Customer Reviews

Cycler

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found Lauren McLaughlin's Cycler to be a truly enjoyable read. It will provide a challenge to the reader as it delves into gender and sexuality, topics that need to be probed if you are a teenager. The book is a "must read" for those young adults who are questioning their persona. The characters are funny, as are many of the situations they find themselves in.
Ms. McLaughlin is a quality storyteller, The book may invoke some controversy, but that is what makes it interesting. Young adults will relate to the characters. It is thought provoking. That makes it an enjoyable read.

i picked up the book yesterday, thinking i was just gonna read this over the week, slowly. i ended finishing it in a day. i couldnt help but keep reading it.

Once I started reading, I didn't put the book down. The characters were well developed and distinctly different. The story had personality. It reads like a young adult novel, but there are a few sex scenes. The sexiness really added to the story, because, after all, it IS a book about gender lines.

Clever, witty, well-written...definitely read this.

CYCLER
LAUREN McLAUGHLIN
Young Adult
Random House
ISBN# 978-0-375-85191-9
256 Pages
$17.99
Hardcover--Available Now

Rating: 5 Enchantments

CYCLER has a really intriguing premise that had me hooked from the jacket blurb. Four days out of every month Jill becomes Jack, in every single way possible. With the help of self hypnosis, Jill's been able to block out those four days, but Jack on the other hand, well he's been able to find a way to view Jill's days to keep up with what's happening in the world. Now he's no longer happy having to spend his four days cooped up in Jill's room. He wants out and he wants out for one reason: Ramie.

I loved this book. Aside from a really unique premise, Jill and Jack have their own voices that drew me straight in and made me like each of them almost instantly. Jack is your typical guy, except he only exists four days each month, but he's growing desperate to escape his prison, one that becomes even more solitary when Jill and her mother find out about Jack's first escape. Jill's your typical teenage girl, obsessed with prom and going with the guy of her dreams, who also just happens to have Jack to deal with. I loved how different Jack and Jill were, and how the black moment brought them together in one horrifying moment that actually had me cringing as I read the last few pages.

CYCLER has one of the best scenes I've ever read, when poor Jill in an effort to attract her crush goes to the ski hill with her best friend Ramie. What happens with her and the J-Bar is absolutely hysterical and mortifying.

Ms. McLaughlin creates a very vivid, at times hilarious page turner with CYCLER.
I was so glad to read in the author bio at the back of the book that Ms. McLaughlin is currently at work on a sequel, as the ending leaves things wide open for one and I can't wait to see what happens to Jill and Jack next.

You can learn more about Ms. McLaughlin at her website, [...]

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
September 2008

CYCLER is one of those rare storiess that can transcend one genre of book. Touted as a science fiction story, it can easily pass for a contemporary teen novel, with a little bit of mystery and even horror (if the concept of the story creeps you out!) thrown in.

Jill McTeague is a normal high school girl. She's got good friends who are helping her to snag a date to the prom. Not any date, though. She's been asked by her science lab partner but brushed him off saying it was too early to plan for the prom. She'd rather go with Tommy Knutson. They have Calculus together and she catches him looking at her throughout class.

There's only one small glitch in her plans. As long as her cycle stays on course, she can attend the prom as Jill. But if there is even a slight miscalculation on her part, she may be Jack at the time.

Jack is the person she becomes for four days prior to her period each month. The cycling from female to male started three years ago. She and her mom have been to all the doctors and had all the tests done, but no one can explain it or give her any help. So the McTeague family has taken matters into their own hands. When Jill becomes Jack, he is forced to stay home from school (they've created an ongoing need for blood transfusions each month for Jill by way of explanation) and denied access to the outside world. Jack has no access to the Internet, or a cell phone. His only stimulation comes from the piles of books, DVDs and porn Jill or her mother procures for him (thanks to the sticky notes he leaves for Jill when he's visiting).

Things are going along smoothly for Jill and her crush, Tommy, has started noticing her, no thanks to the crazy J-bar incident at the local ski slope. Now Jill just has to get him to ask her to the prom. However, in the meantime, Jack has snuck out of the house on his latest visit to peek at a sleeping Ramie, Jill's best friend. Jack is obsessed with Ramie. Mrs. McTeague strips Jack of all privileges and locks him in his room.

