Fat Hoochie Prom Queen by Nico Medina

 (Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  Fat Hoochie Prom Queen

Author:  Nico Medina

Publisher:  Simon Pulse

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  290 pages

ISBN-10:  1416936033

ISBN-13:  978-1416936039

Source:  Purchased, Booksale

Buy this book on Amazon

Rating:

 

I was digging through a huge heap of books in the secondhand bookshop when I spotted this one.  Why did it catch my eye?  Well, because apart from its brightly-colored cover, the title was totally familiar.  Fat Hoochie Prom Queen was one of the books referenced in Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and at that time, I thought the title was just made up.  Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be real!  I gasped out loud when I saw this and did not let it go ever since. 

The Gospel According to Goodreads

"What does it take to be the queen?

Margarita "Madge" Diaz is fat, foxy, and fabulous. She loves herself, and is adored by almost everyone else...except queen bee/student-body president Bridget Benson. These two girls have a history that's uglier than a drag queen after last call. During a heated argument, they decide there's only one way to end their rivalry: be named prom queen and the other backs off — for good.

Of course, everything looks different in the sober light of morning, but pride is at stake and the race is on. Madge is committed to doing whatever it takes to secure the title, but so is Bridget. And everyone's got something to hide. 

Welcome to Winter Park High School, where the dirt's not just gonna fly...it's gonna go into freakin' orbit."

I really thought this was just another shallow teen novel.  I was not really expecting much from it apart from the fact that I need to own it if only so I can bring up the title joke anytime.  But whoah, after a few clumsy attempts to connect with it at first, I was sucked in by the raging fabulosity that is Fat Hoochie Prom Queen!

The characters' voices stand out and sound very real that they jump right out at you.  It was almost like they were there with you the whole time, doing everything they did in the story and you were part of of the story.  Even Bridget Benson, the main antagonist, sounded very believable and human (reading about her, I can't help picturing Miley Cyrus as her).  Every character had a flaw but also had a lot of strengths.  Madge was big and proud of that fact.  She owned her body shape and used it to her advantage.  She's big, beautiful, and also had a big heart.  Lucas, her best friend, was as gay as gay could be and a really great friend to her.  They enjoyed the last of their high school year to the hilt and may I just say, their partying was almost at par with a lot of college parties I've known.  They took almost everything to the extreme, and some were a touch unrealistic but the author has written such an in-your-face story that it might even convince you that a cat is actually a dog that can't bark.


As for the writing, it's nothing like a high-end literary piece (what was that?), the story is very easy, light, and predictable - there's nothing new in the concept and after a few chapters I've guessed a bit of the ending.  The momentum in the beginning was almost frustratingly slow and I could not connect with it immediately - though when I finally did it blew me away - but it totally hits the spot.  I do believe that it's up there with the best in teenage novels about prom queens and fat, foxy young women.  There were a lot of parts that I thought was taken to the extreme, but it only added to the excitement of reading this book - some parts you know does not happen much in real life, but it thrills you to know that it MAY happen.  


With regard to the ending though, I wished it had a better twist.  There was an interesting premise for what happens to the ending but sadly, it did not follow through.  And I also felt that it was a bit rushed - but it was still worth it.  Maybe the author thought that if he explored some of the twists further that it would not be too enjoyable for the readers because it would suddenly turn heavy and melodramatic.  Speaking of drama, this book did not just have it, this book was written because of it!  When you put up a story about a big hot girl, her gay best friend, and prom, you can never have too much drama.

Overall, for an entertaining book about friendship, partying, being fat and sexy at the same time, and of course the race for prom queen, grab a copy of this book.  Nico Medina is now one of my new favorite authors and I can't wait to read other books he has written. 

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

 (Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

Author:  Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 

Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers  

Language: English

Format:  Kindle Edition 

Pages:  256 pages 

ASIN:  B000VSW7WU 

Source:  Purchased,  Amazon 

Music In My Head:  Supposed to Be by Default

Buy this book on Amazon

Rating:

 

A friend of mine actually laughed at me when I read this book.  She said that I was doing this Cohn-Levithan collaborations backwards:  First, I read Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - which is the third book - then I now read Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List - the second one.  I quickly point out that I've watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, but she also quickly points out that it's not the book so it doesn't count.  I never did got to win an argument with any of my friends.

