Book Review: Sue's Fingerprint by Andrew D. Carlson

Book Info

  
Title:  Sue's Fingerprint

Author:  Andrew D. Carlson

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

ISBN - 13:  978-0615456225

Pages:  232 pages

Source:  From the author, Andrew D. Carlson

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Summary

From Goodreads 

"A gel-like substance is suddenly discovered across the country. Ted Stevens, a Director in the Department of Homeland Security, is assigned to investigate. He enlists the help of scientists at a government laboratory to analyze the ‘goo’. They discover the substance was sent to Earth and has unique properties; it can clone animals. Ted soon learns the substance can also clone humans. 

Sue is the first of eleven new people cloned from the alien substance. She and the others arrive without prior knowledges (and without clothes!). They are discovered and recovered by Ted and contained on an abandoned military base. While there, the clones learn about themselves and the world around them. They also receive a message. Sue decides she must deliver it, and one morning they find she’s gone. 

During the recovery of Sue, Ted learns of the clones’ message and begins to understand their true intentions. He needs to know more about the clones, so he collects samples for DNA fingerprint testing. The fate of the new people will be decided by the results from Ted’s friends at the laboratory."

Review

Ever wondered what would happen if there were human clones?  Would they have the same knowledge as the cloned person?  Would they have the same natural life span?  Can they live a normal human life among other 'uncloned' humans?  In scientist - now also a writer - Andrew D. Carlson's Sue's Fingerprint, he not just talks about the scientific dilemma of cloning humans and the possibility of alien life forms, he gives an insight into identity, personality, and the individuality of a person - cloned or otherwise.

Sue and her friends were cloned from humans from a gel-like substance that was dropped off the Earth's atmosphere from space.  Their adventures (and misadventures) as they attempted to live like any normal person were very human-like it was funny and endearing.  The concept of the story was unique, yet the delivery was simple and concise.  Any reader (be it a sci-fi fan or not) would definitely get hooked after reading a few pages of this book, wanting more.  I found myself lost in the story as it unfolded with vivid descriptions and relatable characters.  I liked how it talked about science without putting me to sleep, which I really think is a serious challenge because really, complicated stuff like DNA and atoms and molecules either give you serious information overload or get you bored out of your mind.  In some books, when it comes to the parts where detailed lectures about some scientific phenomena happen I tend to just scan through them because I found them to be too exhausting and a wee bit boring.  That never happened while reading Sue's Fingerprint.  The development of the story was just too exciting for me to notice that I have already waded through some very complicated scientific matters, and the way it was presented, it was like it was your own idea to learn about those topics anyway.  I like that it gave me a good story and taught me something interesting at the same time.

Reading about Sue and the other clones gave me such a kick that I found myself occasionally laughing at their antics because most times I felt like I was reading about someone I know - myself, even.  They were, I guess, based on real human characters but Mr. Carlson found the twist to make them as unique as possible.  The imagery that his descriptions provided really helped in accepting each and every person in this book and although the scientific side got me a bit puzzled, I nonetheless felt comfortable reading such a story, and actually as I turned to the last pages, I was left hankering for more.  I really wanted a sequel for this book and find some new interesting twists and new geeky stuff to learn about.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice

I received this book free of charge from the author, Andrew D. Carlson, in exchange for an honest and truthful review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.  

Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story by Adam Rex

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  Fat Vampire

Author:  Adam Rex

Publisher:  Balzer + Bray

Language: English

Format:  Hardcover

Pages:  336 pages

ISBN-10:  0061920908

ISBN-13:  978-0061920905

Source:  Gift

Buy this book on Amazon

Rating: 

I've been eyeing this in bookstores ever since one of my friends mentioned this book to me.  Just like I Kissed A Zombie and I Liked It, I thought this would make a really funny paranormal story so I totally wanted to read it.  However, the book was too pricey and I could do without it anyway.  So it was a very fun surprise that one of my friends got me this when I got sick this week - sort of a 'Get Well Soon gift,' and I must say, just looking at the cover almost made me better.  The cover itself is funny, with that 'blood slushie' thing going on that really makes me laugh.

