Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Please Send Help (I Hate Everyone But You, #2)
by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin

Synopsis (via Goodreads): In this hilarious follow-up novel to the New York Times bestseller I Hate Everyone But You, long distance best friends Ava and Gen have finally made it to the same time zone (although they’re still over a thousand miles apart).

Through their hilarious, sometimes emotional, but always relatable conversations, Ava and Gen are each other’s support systems through internships, relationship troubles, questionable roommates, undercover reporting, and whether or not it’s a good idea to take in a feral cat. Please Send Help perfectly captures the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world and how no matter how desperate things seem, you always have your best friend to tell it like it is and pick you back up.
"1) You can buy sunblock that smells really good. Coconut or mango. I think if it smells good you will want to eat it and then when you realize you can’t eat it you will still want it on your body."
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Please Send Help made me smile and was a super quick read. I really enjoyed the banter between Ava and Gen, and it was clear they knew each other really well. Their conversations felt realistic and their situations were relatable. They had their disagreements and fights, but those never lasted very long. Their friendship was more important to them than whatever they were fighting about, and I liked how self-aware they seemed to be. They apologized when they did something wrong, and they were quick to forgive for the sake of their friendship.

I've rewritten this paragraph ten times trying not be too spoilery, but I feel like it's an aspect that should be addressed. Okay, eleventh time's the charm... one of the characters has sex and gets more than they bargained for (stop here if you don't want specifics). I think it's great the author's chose to address sexually transmitted diseases, because it's something that real people deal with every day. It's also not a topic I've personally come across while reading YA, likely because it's not an issue most people want to discuss. I thought it was handled well and offered a different perspective.

I liked the overall story, and seeing how the two main characters progressed over time, but I never felt connected to them. They're both struggling with serious issues (mental health, alcoholism, depression, anxiety), and I wish those things had been expanded on a little more. I appreciate what they authors were trying to do, but I also felt overwhelmed my how much was going on throughout the book. It was like they tried to take every touchy subject and cram them all into one book (therapy, boss hitting on an intern, LGBTQ, homelessness, corruption in politics, family bias in business, a mΓ©nage, plus the things I mentioned earlier, and others I've already forgotten).

As far as connecting with the characters... it's just hard to do when you're only reading text messages and emails. There's very little depth to those, and we don't really see how the characters are feeling, just what they say they're feeling (and we all know that our perceptions of ourselves can be a little skewed). It also felt like the topics were all over the place, and sometimes I got lost in their conversations.

Please Send Help was an interesting read that I often found humorous, although I wish it had delved deeper into the characters and their individual stories. Also, the ending felt rushed and a little too convenient. There's an epilogue that's super short, but somehow manages to tie all of the loose ends together. Maybe if this had been more than just conversations, it would have worked better for me, but in the end I felt like the story just stopped without really going anywhere (a problem I seem to be having with a lot of books lately). It didn't feel open-ended, just open.

Side note: I didn't read the first book, but I don't think you need to.

22 comments:

  1. It is hard to connect to characters when instead of a narrative all you get is snippets of a life - texts, emails, etc. While it can be fun it also sometimes feels like the meaningful stuff gets glossed over.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, there was a lot going on in this book, so some of the issues presented were lost in the background. Like you said, it's hard to connect with characters when we only see snippets of their life, but their conversations did feel genuine and relatable.

      Delete
  2. I confess that I always love to have stories with messages and all so I"m curious

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are a lot of messages mentioned throughout the book, but it was hard to keep track of them all. I feel like they tried to tackle too much in one book! Especially when it's already shortened by texts and emails. :/

      Delete
  3. Darn - the cover is so adorable! Sorry it didn't work for you. Iv'e read a few books told in letters and texts and other than a few exceptions - they don't work for me.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was my second book told through emails/texts, but I really enjoyed the first! To Night Owl From Dogfish. The narrators were amazing, but I wouldn't recommend the audio. There's a lot of repetition when the read the subject lines (too many re:re:re:re…).

      Delete
  4. Hmm, I never come across stds now when I think about it. Ugh, I still remember when a friend told me she had the creepy crawlies. No no no

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was interesting to see it mentioned in a book, and that it happened to one of the main characters.

      Delete
  5. Hm... haven't read the first one either. Sounds good and I'm glad it feels realistic and I don't think I've come across that issue either (only in considering the possibility and not actually the disease). I may have to try that first book though. Sometimes I actually do read in order. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know if one book is dependent on the other, but I believe it's about younger versions of Ava and Gen. Maybe? I would have to double check!

      Delete
  6. Wow, it's interesting how the author introduced what you mentioned, especially in a YA. That is so interesting! I'd love to read how she dealt with it. Lovely review!
    Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I were her, I don't think I would have been able to handle it in the same way. She really put herself out there, and took control of her life.

      Delete
  7. I'm glad to hear this was a fun read for you. I tried to read it but just couldn't connect with the characters and wanted more than what I was getting from their texts and emails. I set it aside for now but may come back to it later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "I liked the overall story, and seeing how the two main characters progressed over time, but I never felt connected to them."

      "As far as connecting with the characters... it's just hard to do when you're only reading text messages and emails."

      It seems like we had similar feelings about this one! I thought the banter between Ava and Gen was humorous, and liked the overall vibe of the story, but wasn't wowed by it. ;)

      Delete
  8. It's interesting to read your thoughts here, because I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I thought I would, though, I love female friendships. I just finished a book that was all text messages, and the author impressed me with what she accomplished via only texts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't read the first one, and I likely won't after reading this one, but it was a good experience overall. To Night Owl From Dogfish was a really great book told through emails and letters! The narrators were amazing, but the audio itself was a little frustrating (lot's of repetitive text in the subject line of the emails). This one just didn't impact me as much as I'd hoped. I didn't feel a connection to the characters, which is important for me.

      Delete
  9. I haven’t read the first one either, and am trying to think of another YA that features STDs - I’m coming up blank. I definitely think YA should have more realistic stuff!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! STDs are something a large percentage of the population struggles with, and likely will for a long time. It's refreshing to see authors using their books to discuss issues real people deal with every day.

      Delete
  10. I read the first book, but other than it being a super-quick read, I don't remember much about it. Telling a story through texts and emails is fun, but I agree, there is often not enough depth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was quick and enjoyable, but not memorable. It's not going to be a story that sticks with me, or one that I'll want to read again, but I didn't know the characters well enough to care about them.

      Delete

Click the "Notify me" box if you want to be notified when someone responds!

“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless