Every Exquisite Thing

Rating, 4.5

For those who have followed my reviews, you're aware of a fondness for authors whose stories inspire or raise questions. Such is the case for this one.

Quick has a unique talent that requires the reader to look inward, which when added to his use of metaphor, uplifting morals and quirky characters makes for an engaging and evocative experience. Driven by themes of self value, and being different, we meet Nanette O'Hare, a teen girl who's lead by her high school English teacher to a book titled "The Bubblegum Reaper". Confused by the metaphors, she's delighted to know Booker, the author lives nearby and pays him a visit. In spite of being a 70 year old recluse, Nanette and Booker become friends.

Being different is far from the show more norm, and it's those like myself that appreciate it. While tradition opposes going against the tide, there are many who find comfort within it. Booker introduces her to Alex, a boy he became fond of and the two form a bond due to their desire to be different. Rather than fill this with spoilers, suffice it to say that tragedy yields personal breakthrough.

Being someone that has bucked authority, tradition and the "should's" parents demand, this story was extremely personal since being different is what I've embodied all my life. Regardless of your personal views, this young adult story has merit, much as all of the author's books. Adding the fact of Quick's expertise at storytelling from a female perspective along with his oddball characters and plots, the open minded reader finds joy, inspiration and more! show less

I have no idea how I could love this book so hard and simultaneously not be in sync with Part 2 Nanette, but it happened. This is a beautifully sad book that I won't be forgetting.

There's nothing like Matthew Quick books. It's been a void in my life that needed filling. I read Every Exquisite Thing in one day because I could not stop reading it. At times I had other things to do, but they didn't get done because this crazy/beautiful book completely took over my life.

Nanette is given a book that speaks to her soul and makes her feel like life makes more sense. What reader can't relate with that?? That's my favorite thing about reading: every now and again I come across a piece of writing that makes me feel like I'm not alone in this show more crazy world. I meet characters that are ME. I read words that make me feel OKAY. So then, Nanette gets to meet AND be friends with the author of this life-changing book!! I was so jealous! I would do anything to be besties with my favorite author(s).

That was probably the end of me relating to Nanette though. Nanette has a "rebellious spirit" which awakens after reading The Bubblegum Reaper and meeting a fellow misfit named Alex. And I feel like normally I would relate with rebellion (sometimes I still find myself rebelling just to rebel), but Nanette went about it in a way that felt super selfish and high-horse riding.

Every Exquisite Thing is broken up into 2 parts-- and so were a lot of my feelings.

Part 1-- I was right THERE with Nanette and Alex. I was loving their journey and I was so happy Nanette found someone to share this awakening in her with.

Part 2 though-- I started not liking Alex (he has some serious anger issues) and I started REALLY not liking Nanette. She went from confused girl looking for meaning, to a girl that just gave up. She also spends a lot of Part 2 talking in the 3rd person-- out loud. It was SUPER annoying-- almost as annoying as how selfish Nanette became. I don't know how it happened-- one minute she was a character that I related to and just FELT, and then next thing I knew she was this girl that I wanted to punch.

Ranty Section Where I Tell You What I Think Of Part 2 Nanette:
The thing is: I wanted Nanette to CARE and she just wouldn't. I didn't want her to care about things like soccer and college and conventional teenage life, I wanted her to care about PEOPLE. Why couldn't she just care enough about the people in her life to give them a chance? She wasn't connecting with anybody and she somehow comes to this realization that it's everyone else causing the problem and not her. I get it-- people are HARD sometimes, but it's really disheartening to read about someone who's already given up on people at such a young age. To her they're all homogenized and "mainstream". She had plenty of non-mainstream people in her life, but was able to walk away from all of them without a second thought.

Another really bad thing about Nanette is that she does this insane "experiment" where she decides to act like a popular girl. It goes on for months and she even has a serious boyfriend-- all the while knowing in her mind that it's fake. And then she's all Sorry, Not Sorry to this boy that she completely stomps on. You know why?? Because it's ALL ABOUT NANETTE. When she got up at graduation, I literally wanted to jump into the book and say "sit your ass down, you ungrateful little brat". Someone needs to tell this girl SOMETHING!

There is something completely relatable to not knowing what one wants to do with their future. I feel like most of us have wondered if where we were headed after high school was the right path for us. But Nanette somehow wanted to believe that her uncertainty was worse than all that came before her because she listens to obscure music, likes seeing "art house films" and having philosophical conversations.

So after ALL of what I just said, you're probably thinking this book is BLAH. The weird thing is it's not!! Sure Nanette is kind of awful. But the thing is, I like reading about all different types of stories. It usually would offend me to read about a girl who is selfish and pretentious, but this book just worked. I'm never going to like Nanette, but I was intrigued by her story. That's the genius of Matthew Quick for me. That he could write this totally un-likable girl and still have me turning pages like mad to see what would happen to her, is impressive.

OVERALL: I love a book that can make me feel... even if that emotion is mostly ANGER towards one of the characters. What reader couldn't relate to finding a book that changes your life?? That premise made me love this book even after the main character started acting a fool. I totally recommend this to anyone who's ever felt lost and found a book that made you feel found.

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This is the fourth book I've read by Matthew Quick, and I can definitely say that I've been impressed with each one! Quick has a talent for writing about mental health issues in way that makes them feel so real, and in a world that constantly trivializes mental health, I think that's really important. Really, really important.

Nanette is about to enter her senior year of high school when she reads a book, The Bubblegum Reaper. This book awakens a rebellious spirit in Nanette, allowing her to finally be open with a reckless abandon. After befriending a reclusive author and a troubled poet and fellow fan, she must learn to find a balance between her rebellious side and her life before.

