Book #7

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
294 pages

I really wanted to love this book. The easy-going way the main character narrates about high school made me remember the first time I read Perks of Being a Wallflower. I wanted to love The Spectacular Now like I loved that.

But I didn't. And I'm not sure why.

Actually, I do know why. It's because the ending felt hollow in my stomach, knowing it was the most realistic ending to a young adult book could give.

(Aside: But didn't Perks have one too? I don't know. I'm just feeling torn about this book!)

Since I had seen the preview for the movie before reading the book, Sutter in my mind IS Miles Teller, and since I love Miles, I automatically loved Sutter. Sutter is a party boy, always looking for the next buzz and never really sticking with anything too long. When he accidentally meetings Aimee after an all-night bender, he finds a true friendship with someone he had always looked passed.

I liked that Aimee was a realistic person -- she wasn't the over-the-top nerdy outcast like Jamie in A Walk to Remember, but a genuine character with real personality traits instead of stereotypes.

The highlight of the book was Sutter's relationship with his sister. I wish it had been explored more in the book, and I wonder if the screenwriters expanded that relationship with more scenes in the movie.

Ultimately, though, this book was a deep look into self-destruction. An admirable trait in a book aimed at teenagers.

After finishing the novel, I would definitely check out more of Tharp's work and I look forward to seeing the film version of this book soon. (If only I could watch it and not pay attention to the fact Aimee is played by the Secret Life of American Teenager girl ...)

Edit: It's been two days and I haven't stopped thinking about this book. Ugh. Emotions!!

Up next: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup