Post by Dabeagle on May 8, 2023 8:29:03 GMT -5
This book comes with the typical reviews on the dust jacket - once you enter Micah's world, you won't want to leave and so forth. As a part-time contrarian my mental urge when confronted with such hype is generally to resist, and I did at first. Micah is a little difficult for me to relate to - he comes from money, a lot of it. Spending money without having a job is just part and parcel of his life. Due to some public moments early on with his family, he places a value on anonymity and created a secret Instagram account called Instaloves where he turns guys he finds attractive into fantasy boyfriends - gunslingers, knights, etc. One of the many potential pitfalls in writing is the character with this one, unique ability - great artist/athlete/scientist/etc. Micah can sketch up something in about ten minutes. The inside of the dust jacket gives the plot away by letting us know that Micah's true love may be closer than he thinks, and they drop sufficient hints throughout enough that being hit by one would cause serious injury.
Micah uses the word queer to describe himself and others, which is a word I'm not comfortable with. In some ways it's a clear separation along age lines - people who want to say the word has been reclaimed and repurposed and those for whom it was used as a club and won't ever really be acceptable. He doesn't use the term to excess, but I noticed it due to my own issues with it.
At some point, though, the story does take flight, even dragging the weight of the foreshadowing that Micah's storybook romance won't make it through the book. In a certain sense it's a 'Pretty Woman' for teens - the rich Micah and his eventual love, who comes from much more moderate means and shows us how being happy doesn't relate to money (though we all know by now, it sure doesn't hurt). While Micah worries and wonders about getting into the Chicago Art Institute, others are worrying about having tuition. Of course the money and fame enable Micah to have some endearing, fairy tale moments as he progresses even to a frantic, last minute take on Cinderella that's quite entertaining.
Certain facets of this story do make for fun reading - the questing is really fun - and it seems to find a good stride off and on and does end on a romantic high, but I'd also say the story has some let-down moments where I'd put the book down and come back a bit later. Micah spends many pages fighting his own insecurities, which while very real, are tempered by his pampered life.
If you like the idea of a little bit of fairy tale romance - complete with the pumpkin at midnight - then don't miss out on this book!