Stephanie Perkins

So, I never actually intended to ever read a Stephanie Perkins novel. Ever.

When I went to the Southern Festival of Books and saw that Perkins had a panel, I was kind of like, “Yeah, ok, maybe I’ll check that out” since there weren’t any other panels I was interested in. It’s not that I think Perkins is a bad writer… over the top contemporary YA with big sweeping romances just isn’t my thing. I was especially turned off by the cheating in ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and just sort show more of gave up on anything Perkins related.

But.

But then I sat in on her panel and she is charming and engaging and an adorable little gem… that’s also full of spook. It felt like finding a kindred spirit, so I knew I wanted to get her last book and her sign it. Would I ever read it? I mean… maybe. Probably not. But when my friend wanted to buddy read it, I decided to give it a go. A few chapters a day wouldn’t kill me, right?

I finished the book in one day.

My friend is so mad.

I’ve seen a lot of negative things about this book but I absolutely adored it. In all honesty, I think you have to be a fan of cheesy, B-movie slasher films to truly appreciate just how good this book is. This isn’t meant to be a psychological thriller. It’s not to be some grand mystery. This is Cherry Falls meets I Know What You Did Last Summer.

I was really impressed with the killer’s “tell”. If you don’t know what a tell is, think of every slasher movie you’ve ever seen. How do you know when the killer is just around the corner? Some movies use music. Some movies go silent. Perkins used a really great tell- things just slightly askew, not quite where the character remembered putting them. That’s pretty genius. Not only does it confuse the character, but it gives the reader a heart stopping “heads up” that… well, someone’s about to die. It also makes us paranoid! How many of us have sworn the cup of water was JUST RIGHT THERE but now it’s not? Now I have to think “Did I actually put it somewhere else… or am I about to get whacked…”

There have been lots of complaints that there isn’t much of a plot and… I mean, I agree. I think most slasher films don’t have a plot either. Sometimes just staying alive in the midst of a tragedy is a good enough plot. Perkins isn’t claiming to be Stephen King- she wanted to write a campy slasher book and she got it right. The other complaints I’ve seen are that there was too much romance and not enough murder. In 287 pages, we see 3 teenagers get murdered and 5 others be brutally assaulted. That’s an average of 1 stabbing every 35 pages. Y’all. As for the romance, it’s not overdone. Every slasher film has a romantic element to it… it kinda makes you root a little harder for the young lovers to survive.

I also want to address some of the issues around Darby’s character. I am not trans so this is definitely not my lane and I am open to linking reviews done by trans people that talk about Darby. Before I read this, I knew there was some controversy surrounding Perkins using Darby’s deadname. In the book, the MC is talking about her friends and she mentions that Darby’s legal name is still Justine Darby but that he goes by Darby. My friend who is reading the book with me (Or, well, was… I’m so sorry, Seth, I can’t help that I read it that fast) is trans and saw no problem with the passage. I have other trans friends who saw problems with it. I have other other trans friends who said that it wasn’t the best way to handle it but it wasn’t exactly problematic. I think it goes back to the point that we aren’t a monolith and there’s no 100% right way to handle every character. Another thing people were upset with was the fact that Grandma Young doesn’t allow Ollie into Makani’s room but has allowed Darby in her room in the past. The feeling is that Grandma Young is misgendering Darby or still sees him as being female. I feel like it was more poor wording than malicious intent by Perkins. Growing up, I was allowed to have male friends in my room but not boys that my parents thought I was interested in (joke’s on you, parents, you should have been watching the girls). I definitely felt more like “I know you’re interested in this boy so y’all stay down here” than anything else.

This lost a star for me just because I thought revealing the killer half-way through the book was, eh, a little too soon. Perkins made this reveal work, but I still like being surprised at the end. Product of the Scooby-Doo generation, I like my bad guys to have their masks ripped off at the end.

Again, I loved this book! If you’re looking for a little romance, a lot of gore, and some teenagers getting whacked, this one is for you! show less

For my friend Paul Hankins, a longer review than normal...

Before you read this review, you must understand how much I loved high school. I had a blast. I know it wasn't perfect, but what I remember about high school is laughing, kissing, fighting, and making up. I remember with clarity the first time my boyfriend and I kissed, and how magical it felt.

As I read this novel, at first I was taken aback by how familiar everything she wrote felt to me. After about 50 pages, I settled in, and show more reading this book was like being 17 again...and I really liked being 17.

Is the book predictable? Yes. At times, does it read a little like a screenplay? Well, a lot of books these days do. But Perkins wrote a story that is unabashedly romantic without being too cheesy, and Anna, though clearly in love with one of her classmates, does not pine or agonize. That's not to say there aren't moments when Anna is frustrated with her situation, but she doesn't dwell on it. That's a nice change from the relationship drama in Hunger Games or Matched. This one felt just more organic and real.

What I loved most, though, was how Perkins captured an intelligent teen voice without being sardonic or Valley-Girl-ish. I laughed out loud several times throughout this book. At one point, during SSR time, my students shot me dirty looks because I was laughing so often.

It's clearly a romantic comedy, so if you choose to read it, be prepared for the cliches that typically accompany that genre. But Perkins somehow makes the cliches not feel so overused. show less

I had to give this a few hours to stew in my brain so I could make sure I wasn't just high off of Etienne and Anna's love. It has been determined that I totally am and I don't care. THIS WAS SO GOOD! Anna and her relationship with Etienne made me squeal. Out loud. Multiple times. It's a good thing my roommate went home for the weekend. Anyway, I was a little leery going in (despite being generally excited about this book because I've heard many a wonderful thing) because it's been a while show more since I've read a YA novel. And I haven't felt like I fit into the YA category for even longer. So it felt a bit weird, but SO GOOD. I expected this to be unrelatable and over the top, like "oh I'm in Paris the City of Love, I must fall in Love" etc. etc. but I was mistaken. It was real, and what made me even love it more was that Etienne wasn't a dream guy. I mean yeah, he was Anna's dream guy, but he wasn't perfect. He couldn't handle the situation between the two girls very well, and frankly he was mean at times, but that's what made him good. And Anna is the same. I LOVE that she's a film critic - you don't see that topic in books a lot (at least the books I've read). I also like various other things, such as the realisation Anna had about Bridge and Toph and how it mirrored her and Etienne. I liked how Josh and Rashmi didn't stay together to show that high school sweethearts don't always work out. The only complaint I have about the book (and I sat here trying to think of more, believe me) was Anna's weird relationship with Dave near the end. He was mentioned in the beginning, yeah, but when all of a sudden they were "sort of dating" I felt as if I missed a big part of Anna even considering dating Dave. But that's it. Honestly. I really, really loved this. I'm gonna miss these crazy kids. show less

I LOVED this short story collection! I just want to wrap up this book and give it to all my friends for Christmas. It's freaking adorable! The collection of authors who have stories in here is impressive, they're all kings and queens of the YA market. There is Holly Black, Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, Gayle Forman, Laini Taylor and several more. Each short story is holiday themed romance, but beyond that, they vary wildly! There is Hannakuh, New Years, Krampus Day; Kelly Link throws some show more fantasy in her London Christmas story, David Levithan throws ho ho homosexuals in (adorable and sad story, as always), Holly Black gets wild in "Krampuslauf," and there is much much more. I read this book in a span of one day, and I was not disappointed in a single story! I think my two favorites were by Holly Black and Stephanie Perkins. This is a must read for teens and adults this holiday season. You seriously won't be disappointed. Best holiday book I've read in a long time, perhaps... ever?! show less