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How to Win at High School
Using Scarface as his guide to life, Adam Higgs is going from zero to high school hero.
Adam Higgs is a loser, and he’s not okay with it.
But starting as a junior in a new high school seems like exactly the right time to change things. He brainstorms with his best friend, Brian: What will it take for him to take over Nixon Collegiate?
Adam searches for the A-listers’ weak spot and strikes gold when he gets queen bee Sara Bryant to pay him for doing her physics homework. One part nerd, two parts badass, Adam ditches his legit job and turns to full-time cheating. His clients? All the Nixon Collegiate gods and goddesses.
But soon his homework business becomes a booze business, which becomes a fake ID business. Adam’s popularity soars as he unlocks high school achievements left and right, from his first kiss to his first rebound hookup. But something else is haunting him—a dark memory from his past, driving him to keep climbing. What is it? And will he go too far?
How to Win at High School’s honest portrayal of high school hierarchy is paired with an adrenaline-charged narrative and an over-the-top story line, creating a book that will appeal to guys, girls, and reluctant readers of every stripe. Adam’s rocket ride to the top of the social order and subsequent flameout is both emotionally resonant and laugh-out-loud funny.
Adam Higgs is a loser, and he’s not okay with it.
But starting as a junior in a new high school seems like exactly the right time to change things. He brainstorms with his best friend, Brian: What will it take for him to take over Nixon Collegiate?
Adam searches for the A-listers’ weak spot and strikes gold when he gets queen bee Sara Bryant to pay him for doing her physics homework. One part nerd, two parts badass, Adam ditches his legit job and turns to full-time cheating. His clients? All the Nixon Collegiate gods and goddesses.
But soon his homework business becomes a booze business, which becomes a fake ID business. Adam’s popularity soars as he unlocks high school achievements left and right, from his first kiss to his first rebound hookup. But something else is haunting him—a dark memory from his past, driving him to keep climbing. What is it? And will he go too far?
How to Win at High School’s honest portrayal of high school hierarchy is paired with an adrenaline-charged narrative and an over-the-top story line, creating a book that will appeal to guys, girls, and reluctant readers of every stripe. Adam’s rocket ride to the top of the social order and subsequent flameout is both emotionally resonant and laugh-out-loud funny.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2015
7 people are currently reading
931 people want to read
About the author
Owen Matthews
2 books58 followersOwen Matthews was raised on rap music and violent video games. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s creative writing program and has worked on fishing boats and in casinos all over the world. Under the name Owen Laukkanen, he writes crime thrillers acclaimed by critics and bestselling authors like Lee Child, Jonathan Kellerman, and John Lescroart. A fan of fast cars and sugary breakfast cereals, Matthews lives in Vancouver, Canada.
You can visit him at www.theowenmatthews.com.
You can visit him at www.theowenmatthews.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
August 13, 2015
My thanks to HarperTeen & Edelweiss
Point of View: Single (Adam Higgs)
Writing: Third Person | Present Tense
Setting: Oklahoma (?)
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
* Due to rather mature situations (sex & drugs, though not graphic or anything, but still), this book might not be suitable for those below 16.
Meet Adam Higgs. A new kid. A nobody. A loser. But things are about to change because Adam has a plan. A plan to
When I first started, I was little shocked because there were 371 chapters. But it turned out to be a quick read (for a book with 500+ pages, anyway) because some pages had only one line. Some were even shorter. One word.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The pace and the storyline were exceptional and it took me only a few hours to finish the book. I just couldn't stop reading because it was really interesting finding out what Adam had to do to be a somebody. It was kind of fun reading how Adam trying to be one of the popular kids and what a mess he had made.
As I mentioned above, I really loved the storyline. The snowball effects and all that. It was really captivating because from one scene to the next, I found out the causes and consequences of Adam's plan. What started out to be such a harmless plan became something massive. A complete mess that I knew the ending wasn't going to be all that pretty for Adam.
The writing was also very nice in my opinion. At first I thought the choppy sentences were kind of weird, but as the story went on, I became to enjoy the way the book was written and the story as a whole. I loved how the author kept the story interesting by giving just enough information at the right time.
All in all, I really had a blast reading this book. It was a fast-paced story with nice and intriguing storyline, and interesting characters. The ending was well-done. Better than I had expected.
February 22, 2015
This was like Can't Buy Me Love with a side of after school special. It was entertaining though I have to give the author that. Was it a knock out..no, but it did show me that guys have it just as hard in high schools as girls do.
