Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

HOW YA LIKE ME NOW by Brendan Halpin is the story of opposites. One boy - his father dead and his mother entering rehab to kick her OxyContin habit. Another boy - two caring parents and anything he needs and wants.

Eddie and Alex are cousins. They haven't seen each other much over the years, but that's all about to change.

Eddie's lost his dad unexpectedly, and he has found himself taking over for his mother more and more lately. She found that using his dad's leftover prescriptions helped dull her pain. Eddie hasn't had time to socialize. His focus is on keeping their home together and not falling behind in school. Unfortunately, her life spiraling out of control has left Eddie with the options of foster care or moving to live with relatives he barely knows.

Alex hears his cousin will soon be sharing his room. Used to being the only child in a pretty comfortable home environment makes Alex doubtful that the experience will be a pleasant one. Sharing is not something he is very accustomed to, including girls. Alex is gifted in the area of women. They gravitate toward him, so he's always with someone and is filled with quirky advice about how to make the right move to attract the right girl.

His relocation takes Eddie not only into a new home, but also into a new school setting. The school is a special private school with a focus on professionalism in every aspect of the students' lives. Although it is not what he is used to, Eddie finds that with the help and friendship of Alex, he becomes quite comfortable. In fact so comfortable, that when there is news his mother is recovering and wants to get in touch with him, Eddie battles mixed feelings about returning to his former life.

Told from alternating points of view, HOW YA LIKE ME NOW relates the inner feelings of both boys. The reader learns the inner workings of these two opposite characters. There are both serious moments and lighthearted comic relief. Most readers will choose a favorite character and cheer him on until the end. ( )

I loved this book so much, and I already do really like Brendan Halpin, but this one was great. It felt real, and knowing Halpin's history, this added to the realism of the book. Eddie has been living for a year basically on his own - his father died, and his mother got addicted to painkillers after his death. She was there, but Eddie was really being his own parent. When she is arrested and sent to rehab, Eddie moves into Boston to go to an alternative school with his cousin Alex. It is through school and his relationship with Alex that Eddie learns to go on with his life, and to try letting other people in. The school, which is based on a business model, is very real, and the other kids in Eddie and Alex's homeroom are well-drawn as well. This book rings true, and I think it would be interesting to many other kids - maybe even good enough to blog about. ( )

Eddie has been taking care of himself and the household for more than a year. After his dad died, his mom turned to painkillers and soon developed an addiction. When the whole situation unravels and Eddie's mom goes to rehab, Eddie moves in with his aunt, uncle and cousin, Alex, in Boston. He goes to school at CUE, an alternative high school where finally Eddie feels it is ok to be smart and achieve. This is a quick engaging read about Eddie's struggle to heal and fit in at a new school with friends and maybe even find romance. Both Eddie and Alex though really different at first find they have a lot to learn from each other and grow to rely on each other. ( )

High school sophomore Eddie struggles to find his footing in a new environment after his father dies and his mother enters drug rehab. This one didn't sock me in the gut the way Halpin's adult novels Long Way Back and Dear Catastrophe Waitress did, but it's nevertheless a quick, enjoyable, and believable YA read. ( )

Halpin, Brendan. (2007). How Ya Like Me Now. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 208 pp. ISBN 0-374-33495-1 (Hardcover); 16.00

I have a definite weakness for books with chapter ending zingers that tie the chapter themes together or add that sarcastic/ironic bit of spice that perfectly matches or contrasts the message and tone of the previous pages. Halpin does this over and over in this bitterly funny book about Eddie's dysfunctional mother and dead father and his attempt to fit into a new private school. For example, the end of chapter two (after we have been given a tour of FA CUE, the school, and its "partners") Mr. Harrison dismisses Alex and Eddie's "associates" and welcomes the 1st year associates (9th graders) with "Yes! The Odyssey of Homer! Let's put out a Cyclops's eye this morning, shall we?" (17) Eddie is also attempting to fit into a new home with another teen in it, Alex. Alex's very typical teenage angst at the end of chapter 6 in which he is disgusted with his parents, who have taken in Eddie, is very real, especially because Alex also recognizes that they are partly correct, even if he will not admit this to others. A weakness of many novels is the inability to differentiate main characters; Alex and Eddie are very different yet still share that teen camaraderie and that teen identity. The book is very funny while, at the same time, probing the harmful (but well meaning) counseling and advice adults are prone to give (often without every listening or asking questions). The school portrayal with its arbitrary rules and procedures is subject to both ridicule and admiration. There are, however, gaps in this portrayal, as this school seems to exist for the sake of one marketing project. The same gaps are true for Alex's parents although some leeway must be granted for the teen viewpoint we are receiving. I do love the way Alex rushes out after thanking his dad for cooking "the horrible crap" at the end of chapter 8 (p. 71). Eddie's conflicted feelings about his mom seemed very believable to me. I also especially enjoy the way Eddie wanders into relationships and then seems shocked when he suddenly realizes that his future may, indeed, include girls. Students who like I Love You, Beth Cooper may also like this one.