As the prom gets closer and closer, the cycling becomes more complicated for Jill and Jack. Jill has a harder time forcing Jack's residual thoughts into oblivion, and being around her best friend draws conflicting emotions within her.

CYCLER is a unique story that has many surprising elements within its covers. There is a lot of graphic sex talk, so those easily offended should refrain from picking this one up. My only complaint about the novel was the repetitive use of the world "mal." It was used quite often throughout the story and seemed to hamper the flow, rather than assist it. However, that being said, the entire concept is fascinating and kept me spellbound throughout the entire novel. It's not until the prom arrives does everything finally come together with the appropriate conclusion.

CYCLER is Ms. McLaughlin's first published novel, and according to the bio at the end of the book, a sequel is in the works. I know I for one will be keeping my eyes open to see what happens with Ramie, Tommy, Jack, and Jill!

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

I really enjoyed this book. While the subject matter might seem a little controversial, the story is surprisingly funny and sweet, and it moves along at a great pace. While Jill really is your average all-American girl and it's easy to root for her, I found Jack to be similarly endearing even though he's cast somewhat as her antagonist. One of the things I found most refreshing is the dialogue - or rather, the author's ability to make teens sound like teens, not what thirty-something writers often think teens sound like. Teenagers are at once ignorant and incredibly perceptive, and I think Ms. McLaughlin captures that perfectly.

This book strikes me as the type of story parents might want their teens and tweens to steer clear of - that is, until they read it themselves and see that you can tackle hot-button issues for kids - sexuality and self-identify - with grace and humor.

The premise and writing was great, it just fell a little flat for me. I think that there were too many twists and that things weren't fleshed out as much as it could have been.
Also, with Jack-- everything went back to sex, and even if guys really think that way- there needs to be more depth for me.

I liked the friendships in this book, and I like that the mom is very involved in Jill's life, even though there are problems, big ones, with her interactions with Jack

What do you do when, for 4 days out of a month, your female body turns male...along with your thoughts? Jack and Jill must learn to live with one another in a way no other teenager in the world must do.

When Jack appears, he gets caught up by pillaging Jane's thoughts and actions over the past month.

Jane deals with Jack by mentally shutting a door against him, and what he may have watched (porn) or done, on her first day "back" after being male. This leads to some embarassing, and eye opening situations in love, everyday issues and parenting styles.

This is one of the strangest plot lines I have ever come across, and McLaughlin nails each character and makes the situation believable. You are able feel sympathy for both of the "characters" and hope they each can find happiness and some kind of co-habitation. The end wasn't a surprise, but nice and fluffy! I do want to read the sequel "(re)Cycler" which came out a few months ago.

This book is AMAZING! I'd say this book range's of age interest from 12-27. This book is out of the ordinary, funny, appealing, and all right teen. I think that having someone change sex's is just a great idea. I found this book just out right AMAZING! It kept me wanting more. And there is a sequel to this book as I know of, but no sign of it out yet.

From www.mrsmagooreads.com

Title: Cycler
Author: Lauren McLaughlin
Grade: A-
Ideal Audience: Girls & Some Boys, 13+

Summary: At first glance, Jill seems normal. She's a senior in high school, and she's currently spending most of her time plotting with her best friend, Ramie, to get Tommy Knutson to ask her to prom. After Jill learns to accept the fact that he's bisexual, it looks like she's home free.

But there are a few more complications. Jill's situation is less than ideal. Every month, for four days, Jill morphs into a boy named Jack. Not only is the change physical, but also mental: Jack is a whole different person with a secret of his own. Jill covers up at school by saying she has to get monthly blood transfusions, and her parents keep Jack locked up in her room. The whole business is not exactly wonderful, but Jill has learned to live with it.

The problem now? The cycle between Jill and Jack is beginning to get a little bit messed up. According to Jill's calculations, she still might be Jack on prom night! Jill is desperate, but there's nothing she can do... and Jack isn't being very helpful either...

My thoughts: I was entertained by the exciting twists and turns of the plot line, as well as the different personalities of Jack and Jill. I would recommend this to all teens having identity issues (and any other teens as well!).

Lauren McLaughlin announced on her blog that the sequel is going to be titled (Re)Cycler, and now I am definitely looking forward to Cycler's sequel!