The List Book... The One With The Really Long Title

Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You
Written by Todd Hasak - Lowy
Contemporary, LGBT, Coming of Age
Published April 2015
656 Pages
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia
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RATING ★★★
Darren hasn't had an easy year.

There was his parents’ divorce, which just so happened to come at the same time his older brother Nate left for college and his longtime best friend moved away. And of course there’s the whole not having a girlfriend thing.

Then one Thursday morning Darren's dad shows up at his house at 6:00am with a glazed chocolate doughnut and a revelation that turns Darren’s world inside out. In full freakout mode, Darren, in a totally un Darren move, ditches school to go visit Nate. Barely twenty four hours at Nate’s school makes everything much better or much worse, Darren has no idea. It might somehow be both. All he knows for sure is that in addition to trying to figure out why none of his family members are who they used to be, he’s now obsessed with a strangely amazing girl who showed up out of nowhere but then totally disappeared.

Told entirely in lists, Todd Hasak - Lowy's debut YA novel perfectly captures why having anything to do with anyone, including yourself, is
1. Painful
2. Unavoidable
3. Ridiculously complicated
4. Possibly, hopefully the right thing after all.
Fifteen year old Darren has a lot to content with. He's a Jewish virgin, vegetarian, overweight and longs for acceptance. He lives with his single workaholic mother, staying with his father for days at a time while she's away with work. His older brother isn't fairing any better, away at college spending his days chasing girls and smoking pot, while his academic career falls by the wayside. But nothing could prepare Darren for the bombshell his father is about to drop, leaving Darren's world shattered in the process.

The only person Darren can turn to is Nate, and travels alone to spend time with his older brother on campus. What Darren didn't expect was to have the brooding Zoey tagging along for the ride. Zoey barely speaks, Darren trying to engage the moody and unfriendly teen over a cafeteria rubbish bin each day at school. The more time the two spend together on the impromptu road trip, the more Darren finds himself falling for her... Until Zoey disappears as quickly as she arrived.

His world is falling apart. His mother wants to move him across the country, his father is dating again and Nate had grandeurs of being little more than a house plant. The one person who understands him has vanished. Something has to give.

MY THOUGHTS

Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a storyline made entirely of lists, in which Darren seems to find solace as a coping mechanism. The ass has just fallen out of his world, he's depressed, latches onto girls hoping for a girlfriend and dreams of his own band, I suspect in the hope to find said girlfriend. His mother would rather throw herself into her work than spend time with her family, and his divorced father has just dropped a doozy of a secret in Darren's lap. Darren is a likable character, we're told he's intelligent but sadly never shown any proof. But he's creative and an incredible bassist, who misses playing with his brother's band. Darren reminded me of Charlie in The Perks of Being A Wallflower, naive and awkward, but has a strange appeal that is never quite fully explored. I loved Zoey, her character had the makings of a John Green novel. Quirky and flighty, but sadly just as she started to become interesting, she disappeared. 

I loved Darren's father, so incredibly loving and tolerable of his son while he worked through his issues. He was a big part of Darren's life, whether Darren wanted him there or not and with his mother always on the road, he desperately needed a parental figure in his life.

But beyond the quirky format, it brings to light deep and thought provoking issues such as substance abuse, sexuality and loneliness. I felt incredibly sorry for Darren but once his father's secret was revealed, he became another angry and angst riddled teen that seemed withdraw from the only person who was genuinely there for him. 

As much as I appreciated it's uniqueness, I didn't see the overall picture. I was waiting for the AH HA! moment that never arrived. It was entertaining, but the format left me feeling disconnected and unable to immerse myself within the storyline. I found the lists difficult to read with it's stop start format.

VERDICT

A quirky and unique coming of age, that in the right hands will indulge readers, immerse them and leave you on a high. I enjoyed it for the most part, but with a disconnection to the characters and storyline. Don't let it's length fool you, it's remarkably easy to breeze through.

38 comments

  1. Ooooooh. The title is a mouthful but I really like it. And too sad you didn't connect to the characters that well, Kelly :( When that happens to me, I immediately DNF. Haha. I'm trying to change. ANYWAY, awesome review as usual Kelly <3 I'm about to read Denton's. That's irrelevant I know but I just wanna say <3

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    1. I think it was the format which didn't allow me to really connect with the characters, but was still able to enjoy it regardless. Ooh, I loved Denton Little's Death Date.

