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A review by readingrobyn
Whip It by Shauna Cross
4.0
After picking up the ill fated [b:Roll with It|11370182|Roll with It|Heather J Wood|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305423514s/11370182.jpg|16301153] I felt the need for some more YA derby action. And of course, Derby Girl-Whip It was just sitting so precariously on the library shelf that I couldn't help myself.
This book manages to be a combination of a lot of things that I love dearly:
1. Roller Derby
2. Austin, Texas
3. Quippy Misfit Girls
4. YA Shenanigans
It also has however, a couple things I don't love so much:
1. Bad YA Parenting
2. Bitchy Popular Girl
3. Music Hipsters (and I don't even like the word "hipster" but it totally applies here)
4. The Boyfriend Bait and Switch
So, maybe it's a little bit more of a surprise that I ended up enjoying this as much as I did. The good things about this book definitely won out over the what has annoyed me so much in the past. Following along with Bliss was really entertaining.
Bliss is our main dame and she is fabulous. Her narration is just so honest and easy to get into that her story really had a way of coming to life. She was herself in every moment and had a great balance of wanting to just fuck it, going against the grain and yet still feeling like she doesn't want to let people down or lie to them. I could imagine a real teenager acting and thinking like she does and that was what really sold all the side characters also. Each of them was an exaggerated personality but I could still imagine them as being real. They were over-the-top, but never crossed the invisible line that would make them feel completely unbelievable.
This feeling was probably also in part due to the setting of the story. Anything can happen in Texas! And Austin specifically is like my own little Wonderland. Anything that is unbelievable can be believed if only it's in the vicinity of Austin, Texas.
...Well, that may not necessarily be true, but I've got nothing to prove it otherwise! So there.
Derby however, is not solely played in the Texas arena. Inspired by the book I did some googling about my local scene and Vancouver has a set up of its own. Although I would never dream of slapping on a pair of skates myself, (I have no sense of balance or coordination!) but I am really interested in going to a bout and seeing what the room is really like.
Also, reading this has even motivated some interest to finally seek out the movie and see what that's all about as well.
But getting back on track, I didn't step away from this totally glowing.
The story had a bit of an issue with flow. There was a couple of short snippet chapters about a third of the through that felt more like a montage of events then part of the continuous story. It was in these spots of "Quick! Move this along!" writing where Bliss's narration and characterization suffered.
My second problem was in the form of our boy meat, Oliver. I won't go into his plot line too heavily, (as to avoid spoilers) but what happens there was a pretty obvious bait and switch. If this was the route that the story needed to take, I only wish that it was done in a way that matched the clever tone of the book instead of making it so obvious.
I should mention however that on my above list, I also mentioned a few other things. The bad YA parenting, the mean girl, and the music hipster-ness, but these things were actually handled quite well. They worked within the world that the book was presenting and actually made the plot better in some places. Although I still want to see these things stay out of my YA, if it works then it works.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book for what it was. It was light and fun, with a side of sarcasm, and I liked almost every minuet of it. If only because I'm on some sort of Roller Girl kick right now.
This book manages to be a combination of a lot of things that I love dearly:
1. Roller Derby
2. Austin, Texas
3. Quippy Misfit Girls
4. YA Shenanigans
It also has however, a couple things I don't love so much:
1. Bad YA Parenting
2. Bitchy Popular Girl
3. Music Hipsters (and I don't even like the word "hipster" but it totally applies here)
4. The Boyfriend Bait and Switch
So, maybe it's a little bit more of a surprise that I ended up enjoying this as much as I did. The good things about this book definitely won out over the what has annoyed me so much in the past. Following along with Bliss was really entertaining.
Bliss is our main dame and she is fabulous. Her narration is just so honest and easy to get into that her story really had a way of coming to life. She was herself in every moment and had a great balance of wanting to just fuck it, going against the grain and yet still feeling like she doesn't want to let people down or lie to them. I could imagine a real teenager acting and thinking like she does and that was what really sold all the side characters also. Each of them was an exaggerated personality but I could still imagine them as being real. They were over-the-top, but never crossed the invisible line that would make them feel completely unbelievable.
This feeling was probably also in part due to the setting of the story. Anything can happen in Texas! And Austin specifically is like my own little Wonderland. Anything that is unbelievable can be believed if only it's in the vicinity of Austin, Texas.
...Well, that may not necessarily be true, but I've got nothing to prove it otherwise! So there.
Derby however, is not solely played in the Texas arena. Inspired by the book I did some googling about my local scene and Vancouver has a set up of its own. Although I would never dream of slapping on a pair of skates myself, (I have no sense of balance or coordination!) but I am really interested in going to a bout and seeing what the room is really like.
Also, reading this has even motivated some interest to finally seek out the movie and see what that's all about as well.
But getting back on track, I didn't step away from this totally glowing.
The story had a bit of an issue with flow. There was a couple of short snippet chapters about a third of the through that felt more like a montage of events then part of the continuous story. It was in these spots of "Quick! Move this along!" writing where Bliss's narration and characterization suffered.
My second problem was in the form of our boy meat, Oliver. I won't go into his plot line too heavily, (as to avoid spoilers) but what happens there was a pretty obvious bait and switch. If this was the route that the story needed to take, I only wish that it was done in a way that matched the clever tone of the book instead of making it so obvious.
I should mention however that on my above list, I also mentioned a few other things. The bad YA parenting, the mean girl, and the music hipster-ness, but these things were actually handled quite well. They worked within the world that the book was presenting and actually made the plot better in some places. Although I still want to see these things stay out of my YA, if it works then it works.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book for what it was. It was light and fun, with a side of sarcasm, and I liked almost every minuet of it. If only because I'm on some sort of Roller Girl kick right now.