I basically have two opinions of this book:

1. ... Yes

2. No.

From the beginning until almost the end I was entertained but also annoyed. While I mostly liked the idea, the way of writing, the honourable mentions of approximately one quadrazillion works of literature - my dislike for Blue's father was so overwhelming, it almost ruined the book for me. Like, seriously. Whenever she brought up yet another one of his wise words and witticisms I was overcome with the strong desire to punch something.

Well, my journey started with "that's all quite nice and stuff but shut up about your daaaad, girl" and took an interesting turn shortly before the end. The morning Blue wakes up and her father is gone was the moment I really started enjoying the book. The remaining pages filled me with a happy notion of "what the actual fuck?!" and if I only rated this last part the book would maybe earn 4 stars. So it remains somewhat 2.5 ...

"What did you think?", Goodreads asks me, so I'll tell you what I mostly thought while reading: "Nope, nope, nope." That's it, basically.
Ok, it got a little better at the end and I almost granted it two stars (which would be quite good, considering my high amount of nope-ing), but then, it's just too...nope.

One reason for my reaction could, of course, be, that I'm simply not that much into 13-year-old-girl-finds-true-love-novels anymore. I cannot deny that there still are some books of this kind I percieve as cute and enjoyable, but well, this one obviously not.

A major reason may be my general dislike for snarky first person narrators in YA novels. Mostly, they are annoying at best and punch-in-the-face-able at worst, but this girl tops everything.
Seriously.
I know, to describe her change into a better person she has to start kind of un-likeable, but this was just over the top.

Kacey hosts a tv progam at her middle school (do things like this exist? I live in Germany, so I'm basically a person from medieval ages)in which she reads out anonymus letters from other pupils who seek help in some way. Her support mostly consists of harsh insults and apparently the whole high school idolizes her for being a huge a-hole. Her other hobbies include being mean to her friends (under pretence of simply wanting to tell the truth, like real journalists do), being incredibly superficial and lying to either get boys to like her or date her friends (where is your journalistic truth now, Kacey?).

Firstly: I am aware of the fact that 12-year-olds are not the well-rounded, highly moral, modest and friendly human beings I would like them to be.
Secondly: If today's 12-year-olds really are like the characters in this book, I do not want to live on this planet anymore.

It was hard to believe that they are about 12/13 at all - at the beginning they seem more like the classic backstabbing, popular, I-describe-every-single-part-of-my-outfit-including-obscure-brand-names homecoming queens we all know (in my case only in fictional form), but then their age was mentioned and like the sensitive lady I am, I fainted.

After some pages which gave me the chance to build up an immense dislike towards Kacey, I could happily witness her tragic downfall:
She gets BRACES. [gasps]
AND GLASSES. [faints, again]
Yes, I know this does not make one happy; I had to endure both. But, breaking news: From the beginning on it is made clear that both of these terrifying instruments will only accompany her temporarily - she will need those freaking glasses for only four weeks or something like that, and still, this catastrophe destroys her whole life and hopes and future and what you will.

I'm sorry. I do not take the situation in all its horrible immensity seriously. I simply can't. Believe me, I've tried, but all the time I was silently screaming at the pages: "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER AND CUT THE DRAMA."

The bigger part of the book consists of the blahblah we all know: the freakish braces-and-glasses-monster has to live outside of civilized society and befriend nerd boys with skinny jeans. The horror!
This life-changing experiences lead to her becoming a better person and finding the love of her life. Standard.

But it is not so much the plot I criticize, really, but the characters. It's a comedy book, and therefore a certain degree of exagerration is excuseable, but really?
Really?
Really?

Maybe this was just the final sign that I should stop reading young adult literature, which would be kind of sad, to be honest.
Anyway: How to Rock Braces and Glasses is nothing I would recommend to anyone ever. Stories like this can be found in countless other books, and in most of them the main character is not that utterly dislikeable.

The hints that her behaviour could be a result of her father leaving the family could have been a good idea, but seemed half-hearted and unconvincing to me. That's really a pity, I was hoping that at one point the book would be able to evoke a bit of empathy inside me.

