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Review: The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney
Format read: paperback
Genre: YA Contemporary Humour
Release Date: 7 August 2012
Length: 246 pages
Publisher: Poppy
Formats available: hardcover, paperback
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Book Depository US | Book Depository (UK)
Blurb:
It’s all about supply and demand when a high school deals with the sudden exodus of male students.
The boy recession has hit Julius P. Heil High, and the remaining boys find that their stock is on the rise: With a little competition, even the most unlikely guys have a good chance at making the team and getting the girl. Guitar-strumming, class-skipping Hunter Fahrenbach never wanted to be a hot commodity, but the popular girls can’t help but notice his unconventional good looks. With a little work, he might even be boyfriend material.
But for down-to-earth Kelly Robbins, the boy recession is causing all sorts of problems. She has secretly liked her good friend Hunter for a while now, but how can she stand out in a crowd of overzealous Spandexers?
My Thoughts:
The Boy Recession was another excellent demonstration of Meaney’s amazing ability.
Hunter is a slacker, he never studies, has no extra-curricular activities and can’t really be bothered with trying, in any aspect of his life – he’s also clueless when it comes to girls.
Kelly is the girl that nobody sees, she blends into the crowd and she doesn’t mind most of the time, but when she realises she has developed a crush on Hunter, she wants to make sure she is at the front of the line of girls that have recently noticed that he’s cute.
The Boy Recession occurs when all of the hot/popular/jock guys leave Julius P Heil High en masse. The school needs to hold try-outs for an entirely new football team, but naturally it’s the girls that are affected most, some going to drastic lengths (like forcing boys into signing dating contracts) just to make sure they have a boyfriend.
The Boy Recession was one of the funniest books I have read this year, purely because where I live we currently are having a man-drought and I also come from a tiny school (even though it’s in the middle of a city) so I have personal experience in dealing with recessions and everyone knowing everyone else. Meaney manages to be so outrageous with her scenario and yet so accurate that it’s almost scary.
Meaney’s writing is once again absolutely incredible. It’s simple, it’s realistic. Meaney manages to get into the grittier subjects – like boy/girl sleepovers, girls being a little risky with the way they dress and act, boys’ at times taking advantage of their willingness, drugs, underage drinking, etc. – without it being heavy. It brings to the surface things that truly happen in high school without placing emphasis on it. Everything about The Boy Recession is light-hearted and yet it makes you think a little about how desperation and a sudden perceived need for something drive people a little crazy.
The romance aspect of this book was sweet and again not heavy, there were no confessions of love, no talk of forever, it was teen romance at its simplest and its finest. Hunter writes a song for Kelly but conceals her identity because he doesn’t even realise it’s about her yet.
The Boy Recession was absolutely fantastic; it had me chuckling from the very first chapter all the way to the very last. Meaney has a special talent for creating simple stories with outrageous characters in farfetched situations; she has me yearning for her next creation, whatever it may be.
I give The Boy Recession 5 stars
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.
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| 5 Stars: Perfect! I Love It! | |||||||||
| 4 Stars: Awesome Book! | |||||||||
| 3 Stars: I Liked It! | |||||||||
| 2 Stars: Not bad, but maybe not for me. | |||||||||
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This sounds hilarious.
It was extremely funny. I had to be careful when reading it at work because I kept getting the giggles 🙂
Great review, I want this for my stepdaughter 🙂
It would be great for her I reckon, especially if she is currently in high school. I spent nearly the whole book reminiscing about high school days
It sounds like a refreshing change of pace from all the angst driven/dystopian YA books out there. Thanks for the great review, I’m adding this to my TBR list!
It is very light, i felt a need to read it, but not because I had to know what happened because of the drama, just because it was so enjoyable 🙂
Sounds great. I love reading something light, fun, simple and realistic. Already ordered a copy, can’t wait to read it! Thanks for the review, Amanda, you make me want to read it badly! 😀