Brendan HalpinBesprekingen

EDIT: Apparently the authors are straight. SUDDENLY, MUCH BECOMES CLEAR. I'm going to add some comments to my original review.

Argh. Okay.

Actually, aaaarrrrrghhhhh is more accurate.

I didn't realize the story was ripped from the headlines, and it feels vaguely exploitative.

This story is entirely ripped from the headlines and it's very exploitative. As other reviewers have pointed out, they take Constance McMillen's life and turn it into a life lesson for a fictional entitled straight male baseball star.

I like Tessa. I like Tessa a lot. She's definitely a baby butch, but it's subtext in the story, not text. Without consciously thinking about it, she decides she's going to wear a tux to the prom. But she'll still wear heels and a purse, that makes it just for fun, right? Definitely not because femininity doesn't feel right. Nope.

This hurts the worst. It's not the author(s) subtly addressing what it's like to be a gender variant teenage girl, it's just them being utterly ignorant about what it's like to be a gender variant teenage girl. They wanted the story about Tessa's tux, but they didn't want to have to sympathetically write an (icky, ugly, mannish) butch lesbian---who would want to read about someone like that?

Memo for straight people: The girls who dress up their tuxes like Vogue models with strappy heels and a cute rhinestone clutch are not the ones whose photos get banned from the yearbook.

I don't agree with the book's thesis about grand gestures being vitally important. This might be a personal hangup, but if you wanted me to forgive you for blabbing about something I'd told you in confidence in the most hurtful way possible, the way to go about it would not be to use the same "tell the world" approach to pressure me into forgiving you.

I did like that love didn't have to be a grand gesture, or last forever, to be important and to change your life. And that friendship is a kind of love.

So... it's a YA novel, in other words, and it fails to avoid the usual pitfalls of YA novels.

Straight people need to be stopped.

I have so much to say about this book, so let’s go.

The book is told through a split first person POV, alternating between Lucas and Tessa, both of who are our main characters. They’ve been best friends since they were little, and they work in Tessa’s parents’ store together. Lucas is a baseball star, Tessa is one of the town’s sweethearts, and everyone assumes they’re gonna get together eventually. Including Lucas.

So he plans a big gesture asking her to prom, and she refuses, coz she’s gay, and he had no idea.

So far so good, I guess, but literally a few chapters into the book and we already have a problem here.

Lucas, rather than being a good human being who actually understands his best friend’s predicament, calls her selfish and gets angry at her, and literally outs her to the entire town because she refuses to go to prom with him coz she’s gay. Her parents’ store is boycotted because they live in a very conservative town, and Tessa is warned by the school board that if she intends on taking a girl with her to prom, she would not be allowed entry, even though she’s a senior and is leaving the next year. Literally, Lucas brings some of the worst moments of her life on his supposed ‘best friend’.

However, Lucas’s mother manages to talk him into actually trying to fix things, which he does. With some help, he manages to organize a Big Gay Prom in an abandoned warehouse, and it goes super well. Tessa forgives Lucas, and the story ends with them discussing college plans and their life after they graduate high school.

Sweet, right?

Yeah, maybe a bit unrealistic too.

In what universe, pray tell, would someone who is part of the LGBT community, ever forgive someone who outed them? When? I don’t care how big the gesture for forgiveness is: you never out someone, and that someone will probably never forgive you in return. Outing someone before they’re ready, and in malicious intent, is a big deal and can ruin your life. I know enough people who are part of the LGBT community to tell you that this novel is insanely inaccurate in the portrayal of Lucas and Tessa’s friendship after he outs her. Trust the narrative to be in favour of the straight man who comes in and saves the day.

It reminds me a bit too much of what happened to Santana on Glee after she was outed by Finn and had to deal with the repercussions, and then STILL forgave him for what he did. Total bullshit.

Final rating: 2/5. This book is essentially a what happens when you let straight people write queer fiction. It ain’t really worth it. Don’t bother unless you have nothing else to read.

Clare Kelly is the narrator of this novel about family, faith, and what it means to lose someone you love. Clare and her brother Francis are children of hippie activists; Clare reacts by attempting to become a punk rock rebel, but goes on to become a nurse, while Francis latches onto the Catholic faith, eventually going on to work with youth — and he does it well. The narrative begins in their childhood, and jumps and skips around until Clare is married with children, and Francis meets and marries a doctor named Lourdes (the summary is intentionally vague because of spoilers).

