Customer Reviews

Be More Chill

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Hearing voices is never a good thing, unless the voices are coming from your squip. No, not script --- squip. Google "squip" and you'll come up with a boring kill-the-space-aliens game and some information about a supercomputer the size of an aspirin, currently illegal to use. Swallow the computer and become cool. Get all the girls, or guys. Dress sharp. Learn to flirt and drive, and generally be more chill.

Jeremy Heere, hopeless nerd, wants to date beautiful Christine Caniglia. He knows she's way out of his league, until he acquires a squip, which guides him through a physical and mental transformation. Following the squip's instructions on how to dress, speak, kiss, act and exercise, Jeremy rises above his geek status and becomes --- dare he say it --- popular.

This, of course, comes with a few problems. Computers, for all their quantum mechanics, can't quite get the hang of human emotions, like love and friendship. They can't understand why Jeremy wants to take his geeky best friend Michael to a party featuring the hottest girls in school. And while they may tell Jeremy what to say to Christine, they can only calculate so many possible outcomes of the conversation. Jeremy's squip eventually leads him to disaster, and he has to figure out what he's going to do all on his own.

Sarcastic, sexy (well, Jeremy wishes there was sex) and hilarious, this thought-provoking book is not to be missed by anyone who has ever wanted the impossible. The larger-than-life characters fit in perfectly with the idea of a pill-sized computer running Jeremy's life at Leni Lenape High School. This book, however, is far from fluffy. It raises some important questions as to how far one person will go to impress another and the depth of honesty needed in human relationships.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

Jeremy is your typical high school dork. He is beaten up, picked on, and keeps a list of all the times he is made fun of on pre-made "humiliation sheets." And, as with every teen-age loser, the one girl he wants, he will never be able to get.

But then, at the Halloween dance, he meets Rich, who shows Jeremy what a technological miracle, called a squip, can do for him. Simply stated, a squip enables a guy to get any girl, and a lot more. Jeremy finds that he is only $500 away from total coolness and getting that one girl, Christine.

Ned Vizzini is a Gordon-Korman-to-be. The style in which he writes is so funny and easy to read, the only time that I paused was between the fits of laughter I was suffering through. I was with Jeremy as he explored this new, chill world of parties and girls, in his quest to be cool.

Vizzini practically glued my hands to the book and my butt to the chair because I wanted to see what Jeremy's little squip would do next as the final step in winning Christine.

Reviewed by Steve Hansen for Small Spiral Notebook

Squip is the hook; the dynamo that powers Be More Chill. It's what separates Ned Vizzini's tale of dork-cum-cool guy from your other, similar, young adult fare.

Jeremy Heere compounds his dorkdom by documenting each slight onto forms he's coined 'Humiliation Sheets,' ticking off every snicker, snotty comment and a number of other embarrassments he suffers daily at the hands of his peers. No explanation is given for the purpose of these sheets other than to serve as some kind of proof of their originator's dillweed-ness. They seem to be an adolescent substitute, of sorts, for self-flagellation. Heere is a loser, indeed.

Enter the aforementioned 'squip' (a nanocomputer perched in the brain of anyone who takes the 'magic' pill), and Jeremy goes from social pariah to student body messiah. He ascends the social strata all the way to the pinnacle of cool, thanks to his execution of the instructions given him by the voice inside his head. His squip directs him to drop his dearest, best friend Michael for political expediency's sake (how can he remain friends with somebody now below his modicum of cool?), and advises Michael to hook up with the popular chicks in order to send Christine, the girl he really likes, into a jealous tizzy. Is this computer thing Machiavellian or what? The question is can Jeremy live with himself now that he's gone from likable geek to scheming ass?

This novel will appeal most to those still in high school or a few years removed, thus its 'Young Adult' designation. Not to say Vizzini's writing doesn't have some universal appeal, it's just that high school 'problems' are so petty, insubstantial and contrived to anybody who's had to survive for a sustained amount of time in the real world. The tragedies of acne or someone's refusal to return a greeting in the hall seems pretty small when weighed against a home foreclosure are the scourge of a bad credit rating.

