Title: More Happy Than Not
Author: Adam Silvera
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Fiction
Pages: 300
Publisher: Soho Teen
Year Published: 2016
First Line: "It turns out the Leteo procedure isn't bullshit."
"In his twisty, gritty, profoundly moving New York Times Bestselling Debut Adam Silvera brings to life a charged, dangerous near-future summer in the Bronx.
Sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto is struggling to find happiness after a family tragedy leaves him reeling. He's slowly remembering what happiness might feel like this summer with the support of his girlfriend Genevieve, but it's his new best friend, Thomas, who really gets Aaron to open up about his past and confront his future contentment. A revolutionary memory-alteration procedure, courtesy of the Leteo Institute, might be the way to straighten himself out. But what if it means forgetting who he truly is?"
My Rating: 4/5
So I don't read a lot of contemporaries but I'm trying to read books that I normally wouldn't pick up and this one really caught my attention after hearing Jessie The Reader talk about it on his youtube channel. It deals with mental illness, poverty and coming of age. These themes are maintained throughout the book along with the idea of forgetting and remembering. Would it be easier just to forget things that have broken your heart? What would that do to you as a person? I thought about this a lot while I read this book and I can sincerely say that this book is one that will make you think. It will give you the feels and break you apart but overall it will make you wonder. I couldn't give this book a 5/5 because it just didn't feel right. I found the beginning of the book was slow and harder to get into so for that reason I liked it but didn't find myself loving it.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
So this is my first contemporary read for 2017 and I'm happy that it was the first one I picked up. Maybe I'll start picking up more. I really enjoyed this book I thought thtat the premise was interesting. The idea of changing one thing about a person or being able to forget one aspect of your life is intriguing and I truly didn't think that Aaron had already gone through the process once. But I also thought the aspect of sexuality was important to bring up. I'll be the first to admit that I don't read many diverse book but I'm hoping to change that. And I think this book was a good way to start. I thought that bringing in a different lifestyle along with the orientation fo the main character was key in this story and Adam Silvera did an amazing job of showing how different people react to the coming out process not that acting with violence is good, but it's a sad reality for many.
Characters:
Aaron: I think in his 17 years he has seen a lot of shit. Let's be honest. He's put up with being bullied, hiding who he really was, violence in the home, poverty, and he's still coming out trying. By the end of the book, he broke my heart. To know that he might not ever get the happy ending he originally wanted breaks my heart but also knowing that he could be 100% who he was around his family was at least a little relieving.
Thomas: I don't know if Thomas is straight or not and we'll never know because you can't tell someone's sexuality based on the way they act or look. I think that he and Genevieve will be happy together if they give each other a chance.
Genevieve: I was more than a little upset when I found out that she knew he had the procedure done the first time and still got back together with him. I mean I guess they both thought that he would be "straight" but still to let herself fall so in love with him, it just didn't make a lot of sense to me. I hope that she finds happiness somewhere.
Aaron's Mom: To do something to make your child happy even though you might lose them scares the crap out of me but she did it, almost twice. I hope that she doesn't blame herself for the side effects.
Aaron's Dad: I'm going to presume that he was mentally ill, but that doesn't make it ok to abuse your family!
Collin: I hope that he finds happiness someday, some how.
Brennan: He can go straight to hell.
Moments To Remember:
Final Line: "Don't forget me."
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