The characters in this novel wrestle with the idea of faith in the face of tragedy and heartbreak, and are sometimes brutally honest about their idea of God. To one character, music becomes a way to counter and come to grips with grief, and the hole that is left in a life when a beloved one dies.

There are several plot twists in this novel, which make it difficult to write about without spoiling any of them. It is an engaging and fast-paced read which explores ideas of faith and the power of music.

This book was so much more than I thought it was going to be. It was beautiful and insightful.

I would honestly recommend it,
Over & Out, T xx

it seems like i always really like epistolary novels; i think there's a window into someone's thoughts and life that is different than you get with a standard narration, even when it's first person, and i like that. this wasn't just letters - it was actually mostly emails, some text messages, transcripts of recorded meetings, and instant messages (and a few pages in both a novel and tv script). technically it was entirely epistolary, but there are large sections that are diary entries that are akin to narration and that to me is sort of cheating. but it totally worked, i thought, and i really enjoyed both the book and the format. i don't think that halpin got the voice of a 14 year old girl right at all, but her character is consistent. so even though she didn't sound right at first, she was always herself and that made it work for me.

it's a slim, quick book but manages to give the reader a good idea of who these people are and what they're going through right away. her voice is a bit hard to understand sometimes because of the way she talks (run-on sentences with tangents and little punctuation, etc) but i think that's true to life, and it's not a hindrance in reading.

This is a great book for anyone who has taught junior or senior high school students. I totally lost it at with some of the scenes and often drifted back to my high school teaching days. The characters were well developed, and the narrator is someone We should applauded for his educational ideals. We need more teachers like the author of this memoir, and I'd love to read more of his tales of teaching.

Another awesome read that I am positive I never would have found if it weren't for Book Battle! The point of view goes back and forth between Liana who has recently been branded as the school slut and Hank a musician with Asperger's Syndrome. I love both as main characters and how they interact with each other. There are some really good heartfelt moments along with some really funny ones! The ending could have been expanded a little more I feel but that just because I enjoyed the characters and story so much I didn't want it to end.

The writing isn't bad, and the story is fast-paced and easy to read, but it's no surprise to find out after finishing it that both of the authors are straight. Although the book has a lesbian main character and the plot revolves around the homophobia she faces, there's hardly any focus on her lesbian relationship, while the hurt feelings and heterosexual romance of her misogynist male best friend plays a major part of the story. It helps that his mother occasionally points out how gross and selfish he's being — like asking him to stop ogling women in front of her, although it doesn't stop his constant objectification of every girl around him — but it's disappointing how focused the story is on glorifying Tessa's male best friend and their friendship, while skipping over any relationships between women.

Earnest attempt at something meaningufl, and cute enough teen romance, but just not fully successful to recommend to readers who aren't already big YA fans and ready to forgive some implausibilities and coincidences. ?�I didn't quite fully believe the characters, either. ?á

And the bit about science is ridiculous - nothing that Liana does resembles research, and even if she is doing research behind the scenes, why is she doing it in a chemistry lab? ?áWhat's described as her focus would be better done on university computers, where she could get access to journals of original research and then create a novel synthesis. ?á

I don't know enough about music to know whether Hank's obsession makes sense.

How surprised I was to realize the author is a man! He had Amanda's feelings about losing Lena as a friend pitch-perfect. He also does a great job showing that experiencing a loss can lead to opening up new worlds, as Amanda gets to know Shakina, grows as a player on JV soccer, and might possibliy have a new friend in Angus. A solid reading choice for teen girls who enjoy friendship novels or are into soccer.

Jenna, played by Charlie Tracker, and Jonah, played by Fielding Withers (a stage name) have been in a fauxmance for years. What's a fauxmance you may ask? When two attractive young stars of a popular tween television show pretend to be madly in love with each other--much to the delight of fans and the press--that's a fauxmance. A faux romance.

Say what you will about Charlie and Fieldings acting on their show (it's a bit like Hannah Montana with the teen who's secretly a popstar), but no one's yet figured out Jenna and Jonah's big secret: they can't stand each other.

That's right, they might have all the moves down pat--they've even given some of them names--but really Jenna and Jonah want nothing more than to be rid of their relationship.

...And they just might have their chance now that the paparazzi seem to have found out their big secret! Charlie and Fielding are forced to hide out from, well, everyone and find out who they really are.


Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance is one of those books where it's surprising that at least part of the idea hasn't really been done before (or if it has, I missed it) because it's so much fun! There are always actors or other celebrities that have TMZ, et al guessing 'Are they, or aren't they?' Now there's finally a book where everyone's guessing wrong....but on the actors' doing.

Besides there being the fun of Charlie (Jenna) and Fielding's (Jonah) animosity toward each other as things start, there's also a lot readers learn over the course of the book about Charlie and Fielding. We learn how they got to be the stars of a TV show--and why it may or may not be exactly what they want.

While this book is undoubtedly cute, it has substance as well. The characters and their relationships with each other develop right from page one on to the end.

Co-written by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin is an example of how a book by two authors can be even better than a book by one author. The chapters alternate between Charlie (Jenna) and Fielding's (Jonah) perspectives with, I am guessing, each author writing for the same character each time. Each character had their own distinctive voice and Charlie definitely saw Fielding differently than he saw himself, and vice versa, as well. It was little differences but things that seemed like a single author would have trouble getting entirely out of one characters head to write for the other. Basically, I loved that this was co-written.



9/10

This was one of those books that practically fell off the shelf and into my arms while at the Library. I flew through it in under a day and found it charming, sad and funny. It's a rare writer that can construct a novel entirely out of e-mails, IM conversations and journal entries and have the construct work FOR rather than AGAINST him.

I've been reading a lot of memoir recently. No big surprise, I suspect, but I figure that if I'm going to try and write it, I would do well to study it. But this last week, I took a break from memoir and decided to re-read Brendan Halpin's novel “Long Way Back”. I remembered it as a book with a great balance of humor and grief, something I continue to struggle with in my own work.

What I was struck by this time through however, was the spirituality of these characters. I'm funny about religion in books. The first sign of “churchy talk” or platitudes and I'm outa there. (A result of my fundamentalist upbringing, I suppose.) But the faith of Halpin's characters feels organic. It is an intrinsic piece of the story, but the plot does not resolve with grand Hallelujahs. More than once, he manages to be both spiritual and sacrilegious in the same breath.

As I remembered, it is a powerfully engaging read, equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and tearfully sad. An unpretentious and unexpectedly hopeful novel which should be added to your To-Read List posthaste.

Ten minutes ago, I am sitting out on my porch weeping like a baby and crushing this book to my chest, and then I come inside and read some chick's scathing review, and suddenly, I can't think to write all the things I wanted to write a moment ago, becaase my head is full of arguments against each of the arguments she made for hating it.

And I have to take a bit to collect myself before I can come back to the computer all collected-like and say that I don't care if it means that I'm some uncultured sap, whose into 'predictable drivel', but "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" is one of those rare books that somehow loved me back.

Having just finished "It Takes a Worried Man", I have to give Halpin props for one of the best last lines ever. Maybe BEST isn't the correct word. Maybe RIGHTEST is, except I'm pretty sure that RIGHTEST isn't a real word. In this case though, it should be.

This was the first "light reading" I've done since my daughter's death two months ago and there was something really lovely about getting sucked in and floating through it. It was more of a guilty pleasure book than some of Halpin's others (the kind you take to the beach or curl up with on a rainy weekend) but definitely a tasty nostalgic treat for anyone who grew up in the 70s or otherwise survived them.

I don't read a lot of YA books, maybe half-a-dozen a year. I picked this one up because Brendan Halpin wrote it and after his "Donorboy" jumped off the shelf and into my hand in the summer of 2007, I have yet to be let down. His characters always feel honest, with the right mix of humor and humanity. His stories go somewhere, and by that, I suppose I mean that they matter. Which is a good thing, just so you know.

I prefer my teen romance novels vampire and werewolf free, thank you very much. I also like them (as with all fiction) to multi-fasceted characters, rather than utterly bland Mary Sue stand-ins, who for no justifiable reason attract every human and/or supernatural being of the opposite sex within 100 miles. Which is at least part of why I so enjoyed Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance. Well that and the fact that it was as light and tasty as cotton candy on a sunny spring day. So when you finish slogging through "War and Peace", and find yourself with a bit of a sweet-tooth, Jenna & Jonah is a tasty choice.

"Losing My Faculties" is one of those books that reminds you of those few great teachers you had and the many lousy ones you suffered under. It also made me think of all the teachers I wanted to recommend it to, each time open its pages.

