and in this case it's Maps and me. You know that moment when you're standing at the dock waiting for your ship to come in and you realize that not only has it sailed without you but you're at the wrong damned dock...yeah, that moment.

 

I'm sorry I tried and I just don't get it. All my friends love him and yet, try as I might, most times I'd have to say he just irritates me. I thought maybe after the second book I was starting to warm up to him but nope, I'm right back to the beginning and Maps is just annoying me.

 

Seriously I'm not saying don't read this book because all my friends loved it...Ele, Dani, Jewel, Todd, Sandra and on and on...until you get to me. I don't know why it is but when it comes to Maps, I'm broken. For some reason while everyone is thinking cute and adorable my brain is going "Thank god he's not my kid". Ironically there was a point in the book where I was pretty sure that his parents might agree to me. I've known a lot of parents with kids going off to college, myself included and none of them have ever encouraged their kids to go to school in Europe or Canada when the kid wanted to stay local and save them a ton of money...I'm just putting that out there for the universe to consider.

 

So why you might be asking did I give this book 3 stars? Well, for one thing it's well written. Just because the story doesn't work for me doesn't mean I can't appreciate the quality of it. I was going to just split it down the middle and call it a day but I have to admit I love the cover on this book and I'm bumping this one up to 3 stars because of the pretty that is the cover.

 

If you like stories with truly different characters in them...give this one a try because 'Maps' is nothing if not unique...unfortunately he's just not my brand of unique...what can I say except..."different strokes for different folks..."

 

I'm not sure if this is the final story for Maps and his friends, honestly for those who like him, I hope not, it really does seem like there's potential for a whole lot more...Maps is off to college...seriously that's a wealth of stories for anyone...for someone as unique as Maps it's a novel waiting to happen to be sure. So to Maps, I say "Good luck and farewell. I think I've gone as far on this journey as I need to."

 

*********************
An ARC of Lane's was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly adorkable 3rd installment to Life According To Maps. In which Maps and Lane and Benji and Perry try to figure out the pitfalls of making plans for after high school, teenage angst, and first love.

Maps' usual quirks are front and center as always, assuming that while he should probably find a college to attend, his parents don't really want him to leave, which obviously explains his reluctance in applying for college, obviously, and has nothing to do with his fears of not getting into the same school as Lane, no sirree, not at all.

As Maps and Lane navigate their last few months of senior year, plan for and attend prom, Maps also learns a lot. Okay, some. He definitely learns that Lane loves him, and that he loves Lane. He learns that Perry might have the hots for Benji, possibly, and that those feelings might be returned to some extent, despite Benji's protests and denials.

The way Maps looks at the world is still the same in this book, which is to say completely different from anyone else. He convinces himself that it's not his fears of leaving Benji, and losing Lane, that are keeping him from applying to college and looking forward to finishing high school. He also has a list of things he thinks one should accomplish before finishing high school, such as crashing a party. He makes Lane jealous, unintentionally, during a situation that is so utterly Maps I giggled out loud. I actually giggled quite a few times throughout this book.

This book should not be read as a standalone, since at this point in the series, you have to know Maps to understand him. Besides, why wouldn't you want to read the entire series from start to finish anyway?

Maps is like nobody else you've ever known. That is part of his charm, and while he's not the only character that makes this series worthwhile reading, he's a huge part of the reason.

This is firmly YA fare, as there is no steam other than some toe-curling kisses, but that's not a detriment at all. These boys fumble, they stumble and nearly fall, but their bond is strong and will surely lead them along the right path.

I hope we'll get at least a glimpse of them during their college years. How about it, Nash Summers?


** I received a free copy of this book from its author. A positive review was not promised in return. **

The stories are very well written and engrossing but they are at times too disturbing and gruesome (although that was the point...) for me. An excellent writer for creating an atmosphere of suspense and horror.

It is confirmed: I dislike Stacie, the little girl. Benji is a Best Friend in name only. We do not get to know Lane really well. And Maps is really immature, but hey, here it is disguised as being a "genius", a peculiar teenager, etc. I did not mind that he was an immature the whole novella, by overreacting and avoiding Lane (in fact, I like when this situations happen... makes the story more entertaining... sometimes anyway), but truly, it was like he was 5 and Stacie was 16. Their personalities did not match their age.

And ok, Lane could talk to Maps before. It was understandable why Maps freaked out. Lane, grow some balls, will ya?

The title is misleading. I thought it meant something else (thankfully, I was wrong). I thought that "Diamonds" meant Perry, with his "diamonds" eyelashes and his diamond piercing. Since he was gay and pretty, I thought he was going to be the new love interest in Maps' life. I mean, Maps is young and deserves to fall in love as many times as he wants, until he meets The One, but his relationship with Lane has just started, so I thought it was a big bummer. But yeah, I was wrong. It means the "diamond" at the baseball field. So really, it should have been "Diamond" instead of "DiamondS" but ok.

Very funny and smile-inducing. I liked this one better than the first part.

"Apologize", Lane said to Superman.

Superman turned to Maps. "Uh, sorry dude."

Maps folded his arms across his chest and stuck his nose up in the air. "Hmph. You should be."

Lane turned back toward Maps, smile now covering his face. "I like your cat costume."

"Thanks", he replied, definitely not shyly and definitely not while his face heated.

"Oh my god," Benji said, drawing out the sentence like a long note in a song.

Out of the corner of his eye, Maps could see Perry looking at him and Lane. "This is ridiculous."

Benji nodded. "They're perfect for each other."

Idem. They are truly perfect for each other. In this book it was more believable Maps is special, he is less of a poser here, maybe it's because I got used to him, or maybe the author described him better. Whatever it is, I liked him a way more.



And Lane is still the super hot baseball boy with a cowboy hat. But he is much more than that, he is truly afraid to lose Maps, and has a good heart. I like Maps a lot but Lane is the kind of person I'd like to have for a boyfriend. He's insecure but means well. Always.



And the sense of humor (although they are not aware of it) that impregnates every situation is inspiring. Their mix is delicious.





BTW: Grease is set in the 50s, not the 70s.