Howdy YAL!
I used to be the blogger called YAL Book Briefs, but I grew bored of the handle and changed my name to Howdy YAL. I also respond to MJ. I like to read, write, eat truffles, and watch bad Lifetime movies.
Take Your Mog to the Prom
There are a lot of things about this one that I loved. I think the best attribute of it is that it is different. Okay, there is a definite formula and I could very easily see this in film, but for YA it’s not the sort of story you’d typically see published. Though, there is one unfortunate borderline trope in it (that I’ll discuss in a bit).
This is such a fun book. There is a touch of romance, but more or less it’s not about it. And I’m glad because the romance was one of the biggest flaws of the novel. The best part was the bits and pieces of dialogue. There are several lines that made me laugh out loud. If you watch any show about aliens-to make fun of said show-this book and you are going to gel.
There were even bits and pieces that sort of reminded me of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy-one of my favorite books of all time. This one doesn’t hit such of a brilliant note, but it is close.
What I did not like about this book is that sometimes it tried just a bit too hard with the one liners and it showed. And it got to be too much like ludicrous speed. Maybe it would’ve been better in another form of media-I noted from the author’s bio that McCoy has had screen writing experience. It shows. This reads very much like the typical movie you’d see Michael Cera star in back in the day.
That’s who I kept imagining Bennet as anyway, while reading it.
The other problem I had with this book was the girlfriend, Sophie. There were shades of the MPDG (Manic Pixie Dream Girl) trope that I hate here. I do like how the relationship eventually resolved itself, but I do not like the MPDG trope. I wonder if guys feel the same way about women’s presentation of guys in YA. I mean, the stereotypical YA boy is severally unrealistic just like the MPDG, I think the only difference is that the MPDG is more of a distinct trope in some ways-I mean, I imagine all of these girls looking like Zooey Deschanel from New Girl.
Anyway, if you like aliens and want a not so serious romp read this. It’s fun, it’s quirky, and a little out there. Overall, it’s very enjoyable, but not special.
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