The Readventurer
  • Home
  • YA Reviews
  • Adult Reviews
  • Contests and Giveaways
  • Policies
  • About Us
    • Flannery's Challenges
    • Catie's Challenges
  • Contact Us

YA Review: Boy21 by Matthew Quick

3/14/2012

16 Comments

 
Boy21 cover
Boy21
Author: Matthew Quick
Publication Date: 3/5/12
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Blurb (GR):
Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, his dad works nights and Finley is left alone to take care of his disabled grandfather. He's always dreamed of somehow getting out, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay.

Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. The life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he won't pick up a basketball, and yet answers only to the name Boy21—taken from his former jersey number.

As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, "Boy21" may turn out to be the answer they both need. Matthew Quick, the acclaimed author of Sorta Like a Rock Star, brings readers a moving novel about hope, recovery, and redemption.

Review:

There is not nearly enough YA books about friendships. For some strange reason, romantic relationships are promoted as more important. While I agree that at some point in life you do meet that special person who becomes your partner in everything, up until that point it is friends that help you out, support you, accompany you through life.

Friendship, the healing, supporting, non-judgmental type of friendship, is what Boy21 is about. Or is supposed to be about.

I love the idea of this novel. Imagine Finley, a reserved high school senior with some serious darkness in his past, whose only friend is his girlfriend/soulmate Erin. Finley's most favorite occupation, his therapy of sorts, is basketball. His goal for his last school year is just to be on the team and play well. Enter Boy21, another damaged young boy, a rising basketball star,  who suffers from a mental breakdown after the death of his parents. Finley is entrusted to guard and partner with Boy21 in school. And also guide him back  into playing basketball, because, among other things, what Boy21 had lost is his passion for the game.

There is a very interesting conflict here: Should Finley encourage Boy21 to play, knowing that he will for sure take his place on the team? Should he sacrifice his own dreams in order to save his new friend, because maybe basketball indeed has a power to heal Boy21, bring him back from the imaginary escape world he exists in now? What is more important - your friend's well-being or your own ?

To my disappointment, this conflict never really comes to the front of this novel, never develops to its full potential, never impacts the characters as strongly as it could and should have . The book that was supposed to be about Boy21 (you would assume, judging by the title) and about the friendship bonds between the two boys is diluted and often overshadowed by the side plots - Irish mob, Finley's girlfriend and family problems. In the end, only maybe 25% of the book is about friendship, and the rest - just everything else. I feel like Boy21 is a case of the writer having his fingers in too many (idea) pots. The main point of the story is just lost.

Sorta Like a Rock Star cover
I do not want to take away from the merits of this novel. I admire Quick and some passages in Boy21 made my eyes tingle. But I do think this books lacks clearer focus and a better overreaching story arc.

As often is with these things, I am a little baffled by the overwhelmingly positive critical reception of Boy21. It has already received some serious starred reviews from several major professional publication. His previous YA novel - Sorta Like a Rock Star is a much more accomplished work, in my opinion, and yet it went almost unnoticed.

Do I recommend Boy21? Yes, but with some reservations. However, I  do wholeheartedly recommend Matthew Quick's Sorta Like a Rock Star.

3/5 stars

Tatiana's signature
16 Comments
Sam @ Realm of Fictiom link
3/13/2012 11:31:18 pm

Great review, Tatiana. I hadn't even heard of this book before now, so thanks for drawing it to my attention. :) I completely agree that there aren't nearly enough YA books just about friendship. I would love to give this one a try even thought it didn't completely meet its potential.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/14/2012 09:32:32 am

This is not a bad novel at all. I think you will like it. Keep in mind "Sorta Like a Rock Star" too, ok, it's not romancey either.

Reply
April Books & Wine link
3/14/2012 12:17:09 am

I like this review, Tatiana. It's very balanced. To be honest, I dislike when authors put their fingers is so many pots, so to speak. I prefer books that have a tight focus. BUT I do have a review copy of Boy21 and will still read it AND add Sorta Like A Rock Star to my TBR, it sounds like a great read.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/14/2012 09:33:53 am

I do not dislike it, I feel sad. Because I always feel like their books could have been so much better!

Reply
Catie (The Readventurer) link
3/14/2012 01:24:04 am

Really nice review, Tatiana. I am definitely going to read Sorta Like a Rock Star sooner rather than later.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/14/2012 09:35:12 am

Ii was my fault you didn't read it a couple of weeks ago. Do you remember, you had as one of your options? I hope you will soon.