So basically Adam is a loser. I wouldn't necessarily call him that but that's the way he sees himself. No girlfriend, not popular, and no social life at all. He feels lonely and feels like he got duped because his older brother would have been a god if he hadn't of gotten into an accident that stopped him from playing hockey. Adam fully believes that he would have been an honorary god if his brother had continued playing and his life would have been filled with parties, girls, and friends. Now he's on his own and with no other option he decides to start up a business that he knows the popular kids won't say no to.
Thus begins Adam's decline. I'm pretty sure you can figure out what happens throughout. Adam gets addicted to being the big man on campus and has to find bigger and better ways to keep his social life. Things spiral eventually and he does hit rock bottom. This part of the story I knew right from the beginning because that's how every story of this type goes. So my 3 star rating is for the writing and for the way the author delivered the story not the story itself. I enjoyed the writing style and I even liked the narrative. It gave an otherwise boring story energy and kept me engaged. I wasn't attached to any of the characters and I honestly couldn't wait for the ball to drop, but I still wanted to read it from start to finish.
Okay correction I liked Sam. I think Sam, Adam's brother, got the raw end of the deal and deserved a better brother. I was so mad at Adam for what he did to Sam and I think that was what finally pushed me disregard Adam as anything except a moron. Yes that is harsh but you know what Adam was a horrible character from start to finish and didn't deserve Sam. Was Adam's life sad yes, but it wasn't as terrible as he believed.
If you pick this up just prepare yourself for an after school type plot, but forget about that if you can. Focus on the writing. It is different and gave the book life in my opinion. This is probably the only time in my reading life that I will say that. I am always about characters and plot, but with this one the writing really struck something with me and I ended up enjoying this for what it was.
One more note this book has a LOT of language and mature themes.
So basically Adam is a loser. I wouldn't necessarily call him that but that's the way he sees himself. No girlfriend, not popular, and no social life at all. He feels lonely and feels like he got duped because his older brother would have been a god if he hadn't of gotten into an accident that stopped him from playing hockey. Adam fully believes that he would have been an honorary god if his brother had continued playing and his life would have been filled with parties, girls, and friends. Now he's on his own and with no other option he decides to start up a business that he knows the popular kids won't say no to.
Thus begins Adam's decline. I'm pretty sure you can figure out what happens throughout. Adam gets addicted to being the big man on campus and has to find bigger and better ways to keep his social life. Things spiral eventually and he does hit rock bottom. This part of the story I knew right from the beginning because that's how every story of this type goes. So my 3 star rating is for the writing and for the way the author delivered the story not the story itself. I enjoyed the writing style and I even liked the narrative. It gave an otherwise boring story energy and kept me engaged. I wasn't attached to any of the characters and I honestly couldn't wait for the ball to drop, but I still wanted to read it from start to finish.
Okay correction I liked Sam. I think Sam, Adam's brother, got the raw end of the deal and deserved a better brother. I was so mad at Adam for what he did to Sam and I think that was what finally pushed me disregard Adam as anything except a moron. Yes that is harsh but you know what Adam was a horrible character from start to finish and didn't deserve Sam. Was Adam's life sad yes, but it wasn't as terrible as he believed.
If you pick this up just prepare yourself for an after school type plot, but forget about that if you can. Focus on the writing. It is different and gave the book life in my opinion. This is probably the only time in my reading life that I will say that. I am always about characters and plot, but with this one the writing really struck something with me and I ended up enjoying this for what it was.
One more note this book has a LOT of language and mature themes.
February 6, 2016
This book had 370+ chapters. Yeah. If that doesn't give you an idea of how fast paced it is, I don't know what does.
Review to come.
Review to come.
April 8, 2015
I don't like teenage novels, but I always read them in a confrontational way because (like many other), my own teenage years were kind of sloppy bullshit, except I didn't take refuge in romantic fantasies in order to fulfill the obvious need for validation it created.
So, I'm glad to announce that HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL is not another of these hollow cautionary tales. It does have something to tell youth and carries good point across, about identity and self-esteem, but it's not one of these pre-fabricated moral fantasies about becoming a responsible adult. No, it's much more awesome than that. Have you ever read SAVAGES, by Don Winslow? The style of HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL is very similar. It's a fast, addictive read about a guy who lives the goddamn dream. Instead of warning you off against the "dangers of popularity", Matthews brings you at the heart of it. He doesn't take a moral stance, he lets YOU do it.