That said the squip gimmick has landed Vizzini's book a movie deal. And as you read Be More Chill, you may find yourself wondering if this wasn't the author's (perhaps unconscious) intention all along. What Hollywood executive could turn down American Pie with a Keanu Reeve's voiceover? Whether on the page or the silver screen, Be More Chill will entertain high school kids nationwide, and, no doubt, a few of their parents.

I just wanted to write to say that I just finished Be More Chill and loved

it. I really liked how you made Jeremy's character easy to relate to and

have him do stuff that most of us have done at least once in our lifetimes.

I also liked the ending and how you didn't conclude everything. I just got

my wisdom teeth out on monday, and I can honestly say that without that book

I would have been a lot more miserable. It helped me through my boring days

of just sitting around. There were many nights where I told myself "Ok, I am

only going to read these 4 chapters," but I'd soon find myself on the tenth

chapter instead. So, thank you for writing a book that is not only enjoyable

but extremely truthful!

'Be More Chill' by Ned VIzzini is a book that covers all aspects of growing up. Here's the story: Jeremy Heere is your typical sex-obsessed teenager who is deperate to be cool and impress girls. Nothing seems to work until his friend tells him to get a squip, and with a little bit of help from the voice of Keanu Reeves (there's a perk for the girls!) he scores!

Ned Vizzini perfectly captures exactly how it feels to be growing up today, and despite the narrator being a boy, the book appeals to all sexes of all ages and no doubt will remind us all of a situation we've been in.

In short: One to read

Note: I would only reccomend this book to readers over the age of sixteen, ot younger more mature readers as it has some sexual content

You don't have to be a youthful twenty-something to appreciate the smell of Ned Vizzini's eternal teen spirit. A compelling tale of rejection, redemption, and rejuvenation, the persona of the persecuted high-school square-peg Jeremy Heere is really a story of good vs. evil. The ending is a shocker! A joyful read for misfits of all ages. For those about to squib, we salute you.

The story: BE MORE CHILL.

What if you were the biggest geek in school? The guy everyone talked about, laughed about and humiliated. What if you had the chance to change all that, you'd take it wouldn't you?

Well, that's exactly what Jeremy Heere did. He was the guy at the back of math class, you know the guy with those humiliation sheets?! Then he heard about SQUIP, a microcomputer that you swallow, which goes through your blood stream until it reaches your brain. But, I know you're thinking why would you do that? This SQUIP, the microcomputer tells you how to be cool, who you should hang with and more pressingly how to get the girl, a girl, any girl!

Jeremy started ripping off aunt Linda, stealing Mom's car and staying out all night at parties. Well on his way to being cool, right? Christine doesn't think so and she's the sole reason he got SQUIPED in the first place!

Set amidst this years play at Middle Borough, 'BE MORE CHILL' tells the tail of one high school boy and his escapades to win the heart of Christine Caniglia. No longer wearing his daggy clothes, up on all the important info, Jeremy is fast becoming one of the cool kids but at a price. He appears to be losing his best friend Michael, getting into trouble with Mom and Christine still thinks he's 'weird'. Worse still Dad thinks he's gay and he's just made a fool of himself in front of the audience at A Midsummer Summer Nights Dream.

The plot analysis:

Foreshadowing from as early as chapter two denotes something will to change the life of our protagonist forever. Written in the first person, Vizzini adopts the persona of Jeremy Heere, a geeky high school student. Vizzini's new persona allows him to explore modern teenage life brilliantly: jerking off over the Internet, getting drunk and trying to get laid. Is that how we are really perceived?

A plot fantastically executed and minor sub plots bring together Jeremy's journey through his SQUIPHOOD dramatically, comically and most importantly realistically. Through Vizzini's eyes we see the depiction of modern day high school life and what separates the different groups of high school kids in an age of modern technology.

