My Life in…

I will admit that I am a bit conflicted about this book. I was expecting to love every minute of it, and I didn’t. It was very battle heavy and the introduction of the third narrator had me scratching my head. I’m not sure we HAD to see this perspective in order to understand the Spackle. The ending just about killed me. I think this book was a fitting conclusion and I think most people will love it, but there was a lot that got in the way for me, even though I love Todd and Viola and think this is the most complex teen series in existence when it comes to character and morality.

Reviewed from ARC received from Candlewick

This book has earned rave reviews from tons of blogs, but it was less successful than the Gallagher Girls books for me. Other than Kat, and perhaps Hale, the characters are very one-note and the action is jumpy. I felt like I was told what was happening rather than experiencing it with the characters. I was intrigued by the potential for romance and there was definitely a measure of chemistry but I didn’t think it ended in a satisfying place. Maybe I’m more intrigued by teen spies than art thieves.

I picked this up because it was reviewed by Are you there youth? It’s me, Nikki. who said it was in the same universe as many of Barthe DeClements’ other books. Jenny, Jack, Craddoc and Elsie make nominal appearances, and although I can’t remember Didi being in any other other books, I think Stacy might have been. This book is more of a character driven, slice of life piece, than her other novels which have a stronger plot in addition to the amazing characters. It’s a worthwhile read though, and I wonder at how groundbreaking it would have been for 1986. The story holds up very well.

That summary probably makes no sense if you haven’t read the first two books, but they are worthwhile reads. I complained about Airhead because while the premise was cool, the book was all premise. Being Nikki was the most effective use of plot, suspense and characterization. This book wraps the trilogy up nicely, though it seemed a bit jumpy and a bit rushed. Lulu is particular is underutilized and considering the resolution isn’t all that shocking it would have been nice if the book focused more on the characters than the mystery. This is a fun read though, and I’d definitely recommend all three books.

This book has an intriguing premise and overall it works well, though it gets a little loose toward the end which makes it not completely successful. Jonah is a very sympathetic character, and I loved two of the characters introduced toward the end of the book. I like a lot of the smaller moments such as the Don Quixote statue taking up room in the backseat, Jonah’s time at Dalton’s, Matt’s heartbreaking letters, and the cartoons on the side of the car depicting the violence acts that Mitch commits. Some of the character motivations aren’t quite clear, but the intensity and uniqueness of the book makes it an interesting read.

I disliked Picoult’s last novel, after I loved the one before it, so I never quite know what to expect from her. This one worked for me even though the solution to the mystery was glaringly obvious from the moment it was introduced. The characterizations worked well enough that despite the lack of suspense, I did care about the characters. I complained about the portrayal of the teenage daughter in her last book, and while there were moments where Theo didn’t seem authentic to me, I think it was a great improvement. Oliver, Jacob’s lawyer, was great in this, as well.