Uses for Boys by
Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Release Date:
January 15th, 2013
Number of Pages:
240
Publisher: St.
Martin’s Press
Source: eARC
from NetGalley
Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know. Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.
Uses for Boys
made me feel many things. This is definitely not a fluffy and cute book. If
that’s what you are looking for, it’s not the right book for you. This book is
sad; it’s heartbreaking. It’s a little dark, and it’s definitely not what I would
have expected from the cover. Uses for Boys may be short, but it’s the kind of
book that will stay on your mind hours after you are done.
Anna goes
through so much. I felt so heartbroken for some of the things she has to live
with, the way her mother is so absent from her life. This didn’t stop me from
being disappointed in some of her choices, even though I could understand where
she comes from. Still, her story is full of ups and downs. I have to say that
it made me smile a little when I could see some changes happening within her.
Anna really made her way into my heart, making me want to push all the bad
people from her life, and to try to show her who the good people were.
One of the
characters I really liked was Sam; the one person I felt like could make a real
good influence on her. He has the family she deserved in some way, and I really
liked most of their interaction. He was the one character I really wanted to
see make his place in Anna’s life.
The story made
its way into my heart, and I have to say I was really glad to have read it. It
was a really short novel, but it is totally worth the time. It is the kind of
book that you need to read once. I do have to say; the story is not for the
younger audience, as there are some more mature themes that are included.
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I loved this novel as well! I hate that it is getting some negative reviews because I think it's just misunderstood or some readers had certain expectations for it and those expectations weren't met.
ReplyDeleteIt is a powerful, hauntingly beautiful novel!
Great review!
I was disappointed by this book just because I thought the cover hinted at a lighter story. This was not the book for me.
ReplyDeletei would love to read this book. I love dark genre of books. This looks very interesting and good to read.
ReplyDelete