Thanks to HarperCollins Canada for the advanced copy for review.

I’m normally a bit wary about contemporary YA - there are so many books I haven’t enjoyed in the genre. I’m not one who likes the insta-love trope. Thankfully, this book is different and fresh - the focus isn’t really on the romance aspect. And the Canadian protagonist is a bonus!

Norris Kaplan is a French Canadian teen who has been forced to move to Texas with his mother. He goes in determined to hate it - and spews out enough snark to guarantee that most of the student body in his new school hates him. But he eventually starts making friends and settling in. Things look pretty good for awhile, at least until his attitude comes back to bite him in the ass. I spent most of the book in anticipation of the coming disaster - I could practically see Norris barreling full steam ahead toward a brick wall. And the splat was impressive.

This is where I think Philippe really shines - he’s created a world that seems quite realistic, with real consequences to Norris’ actions. A world where things can’t be fixed with a couple of apologies, and trust has to be re-earned. I loved that.

Most of his characters are well fleshed out and believable, especially Norris’ new friend Liam. Liam hit me hard - his description of his mental health difficulties is incredibly realistic, and his recovery process just as believable. He could have been describing my second year of university. I can’t explain how much I appreciated Philippe’s effort with this.

The only part that really gave me pause was Norris himself. Sometimes the quick reactions and pithy comments seem a little too perfect, and not what the average person would think to say on the fly. It was enjoyable to read, but it did pull me out of the story a few times. I guess you could compare it to the quick and quirky dialogue featured on the TV shows like Buffy or Gilmore Girls - fun, but not very realistic.