Publishing Date: May 5, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 320 pages
Young Adult Contemporary
The Premise: The story follows Shane Chambliss, a highschool student with a bestfriend named Jak. Shane and Jak have known each other since they were children and their moms are bestfriends. They tell each other everything. Except Shane doesn't share "Galgorithm" - Shane helps the hopeless romantics with tips and a guide (Gal + Algorithm) to help them land the girl that they are interested in. Shane has one rule if you enlist his services: "Deny until you die." Of course, as it is with most stories, drama ensues and things unravel for Shane and all the while he is helping other people find happiness, the biggest problem lies in front of him as he tries to gain some closure from a previous breakup, contemplate his friendship with Jak and figure things with his current girlfriend, Tristen.
My overall thoughts and review: This was my first time reading something from Aaron Karo and from my understanding, he is also a stand-up comedian on top of being a writer. That aspect really shined through in this book. I was laughing like crazy. Let me pitch it like this, remember the movie Hitch? With Will Smith? Where he attempts to help men woo certain woman. This book is definitely similar to that, but so much better. Karo has a way with words that really makes it feel as if you are actually there watching all of the events and conversations unfold. Each character is so well-developed and carefully crafted with such depth. I loved every single character in this book, even the ones where it was tough to like them at times :P But I think the main reason why I enjoyed this book so much was that the central messages was not at all what I was expecting. Hearing Shane actually explain the galgorithm and the reasonings behind it and just how it all unfolded really made me proud as a reader because the central message was about confidence and building self-confidence. Shane was such a wonderful character to read from because not only was he funny, he was compassionate and seriously a hopeless romantic. He offered his services in the name of love and as cheesy as that sounds, it really made this book enjoyable for me. I felt like I was Shane during some moments, rooting for the couples he put together, but also I really rooted for Shane. I loved how much character growth was done for Shane. This is an incredibly fun, hilarious, and charming young adult contemporary novel that I think will definitely surprise you. There are also a few nerdy little surprises/easter eggs that I loved, like well done on the mention to Full Metal Alchemist, Aaron! ;) It was such a fun book and I definitely recommend checking it out if you are interested in the premise!
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)
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Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada for consideration/review. All opinions are my own.
Really? He's a comedian? Jaks was funny. Shane was not. :/
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest: I started reading this the other day and wasn't sure how I felt about it. It kind of irked me that Shane feels like he has getting girls down to a code, as if we're all wooed by the same things... Your review has made me reconsider though. Perhaps I should keep reading!
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