The story is about a fat, pudgy, unattractive 15-year-old boy - Doug "Meatball" Lee - who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming a victim to a newly-made vampire, which turned him into a vampire himself.  Interesting?  Definitely.  So I was totally into reading this as it was very different from typical vampire stories where vampires were attractive, sexy, and romantic beings who lured their victims with their charm and cunning.  Doug is clumsy, insecure, and of course, fat.  I was very curious how this story would go - would he be a different breed of Edward and find his own Bella?  Would he ever become badass?  As human psychology dictates, we naturally gravitate to the underdogs, and Doug is definitely that.  

First chapters into the story and I was really laughing out loud.  Why shouldn't I?  Just read these:

"I’m a vampire! I’m a fat vampire, okay? I was trying to lose weight before I got bitten. Now I’m screwed."

"...You know I haven’t had anything to eat or drink except blood for the last month? And nothing. No change. If I can’t lose weight on an all-blood Diet—"

Weren't those funny?   I was laughing the whole time while reading through those chapters.  But alas!  Like a vampire that has suddenly appeared and drunk the blood from this book, it suddenly changed to a not-as-compelling-and-not-as-funny kind of story.  The characters had a lot of promise, especially Dough and Senjal, but despite their amazing back stories - Doug as a fat vampire and Senjal as an exchange student recovering from 'The Google,' a bad case of becoming an internet troll - they've become cardboard-flat and one-dimensional.  I thought their stories were worth exploring, and I believed that would happen but no, the joke in Doug as a fat vampire suddenly became very old, and Senjal turned into a very flat character.  She just stayed in the sidelines, talking when she's supposed to, acting like she's supposed to, having a lot of opinions but never voicing them.  It was frustrating reading about these two 'not develop' into the characters they were supposed to become in the end.  But I guess that's where the 'A Never Coming of Age Story' comes in.  And here I am thinking that that statement was just a joke in the title.

Even the villain - whose story closely resembles that of The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, was too dull.  This story had a lot of laughing moments in spite of it turning into an unpromising novel, but I never once laughed at anything that this villain said or did.  There was nothing likable nor 'hatable' about him.  Frankly, this story could have done without him.

The story starts with Doug as a pudgy and uncool vampire, then he changes into a mysteriously cool and blase vampire.  He drops his bestfriend, confronts the girl he likes, and almost kills his girlfriend.  I never liked the changes that happen to Doug, I never even liked Doug that much in the first place.  He was whiny, selfish, and uncaring about others - and that's when he was just an uncool kid.  But when he started acting like a hot vampire, his attitude grew even worse.  At first, I sympathized with his attitude because I was thinking that was his defense mechanism in order to cope with being a geek and unpopular, but cruelty and taking advantage of your friend?  I thought that was too much.  

This book also digressed A LOT.  There was the main plot, and then some minor plots were introduced without ever being resolved.  Some interesting characters that never got explored, more interesting plots that never got finished.  Seriously, this story had a lot of stories - if not potential - that would have made this book better than what it has become. 

The writing and the premise were both great.  But I did not care about the execution.  Seriously, there were more than a hundred ways this story could have turned out and it would be way better than this one actually became.  Even the ending could have been better, instead of sounding like the author just wrote a hasty ending in order to meet his deadline.  

To be a total geek about it:  this book was full of high-tech features, but it was just used as a calculator.  Didn't get that?  That's the point.

