Rebel, Bully, Geek, Pariah

Kid likes it

4 stars*There are two reasons why RBGP is compared to The Breakfast Club:1) this book is written around four characters whose social status/personalities are polar opposites, just like in TBC, who are suddenly forced to be togetherand2) the further into the book you get, the more the characters open up to one another and grow to get to know (and even like) each other.Now that you know what those TBC references in the blurb are about (it's written VERY accurately, to be honest), throw them out the window, because that's where the similarities end, and there's no sense in getting disappointed in a great read that's totally worth your time.Rebel Bully Geek Pariah is a thriller told in one point of view (which is great because four would have been too much) that takes you on a crazy ride. The first chapter-ish opens up sort of setting the scene a bit (and leaving you kind of confused, but not for long), and then everything takes off, and before you know it, you've gone from driving 25 in the school kiddie zones to zooming down the highway one hundred miles an hour.I loved all four characters, but probably enjoyed the brothers Boston and York the most. There's something about siblings and the interaction when it's written so naturally that makes you feel like you're there with them, maybe watching them a little more than you really should. (Not that I didn't enjoy Sam or Andi--they all had an important part to play, Sam especially, and she was never so "poor me" that you got sick of her, which does happen to these sort of characters sometimes.)Aside from the craziness of the storyline, what stuck out to me most was that the flashbacks of "before" the main and current situations was never so much that I wanted to skim through them (nor did I get annoyed). When telling a story this way, it's easy to go so "backstory crazy" that you drive your readers nuts; but Ms. Lange gave just enough to count and to help you understand a little more of why things were the way they were before dropping you right where you'd left off.Last, I really do wish this would be adapted for film. It would be so fun to see the characters and everything that happens! Whew!Highly enjoyed RBGP and can't wait to read more by this author!*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really love The Breakfast Club and when I read the synopsis and it mentioned that it had an undertone like it, I was all in. After reading the story, I found there were some similarities but they ran thin. I was looking for the deep thoughts and the provoking messages that The Breakfast Club provided to me but this novel didn’t bring me that. The novel did provided to me four different individuals, who were stuck in the same predicament, who needed to come together to decide how they were going to resolve the issues at hand. I enjoyed the writing and the attention to details and to the issues that I was thinking about. These were addressed by the author and my questions were answered, I love it when an author handles the smallest of details.The character of Sam knows the most about life and I felt attached to her throughout the novel. She was one of the characters that you want to survive in the slasher movies, the one that you would want to win in a contest, just because she is not afraid of bearing herself for all to see. Boston and his brother got on my nerves a few times, their constant bickering and power-to-the-top leadership that they were trying to achieve within their own family got tiring after awhile. I understand sibling rivalry but under the circumstances, just give it up! Andi, now she was something. I think she was searching for something and it might have been Sam, had they been under different circumstances. I liked her as I thought she was original but I wondered what was really inside.The story moves quickly and it doesn’t take long before I was involved inside the happening of these four individuals. It began with a party and escalates to a stolen vehicle. That sounds bad enough but the drama multiplies and the individuals involved can’t stop long enough to gather their thoughts. Just when things slow down for the foursome and the teens get a plan in place, something else occurs and they have rethink their plan. Listening to their thinking, you see how their lives are different and how their lives shaped them into who they are. I enjoyed this novel.4.5 starsI received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books in exchange for an honest opinion.

Great book