Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Review

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

My Rating: 3/5 Stars
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.59/5 Stars

There was so much hype surrounding this book, and I have to admit that this is what made me buy it. So many people on YouTube were saying how good this was, how funny and refreshing and new. So after all the hype, I was just disappointed. It's not a bad book, it really isn't, but it's really not as good as so many people made out.

I like the writing style. It is a very self aware novel, which I enjoy, and it is experimental in its use of scripts and lists and similar things. The title were often humorous, even though they weren't laugh out loud funny. I shared Rachel's appreciation of Hugh Jackman, because who wouldn't? And the part about making a film of the book was sort of funny now that there is one. But so many people were saying this book was hilarious and they couldn't stop laughing, but all I got was the occasional "huh, that's funny".

Why wouldn't you have posters of this guy all over your room?

The biggest downside of this book is that the characters are just so unlikable. Yeah, I get that they were mean to seem real in how they act, but damn they were horrible people. Rachel was a flat character, and we had no attachment to her, Earl was a racial stereotype gone wild, and Greg was just a dick.

Maybe the film of this will be worth a watch, but I wouldn't recommend the book because it was so underwhelming. I can't say that there are any really stand out points about this novel.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Jan/Feb/Mar Book Overview

Here are all the books that I read in January, February and March (and the ones I didn't quite finish).

Persuasion - Jane Austen
My Rating - 2/5 Stars
I didn't actually finish this because I just cannot get on with Austen's writing. I know how popular and celebrated she is as a writer, but I found most of what she said completely unnecessary and so I gave up.

Dracula - Bram Stoker
My Rating - 3/5 Stars
Again, I didn't finish this, I had to read it for university and got about half way through before I had a lecture on it. I skimmed through the rest just so I know what I was talking about, but I don't think its as amazing as its reputation makes you believe.

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
My Rating - 4/5 Stars
I loved this book. It was so wacky and unexpected, making something as devastating as the firebombing of Dresden into a much more light hearted novel that involves aliens and time travel. It probably wont be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.