Catcher in the Rye with giant people eating insects.. what's nor to like? seriously this was my favorite book of last year.

this is The Worst

A super fun & fast paced read in a world that outwardly seems sci-fi but is mostly witty & staccato sharp observations & feelings about regular teenage stuff from the teenage boy protagonist. 4.5 stars.

Rating on 2017/11/02: Two stars. I appreciate how gloriously weird this book was, but I also don't think this book went more than two pages without mentioning balls, penises, horniness, or masturbation. And my class had a wonderful discussion about how this book portrays women and misogyny, so, uh, yeah.

What a weird, great book.

I don’t read much YA anymore, but I’ve been meaning to get to this since high school and I’m so glad I finally did! Very weird like everyone says (which I loved), but also relatable and surprisingly heartwarming at times. The sci-fi elements were very odd and interesting, but they were ultimately used to further Austin’s anxiety-filled, queer coming of age arc which made them all the better. It’s definitely not without its problems—occasional pacing issues and somewhat unnecessary repetitiveness being two of the biggest ones I noticed—but it was an overall enjoyable read.

Stars: 3.75/5

I don't even know how to rate this book. I like how this book ended, and as weird as it was, I enjoyed the random weirdness vibe of it, because its something other books lack. What I did not like was that it was super hard for me to get through, with and all the history parts inserted throughout all the pages. Overall, the thought of praying mantises taking over the world is pretty cool.