I am thrilled and grateful for this Publishers Weekly review:
“Blackstone makes a bold and idiosyncratic debut with this boisterous novel about a 14-year-old boy with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The author effectively renders the messy, noisy interior world of Rene Fowler, who lives alone with his single mother and struggles to not just survive but enjoy the chaos of high school. Rene is wedded to his routines and his habits (perpetually smelling his left hand, wearing rubber bands on his wrists, not moving if the time adds up to 13–8:32 or 5:44, for example), and relying on his Batman cape for security. He also has a serious crush, red-haired Ariel, his ‘angel,’ and a new friend–a ‘freakishly tall,’ social butterfly, Gio. When Rene’s long-estranged and boorish father returns home, Gio and Rene run away to Manhattan, where they come across Ariel, and their paradise/nightmare adventure there takes up the last third of the book. Rene’s honest, often humorous voice is as compelling as it is exhausting. Blackstone succeeds in creating a singular teenager who happens to have OCD; readers will emerge with a close understanding of the mind and heart of someone with this disorder.” Ages 12–up. (July)
Sweet! Congrats on the great review, Matt!
Thanks Shari! I appreciate it!
Congratulations on the review! Good luck with the release. Try not to sit and watch your countdown clock for extended periods of time.
Noted. Thanks Mike!
Great review! Congratulations! Can’t wait!
Matt, I can’t even tell you how pumped I am to read this book, and this review just reinforced what I’ve been looking forward to for months now. The release date has been on my calendar for months now, and yes, I will be at the bookstore with a large coffee to buy it as soon as the manager unlocks the door. I will then plop myself in a comfy chair and read it in one sitting.
Good luck with the launch, my friend. I have a feeling I’ll be telling you I related to Rene in a few ways. I already identify with something from the synopsis.