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  Prom
Author:  Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher:  Puffin

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  224 pages
ISBN-10:  0142405701

ISBN-13:  978-0142405703

Source:  Purchased, Booksale

*Part of my 2nds Reading Challenge* 

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Rating:

The Story According to Goodreads

"High school senior Ashley Hannigan doesn't care about prom, but she's the exception. It's pretty much the only good thing at her urban Philadelphia high school, and everyone plans to make the most of it—especially Ash's best friend, Natalia, who's the head of the committee. Then the faculty advisor is busted for taking the prom money, and Ash suddenly finds herself roped into putting together a gala dance out of absolutely nada. But she has help—from her large and loving (if exasperating!) family, from Nat's eccentric grandmother, from her fellow classmates. And in putting the prom together, Ash learns that she has choices about her life after high school."

This story was so laugh-out-loud funny, I got weird looks even in the house.  I was able to finish this book in one sitting as it was fast-paced, well-written, and draws you into the story itself you feel like you're part of it.  Laurie Halse Anderson has been known for her serious, strong, and powerful writing as demonstrated on Speak and Wintergirls, and her book Forge is one of the 2011 candidates for the John Newbery Medal.  I cannot really imagine her writing something as light as Prom, and yet, when I read it, I do believe Anderson is capable of creating such a fun read.  Although telling a story about typical teenage dilemma, hiding behind the surface is a deep perspective on identity, friendship, family, and relationships. 

Almost a modern Cinderella story, this story assembles an interesting mix of characters:  Ashley herself is pretty witty and cool.  You can see her transformation throughout the book from an irresponsible girl who only cared about her boyfriend and having a terrific future with him without thinking about how to achieve that future to a young woman who knows what to do, how to deal, and what she wants out of life.  Her friends are a cool bunch of girls, very down-to-earth and witty - the kind of girls I would love to hang out with in high school.  Her family and the rest of the school round up the funny, endearing, and quirky cast that is Prom.  Each character is drawn vividly, with individual issues and strengths, and you can relate with each of them.  Their dialogue is crisp and distinguishable, and so is the narration from Ashley's point of view.  The voice is solid and accurate for Ashley's personality and transformation.

As for the writing, it was highly convincing and appealing, that even the seemingly shallowest of conflicts - not being able to go to prom - is highly emphasized that the reader could feel the intensity of the problem.  Although actually superficial, the conflicts are raised in a way that makes the reader sympathize with what is happening, to feel for the characters.  Because this is a book for teenagers, an adult might dismiss this as a superficial teenage novel; however, reading this book, you cannot judge this as trivial or insignificant to serious teen-related matters of current times because this is a foundation of that subject.  Ashley has no idea about her strengths or her capabilities and therefore, feels inferior which results to unreliability and irresponsible behavior.  However, once she gets past that and discovers self-awareness, she decides to take control of her life and steer it into a remarkably different and better route than what she has been planning for herself.  If teenagers were even only half as self-aware and empowered as Ashley was by the ending, they would also be able to make better choices and work for their goals.  This book is not just about the prom - it's about encouraging a person to acknowledge who and what he/she really is, accepting him/herself, and recognizing his/her strengths and capabilities in order to effectively mold his/her life the way it should be.  And that, in my opinion, is what Anderson writes mostly in her other more serious books.  So yes, I can now imagine her really writing this book.

And by the way, I loved what was written in the About the Author section:  "...The night of her senior prom, she was shoveling manure on a pig farm in Denmark..."   As for me, I did not go to prom.  I was busy reading.

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  I, Emma Freke
Author:  Elizabeth Atkinson

Publisher:  Lerner Publishing Group
Publication Date:  11/1/2010 

Language: English

Format:  Digital copy

Pages:  234 pages
ISBN-10:  0761356045 Hardback

ISBN-13:  978-0761356042 Hardback

Source:  Advanced reader's digital copy from Lerner Publishing Group, via NetGalley

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Rating:

This book made me laugh from the first mention of 'I, Emma Freke' up until its last pages.  The childish way of storytelling and the way that the main character, Emma, claims to be an adult is endearing, funny, and hit very close to home.  I mean, who has never experienced being out of place and thinking that being an adult is way cooler than remaining a kid/teenager?  Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it from I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson. 

