Mini Review Post!

Are You My Boyfriend? by C.B. Bryza

Hardcover, 64 pages

Published February 4th 2014 by Gallery Books
Review Copy: Received During NYCC
Purchase: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble

Description from Goodreads:

My Review:
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up a copy of this book during NYCC.
It looked like it would be a quick, fun read. And while it was a quick read, I can't say it was exactly fun.

Are You My Boyfriend? is a parody of Are You My Mother?. It's a fun idea, but I didn't love how it was executed.

If you're looking for a fast read (seriously, it's a sixty-four page picture book), then give this one a shot. But I can't really recommend it as I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it.



Tween Hobo: Off the Rails by Tween Hobo

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published: June 17th 2014 by Gallery Books
Review Copy: Received During NYCC
Purchase: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble

Description from Goodreads:
 A hilarious and irreverent illustrated book based on the popular Twitter feed (@tweenhobo), featuring a young spunky girl who packs up her glitter pens and sneaks out of math class one Monday afternoon to traverse the railroads in search of freedom, adventure, and her own personal obsession: Justin Bieber tickets.

Get ready to laugh and learn with the littlest hobo. She’s only twelve years old, but a “hard twelve.” You’ll meet her friends: Stumptown Jim (a hero who tried his best to homeschool her on the road); Tin Cap Earl (who’s always up for shooting a “Call Me Maybe” parody video in a graveyard); Toothpick Frank (who loves Pinterest); Salt Chunk Annie (a “woman of the night,” whatever that means) and Hot Johnny Two-Cakes (who Tween Hobo swears she does NOT have a crush on).

Find out how she survives, thanks in part to the kindness of park rangers. You’ll hear her take on major cultural events (“I go off a fiscal cliff every time I go near a Claire’s.”). And you’ll enjoy beautiful hand-rendered illustrations that bring out the beauty in her words—just like how eyeliner makes a hobo’s look really pop.

Often snarky and frequently ridiculous, this imaginative journal-like book includes maps, jokes, laughs, doodles, tips, hobo symbols (“House with a triangle on top means PIZZA PARTY!!!), games, stories, and more. So grab your iPhone and wrap it in a handkerchief, tie it to a stick, and let’s roll!

My Review:
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

*I received a free copy of this book during NYCC.*

I made it nearly to nearly 50% on this one before I bailed.
I was expecting a fun read, but that isn't what this book is. At all.
TWEEN HOBO: OFF THE RAILS is not a good book.
I don't like to post bad reviews. In fact, if I can't rate a book at least three stars, I usually avoid reviewing it. With this book, however, I feel the need to post a review.

What I did like about TWEEN HOBO:
1. It was a different kind of read; something that I haven't seen on the market yet, and that was refreshing.

And that is about where I stop with what I liked.

Now, onto what I didn't like:
1. I get that teens (er, tweens) feel like running away at times. I think that is a stage that we all go through at one point or another, but how this is handled is beyond realistic. She runs off one day when she's supposed to be at school, with her cell phone, mind you, and yet her parents never call to see where she is. In fact, the first bit of contact that is shown on the pages is from her teacher and it's long after she runs away.
2. This young girl runs away, and yet, she barely seems to run into trouble. In fact, she immediately runs into another train hopper, an older man that immediately takes to her as if she is his own daughter. He doesn't try to get her to go home. Instead, he takes her along with him as if it's nothing.
3. Back to her cell phone. She's constantly updating her Twitter account, her Instagram account, and her Facebook account... and still, there's no contact from her parents. And they never seem to bother to track her down. Again, I know this is supposed to be a *funny* book, but it's nowhere near realistic. There should be *some* sort of realism. Even if just a bit. =\

I don't know.
I really wanted to like this. It seemed like it could be a hilarious read, but I'm beyond disappointed. It just doesn't make sense, and I couldn't stand the main character. At times, she did come off as a tween, and that was great. But a majority of the time, her personality and her actions all felt forced.

Would I recommend this book? No.
Should you try it? Maybe. I mean, there's a good chance that you'll enjoy it. After all, there are plenty of positive reviews mixed in with the negative reviews.

View all my reviews