THIS BOOK
IS FUCKING AMESOME!
You know, I
didn't believe it when people said that Stand-Off was as good as Winger. Winger
is one of my favorite book and I could not imagine how anything could top it.
But here I am, in awe of this sequel.
Every time I try to review one of Andrew Smith's book, I end up babling because there is just so much to say, sorry in advance guys.
Every time I try to review one of Andrew Smith's book, I end up babling because there is just so much to say, sorry in advance guys.
In this
book, we come back to Ryan Dean West starting
his last year of high school as a fifteen year old senior. His love and relationship
with Annie has not changed, but his living arrangement did. Since the death of
Joey, his former best-friend, O-Hall has been shut down and Ryan Dean is back
in the regular dorm with none other than the Abernathy kid, a twelve years old
boy with a Mario bed cover. But then again, Ryan Dean has a Fluffy Unicorn on
his… But that's the least of his worries, with Nate on the loose and all.
I loved
Stand-Off so much it's ridiculous. What I really can't get over is how it
exceeded my expectations! I'm pretty sure Winger was suppose to be a stand
alone. The ending was perfect in every way; it gave us enough details to be
satisfy and yet, enough room to imagine the rest ourselves. It's not a secret
that I was a bit sceptical getting into this book.
Oh boy was
I worried for nothing!
Winger had
such a great cast of characters that I was scared to be disappointed. I didn't
want anyone to try and take Joey's place, or even Chas for that matter! But we
got to meet incredible new people instead: Sam Abernathy and Spotted John.
Sam was a
mini-Ryan Dean. He's starting high school at the age of twelve and everyone
thought it would be a great idea to put him in a room with the only other kid
to have done the same thing, our dear Ryan Dean.
Sam was the perfect comic relief for this book. He was so nice and clueless and, yes, adorable, that I couldn’t help but smile and laugh out loud at every scene he took part in.
Sam was the perfect comic relief for this book. He was so nice and clueless and, yes, adorable, that I couldn’t help but smile and laugh out loud at every scene he took part in.
As for
Spotted John, he was GREAT! I love how Andrew Smith always includes diverse
characters in his books. We had Joey that was gay in Winger and now, we have
Spotted John. What was great was the different approach used with both
characters. Joey was Ryan Dean's best friend and he was out to the team and
all. Spotted John is Ryan Dean's teammate and we learn that he is gay because
he hits on him! Those moments were hilarious!
Annie, Seanie and JP all came back and it was really cool to see them change too.
This is why
I love this book so much: character development.
Ryan Dean
went through such a transformation in this book and it was simply beautiful to
read. He's trying to deal with Joey's death but he can't quite manage and
creates Nate instead : Next-Accidental-Terrible-Experience. He's also having troubles
opening up to Annie, and he's in complete denial of Sam Abernathy presence. Through Stand-Off, he faces real teenage
struggle and he makes real teenage choices that are not always right, and I
just adore him.
Ryan Dean
is the perfect character: he is flawed and real and relatable, and this is why
Andrew Smith is so fucking good at his job.
He is a
pure literary genius, no kidding.
I will read
any and every book he writes.
You should
too.
Sophie