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  2. Sorry you didn't LOVE this one. I think I'd like the list format though; how interesting. I'll have to try and read this one.

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    1. It's really unique Lauren, like nothing I've come across before. Darren's father was by far my favourite character. I loved how patient and understanding he was, when generally so many parents tend to be absent in young adult titles.

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  3. The title is so long.. I like the concept about ordinary characters though, it's great that they're not completely beautiful for once. It does sound like a unique coming of age story, but since it's a light and quick read it would be better for the summer. That's a shame the format left your disconnected and you couldn't enjoy the book to it's full potential. Thank you for the honest review though
    <3 Benish | Feminist Reflections

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    1. It was really refreshing to see characters that weren't these perfect beings, but characters that could pass you by on the street. Socially awkward, with their own issues. We need more of these character is young adult.

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  4. Frustrating about the lack of that aha moment! Especially for such a long book, but I'm glad it does manage to touch upon some deeper issues. Can't wait to read this one Kelly. Lovely review!

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    1. It's long as in pages, but not in length really. I breezed through it, as the lists make it a pretty quick read. The core of the storyline was really lovely, with strong family ties and Darren's struggle to find his feet really. I can't wait to see what you think of it Jeann.

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  5. I've been curious about this since I saw it at the bookshop, but I'm intimidated by its sheer size and the not-so wonderful reviews it's been getting. I can probably appreciate all its uniqueness as well, but it does sound like the plot is fruitless. Boo.

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    1. Yeah, sadly I kind of felt the same way. I put it down mostly to it being a coming of age that is mainly about Dareen struggling with his self esteem and balance of life. I liked it and did enjoy it, but felt disconnected due to the format. I preferred the chapters where the list aspect extended into big paragraphs. It gave me a greater sense of the storyline and Darren's inner thoughts.

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  6. Everyone seems to be giving this one three stars :/ It just seems like it'll be one of those "meh" books that don't really stand out. Well, except for the lists. Can't wait for those :)

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    1. It's actually pretty entertaining, and in the right hands a reader will absolutely adore this one. Sadly that wasn't me though. I appreciate how unique the format was though, and loved both Darren's father and Zoey. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

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  7. That's such a weird title, but it sounds really good. Sorry you didn't love this much, but at the very least, you still liked it enough. :D Though... that page count is scurrrryyyy.

    Blessie @ Mischievous Reads

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    1. Yeah, the title is pretty obscure isn't it, one you're not likely to forget though. It's a super thick book actually, but not as daunting as it looks though. Seeing it's told in lists on each new page, it's a pretty quick read and easy to get through. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it Blessie.

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  8. Aww...it's a shame that this didn't really click with you Kelly. :( Sometimes a book is good, but it just doesn't have that extra umph that makes you like it more. Nonetheless, thank you for sharing this; and wonderful review! <3

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    1. Couldn't have said it better myself Zoe. I liked it, I enjoyed it and was really entertained, but just couldn't find that connection. It's well written and so incredibly unique in it's format. I have no doubt that most readers will really enjoy this one.

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  9. My thoughts exactly. YAY, KELLY, YOU READ MY MIND. But basically this: "we're told he's intelligent but sadly never shown any proof." <-- Erm, whyyyyy did this happen?! I felt Darren was an idiot the entire time and I was waiting for him to do something amazing or at least stop being so self-centered for 5-seconds. GAH. In the end I really liked the way the book was written but I was about 2% interested in the content.

    'Scuse me. I must go whinge to myself in the corner.

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    1. He felt much, much younger than his years didn't he. But very typical teen boy, rather than the fictionalised version which I really appreciated. I was cringing at the treatment of his father, who was by far my favourite character. I liked it, but just didn't love it sadly. But in the right hands, this would be an amazing read.

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  10. I didn't actually enjoy this book as much as I wanted to, I found that the lists just confused and annoyed me so I didn't finish the book. I also felt as though things dragged on a lot and most of the plot could be put in 50 pages!
    Naomi@The Perks Of Being A Bookworm

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    1. I think that's the issue I had with it too Naomi. I think it was a mixture between the format and needing a little more oomph and emotional pull. It was still entertaining nonetheless.

