Leon’s a slacker taking the easy path, not caring about anything, skipping gym (can’t fault him that) and enjoying kicking it in a den of miscreants masquerading as a job.

“When you get a job you like, you should lock it down.”

He used to be different though and now there’s possibility of Anna, his dream girl placed on a pedestal and incomparable, coming back to town. His low-key dread he’s been ignoring kicks into high gear and he turns to Stan to vent.

Only Stan has other plans for Leon who’s been a good minion, even if he’s not a literal believer. It starts with listening to Moby Dick on 19 audio tapes while driving around town. Leon has no idea how this would help, and neither did I, but his journey had begun.


I was a bit worried going in, but for the opposite reason of most people. I didn’t want to hear preaching and turning towards God or whatever. Thankfully, there’s none of that here.

The Good
+LOVED it!
+No preaching or attempts to convert
+Hilarious & fun
+Unpredictable
+Loved Leon, his journey, and character progression
+Realistic teens and activities
+ Quotable
+Insightful

I loved everything about Play Me Backwards. Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about it. Some might object or reject it due to the content, but I found it refreshing and sorely needed, especially after so many slut-shaming books.

It’s an authentic portrayal of teens. There’s sex, disgusting conversations, kicking it while drinking and smoking, video games, metal music, and of course, Dungeons & Dragons. But it’s not hardcore, dark, or dreary. There is romance and sweetness, but it’s not the typical YA fare.

“You do realize your characters would be better off without you, right?”

The story isn’t about Anna. Or a dork dating out of his league. It’s a typical teen drifting through life who starts to try and experience things instead. Along the way he has great introspection, insights, and realizations.

"But I suppose you shouldn't look for symbolism in people's work uniforms."

Throughout the trials and tribulations, Leon is insightful and the writing is great. I loved the short chapters describing one phenomena like dread and love. Not only did I find them funny and spot-on but it’s great building Leon’s character and mindset.

Of course, none of this would happen without S(a)tan. It bucks the Judeo-Christian depiction while including tired tropes against Satanist and making them freshly down to Earth. This Satan is more The Satanic Temple than the Church of Satan. And yes, there’s a huge difference.

He’s the boss at the Ice Cave, a rundown ice cream parlor that’s most popular feature is the den of miscreants in the back. Stan holds court there and in his basement. The amazing thing about those places is the liberation and community among people who would otherwise be outsiders.

Leon likens it to Rudolph’s Island of Misfit Toys only with pride and debauchery. All the background cast have their own personalities and are easily identifiable without John-Green-esque quirks. And you if like Leon’s parents you totally need to check out Cracked series about taste testing old recipes here, here, and here.

I didn’t know what anyone would say or do next. It was a BLAST! Unpredictable and hilarious, Play Me Backwards is nonstop. I did not want to put it down and couldn’t wait to get back to reading.
But like I said earlier, don’t be fooled by the young mischief, there are serious issues that are handled well and are rarely included.

First, while it doesn’t try to convert or de-convert someone, it does include a Separation of Church and State matter. I won’t go into details and spoil the surprise but Stan’s plan is right out of The Satanic Temple’s playbook. If you’ve never heard of their activism you can check some out: Official Campaigns Page, Pro-Abortion 1 & 2, Separation of Church & State 1 & 2 plus a General List.

It's like going to someone else's church: Stand when they stand, sit when they sit, and hope you don't end up getting sacrificed with a big knife or something.

Secondly…

Sex Positivity for Boys & Girls: Rebellion Leads to Liberation

The cynic in me says if Leon was Leona, she wouldn’t have been free to narrate her exploration of sex and insecurities and I hate that. I wish I could think of a similarly freeing and non-judgmental YA book for she-teens.

The good news is none of the girls are slut shamed. No one is made to feel bad for having previous partners or enjoying sex. Dating and moving on the next one is no big deal. The relationship and emotions have weight and significance but sex isn’t a cross to bear for women.