Though I'm not in high school anymore, I think many show more teens coming to the end of their high school experience would find this book incredibly relatable, especially because Nanette feels like she was pressured into a lot of the activities she participated in, like soccer. Society places this immense pressure on teens to be successful and well-rounded in everything that they do, often driving them into states of anxiety or depression, like depicted in this particular story. And Matthew Quick does a marvelous job putting this exact state of being into words, while still addressing the life of privilege that Nanette comes from.

The other thing that's awesome about this book is that it is a book about the way that books can open up your world view and completely change your life (metafiction, anyone?). This has happened to me personally so often that I love the fact that it is a book that catalysts Nanette's journey toward learning more about herself and breaking free from the cage that she feels trapped in.

That being said, there was one thing that bothered me while reading this, one small instance that made me cringe slightly. Fairly early in the narrative, Nanette says, "I used to worry I was asexual or something." The connotation provided here rubbed me the wrong way, and while I understand that this is the view of the speaker and not necessarily the author, I wasn't sure that it needed to be included in here anyway. The connotation of "worrying," as if being asexual was a bad thing, frustrated me a bit. As someone who is continuously on the lookout for positive portrayals of asexuality (as there are very few, especially in YA), I was a little disheartened by this small instance here.

However, other than that, this is a spectacular book that I think should be included in any high school classroom, to show students that it's okay to not have life completely figured out when you graduate high school. show less

The latest Matthew Quick novel does not disappoint! Quirky as ever, this young adult novel tackles depression, conforming to society, bullying, and choosing one's own destiny. It's heartbreaking, adorable, and inspiring all in one go. Nanette O'Hare should by all rights be a popular teen. She's star of the girl's soccer team, has the most stylish clothes, and is by all accounts, very pretty. However she could care less about being popular, she's happiest reading her favorite book, "The Bubblegum Reaper" and hanging out with her only real friend, the elderly author of her favorite novel. The out of print cult classic,"The Bubblegum Reaper," brings out Nanette's inner rebel and she starts to really enjoy life instead of just coasting by, show more especially when her reclusive author sets her up on a blind date with another fan, the strong troubled poet, Little Lex. Together they learn that sometimes teenage rebellion has a higher price to pay than they bargained for. I wasn't always thrilled with Nanette's decisions but Quick does a wonderful job illustrating her state of mind. A wonderful read.

I received this book for free from the publisher in return for my honest, unbiased opinion. show less

Not sure what to make of this book. Nanette O'Hare is a good student and star soccer player at her high school, but an outsider who spends her lunch time with her English teacher. When her teacher introduces her to an out-of-print book about a disaffected teen railing against conformity, Nanette's life is changed and she finds and befriends the book's author. While Nigel Booker refuses to discuss his novel, he does encourage Nanette to rethink her life, leading her to quit the soccer team and reconsider going to college. He also introduces her to a boy her age who is also a fan of the book and a tortured poet, Alex. Alex is kind of the manic pixie dream boy of the novel which is kind of a tragedy since neither Nanette nor the author show more seem to want to realize that he is a colossal douche. I won't go into any spoilers but a lot of things happen that push Nanette to the edge of her sanity and increase her resentment against everyone she knows. I think the problem with this book is that so many characters are so one-dimensional and villainous, that it undermines the generally well-rounded and contradictory characterization of Nanette herself. Maybe I've just finally outgrown teenage rebellion? show less

Nanette O’Hare lives the privileged life of a rich white teenager. She’s been the star of soccer since she was like 6 and her parents dote on her because of it. The only problem is that Nanette hasn’t liked soccer (or her coach who insists on calling her Nan which she hates) for a while but she sticks with it because it makes her dad so happy. Towards the end of her junior year, her favorite teacher hands her a book that he tells her she’s going to love called The Bubblegum Reaper. After reading it, he helps her get in touch with the author of the book and befriend him. Soon after Nanette starts making decisions that revolve around her desires instead of what others want from her and she spends her senior year finding out what show more she wants with the help of a boy who writes poetry to share his true dark feelings to world.

The first time I heard of Matthew Quick was after watching The Silver Linings Playbook and I saw that it was a movie based on a book so I read it and liked it. I’m not very good at explaining what it is about an author’s writing that I like but I really like Quick’s assessment of the world and how his characters react to it. Nanette was relatable when it came to her rebellion against the world and even more so when she started doing things she actually enjoyed.

One thing that I’m still not a fan of is how he writes romances because even though Pat and Tiffany had their moments they still weren’t “couple goals” and I found the same to be with Nanette and Alex. But I think its also something that I really like about him, how if there happens to be a romantic arc it’s not the main focus in the identity of his characters. Alex just happened to be someone that helped Nanette discover her ability to let people see the real her.

Something that I really appreciated was how this book highlighted the fact that anyone could be dissatisfied with their life and that those feelings are valid. It annoys me when someone expresses disbelief that someone so privileged could be so unhappy. There’s a difference between being bored and being unhappy and after being coerced into trying “normal activities for a teenager” even though she didn’t want to, Nanette needed to get away from those things that were making her unhappy. I just really liked this book. show less

Nanette O'Hare is an accomplished teenager in her junior year of high school. She has the grades and the moves on the soccer field to warrant the college scouts at her games. Then Nanette is introduced to "The Bubblegum Reaper" and her perception of the life she has been living up until this point changes drastically. She befriends the book's off-beat author and unleashes the rebellious teenager she has kept pent up for years.
Every Exquisite Thing is a character driven book. The reader watches Nanette evolve from the person everyone else wants her to be into the person she wants to be. All books lovers whose world has been shaken by a book will understand and relate.
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.