Title- Looking for Alaska
Rating– 3/5
Genre- YA Contemporary
POV- First person, past tense
Trope- Boarding school, teen friendships, coming of age, the meaning of life
Similar Books/Comps– Falling for You, A Song for a Soldier
My emotions- A bit blah, but overall an average read. I wasn’t sucked in and I didn’t connect with any one character entirely.
Characters–
It seemed as though the title, entire story was about a different side character who didn’t really matter compared to the main character and his journey. I found that theme to be the same for Paper Towns.
Plot/Blurb-
First drink. First prank. First friend. First love. Last words.
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words—and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called “The Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.
Quote-
“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”
Pacing-
I liked how the chapters all flowed into each other without breaks. The countdown labeling each one created the mystery and a “hook” without much else needed.
Best part-
I enjoyed the philosophical themes and deep topics brought up questioning the purpose of life and what comes beyond.
What I’d change-
Each character was so well written (including their flaws) that none seemed completely likeable from my point of view. That may be in the genius of the writing, to show people as they are, the positive and negative traits all in one.
Comments-
For some reason, I don’t seem to be a John Green fan in general compared to the masses. I’ve read several others of his that have fell a little flat for me.
Cassie Swindon 