Be More Chill

i wish michael was gayer

From the 11-year-old reader: What do you do when you have a machine inside you? Jeremy tries to fix his teen life, which works for awhile, then gets out of hand. This book is full of teen spirit. Most of the characters are likeable. I recommend this book if you're looking for a little craziness in your life.

Not a fan of the writing style at all. It all seemed very lazily put together. It was a fun read, but only because it was interesting to compare it to the musical. Wouldn't have enjoyed it much at all if I hadn't listened to the musical.

Great novel for teens who are going through something or think they need to be popular or adored by everyone, it does have strong language and mature content so be prepared, but aside from that I think the book has a really good message and that really showcases in the end.

While I have learned to steer clear of Oprah Book Club selections over the years (which always seem to be shallow downers), the Today Show Book Club sticker on this one seemed at least a little more encouraging. As a high school English teacher, I am always looking for books that might appeal to teenagers. Like many other books before it, critics have claimed this one has a Holden-esque feel to it. And as with other books that have made this claim, it falls short...way short. This book is listed on amazon as a "grade 9 and up" book, so my expectations were not quite what they would be for an "adult" piece of literature. Even with my lowered expectations, I was disappointed. The author is young, only 23, and his writing is very undeveloped. In fact, I felt like I was reading one of my 10th grader's stories here. So, I suppose on one level, he succeeded: he did create a youthful narrator. But, this compliment is not entirely complimentary. The writing "sounds" young, but not altogether real. The frequent cussing is pretty accurate, as is the struggle to be cool. But, the dialogue is still fairly out of touch with real teens. The partying and drug use were over-the-top, and the story about the pill-computer was pretty lame too. It kind of came together in the end, but not really. I expect to see this brought to the big screen someday and star some cheesy young actors like from Malcolm in the Middle or something. This future movie would likely get an R rating for the inappropriate elements, or get watered down for a PG-13 rating, but the effect would still probably only be popular with immature 14 year-olds. I didn't see anything worthwhile for older teens, or adults, and am frankly surprised this was part of an adult book club. It made a little more sense when I learned that Judy Blume is the one who selected this author. I wish I had known that prior to picking this one up; I may have opted to skip it altogether. It's not horrible, but it's definitely not good. There are other coming-of-age books out there where the writing is better developed, the characters are more endearing, and the plot is more feasible. Keep looking.

Perhaps this review will be unfair since I couldn't bring myself to finish the book, but the parts I did read were horrid. I found I could not care about any of the characters, especially the protagonist. This book assumes that all teenagers are not only obsessed with sex, but that they're all actively participating in some sort of sex act. All the characters were foul-mouthed, self-centered, and stupid yet parading as insightful. When the actual plot started rolling (he took the "cool" pill and heard a voice telling him to ignore his only friend, etc.), it seemed pretty cliche . . . in that I'm assuming he's going to learn some important lesson about how being cool doesn't actually make you happy, blah, blah, blah. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe he doesn't lose real friends and the theme of the story is to drink and do drugs and you'll be a success. Either way, I didn't think this book was worth the time, but someday when I'm old and senile, and I've somehow not thrown it away, perhaps I'll finish it and find that it was actually quite magical . . . don't hold your breath.

I love this book, but the cover was bent and it looks like it's worn out. Almost like someone read it already and then sold it. It made me a little sad.

There are very few books in which I've been so disgusted that I actually decided to put the book down for good. This is one of them. The character is extremely shallow and obsessed with scoring some action. In fact, the only thing he and his friend have in common is this one goal. Please... I can't imagine anyone relating to this. And for those who do... I pity you. I couldn't stand to read another word.

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!

The late Ned Vizzlini is becoming my favorite author. I picked this book up after my ongoing obsession with the musical. This book is every bit as engaging as that show, although the plot can differ greatly at times. It isnt an exact match of the show and it does not have to be. Recommended.