I'm sorry. This review might be quite rude, and this even is the polite version. In my head it contained certainly more swear words.

I am happy for people who really enjoyed the book, but, to be honest, I do not understand.

Title: Reality Boy

Author: A.S. King

Release Date: October 22, 2013

Free Preview of the first 14 Chapters: Amazon

Genre: YA | Fiction | Contemporary

My Rating: 4.5

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Pre-order signed/personalized copies from Aaron's Books.

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life.

 

Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

 

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved.

My Review

Sixteen year old Gerald Faust has grown up with the social stigma of having been featured on a reality TV show when he was a 5 year old child. Network Nanny, a show similar to Supernanny, swooped in to try to “fix” the problem children but failed to address the real problems, a violent psychotic sister and an emotionally detached mother leaving a very resentful 5 year old who acted out in the only way he knew how. His outrageous behavior made him somewhat of a local celebrity, although Gerald didn’t see this as something to have been proud of. The combination of his embarrassment about those things shown on Network Nanny and his anger, hurt, and resentment about what he has to deal with in his crazy dysfunctional home has made Gerald an extremely volatile kid. The coping skills he has acquired, some on his own and some through his Anger Management sessions, keeps his violent outbursts in check but also makes him very socially awkward.

The first thing I have to praise about Reality Boy was the authenticity of the characters. The author goes to some dark places and pokes and prods so that the reader can understand the feeling and motivation behind each of her characters actions. I felt for Gerald and spent most of the book furious with his negligent parents, reality TV, and a world where things like this go unnoticed or unremarked upon. Gerald’s inner dialog, while sometimes extremely odd, allowed me to connect with him and understand his inner turmoil, his self-doubt, and his rage.

The romance was understated and thankfully not the focal point of the book. It felt genuine and I enjoyed Hannah almost as much as I liked Gerald. Hannah had her own emotional baggage which seemed to sometimes clash with Gerald’s and at other times, be a perfect fit. I loved how quirky they both were and how these quirks seemed to forge a bond between them. It was very nicely done.

There isn’t much negative to say about Reality Boy. I enjoyed reading this much more than I was expecting to having never read anything by this author previously. The only flaws I can think of may be that some parts tended to be a bit repetitive and the story maybe lagged a bit here and there. However, these issues are minor compared to how fascinating and original I found this story to be. I was completely drawn in and invested in Gerald’s story.

I would absolutely recommend Reality Boy to fans of contemporary YA. This book has heart, spirit, and originality. I look forward to reading more of this author’s books!

Rating: 4.5

About A.S. King:

A.S. King is the author of the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner, Ask the Passengers, Everybody Sees the Ants, a 2012 ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and Andre Norton Award nominee, and the Edgar Award nominated, 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

She is also the author of the ALA Best Books for Young Adults Dust of 100 Dogs, an adult short story collection, Monica Never Shuts Up, and the upcoming REALITY BOY (2013). After a decade living self-sufficiently and teaching literacy to adults in Ireland, she now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and children.

For more author information, fun facts, book report fodder, go to The OFFICIAL A.S. KING AUTHOR PAGE.

Visit website here | Follow A.S. King on Twitter | Become a Facebook Fan.

Reality Boy Blog Tour Schedule

October 14^th – October 18

October 14^th – Donna at A Happy Booker – Review

October 14^th – Victoria at Lady Reader's Bookstuff – Guest Review

October 15^th – Kait at Reading Vixens – Review

October 15^th – Mindy at Books Complete Me – Review

October 16^th – Taneesha at Kaidan's Seduction – Review

October 16^th – Kriss at Cabin Goddess – Review

October 16^th – Leanne at Leanne's Reviews – Spotlight & Excerpt

October 17^th – Pam at Unconventional Librarian – Review

October 17^th – Mandy at IReadIndie – Top Ten List

October 18^th – Alethea atRead Now Sleep Later – Review

October 18^th – Wanda at Good Choice Reading – Review

October 18^th – Mandee at Books and Bling – Review

November 11^th – Evie at Bookish– Review

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