Summary from NetGalley:

"What's in a name? I, Emma Freke is a charming search-for-identity story about Emma―the only "normal" member of her quirky family. Her flighty, New Age mom seems to barely have time for a daughter, especially one who annoyingly spoils her mom's youthful façade. Emma's well-meaning grandpa is clueless. And her only friends are the local librarian and a precocious 10-year-old adopted by the two old ladies next door.
Smart, shy, and nearly six feet tall, Emma struggles to fit in at school, so she jumps at the opportunity to "home school" until that too turns into another of mom's half-baked ideas. The real crisis comes when she gets an invitation to The Freke Family Reunion, and her fellow Frekes aren't at all what she expects. While Emma desperately tries to find her niche, she discovers that perhaps it’s better to be her own "freak" than someone else's Freke."

I can so relate with Emma.  Maybe not with the name, although I do have some issues with mine (my real full name sounds to me like a character from a Spanish television series), but with the appearance.  I used to be the tallest girl in class in my late elementary and high school days.  Everyone would look strangely at me, and everyone asked me if I play some sport or another.  They always seem to think I'm playing volleyball or basketball so when I tell them I'm not really interested in sports, they say the same thing every time:  "Too bad, your height will make you a star."  As if not being a very good athlete won't affect my playing in any way.  When joining clubs, other people always think that just because I'm taller than everyone else (yes, including most guys) makes me more mature and smart and they all want me to head one club after another, forgetting that running one club precludes you from heading another (I was editor-in-chief of the school paper, and they all want me to be president of the Science Club even if I'm not that much of a Science geek, the Drama Club even if I was only there once, and other clubs I don't even have interest in).  It also sort of affects the 'making friends' part because teenagers are almost always intimidated by my height, and their first impression of me is always 'bitchy' or 'snobbish' even if I'm none of those things.  For Emma, most of the above are true, but kids her age tend to think they are 'above' her, or that she's not very important, and  I can totally say that she is partly to blame because she herself tends to hide inside her shell when confronted by other teenagers.  She doesn't give others a chance, immediately assuming that they are just laughing at her, and that they don't like her.  She never even gave being sociable a try.  And, already aware that her name sounds funny, she even adds to its ridicule by saying "My mom forgot to say it out loud when I was born."  Can't she just stop making a big deal out of it?  Stevie had it spot on when she said that "names and words only hurt if you let them."  But then, with Emma's lack of self-esteem and real maturity, I guess that's predictable.

This book was a cute tongue-in-cheek story of a typical egocentric teenager's dilemma:  Not fitting it, feeling like they don't belong.  There's really nothing new in here, except maybe for the Freke family reunion that showed a bunch of people acting like sheep and going with the herd.  Emma was placed in two extremes:  Her independent and indifferent life with her mother, and the structured, organized, and freakishly collective life with the Freke family.  Somehow it's like saying that the grass is greener on the other side, only to find that it's just the same.  Hopefully, these two extremes would help Emma choose her own path and her own spot on the grass.  But however cute and light and very readable this story is, it's not entirely new and there is a large array of young adult fiction books devoted to this kind of issue.  But then again, this is not a contest to see which book is best, and I can say that, for this book's part, it certainly made the grade.  I loved the plot, the voice, and the characters are thoroughly detailed they are virtually human.  I really enjoyed the humorous description of Emma's life, and there are some really laugh-out-loud moments that some 'teenage issues' books do not have.  There were some parts that I felt was hurried, especially towards the ending, and I thought it would have been better if another twist was added or another chapter was written to make the story come full circle, but I guess it's for the best to leave the story at that, and let the reader think for themselves.  Although the storyline is quite light, it still never fails to elicit empathy for Emma, as well as for teenagers like her who have difficulty fitting it.  It makes the reader see this 'shallow' crisis through the sufferer's eyes and not just giving a story of hope and inspiration, it also teaches them how to treat these young adults well.

