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A review by destdest
How to Lose a Best Friend by Jordan K. Casomar
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Won an ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway!
I really enjoyed how quickly the setting and characters were established. The friends are all distinctive and fun. Zeke and Imogen have been friends forever and are predicted to fall in love. But when that doesn’t happen Zeke shows his raw behind.
There’s entertainment value here, but it also relays a good principle/lesson without being preachy. The way entitlement is shown and built over time is exceptional. Also, the nword is used so often here that I thought they were New Yorkers. But they're from Chicago.
Anyway, the characters are such a highlight. Manny was absolutely hilarious and my favorite character here. If y'all would just listen to Manny, 75% of this story wouldn't exist.
There are dual povs from Zeke and Imogen. Zeke does some grimy things but you can still tell at the core he’s not an evil person. We see how a lot of men contort themselves into thinking they are owed something for their kindness or assets. And how manosphere/red pill/incel BS makes teenage boys susceptible.
I loved Imogen's narrative voice; she's romantic and creative. A rare character in fiction who loved to journal and write, and I believed it. I used to fill up notebooks with stories and even romance scenes, so she felt undoubtedly relatable. They even got the teenage girls affinity to reading books to fanfiction pipeline. Above all, I thought the teens sounded natural.
Anyway, read this! Zeke's entitlement may be a necessary evil to wade through, but the story's worth it. It was a joy to read, and I'll keep an eye on more stories from Casomar.
Ending spoiler: I'm glad Zeke didn't end up with Cara again, and she found someone else. Having boundaries is good! I was really thinking the story was going to show sometimes when you mess up with your friends this badly, you won't stay friends. It will be hi and bye only. That it's okay to forgive someone and end a friendship.
And that just because you apologize doesn't make things return to how they were.
But I figured the happy ending would allow them all to reconnect.
I really enjoyed how quickly the setting and characters were established. The friends are all distinctive and fun. Zeke and Imogen have been friends forever and are predicted to fall in love. But when that doesn’t happen Zeke shows his raw behind.
There’s entertainment value here, but it also relays a good principle/lesson without being preachy. The way entitlement is shown and built over time is exceptional. Also, the nword is used so often here that I thought they were New Yorkers. But they're from Chicago.
Anyway, the characters are such a highlight. Manny was absolutely hilarious and my favorite character here. If y'all would just listen to Manny, 75% of this story wouldn't exist.
There are dual povs from Zeke and Imogen. Zeke does some grimy things but you can still tell at the core he’s not an evil person. We see how a lot of men contort themselves into thinking they are owed something for their kindness or assets. And how manosphere/red pill/incel BS makes teenage boys susceptible.
I loved Imogen's narrative voice; she's romantic and creative. A rare character in fiction who loved to journal and write, and I believed it. I used to fill up notebooks with stories and even romance scenes, so she felt undoubtedly relatable. They even got the teenage girls affinity to reading books to fanfiction pipeline. Above all, I thought the teens sounded natural.
Anyway, read this! Zeke's entitlement may be a necessary evil to wade through, but the story's worth it. It was a joy to read, and I'll keep an eye on more stories from Casomar.
Ending spoiler:
And that just because you apologize doesn't make things return to how they were.
But I figured the happy ending would allow them all to reconnect.