Instead, as easily guessed, liberation is a key theme and they’re free to hang out naked, shirtless, fuck, and do everything guys do. Why the fuck not? It makes sense.

But it’s not all about women, sexism hurts men too. Leon’s previous sexual experiences and insecurities highlight an important part that is often overlooked and turned into women-hating excuses. His exes aren’t painted as evil sluts, just jerks or insensitive. It’s not about their gender, it’s how they treat people.

He doesn’t smear all women or “but not all men” when women complain about sexism. Dudebros should take note. He progresses as a person instead.

And I want a petition to replace Truth or Dare with Permissions.

"So instead of saying 'I dare you to,' you say 'I give you permission to.' And you can either do it or not. It's kind of liberating in a way."

More Quotes!

Being in Oak Meadow Mills could be like being inside one of those mirror mazes that they had at the fair.

I continued my basic routine of saying the stupidest shit possible.

There was a chance that I was playing a part in some pretty ugly stuff, in an offhand sort of way, but so is everyone else with a job, if you think about it. Just about everyone who works is earning money for CEOs who may not be the world's greatest human beings.

"I hear that if a guy takes no for an answer and doesn't text you pictures of his scrotum, he's probably ahead of the curve."

"I wasn't getting any sympathy from the devil, though. Stan was laughing his ass off at me."

SERIOUSLY!

Will you read Play Me Backwards? What do you think of the quotes I selected? Any thoughts on the sex positivity? 

For fans of Andrew Smith's WINGER and GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE comes the latest YA novel by Adam Selzer. PLAY ME BACKWARDS is a hysterical look at the senior year of a slacker named Leon Harris.

The plain and simple truth is, I loved Leon Harris. Yes, he's the protagonist, and you're supposed to like the protagonist, right? Well, Leon is a screw-up, a loser, a slacker, a slob, and sometimes a complete idiot. I loved him anyway.

It takes a kick in the crotch from his ex-girlfriend in England to get Leon to realize all of these things about himself. And when he does, he goes to his BFF Stan for advice. Stan gives him a couple of crazy quests, and Leon sets out on a journey to change his life over the course of his senior year in high school. Of course, he really has no idea that anything is going to change.

Slowly but surely, Leon becomes less of an idiot that screwed up his current life and his entire future. Leon still remains very much himself, though. ""If I ever stop laughing when people say 'balls,' I'll know my heart is dead,"" Leon thinks in chapter 25. I wouldn't say Leon learns a lot about himself over the course of the story, but he does learn to keep what makes him *Leon* intact in the face of preppy girlfriends, parents threatening to kill you with butcher knives, and the eternal threat of not graduating.

Leon also learns a lot about love and relationships. He's not the most experienced with girls, and his nervousness with sexual situations is a refreshing change from contemporary YA in which male sexuality isn't really addressed at all.

""Love is like fitting two puzzle pieces from two different puzzles together.""

This book is the story of Leon trying to fit into puzzles he doesn't belong in. It's laugh-out-loud funny, and the too sticky-sweet kind of gross. And you want to read it. Trust me on this one. Or better yet, trust Satan-ahem, I mean Stan.

""You'll thank me later,"" said Stan. ""You'll see. Thus begins the resurrection of Leon.""

Die 18-jährige Alley Rhodes braucht kein »Twilight«, um zu wissen, wie das so läuft mit Vampiren. Schon vor Jahren sind Vampire, Werwölfe und andere untote Kreaturen aus ihren Särgen gekrochen und Teil ihres Alltags geworden. Ein Vampirfreund ist das ultimative Statussymbol, der Gothic-Look absolut in – doch nicht für Alley. Denn mal ehrlich: Wer will schon einen Kerl, der nie erwachsen wird? Der völlig egozentrisch ist und dabei auch noch launisch? Doch dann begegnet ihr Doug. Der ist vor vier Jahren gestorben, trägt immer noch denselben Anzug und erobert ihr Herz. Alleys Vorsätze sind dahin, und sie muss sich entscheiden, ob sie einen Zombie lieben kann.

