Name: 806
ISBN: 9781939100146

Cynthia Weil

KT, sixteen, learns that her father was Donor 806, discovers two half-brothers, and travels with them from Missouri to California to meet their biological father, redefining their notions of "family" along the way.

A Novel

Ruth Parker 

A road trip between teenagers to discover their roots as in their biological father? 
This sounds awesome. Exactly my kind of book, without a doubt!

But although I was really excited about this story... I didn't meet my expectations. 

I did enjoy some of the sibling relationships and interactions, but at times it felt forced, and fake and unrealistic.

This book just wasn't for me, but I'm sure some people will love it.

I received an ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Nikki Sojkowski

*I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I loved the premise of sperm donation kids looking for their biological siblings and their biological dad. Family doesn’t have to be who you were raised by, and family doesn’t have to mean DNA. Three great kids begrudgingly go on a road trip to find their bio dad, which is filled with unfortunate events along the way. Their growing familial relationships with each other were so wholesome and heartwarming. This book examines the importance of family and expands the definition of family. The magic of their character growth and the positive spirits of the siblings, especially Jesse, almost makes one believe in fate.

I received this ARC for NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A big thank you to Tanglewood Press!


This was just a fun book. 

806 reads like a comedy movie. Something like 'Are We There Yet?' or 'RV. But with a character that really, honestly reminded me of Russell Brand. Which, let's be honest, I didn't hate that. 

There is a lot of cliche in this book. From the road-trip, to the wildly unbelievable events that occur along the way, to the super quirky characters, and the bonding between three people who would ever otherwise get to know each other like they do.

It's sweet and endearing and chockers full of quirky characters. I laughed aloud a fair bit, sometimes because of the cliches or just the insaneness of the story. 



  "I was getting dressed for school while watching The Today Show and this dude came on who was a sperm donor. He was interviewed with some of his kids he had fathered who had found him. He was handsome and smart and glad his kids had gotten in touch with him. They were like some kind of spermy Brady Bunch"



Despite that it all, it was heartfelt. I did not have mega feels for any of the characters. It's just not that type of book. But overall it left you feeling a little warm and fuzzy. 

I love the idea of exploring a concept such as wanting to meet a biological parent. While this is something I have no personal experience in, I felt this was handled in a 'perfect' way. It wasn't realistic, it's more the dream of what someone would wish to happen. I found this disappointing. I was hoping the issue would be addressed in a more serious and complex way. Apart from being a basis for the story, it wasn't discussed in any real depth. 

The ending as well was just deflating and completely beyond the realm of what would have happened had this been a real story. While I was entertained by the story, the ending left the entire book in a puddle of spoofy cliches. 



  
    "It was a moment no one could miss. It was a real connection. It was magic."
  



Overall, it was a fun and entertaining read. But there was nothing special beyond that. Just don't go into it expecting an in-depth contemporary following an important issue. 



Full review  | More reviews | Twitter | Pinterest | One must always be careful of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us. (C. Clare)

Jessica 

As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.
 Review also found here on Booked J. 

This book wasn't my cup of tea, exactly, but 806 is one of those rare instances of books about teenagers where they actually feel and sound like they are teenagers. It's refreshing and this year has incredibly been filled with releases in the genre that explore the teenage mind a lot more realistically. 806 is one of those novels that accurately portrays coming of age.

And to judge that, and base your review on the so-called childish antics would be both absurd and an injustice to the story that Weil is trying to tell.

Let's refresh. You don't pick up a book about a vampire and then complain that there is too much gore, so why pick up a book about young adults and scold them for being childish? It's weird and I'm never, ever, EVER going to get that trend. That being said, 806 is a solid release amongst contemporary YA fiction that will surely connect with its intended audience--it's fun, sprinkles of humor make it so that it's enjoyable for the reader and I definitely appreciate that. Weil seems to have found a good balance between humor and seriousness and you have to respect that, above all else.

While far too many coming of age novels offer very little growth in terms of the characters we meet and see develop, 806 is quite the opposite. You're not always going to like the character but you're going to like the raw aspect that they are trying to find their own balance in life. Which is, of course, the absolute definition of youth--figuring out who you are and growing.

If you are a fan of contemporary coming of age stories which feature REAL characters and road trips, you're going to love 806. But you have to remember, if you are an adult: this book is about kids. It's going to be rough around the edges and that's just a fact of life.

I enjoyed 806 but it's not something I see myself reaching for again in the future. Still, it was an enjoyable and easy read that took little to no time at all to finish.

806 A Novel

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