South Shore Readers discussion

Our September book is Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley.

We will be meeting in person to discuss the book on September 24th in Cohassett. (see group events for details)

Post your thoughts and progress while reading the book here. Also post any interesting links etc. related to the book.


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Author's website: http://johncoreywhaley.com/

I just finished this one. my first YA read for a while.
I like how the author put a back story in every supporting character: the family members, friends of these three main characters, each have their own something to escape in life.
I also don't think Lisa should be guilty, after all, she saw Solomon as a normal kid way before everyone else outside his family. plus great things usually came after a mundane motivation at first. personally, I will take a good friend that observing me as a science project every day!

I started the book yesterday and I'm about 30 pages in. I don't have a strong opinion either way so far.

Wasn't a book I probably would have chosen but I really enjoyed it. These kids were wise beyond their years.

Despite my best intentions and the fact that I took this out of the library a few weeks ago, I haven't started yet. I think I have to miss the meeting-we have sports until 2:00 on 9/24.

I would like to punch Lisa in the face. I'm having a strong reaction to her morally bankrupt choices.

Yes! Agreed re: Lisa. I just finished this book last night. Overall I liked it but didn't love it. It didn't quite pull me in emotionally as much as I hoped it would.

The characters Lisa and her boyfriend (I forgot his name, which is kinda my point :) ) don't feel relatable and easy to root for because the author forced too many personalities on them to move the plots and twists. On contrary, supporting characters are depicted in a more interesting way - I would like to read a book about Sol's parents. And it feels almost like a sitcom every time his grandma is on.

How very timely is our selection? https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle...

Anyway - I didn't necessarily want to punch Lisa in the face. I can understand the urgency of wanting to get out of a small town (and state) after high school. I don't support her dragging the others into her orbit, but obviously the outcome colors the interpretation. We would all be having a much different discussion if this appeared in the Boston Globe because it had all gone horribly awry. Also, as per my habit, I already started casting the tv/movie version in my head, and the similarities between Lisa and the Rachel character on Glee are unmistakable (if you watched the show). She ends up on the right side in spite of starting with strictly self-obsessed intentions.

I think Eric is right about Clark (the boyfriend). He was all over the place, and I just don't get where the author was trying to go with that character. He just seemed to be there to create the ultimately fake point of conflict. His character didn't even really work as a "voice of reason" counterpoint to Lisa's mania. He seemed like a nice enough guy, though shallow.

I thought the book was satisfying, but not great. Much like many episodes of STTNG, it got a little ham-handed in delivering the moral of the story.

I'm having a hard time getting into this. Part of it could be that I don't have the looming book club deadline since I can't make the meeting but it's just not hooking me. It's probably too early to say but it's feeling sort of like a John Greene knock off.

Yes! I liked the John Greene books that I've read and this just didn't have the same emotional impact for me.

I will see some of you at the meeting today! Post in here if there are any questions. I get notifications on my phone.

Finally finished this. I dind't hate it and as much as Lisa made me nuts, I also get it that teenagers can often have an over inflated sense of their own abilities and their own importance so I could see how she thought she could fix him (and write the winning essay of course.) I just kept thinking of that After School Special "The Great Love Experiment" which sadly I couldn't find on YouTube or I totally would have watched it.

Denise, you were spot on about Rachel from Glee-she's all I could picture!