holes in my brain

full review on my blog, holes In My brainThis book is good. It’s really good. I can see the appeal of CK Kelly Martin now, I think her writing is more about the voice and the character than telling the story in a step by step manner. She pinpoints Mason’s voice from the very first page and fleshes him out as things get complicated making him one of the best male voices I’ve read in a while**. I loved how realistic he seemed, and what I loved even more is that Martin didn’t rely on some sort of crutch to shape his character. He’s not the runaway kid, the grieving brother, etc. He’s just a boy—he’s complicated, hormonal, confused, and authentic. I thought Kat and Colette were respectable counterparts. I found myself sympathizing with Kat and never hating on Colette, which I think in itself created a complex dynamic that enhanced the reading experience. I liked the supporting characters and I found them all shine brighter because of Mason’s narration***.It feels pathetic but I need to say it anyway. “I just like you more than you like me. It happens.”THIS. I thought this relationship was the part that Martin really nailed (excuse the pun. No seriously, get you head out of the gutter) because it is such a slim line between believable and lame and I thought all of Mason’s actions, from his forced-aloof-ness to his desperation to exude maturity… totally believable.That said, the plot was also the part I had a hard time buying into. I felt that yes, it did tell a story but it lacked… something. I can’t figure out what, but I found myself at the end thinking “so what?” instead of “wow”. Martin had wonderfully explored the shades of grey in relationships (family and friends as well as ‘romance/lust’) but I felt along the way the plot got… murky. Like it got lost along the way only to be fished out at random places. Lastly, I just wanted to touch on the subplots, and how awesomesauce they are. Friendships and new families were never cakewalks, and overall, I think Martin handled them very well.4/5 – because there is so much good stuff, but I didn’t fall in love with it. I really loved Mason’s voice and the whole-ness of his character. I thought Martin tackled tricky themes really well and I liked the vibe of the book, if you get what I mean. I was never really fully invested in the plot though, and I thought the overall story did lack a bit of oomph. However, I can’t deny that this is a solid upper-YA**** book that has put CK Kelly Martin on my author-radar.**speaking of male POVs, you guys should really read Split by Swati Avasthi—dude, that book is still floating inside my brain.***he actually abbreviates his friends’ names! Yoanda and Zoe became Y and Z, which I dunno, I found really awesome.****not intended for younger audiences.