This book was just released November of last year, and I urge you to go get a copy of this one.  You won't regret reading and re-reading this book.

 

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I received this book free of charge from the publisher, Lerner Publishing Group and Netgalley, in exchange for an honest and truthful review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of 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

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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.

Dash and Lily's Book Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0375866590
ISBN - 13: 978-0375866593
Rating:







How to present this review, I wasn't exactly sure. I wanted to give it a unique review in the way that it has given me a unique read. But alas, my creativity deserted me. So let's just talk about the book, and maybe I'll think of something great as I go. This is the third collaboration between Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Previous books included Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, which was made into a movie starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, and Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. Sweet, huh?

Let's go to the blurb, which is, apart from David Levithan, what made me get it in the first place:

"I've left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf,
please.

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Cold their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?"

Writing this book, the authors exchanged emails - not a red Moleskine notebook - and no plans were made beforehand. As I was reading, I imagined them playing a game of continue-my-email-story, Levithan writing something about Dash and then daring Cohn to follow up with an appropriate but quirky response through Lily. I am almost sure that is what happened, and the result? A pleasant, fun, smart, and endearing story of an adventure through New York to find not just love, but friendship, answers, and self.

The best thing about reading a David Levithan book is that while reading, I have this background music for that book. For Boy Meets Boy, although Tony by Patty Griffin was mentioned a few times, with a dedication to the Tony from the song, I always heard Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest, maybe it was because the first chapter had Paul and his friends dancing in the bookstore. I think this is because his books are filled to the brim with music references, and with Rachel Cohn with him at the helm, it just got better, and this one is no exception. If you read it, you might even be pleasantly surprised to see some cameos from another book of theirs. But back to the music: for Dash and Lily's, I always heard December 2 Chapter VII by a band here in the Philippines, Taken by Cars. I think because this story was set in December that I immediately thought of that song. And probably this part too:

"But I wasn't where you were
No, I was never where you are
I'm in my looking-glass view
Always almost too close to you
I'm always almost too close to you."

When I hear those lyrics, I think of Dash and Lily and think how they were almost the ones who knew each others' real feelings and secrets, yet they do not even really know each other.

I totally loved this book! It was filled with interesting characters, popular New York landmarks, and even better dialogue. The conversations between Dash and Lily in their red notebook was very meaningful and inspirational, it was a well-written essay about identity, hope, and other such deep and thoughtful subjects. Come to think of it, the whole book was almost like reading a beautiful essay, only this was a beautiful work of fiction. Some might think that because of these deep and meaningful stuff, then it might not be a good choice for teens, but really, young adults would enjoy this book. I think this story could actually answer some questions that most of them have, that most people have. Even looking past the ponderous ideas thrown back and forth between the two main characters, and just reading this for the story that it is, is very interesting, engrossing, and enjoying.

The authors also threw in a lot of humor, and readers will find themselves laughing out loud at some scenes. But the story is not just humor-filled, it has a lot of emotions thrown in that readers will find themselves commiserating with Lily, falling for Dash, annoyed at the bookstore people, even becoming endeared to that cute and cuddly great-aunt Ida/Mrs. Basil. E. It makes you wish you were part of that story.

Another reason why I would love to recommend this book is that it's got a lot of words that we can add into our vocabulary. Dash is a word nerd, and his dialogue has a lot of words like erudition, arcane - I'm not sure if many of you use these in daily conversations but it sounded very uncommon to me. And of course, knowing uncommon words is always an uncommon advantage.

I would gladly recommend this book to all my friends and people I know. I am pretty sure everyone would enjoy this, as there is something in Dash and Lily's for everyone. And I'm pretty sure I would re-read this countless times. Definitely one of my favorites for this year!

According to the news, the movie rights for this book was already acquired by Scott Rudin and writing/directing the film adaptation would be Lena Dunham. Gotta watch out for that!