Review: When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid

Everyone wanted to break me. But stars aren't broken, they explode. And I was the ultimate supernova.

My name was Jude. They called me Judy. I was beautiful either way.

School was basically a movie set. We were all just playing our parts. The Crew, the Extras, the Movie Stars. No one was ever real . . . especially me. I didn't fit any category.

All the girls watched me - I could walk so much better than them in heels, and my make-up was always flawless.

All the boys wanted to, well, you know . . . even if they didn't admit it.

They loved me, they hated me, but they could never ignore me.

I only had eyes for Luke. A red carpet rolled out from my heart towards him and this year, on Valentine'sDay, I was going to walk that carpet and find my mark next to him. It would be like a dream.

But my dream was going to turn into a nightmare.

This is my story.

This is a short book - around 180 pages - but don't be fooled. This is anything but an easy read. This was, in fact, one of the most difficult books that I have ever read for this blog. The protagonist was hard to like and the topic is just a pretty heartbreaking one. This book is written to be shocking, with all of the swears and cusses and references to lewd acts. At first, I didn't think there was much to it other than the shock factor but as I neared the middle of the book I saw where it was going and I was gripped.

Could I put this book in front of my fourteen year old cousin and feel happy with him reading it? Not really? But do I feel that this book is a must read for anyone who can get past the language definitely.

I do feel like the characters did not feel true to me. Jude is bigger than life, but in the most narcissistic and masochistic way - he's practically asking to be bullied. The way he talks and the way he has issues and tackles them does not feel his age (14), and I couldn't get past Jude just not being a nice character to read, he isn't meant to be sympathetic character - he is meant to arouse a reaction. This book is about the shock factor.

What I think is the most striking thing about this book is that the events mirror those that led to the death of Larry King - a gay teen who was murdered by a boy he had asked to a dance.

This is such a confusing book because not everyone is going to like it, and I can't quite decide whether I did as well. I know it's going to stick with me for a long time, but did I enjoy the writing style or the characters? Not really. Would I still recommend this book, quite possibly.

I think this is just one of those books that you have to read to know what I mean.

Book released 2015 by Atom

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review