One of the highlights of writing this review is that I get to include what music played in my head while reading.  Of course, that almost happens only when I read a Levithan work, and seeing as this is one-half Levithan, music suddenly springs up in my brain:  Supposed to Be by Default.  I don't know if you've heard of it, but the tune is pretty catchy and the lyrics really good.  I'm not the best music critic/judge out there, so I can't tell if this is bad music or not, but it's perfect for this book.  I imagine it being sung by both Naomi and Ely, more by Naomi.  Because that's what they are - they're supposed to be.  Here's why: 

The Gospel According to Goodreads:

"NAOMI AND ELY ARE BEST FRIENDS. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi, but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine - until Bruce. Bruce is Naomi's boyfriend, so there's no reason to put him on the List. But Ely kissed Bruce even though he is boring. The result: a rift of universal proportions and the potential end of "Naomi and Ely: the institution." Can these best friends come back together again?"

Don't you think the song sums up their story perfectly?  Because I do.  I know that the song is actually about romantic love and Naomi and Ely's love is anything but romantic - they're best friends for God's sake.  But it still did not stop me from thinking it's the perfect song because they're meant to be together, they're really meant to be friends forever, and removing sex from the equation - Naomi and Ely are the perfect couple.

Which is exactly what made me pick this one up.  Not really for the fact that one-half of this is written by my favorite author, but because I could not have found a better book about best friends at a cross roads not because they've fallen for each other - that's actually very easy - but because one is in love with the other, but the other is in love with one's boyfriend.  It's a unique take on the love triangle, with a lot of friendship elements that it's really worth reading.

Have you ever wondered how Will and Grace were before they became Will and Grace?  Well, I imagine they're almost like Naomi and Ely.   Sometimes, you have this best friend that you've decided in the early part of your life that you would marry someday.  However, the fact that your friend is gay hinders your fantasy from becoming a reality and that was the main conflict in this story.  Naomi could not seem to grasp the fact that no matter how long their No Kiss List would be, or how watertight it was, she and Ely would not be together.  Even if he did not kiss her Bruce the Second, it would still happen eventually, as I always rationalize:  All things end badly, otherwise they would not end.  What ended here was not their friendship, what ended was Naomi's immaturity.  This may be about Naomi and Ely, but while Ely also does his share of growth and maturity, it was Naomi who was focused mostly on.  Maybe that's why the title was 'Naomi and Ely' and not 'Ely and Naomi.'  Or maybe I'm the only one thinking that.  But still.  

The story was written through different points of view, Naomi and Ely, the Bruces, and other friends.  It was like talking to all the characters in order to understand what happened.  It was like being a part of a big group of friends, but something happened while you were away so when you came back, you had to talk to each friend in order to get a book-worthy account of what happened to two of your closest friends - Naomi and Ely.  Also, although other readers found the different POVs confusing and pointless, I felt that it was cool to get different perspectives on what was happening, and you discover which friend made sense, which friend was worth keeping, and which friend should be dumped.  On this issue, you definitely understand what's going on and what to believe.   The writing was hip, edgy, and smart.  I like that each point of view was personalized for that character's personality.  Naomi has these symbols inserted in her chapters which is very creative and which makes the reader 'get' her.  You know, when you sometimes talk to someone and you make gestures for a certain word instead of saying it out loud?  Because of that, I suddenly associated that attitude to Naomi.  She's a gesture girl.  Gabriel, on the other hand, spoke through music tracks which shows he really loves music and it's ingrained in his personality.  The other characters' stream-of-consciousness chapters also have their own unique flavor which makes them stand out among the rest.  So I cannot imagine what other readers were saying when they said that they got confused which chapter they were reading because of the several POVs, I didn't because I recognized certain characteristics unique to a certain character.  The cast were definitely human, and I could relate to any of them, but mostly my favorite character is Gabriel.  Not just because he's hot - although it was because of that mostly - but because he seems to be very perceptive considering his role as a doorman in Naomi and Ely's apartment building. 

You know what else I liked?  That the characters were already in college and around 19 and 20.  Most young adult fiction I've read were all set during high school and it's very refreshing to have a light but intelligent novel for early college kids without it turning serious, dramatic, or trashy.  