 

Bei diesem Buch war es mal nicht das Cover, sondern der Titel, der mich ansprach. Ich halte Zombies immer noch für eine besondere Spezies inmitten der Vampire und Werwölfe in der Bücherwelt. Eine Liebesgeschichte mit einem Zombie war für mich obendrein ziemlich undenkbar. Diese Wesen kennt man ja doch eher als unappetitlich.
So gesehen bietet diese Geschichte also durchaus Erfrischendes.
Trotzdem hat sie bei mir einen sehr zwiegespaltenen Eindruck hinterlassen. Das liegt in erster Linie daran, dass ich zu Alley lange keinen Draht fand. Sie erzählt zwar ganz witzig, aber vom Wesen her war sie mir eine ganze Spur zu obercool, naseweis, großmäulig und arrogant. Allesamt Eigenschaften, die ich nicht schätze.
Da kam mir Zombie Doug ganz gelegen, denn indem dass sich Alley in ihn verliebt ändern sich ihr Verhalten und ihre Sichtweisen deutlich.
Verblüfft war ich allerdings auch. Alley kam mir zuvor nicht wie ein Mädchen vor, dass sich nur wegen gutem Aussehen und der Tatsache, dass ein Typ zwei ihrer Lieblingslieder singt, Hals über Kopf in ihn verliebt.
Und mehr bietet Doug auch nicht, wenn man es genau betrachtet. Er ist noch nett und aufmerksam, aber viel Charakter findet man bei ihm sonst nicht.
Ebenso vergeblich sucht man bei dieser Geschichte nach einer gewissen Romantik. Es muss für mich gewiss nicht zwischen den Seiten hervor triefen, aber wenn man so verknallt ist wie Alley es stets betont, dann wäre die eine oder andere romantische Passagen doch ganz passig und völlig gerechtfertigt!
Von Doug geht in dieser Hinsicht noch weniger aus. Aber dass er charakterlich so blass daher kommt wie seine Hautfarbe, das erwähnte ich ja schon. Wie soll so jemand Romantik heraufbeschwören?
Dennoch: ab Alleys und Dougs Lovestory kam ich mit der Geschichte wesentlich besser klar als zuvor. Das war viel wert, denn wäre sie so geblieben wie zu Beginn, hätte ich das Buch womöglich abgebrochen.

 

Da die 18jährige Alley selber erzählt, ist ein jugendlich-lockerer Erzählstil gegeben. Das macht das Lesen ausgesprochen leicht und die Geschichte liest sich so flott weg. Für einen Teenie-Roman ist das so ideal.

 

Mal ehrlich: Doug hat eine geradezu erstaunliche Ähnlichkeit mit einem gewissen glitzernden Vampir, oder? Wo ist bitte der in der Geschichte so oft erwähnte Gothic-Look? Nein, mit diesem Foto kann ich nichts anfangen. Da bekommt man mal etwas über eine noch wenig behandelte übersinnliche Spezies zu lesen und dann guckt einen vom Cover her ein Edward-Double an! Da hätte ich das Cover der englischen Version klar beevorzugt.

 

Fazit: Insgesamt eine ganz vergnügliche Lektüre für junge Fans von Geschichten um die Liebe zu einem übersinnlichen Wesen. Ich musste mich mit Alley erst anfreunden, was mich anfangs gut ausgebremst hat, aber vielleicht sind die jungen Leser ja weniger kritisch was ihre Darstellung anbetrifft. Dann dürfte nichts schief gehen.

I loved this book. Still wondering how someone would not notice she is dating a zombie, I mean there were enough hints, but yet she didn't know until her friends told her and she asked him.
But I love the romance, they really were made for each other, and she even wanted to consider becoming a zombie for him.

The ending had me crying a bit though. So sad. :(