Review Detail
3.8 3
Young Adult Fiction
334
Ask Me Again Later, and I'll Still Tell You to Read This
Overall rating
4.3
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What I Loved:
Dear friends, I want to push this book on you if you love fluffy things. And banter. And ships. And adorableness. If you do not like those things, you should probably turn around because you would hate this book. However, those of you who are like me, YOU WANT THIS. Ask Again Later is the sort of fluffy, slow burning, bantery goodness of which I will never tire.
First things first, let’s discuss something: the main character’s name. It is, in fact, Heart LaCoeur. If you know me well, you know that I HATE all the stupid YA character names just to make a bland character stand out. While I’m sure that’s at least some of the motivation, I’m okay with it, because Heart abhors her name and she actually got picked on for it, which is way more realistic than most YA novels where Hiohefoqhn is treated like a totally ordinary name. So, yes, her name is Heart LaHeart, but it’s totally fine.
See, the real thing that makes her name okay is the ship. Well, that and the fact that she actually has a personality. Anyway, I boarded a ship on page 12, when the boy she calls Schroeder calls her spleen because “he never called [her] by [her] real name, always by some other internal organ.” While, in general, nicknames annoy me in books, clever ones like this are the beeeeest. The Schroeder nickname is great too. So yes. I knew on page 12, which was the third page of actual text. I regret nothing.
Heart is completely hilarious. I know that the reactions to this book have been somewhat mixed, and I get it. Ask Again Later is the sort of first person contemporary that is heavily dependent on whether you are amused by the main character and understand her way of thinking. I’m sure she could be endlessly frustrating if you don’t get her, but she is totally a kindred spirit for me. I especially love that, though she’s a good friend and sister, she will tell someone off when that needs to be done. Oh, and, she’s a YA heroine who wants to be single; how awesome is that?
“I’m telling you, there’s no way to make this decision. Even fortune-telling toys won’t help me.”
Heart gets three offers to Prom her junior year: her friend group (the No Drama) Prom-a, Ryan, and Troy, her brother’s friend. The above quote is Heart’s indecisiveness, as is the entire book. Essentially, all three are friend options not date options, and she doesn’t want to let anybody down, so she can’t choose. I feel your pain, Heart. Choosing things is hard.
On top of the awesomeness of Heart, I love the big group of friends in the novel. She’s got a whole passel of friends from theater, and they are wonderful. They make fun of one another and bicker and banter constantly and it’s magical. With such a big group, the dynamics aren’t perfect, but they’re all watching out for one another and able to get through fights healthily. Also, yay for an adorable, non-stereotyped gay character!
What Left Me Wanting More:
Sort of like a non-depressing Post-Birthday World or even fluffier Split Second, Ask Again Later runs through two scenarios for Prom night: if she’d gone with Troy or if she’d gone with Ryan. This framework was actually my least favorite part, with its odd fatalism. I loved reading every bit of it, but the hook of the novel really didn’t add to the experience for me.
The Final Verdict:
If you’re on the fence, go to Amazon and check out the free preview. Check out th voice and see if you love it. If you do, GET THIS BOOK. If you ask again later, my answer will be unchanged.
Dear friends, I want to push this book on you if you love fluffy things. And banter. And ships. And adorableness. If you do not like those things, you should probably turn around because you would hate this book. However, those of you who are like me, YOU WANT THIS. Ask Again Later is the sort of fluffy, slow burning, bantery goodness of which I will never tire.
First things first, let’s discuss something: the main character’s name. It is, in fact, Heart LaCoeur. If you know me well, you know that I HATE all the stupid YA character names just to make a bland character stand out. While I’m sure that’s at least some of the motivation, I’m okay with it, because Heart abhors her name and she actually got picked on for it, which is way more realistic than most YA novels where Hiohefoqhn is treated like a totally ordinary name. So, yes, her name is Heart LaHeart, but it’s totally fine.
See, the real thing that makes her name okay is the ship. Well, that and the fact that she actually has a personality. Anyway, I boarded a ship on page 12, when the boy she calls Schroeder calls her spleen because “he never called [her] by [her] real name, always by some other internal organ.” While, in general, nicknames annoy me in books, clever ones like this are the beeeeest. The Schroeder nickname is great too. So yes. I knew on page 12, which was the third page of actual text. I regret nothing.
Heart is completely hilarious. I know that the reactions to this book have been somewhat mixed, and I get it. Ask Again Later is the sort of first person contemporary that is heavily dependent on whether you are amused by the main character and understand her way of thinking. I’m sure she could be endlessly frustrating if you don’t get her, but she is totally a kindred spirit for me. I especially love that, though she’s a good friend and sister, she will tell someone off when that needs to be done. Oh, and, she’s a YA heroine who wants to be single; how awesome is that?
“I’m telling you, there’s no way to make this decision. Even fortune-telling toys won’t help me.”
Heart gets three offers to Prom her junior year: her friend group (the No Drama) Prom-a, Ryan, and Troy, her brother’s friend. The above quote is Heart’s indecisiveness, as is the entire book. Essentially, all three are friend options not date options, and she doesn’t want to let anybody down, so she can’t choose. I feel your pain, Heart. Choosing things is hard.
On top of the awesomeness of Heart, I love the big group of friends in the novel. She’s got a whole passel of friends from theater, and they are wonderful. They make fun of one another and bicker and banter constantly and it’s magical. With such a big group, the dynamics aren’t perfect, but they’re all watching out for one another and able to get through fights healthily. Also, yay for an adorable, non-stereotyped gay character!
What Left Me Wanting More:
Sort of like a non-depressing Post-Birthday World or even fluffier Split Second, Ask Again Later runs through two scenarios for Prom night: if she’d gone with Troy or if she’d gone with Ryan. This framework was actually my least favorite part, with its odd fatalism. I loved reading every bit of it, but the hook of the novel really didn’t add to the experience for me.
The Final Verdict:
If you’re on the fence, go to Amazon and check out the free preview. Check out th voice and see if you love it. If you do, GET THIS BOOK. If you ask again later, my answer will be unchanged.
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