Obviously, I liked this book.  A lot.  However, I am not going to compare it to Dash and Lily or even to Nick and Norah (even if I only watched it, not read it), I think that each collaboration between Cohn and Levithan are unique and awesome in their own way.  While reading this book, I've never - not even once - thought of the other two books, although a very important rest room has been frequently appearing in all three novels, each story leaving a mark on that restroom.  I was pleasantly surprised to see something from Nick and Norah on this book, and seeing that something from Nick and Norah and something from Naomi and Ely in Dash and Lily.  I'm not going to say what it is you can find, you have to find it for yourself. :-D

Finally, I'm leaving you with the song that has been playing over and over in my mind while reading this book:

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Author:  John Green and David Levithan
Publisher:  Dutton
Language: English
ISBN-10:  0525421580

ISBN-13:  978-0525421580

Music In My Head:  Two Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel

Buy this book on Amazon

Rating:

I finished this book in one go.  I normally have a lot to do during the holidays but once I decided I'm reading this, I let nothing and no one distract me, which is fairly easy because really, when has a David Levithan or a John Green book ever been a drag?  And considering this is a collaboration between the two awesome authors mentioned above, this book is overflowing with awesomeness some of it drips on me!  And because this is partly a David Levithan work, my head automatically plays music and for once, it decides to use one of the songs mentioned in the book, Neutral Milk Hotel's Two Headed Boy, which is Will Grayson #1's least favorite song, but hits the story spot on.  Perfect.

Imagine having another person with your name, not just your first name but your last name too.  Now, suppose you met that person someplace.  I bet some have, and isn't it the strangest feeling?  I have never known anyone named Nina Bermudez - it's my brother who has a namesake, who turns out to be his classmate so imagine the weirdness and the awkward moments when their professor kept confusing them with each other - I do have a fictional character namesake, Nina Bermudez from The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson, but you already know that given that I've mentioned it about 18,546 times on this blog already.  But sometimes, when someone I know reads that book, he/she never fails to tell me about it and say that it felt weird reading about someone in a book that has my name, and they immediately compare me to that character, easily trying to base the character on my personality in high school (which is interestingly, almost the same with what's in the book.  Almost ).  In Will Grayson, Will Grayson,  two 'superficially different' (I'll get to that later) teenagers with the same name meet by accident, and their lives intertwine when Tiny Cooper, Will Grayson #1's (from here on, I shall refer to Will Grayson #1 as WG1 and Will Grayson #2 as WG2) best friend becomes WG2's boyfriend.  A quirky, touching, and cool story about love, friendship, accepting and becoming the real you, and a fabulous school play that brings it full circle.  

If I thought, just by reading the teasers that this would be a predictable story, I couldn't have been more wrong.  First, I did not expect the depth of Tiny's influence on both Will Graysons and how it would affect their outlook in life.  Next, I did not expect the conflict and especially the ending.  I totally had no idea how the book would turn out, but I did predict that I would love everything about it.

In Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, I knew that David Levithan was writing Dash, and Rachel Cohn was writing Lily.  Doing a little research, I found that John Green wrote the chapters for the straight Will Grayson (WG1) and Levithan wrote for the gay Will Grayson (WG2).  Naturally, now why didn't I think of that?  They even split the thinking of a name for their main character, with Levithan coming up with the first name and Green with the last name.  In describing their writing process, they each wrote three chapters for their characters on their own without really agreeing on a definite plot, read it aloud to each other, and then try to imagine the nuances and appropriate reactions of each character when they eventually meet.  Each character stands out clearly, not just because WG2's chapters are written lowercase, reflecting the character's feelings of smallness, marginalization, and hopelessness.  For WG1, the chapters are written in normal type and gives off that smart-guy-who-is-not-aware-of-his-own-coolness-and-pretends-he-does-not-care vibe, which is how WG1 would actually be described.  But even if they are written by two different authors, the story is very clean, seamless, and united  Each chapter flows through the next as smoothly as if I poured oil onto the pages to help the words slide through.  You get this book knowing it's a collaboration, but you finish reading it thinking this is written by just one writer.  There are no contradicting statements, each scene, dialogue, and character consistent and faithful to its initial presentation.  

