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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but has some distracting elements that take away from the story, September 13, 2009
This review is from: Flash Burnout (Hardcover)
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What made me decide to read Flash Burnout basically encompassed the photography aspect and the girlfriend + girl that is a friend. And thankfully those two aspects of the book were pretty satisfying, unfortunately they came with a few other things that were bothersome to me.
Let's start with the good, I loved how each chapter started with something related to photography, be it from a manual or Blake's homework and the way that photography was used to move the story forward. I would have loved to have seen Blake's and Marissa's photographs. They sound beautiful.
I also loved seeing Blake try and balance having a girlfriend he adored and that adores him (Shannon) and a girl that is a friend that really needs him (Marissa). The feeling of being torn and trying to do what's right for everyone is explored wonderfully in this book.
Another thing I really liked was Blake's family, his open-minded parents and his older brother, Garrett. I actually liked Garret at times better than Blake and his storyline about his friend with benefits Cappie. Would have loved to have seen that explored more.
While I liked all of that I did have some problems that distracted and took away from the good things in the book. Right off the bat I noticed Blake's slang and sort of annoying sense of humor, stuff like talking to Houston in his head all the time etc. I could have done without those types of things. And another thing that became rather bothersome for me was the way that Blake talked about his girlfriend Shannon and her body and touching her body. Yes, I know boys have hormones and they think about that stuff, but it was just too much for me and it made me sort of dislike Blake during those passages. Another thing I didn't find funny at all was that basically any time Blake mentioned Shannon's father he insulted him, I can understand insulting her mother but her father, he never did anything to deserve that!
Overall a nice coming of age story with some downsides that somewhat distracted from the story.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny, fantastic, and true, July 29, 2009
This review is from: Flash Burnout (Hardcover)
I was smitten with the main character's voice just a few pages into LK Madigan's FLASH BURNOUT. This YA novel is really, really funny at the same time it tackles some tough issues about family, teen romance, drug addiction, and friendship.
The novel begins with a photography assignment for fifteen-year-old Blake, just experiencing his first real romance. When Blake inadvertently snaps a picture of his friend Marissa's drug-addicted mother, he launches Marissa into a journey for which she desperately needs his support. That journey causes Blake to question what he thought he knew about love, sex, and friendship and takes readers on a wild ride of their own.
The voice in this book is really remarkable, and Madigan's rich characters with their hysterical dialogue reminded me of John Green at times. FLASH BURNOUT is a fantastic, fantastic debut!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
witty and funny main character, December 17, 2009
This review is from: Flash Burnout (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Blake is a typical teenage boy, filled with hormones and rampant thoughts about sex. He also aspires to be a stand up comic, and does his best to make everyone around him laugh. He makes for a funny, interesting character that many teenage boys will relate to.
There were a few times, however, that his voice sounded too teen-girl. Such as "Oh no she didn't!" That phrase is begging for a 'snap' at the end of it, and I don't know any teen boys who would do that. :) He also had a little too much insight at times (like, at the end with Marissa), which didn't fit his maturity level, character, or situation in life. Also, the end result of his photography felt like the story was being tied up with a bow.
So, for me (who isn't a teen anymore), those elements weakened the story. However, I can still see teens, both boys and girls, strongly relating to the characters and their situations. Especially since the writing is sharp, and the descriptions of the photographs are vivid and interesting.
This is definitely not for a younger audience, though. Sex is mentioned frequently, and there is an after-sex scene that might be too mature for kids younger than 13 or 14. The drug aspect of the story was done well, without graphic consequences, but it's also prevalent throughout the story.
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