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  11. A book entirely composed of list? What is this sorcery?? I have to admit i'm intrigued by the concept of this one but it seems like (based on your issues with this one) that it's difficult to connect with the story and main character in this book. It's a shame when books make a habit of telling us things versus actually showing us them. It's extremely frustrating as a reader.

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    1. It is Lily, I couldn't agree more. It was only my personal preference as to why I couldn't connect though, I found the shorter lists harder to connect to with Darren, but the longer paragraph type lists were really engaging and lured me in. Definitely give it a go, in the right hands a reader will adore this one.

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  12. Fair review; I'm still intrigued to check this out despite your frustrations. Always interesting to see how authors play with format, etc. :)

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    1. It's really unique in that regards Sophie, the lists vary between being short and in point form, to longer paragraphs, which I was hoping to see more of. Really looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

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  13. Okay, the mention of Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower was unfortunately a huge turn-off for me! I loved him so much in the movie, but the book was not my cup of tea. Also not a big fan of Zoey sounding like a John Green character. D: It seems like I'm really not going to like this book so I won't be adding it to my TBR, but it's awesome that this book tackles a lot of issues--we need more books like that in YA. Awesome review, Kelly Bear!

    Aimee @ Deadly Darlings

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    1. Thanks Aimee. Unfortunately I think it might be a bit of a hit and miss for some readers, but others will absolutely adore this one. Those who like a quirky coming of age, or something a little out of the ordinary. And we certainly do, even books like this that take the lighthearted approach are still important, as it brings these issues up for discussion, which is always a positive step.

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  14. It's a shame that this one didn't really seem like it was heading any direction, Kels! I think when I do read this, I'll have to be in the moon for just some mindless entertainment, haha.

    Nice review, lady! <33

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    1. Oh no, it has the deeper meaning of finding your own feet and acceptance, and was still entertaining, but I just couldn't connect with the characters sadly. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it poppet.

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  15. I read MBMIEAIAYBY (gosh, that's a mouthful!) a few months ago, and gave it 3 stars as well. I definitely agree--lists and the dad was great! Other than that, though, there wasn't a whole lot I loved about this book. It was forgettable, I guess. Thanks for the awesome review, though!

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    1. It was for me too sadly Jess. I liked it and enjoyed it, but wasn't able to truly connect to any of the characters apart from Darren's father, who I thought was absolutely lovely.

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  16. Glad you got through this one and ended up mostly enjoying it, Kelly, but it seems like you had frustrating moments with it, too. I'm sorry that Zoey didn't get the development or page-time she could have.
    I actually ended up DNFing this one. I got 165 pages through or something and it just frustrated me and I disliked how it was being told and it was just not good read for me at all. Contemporary and Darren made for a really difficult mix.

    Ahh, you've been doing such a gorgeous job with your blog design. Your headers are just so beautiful.
    xx

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    1. Thanks Romi. I really appreciate your kind words.

      I loved Zoey and wish we could have seen more of her. She added such light and charisma to the storyline, same with Darren's father as well. I would definitely read a book where Zoey was the main character.

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  17. Oh yeah I've seen how thick this book is! To be honest, I think I would get bored of it too easily, just from reading your review I found myself mostly disinterested. I think it's cool that it's mostly in list forms though!

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    1. I can't stop laughing poppet, this is the funniest comment I've seen in ages on here.

      It IS thick, but it's actually really quick to read. The list format is really easy to read, but the downside is that I couldn't connect with the storyline. Regardless, I still really enjoyed it.

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  18. Can I just say how much I love the title though, because truly, it's fantastic! Such a bummer that the narrative left you in a muddle of frustration and displeasure. It sounds like the book held great potentional :/ 656 pages though!

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    1. It seems really long, but with the list format isn't really. I breezed through it within a few hours over two days. In the right readers hands, they'll absolutely love this Claudia, it's quirky and really unique. It was just the format that didn't allow me to fully immerse myself and connect to the characters.

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  19. This sounded interesting, but you only rated it a three. I've read enough underwhelming books this year, I think. I'd rather read Illuminae. That's also a bit in list form! Why not? :D

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    1. I'm so incredibly jealous! That's one of most most, if not THE most anticipated read for me this year. It was a good read, just the format wasn't my thing as it felt very stop / start. It's well worth the read though Shannelle, you may really enjoy it's uniqueness.

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