Reply
Heidi link
3/14/2012 03:38:56 am

You are right not enough books are written about simple friendships. This book sounds like it had a lot of promise. I am sad he delved too far into the idea pots though.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/14/2012 09:46:29 am

Heidi, I have to think very, very hard about an YA novel that is not centered around a romance, but friendship. I can come up with maybe 5 books?

Reply
Maja link
3/14/2012 03:43:58 am

I'm always so careful with contemporary YA since the genre itself is not my first, or even my second choice. It really has to be something special for me to decide to pick it up and this doesn't sound like it at all.

Great review, Tatiana!

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/14/2012 09:44:58 am

Maja, I am vouching for "Sorta Like A Rock Star" (fingers crossed I won't have to regret this recommendation if you decide to read it).

Reply
Sarah link
3/14/2012 08:40:04 am

Thanks for the thorough review of this one--I'll probably pick it up, seeing as how I'll read just about anything about basketball (I love, love, love basketball). However, I'll cool my expectations a bit (I too saw all the glowing reviews) following your review.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/14/2012 09:37:14 am

Sarah, I assume you have read Dairy Queen books then? I think these are the only (good) sports books I know of.

Reply
VeganYANerds link
3/14/2012 10:37:01 am

I've seen reviews of Sort of Like A Rock Star but I hadn't heard of Boy21 until now. I do love a good YA book about friendship, so I will pick this up!

Reply
jowearsoldcoats link
3/15/2012 10:33:35 pm

Great review, Tatiana!
I've seen quite a few people who have read this one recently. I'm definitely intrigued :)
Really looking forward to Sorta Like a Rockstar too!

Reply
Wendy Darling link
3/16/2012 06:32:34 am

Hm, a book about a boy and basketball isn't really my thing, hah. I think I'd have many of the same issues you did. I agree that it would be great to see more books about friendship in YA, though. For some reason, once you pass middle grade, it's all about relationships, it seems.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
3/17/2012 01:42:20 am

I love me some teen romance, Wendy, but too often I feel like romantic relationships are treated as a sort of requirement that every YA book has to satisfy. Love is important, but other things are important too.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Follow Us On:

    Facebook Twitter Feed

    Subscribe:

    Subscribe
    Follow on Bloglovin

    Subscribe via email:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    What We're Reading:

    Blood of my Blood cover

    Flannery

    Goodreads
    Monstrous Affections cover

     Tatiana

    Goodreads
    Rules of Civility cover

      Catie

    Goodreads

    Archives 

    March 2014
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011

    Categories

    All
    Author Spotlight
    Book Events
    Book Vs. Movie
    Catie's Adult Reviews
    Catie's Y.A. Reviews
    Contest Or Giveaway
    Flannery's Adult Reviews
    Flannery's Y.A. Reviews
    If You Like This Maybe That
    Library Quest
    Odds & Ends On The Web
    Randomness
    Readalong Recaps
    She Made Me Do It
    Tatiana's Adult Reviews
    Tatiana's Y.A. Reviews
    Three Heads Are Better Than One Or Two
    Year Of The Classics


    Blogs We Follow

    Angieville
    Anna Scott Jots
    Badass Book Reviews
    The Book Geek
    The Book Smugglers
    Book Harbinger
    Books Take You Places
    Bunbury in the Stacks
    Chachic's Book Nook
    Clear Eyes, Full Shelves
    Collections
    Cuddlebuggery
    For the Love of Words
    The Galavanting Girl Books
    Inkcrush
    Intergalactic Academy
    Ivy Book Bindings
    The Nocturnal Library
    Rainy Day Ramblings
    The Readers Den
    The Reading Date
    Realm of Fiction
    Sash and Em
    Stacked
    The Unread Reader
    Vegan YA Nerds
    Wear The Old Coat
    Wordchasing
    Wrapped Up In Books
    Young Adult Anonymous 

    Grab A Button

    The Readventurer
    <div align="center"><a href="http://www.thereadventurer.com" title="The Readventurer"><img src="http://www.weebly.com/uploads/7/8/9/9/7899923/custom_themes/149267861480723643/files/TheReadventurer.png?1321429794244" alt="The Readventurer" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    Parajunkee Design
    SiteLock
    Since 2/4/2012

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Photos used under Creative Commons from savillent, vue3d, vue3d, ljcybergal