Written Style: AUTHOR NED VIZZINI.

Well written and imaginative, Intelligent and empathic. My only quarrel with Vizzini is the over use and emphasis on the word 'cool'. Vizzini is yet another of that rare breed: a good writer, with the ability to captivate his readers until the very end and take them on his journey. A book I couldn't put down. I'll be looking out for more titles by Vizzini.

Blindingly fast service and product was delivered just as advertised. Would do business with them again and is highly recommended.

Jeremy Heere is a dorky high school boy who longs to be cool. One day, a classmate tells him about the "Squip"; a pill-size supercomputer that, when swallowed, will teach you how to be exactly that. Soon, Jeremy's life has changed completely. But is better?

I felt like the author could have gone so much farther with this neat idea, but instead fell flat. I was definitely hoping for more, and was especially disappointed by the end. Despite the oddly paced plot (how many pages did we spend with Jeremy smuggling Beanie Babies out of his Aunts' attic? About as much time as we spent at the much anticipated, climactic play. Weird!) and lackluster character development, it was entertaining to read. Jeremy's internal monologues were great, and at times his distinct voice reminded me (just a little!) of "Girl" by Blake Nelson, which I loved when I was in high school.

All in all, an entertaining read, but far from a must-read. I read that Miramax is making it into a film, which I would be interested to see. Here's hoping that they cast the perfect Jeremy and change the end!

For the first time ever, Be More Chill caused me to buy a book without knowing a thing about either it or its author. The cover caught my eye; it looked interesting, so I bought it.

I wasn't at all disappointed. A lot of the previous reviews say that the book was unrealistic--and it is. I don't think they're going to start coming out with SQUIPS anytime soon. That being said, I also have a hard time believing that Mr. Vizzini really believed he would be convincing anybody that it COULD happen, either. It's kind of like the movie Speed--there's no way a bus could even TAKE an exit ramp at fifty miles an hour, let alone hit fifty cars along the way, and maintain its speed. Instead of trying to make us believe it's possible, the author is trying to get us to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride, and it's a very creative one at that. Sure, the picture he paints of high school isn't necessarily realistic, but it's not too far off. There are geeks, there are nerds, there are sluts, there are druggies, there are popular kids. Ned just got rid of the shades of gray that exist in between, so everybody HAS to classify into one of the categories, and nothing else.

In reality, the author did a great job of creating his own world. The characters aren't necessarily deep, but that's the point--he made walking, talking stereotypes. When I was in high school (not that long ago) I believed in every single one of those stereotypes, and could classify every person I knew into one of them. High school life is inherently cliche, and Mr. Vizzini captured that thought well. The dialogue between the squip and Jeremy is done VERY well. There's no way you can deny that this book captures your interest from page one, and keeps it to the end. I read the book in an evening, and would not put it down for anything.

To the author's credit, he doesn't really make the girl--the object of Jeremy's lust--a really likable girl. She's just as slutty as the rest of the girls in the book, which I found a refreshing change. Too often it's the really sweet, innocent girl that the story revolves around, but not here. He also told a very realistic story of a kid turning himself around--beefing himself up, cleaning up his appearance, that sort of thing--and what effect it has on people around him. I wouldn't be surprised if people reading this book took some of the squip's suggestions and tried implementing them in their lives.

I gave the book four stars instead of five because of the ending. I don't want to give away what happens at the end, so I'll say no more than this: It makes you feel a bit empty. Although I appreciate what the author was trying to do, I don't think it came off very well. I'm reminded of the story The Lady or the Tiger from high school, if you've ever read it.

Overall, with the character dialogue being as good as it was, the story being as creative and daring as it was, and the pace as captivating as it was, this book is a great read. It doesn't ask for too much of your time--you could read it in a night, and although I'm a big fan of long series of books, it was a welcome breath of fresh air to have a story with no strings attached.