I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of “Tessa Masterson Goes to Prom” because, well … I'm cool like that. (Stop laughing. That shtick got me this far, sweetheart. The point is, I got to read it before you did and therefore, get to tell you how kick-ass it is.)

A simple plot summary might suggest that “Tessa...” is merely a ripped-from-the-headlines retelling of the events surrounding Constance McMillan's 2010 Mississippi prom controversy. However, in the deft hands of Brendan Halpin and Emily Franklin, Tessa's characters come alive and the story becomes something unique, specific and utterly delightful.

Set against the backdrop of conservative small town which is slowly disintegrating, Tessa and her best friend Lucas struggle with questions of honesty and love. The poignant relationship between the pair, best friends since early childhood, was for me, a reminder of that bittersweet moment in time when romantic interests first overthrow the deep bonds of friendship in their emotional importance.

The big messages here are those of acceptance and loyalty. It's not hit-you-over-the-head stuff, but clearly woven through the unfolding events in a manner that should be accessible for both the intended Young Adult audience and the adult readers who love them. As a cultural commentary, I can only hope that this lovely little book will feel dated within the next decade, and be read then as a peek into what it was like BEFORE.

Halpin shines here (as always) with his ability to create teenage characters who walk, talk, think and behave like teenagers. It is one of the things which drew me to his work initially and one of the things which keeps me coming back.

“Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom” has taken up residence on my bookshelf, and not the casually overstuffed bookshelf in the bedroom, but the Here-To-Stay shelf in the living room. In this house, that's saying something. Mostly, it says, “These are the books we DON'T want the dog to pee on.” but in the story of our lives, that's kinda important.

I'm selective with YA Fiction but I backed the Kickstarter project for this one, excited to see what Brendan Halipn could do with a 15 y.o. superheroine. As it turns out - quite a lot.

Enter The Bluebird is a breath of fresh air in a market glutted by vampires, monsters and dreary dystopian futures. In Julie, Halpin has given us a strong and complex female character whose interest truth and justice overshadows even the sparkliest boy.

If we can get a sequel, I'm in.

I love coming-of-age stories and this is among my all-time favourites. Rosalind is a young teen whose two moms die in a tragic accident. She goes to live with her biological father - the donor boy of the title. This is a wonderful, quirky teen/adult angst story told with great flair, humour and touching detail. It will appeal to fans of Salinger, Coupland, Vonnegut and Francesca Lia Block

An enjoyable and fairly quick read. For reference, it's not quite what I was expecting - it's a standalone novel with supernatural stuff going on, while I thought it would be more of a take-off mingling teenage tropes with Lovecraftian ones. As such it's not particularly heavy on comedy, but it's got a fairly lighthearted attitude even to the heavier stuff like murders. There's also not a huge amount of Lovecraftiana in here, mostly adventure-mystery thriller stuff, although that's not really a criticism.

The characters were pleasant enough, and felt decently depicted. I feel to some extent Laura was undermined by the joint narrative and personal importance of Ted - all her actions are driven by what Ted's up to, even the supernatural investigation she kicks off. This is a combination of her friendship and gratitude towards him, and the fact that he finds out about the plot first. However, because Ted's the core of the narrative and drives it forward, we don't really see him returning that friendship in any substantial ways, which meant the friendship came across to me as rather dysfunctional. In some ways his girl-chasing ways, contrasted with her inability to form a relationship, highlighted that problem, especially when it begins to hamper their very important investigation. Laura is enjoyable to read, but didn't quite feel on equal enough footing with Ted to be a co-protagonist - she's always supporting him rather than the other way around.

While I enjoyed the book, on reflection it doesn't really tie up the narrative threads. This seems to be a deliberate decision (considering a sequel..?) but the antagonists are left loose and the MacGuffin is floating around too. However, there are some personal developments for Ted and Laura that give a sense of closure.

Bam! Pow! Biff! Make time for Julie Rouge AKA The Bluebird!
ENTER THE BLUEBIRD by Brendan Halpin reminded me in the best way of the old Batman TV show with Adam West and Burt Ward, when superheroes were a little less flashy but had more heart. The book--Kickstarted, how appropriate is that--has that same fun mix of action and earnestness, humor and darkness, camp and thrill. I especially liked Julie's complicated origin story. May The Bluebird fly again!

Review from ARC from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this one. Not sure if my lesbian friends will love it or hate it. Be warned, though, there's a thinly disguised Lady Gaga character in the book.