Thursday 27 June 2019

REVIEW - CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT BY BRIGID KEMMERER

Title: Call It What You Want
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Release Date: 27th June 2019

BLURB from Goodreads
When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship...

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?


PURCHASE LINKS

REVIEW
After reading and loving Brigid Kemmerer’s Letters To The Lost Series I know straight away if she did another contemporary style book I had to read it! Once again I have seen two covers for this book (pictured at the end of this post). I do like both styles of cover though I discuss them further in my “Cover Comparison Post”. The genres listed for this book are YA, Contemporary, I love YA and have warmed to the contemporary genre especially when coupled with YA and by this particular author.

The main character is former “it” boy Rob Lachlan junior, who once had it all, money, popularity and an easy life. That was until his dad Robert Lachlan Senior got caught embezzling money. He was turned in by family friend and co-employee Bill Tunstall. Bill was cleared of all charges and so he and his family were untouched by the notoriety and disgrace that the Lachlan family endure. Robert Lachlan senior couldn’t cope with the fall out from being caught having fraudulently stolen money from many of the neighbours and he attempts to take his own life. Horrifically for Robert Lachlan junior he is the one that finds his dad.
Rob has no one to call a friend at school now, even his best friend Connor Tunstall ignores hm. Someone else used to being less popular is Maegan, her dad is a policeman. It’s a good job she doesn’t have close friends as if she did it would be harder to hide the fact her sister Samantha has come home from University and is pregnant. Naturally Maegan’s family want to keep the shock news private for as long as possible. Maegan has attached enough notoriety to the family name by cheating at the school exams. The ironic thing is she is clever enough to pass without cheating.

The reason the two main characters suddenly find themselves pairs up which just leaves Rob & Maegan.

With everyone judging Rob by his fathers standard when certain opportunities literally begin dropping in his lap its difficult to blame him for taking advantage of them. First of all, there’s the money that Connor Tunstall drops when he is in the cafeteria. Rob picks it up and his attempts to return it to Connor fail. In the end he decides to give it to Owen Goettler who is on the equivalent to school dinners in the US. Which means Owen is usually eating a rather grim looking cheese sandwich. Gradually the money Rob comes across become larger and larger amounts until he steals a pair of earrings. In his “defence” the person who steals them from would not miss them or the money they cost. He has some deep thinking to do, such as should he pawn the earrings? Should he return them? What should he do?

I liked the characters of Samantha and Maegan, though throughout the book Maegan actually comes across as the more mature sister despite Samantha being the eldest. There is plenty going on in the book that certainly has you glued to your seat with the book in your hand!

I was surprised to find out the other people involved in the embezzling. Although I did love hating Connor’s dad within the book, he is a very controlling character.

Another character I was wary of but then ended up adoring was Mr London, the gay librarian with a husband at home. Despite being one of the victims Mr London soon becomes a shoulder to lean on for Rob. Through Rob’s love of books they share a hobby and have that to initiate a friendship. One that it turns out Rob really needs.


I Loved the characters that all had their own problems and family issues yet at the same time still managed to be there for each other when they most needed each other. Well written, totally believable read. 


COVER COMPARE

The cover on the above left has a dark blue background, with a row of what looks like different coloured paper hearts, like small folded notes and then the title is in a kind of loopy handwriting style. This style of cover could really be for any genre and fit it well. I do like the cover. . . 

The cover on the above right has a pale pink background, with what appear to be white paper hearts, again, like the type of bits of paper you would pass back & forth in class. Again it has the title done in a loopy handwriting style. I think the pale pink cover will make some think that this book is a kind of chick lit genre. I do like the cover....


So which cover do YOU like the best and WHY?

I would have to say though I like both covers I find the cover on the left, is the most appealing to me!



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