quite a bit better though, and I got used to the writing style to a certain extent.

Plot:
There really isn't an external plot driving this story forward. It's more just a series of events following the protagonists after their parents decide to blend their families and move in together.

Characters:
This story is told in first person between two protagonists. The story goes back and forth between them from chapter to chapter.
Stewart is the main male protagonist. He is 13 years old. He is very intellectually bright, but is very socially awkward. He is an interesting character. I appreciated his honesty and his candid nature. Some of his interactions with other characters were very awkward, but that was intentional and authentic to his character.


Ashley is the main female protagonist. For the first 7/8 of this book, I absolutely HATED Ashley. She had zero redeeming qualities to her personality. And it wasn't as if she was misunderstood and was later revealed to be a really wonderful person. We were in her head for half the book. She is selfish, shallow, and just plain mean. But more than that, she is highly ignorant. I found myself actually angry with her parents. They are both successful, seemingly intelligent people, yet their daughter is very ignorant and kind of unintelligent. Throughout the book she continually misuses and words that I feel like most 14 year olds would know, and it makes her sound really dim. She really is a completely self-centered character.

Now, the author attempts to redeem her somewhat within the last 50ish pages, but I'm not sure I buy the transformation. Maybe if it had been a little more gradual, but it seemed like a very sudden 180 degree switch. Also, the voice that the author creates for her just doesn't seem like a 14 year old. Sure, she curses and there are some intimate situations, but her thoughts and the things she says just strike me as being from someone around 10-12, not 14. To be honest, this reads as more of a middle-grade book to me, rather than Young Adult, even considering the serious situations our characters find themselves in.


Other random thoughts:

1. I didn't really see why I needed to know all about Stewart's bowel movements. I don't need to be told about him going poop. Like...at all.

2. Disclaimer: I have no problem with breastfeeding in public at all. That being said, I am with Ashley and her mom when it comes to the self-portrait of Stewart's mom breastfeeding him nude. I wouldn't want that hanging up over my mantle either. Just saying...

3. If Phys. Ed. is the last class of the day, why do the kids HAVE to take showers? Can't they just do it when the get home?

4. This book is supposedly humorous (if you go by the blurbs on the cover). However, I didn't find it funny. At.All. There is bullying, gay-bashing, and attempted sexual assault...what a riot (sarcasm)...


All in all, this book was a quick read for me. I liked some of the lines and ideas, especially Stewart's views on his mom still being with him through the things that were close to her. However, I don't think I'll be picking up any more from this author, at least not any time soon.