So now you're probably thinking about the 'superficially different' statement I said about WG1 and WG2.  I think that on the surface, they are different:  1.   WG1 is straight, WG2 is gay;  2.  WG1 has a somewhat easy relationship with his parents, WG2 doesn't; 3.  WG1 may be socially awkward, but sociable nonetheless, while WG2 is a loner and only has one 'real' friend and that does not even work out; 4.  WG1 is sort of smart and upbeat, WG2 is clinically depressed and takes prescribed medications.  So how different can they get, right?  But I can't help noticing the parallel between these two Will Graysons:  They are both trying not to care, not to say too much, and both are afraid and hiding inside themselves - ultimately, they are both hiding, period.  The first two statements are demonstrations of that fact.  I would love to delve deeper into this parallel thing, but that would mean I have to put spoilers and that can't happen.  

I love the supporting characters and how they hold the story together.  They each inspire some emotion from the reader.  I  hated and pitied Maura, got annoyed and then a little 'sweetly cuted-out' by Jane (although I didn't really like her that much), and admired-got-annoyed-fell-in-love with Tiny.  I thought WG1's parents were pretty cool, especially his dad, and I really wanted to give WG2's mom a hug and tell her that everything would be all right.  They could each have their own story lines and plots, especially Tiny.  I would give Tiny a whole novel, come to that.  But I did love the musical he wrote about his life and I wish it could become a reality.  After a little research, I found that the title of his musical, Tiny Dancer and later, Hold Me Closer, are actually parts of a song title by Ironik.  Tiny Dancer (Hold Me Closer) is a 2008 song by Ironik that uses samples of Elton John's song, Tiny Dancer.  And guess what, some Nerdfighters from John Green's website, www.nerdfighters.com are working on making Hold Me Closer a reality, and you may visit here if you want to help.  

I think everything in this story is very smart, poignant, and touching, and although this is technically a young adult novel, adults will definitely enjoy reading this as the issues presented here are as mature and as adult as you can get.  I mean, you can go all paranoid and self-conscious about your appearance, your coolness vibe, and your popularity status when you're in high school, but understanding who you really are and accepting yourself is a timeless issue, which makes this book light but meaningful, poking fun at people's pretensions of indifference but shedding light on deciding to face yourself and self-acceptance.  A humorous, quirky, but serious story that every teenager or any-ager needs to read.

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

(Photo taken from the Barnes and Noble website)

Title: Boy Meets Boy
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0375832998
ISBN - 13: 978-0375832994
Rating:







This is a story about a gay teenager named Paul who lives in a town where every person is allowed to be whomever they want to be. Not really gay utopia, as there are also some who are not happy with things as they stand, but as in Paul's words: "There isn’t really a gay scene or a straight scene in our town. They got all mixed up a while back, which I think is for the best." Which it really is. The author has painted a wonderful picture of a place where it's okay to be anything you want to be, that the only thing that separates you from your dreams is your belief in yourself, and your capacity to make things happen. This story also showed that, gay or no, friendship and love are two very complicated things, and that every person must know how to handle something so precious. When Paul begins to fall for Noah, a new kid in school, things get problematic when his ex Kyle, begins to reach out to him and wants to get back together. On the other hand, Paul and Joni's friendship is put to the test when Joni starts to go out with a person whom Paul and their other friends don't approve.

So if you think this book is too unrealistic and only good for light reading for teens, think again. The well-drawn characters will pop right out of you and take you to their world and let you see it through their eyes. They will tell you their secrets and you'll be surprised that in a novel such as this, love and friendship are still taken seriously, that in this almost perfect world, challenges will still come at you, and you, gay or straight, should learn how to deal with it. This story may be easy reading, but the values it teaches should not be taken lightly. Even parents can learn a thing or two from Paul and his friends.

This is a great read, especially if the heavy gay issues are getting too old for you. Or you're just really tired of heavy stuff. With its witty, entertaining dialogues, vivid characters, and creative settings, you'll definitely enjoy reading this, and find new friends within the story. It's not full of drama, but it does have its moments, and those moments are what makes this book shine. Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little down, I visit Paul and his friends and feel good about myself. Because as the story ends, Paul always tells me: "What a wonderful world."