Name: The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project
ISBN: 9781541546783

Lenore Appelhans

Riley lives in TropeTown, where everyone plays stock roles in novels. Riley, a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, is sent to group therapy after going off-script. Riley knows that breaking the rules again could get him terminated, yet he feels there must be more to life than recycling the same clichés for readers' entertainment. Then he meets Zelda, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Geek Chic subtype), and falls head over heels in love. Zelda's in therapy too, along with several other Manic Pixies. But TropeTown has a dark secret, and if Riley and his fellow Manic Pixies don't get to the bottom of it, they may all be terminated.

The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project

Aleena Korell

"Your pass unlocks any gate to which you have access," the guard explains. He's young and tough with a buzz cut and an angry pink scar across his neck. Excellent grammar though.

This was a delightfully clever and tongue-in-cheek backstage view into not only the Manic Pixie Dream Girl or Boy trope, but the YA novel itself-- from the character's point of view. Riley is a stock character who wants to be so much more than his trope allows. When his trope is threatened to be retired, he has to band together with the other Manic Pixie Dream characters to do something about it-- and maybe subvert some tropes along the way. So many fun references (and sleight digs?) to popular books that we'll all recognize:

"Nebraska never showed up today," Mandy says. "Do you think we should check up on her?"
"Looking for Nebraska is a waste of time," Chloe declares. You won't find her until she wants to be found."

Lolz. Not to mention all the fun poked at the huge number of tropes there are to be found in TropeTown:

"When I walk out, I'm distracted for a moment by a lively Little League game. Harried Helicopter Parents shout insults at the Stoic Umpire while an Unconventional Coach gives a Defining Moment Pep Talk to the Spunky Underdogs in the dugout. I don't need to stay to know how this one will turn out. Same story, different day."

As a writer I enjoyed this one, but as a reader I appreciated it. It's set in TropeTown, so yes, many trope-y things happen, but it's all done with an undercurrent of irony and a dose of truth. I appreciated the examination of the racist and sexist tropes we've all run into in the history of literature, and ultimately the encouragement to subvert tropes and understand the complexity and value of characters/people of all types. 4 1/2 stars for a clever, out-of-the-box book!

Becca Futrell

I received an e-ARC of The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! Any quotes used in this review are from the ARC copy & may not be in the final book.

Be still my pixie heart.

I’m gonna be real with ya. this book is so stinkin’ cute. By accident, I picked it up last night & didn’t move until the very last page. & it wasn’t even because I was at the edge of my seat, but just because it was so cute & very fast-paced. I believe it only took me about 3 hours & 30 minutes to read. Quick reads are always good to add to the TBR, right?

The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project takes us deep into TropeTown; a place that resembles that of a cartoon — you know, bright sunny skies & perfect puffy clouds. In TropeTown lives Tropes, and to be more specific, lives the Manic Pixie Dream Girl & Boy Tropes.

For those who need a quick reminder on what the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is TV Tropes has your back —

Manic Pixie Dream Girl exists to help the protagonist achieve happiness without ever seeking any independent goals herself.

So, the plot of this book is pretty simple — Riley, a Manic Pixie Dream Boy is sent to group therapy for going off-script. Here, he meets & falls in love with Zelda, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. It’s against the rules (– alot of things are against the rules in TropeTown) to date someone in therapy. Other things happen, we have a conflict, a climax, a solution & the end.

As soon as I read the synopsis of The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project, I requested it, because I absolutely love meta. & I’m a true sucker for the Trope. It was a double whammy on my interests. This book was definitely unique, in terms of subject matter. I loved seeing this world, and was very intrigued by the concept of these Tropes getting called into work by their novel’s author.

Whoever said laughter is the best medicine not only didn’t fully appreciate the miracle of cough drops, but also didn’t consider laughter doesn’t cure you — it merely transfers the pain to your abs temporarily.

Also, remember #TeamJacob & #TeamEdward? Well, this book has #TeamMarsden & #TeamRafferty & I’m 100% here for Marsden. There’s also this play on Starcrossed Lovers/Forbidden Love & Love Triangles. SO MANY DIFFERENT TROPES, I LOVE IT.

One negative thing that I’d have to say is that I didn’t care much for the relationships in this book, but for me that didn’t matter much, because I was having too much fun with the Manic Pixie Dream Boy. & just seeing the world of TropeTown.

— also, while writing this review, it’s worth noting that I definitely just raised it a star, because I’m realizing how much I actually enjoyed this read. It was definitely adorable & a lot of fun. I definitely recommend taking a trip to TropeTown & reading The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project.

The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project

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