I was not expecting HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL to be so much fun, but I'd lie if I'd tell you I didn't have a blast. There are novels that are worth giving your teenage child to read. There are novels not written by broken adults looking to come to term with their own trauma. HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL is one of these novels, and it's a riot.
So, I'm glad to announce that HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL is not another of these hollow cautionary tales. It does have something to tell youth and carries good point across, about identity and self-esteem, but it's not one of these pre-fabricated moral fantasies about becoming a responsible adult. No, it's much more awesome than that. Have you ever read SAVAGES, by Don Winslow? The style of HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL is very similar. It's a fast, addictive read about a guy who lives the goddamn dream. Instead of warning you off against the "dangers of popularity", Matthews brings you at the heart of it. He doesn't take a moral stance, he lets YOU do it.
I was not expecting HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL to be so much fun, but I'd lie if I'd tell you I didn't have a blast. There are novels that are worth giving your teenage child to read. There are novels not written by broken adults looking to come to term with their own trauma. HOW TO WIN AT HIGH SCHOOL is one of these novels, and it's a riot.
March 22, 2015
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: This was an easy read and I related to the main character.
Opening Sentence: Adam Higgs is a loser.
The Review:
Adam Higgs is a loser. His brother, Sam Higgs, is a cripple. The only one in the family that is getting what she wants is their sister, a freshman, already the top of the food chain at their new high school. Adam is ready to become popular, and with a few parties and more than a few risks, he thinks he can be upgraded from Pizza Man to The Man. He’ll step on a few people. But nothing will get in his way.
I’ve been in a contemporary phase, which means I’ve been tearing through this genre. This also means this is the last of my review books that is contemporary, so I can no longer be productive about my contemporary binging. Sigh. Since I do follow Twitter, I was surprised to see that no one I followed had read it before me. Weird. I had no expectations except the Goodreads reviews, which were generally complementary. Therefore, I had a lot of hope riding on this book, which I saved for last, a final contemporary. I am happy to report back to you that I finished all five hundred pages within a few hours. It was good — very good. I’m going to let everyone know that this is definitely worth the read.
This book was an interesting form of prose. The style was third person. Usually, that might turn me off, as first person allows more connection with the character, in my opinion. But for this story it was definitely the right course of action! Anyway, the writing was like poetry in the uneven spacing and sometimes fragmented thoughts. I loved it. I have to admit, those five hundred pages (seven hundred on my e-reader), were it condensed to normal paragraph form, would have been shortened considerably. No one should be turned off by the size of the book. I promise, it isn’t as daunting as it first appears. The poetic writing style was raw, simple, but touching. It could break me with a single sentence.
In the book, Adam goes from loser to the most popular in school with a series of steps. He takes chances — he takes risks. I liked that about the character, that he was nervous, but not nervous enough to back down. Now, from a student’s point of view, a lot of what he did was not moral or ethical (in any way, shape, or form.) He does a lot of stuff I did not approve of. It starts off as a goal — he needed to get to the top, he needed to prove that he was more than a loser, but by the end, it was more of an obsession. The more harmless tricks he’s using to get in with the crowd get tossed aside for worse things — stealing finals, selling drugs. Strangely enough, I still found him likeable. One thing that I wish that the book had delivered better was development. He doesn’t really learn his lesson until the last ten pages, and even then, it isn’t fully explained what he’s learned.
Altogether, this book pleasantly surprised me in it’s interesting narrative form and well-paced plotline. I liked the subplot of Adam’s brother, Sam. He started out as Adam’s motivation to become more popular and well-liked. Then he became an excuse, as his risks became, well, riskier — “I’m doing it for Sam!” One of the moments for me that made me the most angry, the most disappointed, was a scene with Sam. But this book definitely toyed with my feelings, and it did it well. I think that people who enjoyed Falling Into Place (a novel with a character that can be considered unlikeable, and a popularity pyramid similar to Adam’s) might find a good read in How to Win at High School as well!
Notable Scene:
a) He doesn’t really want to hurt anyone.
b) He doesn’t really want to be dead.
That destructive shit, it’s the wrong vibe. Not even an option. It’s like, your thirsty, you don’t blow up the water fountain. You sure as hell don’t slit your wrists.
You’re thirsty? You fucking fight your way up to that water fountain and you drink, motherfucker. You quench your thirst.
Adam’s thirsty.
He’s ready to drink.
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of How to Win at High School. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: This was an easy read and I related to the main character.
Opening Sentence: Adam Higgs is a loser.
The Review:
Adam Higgs is a loser. His brother, Sam Higgs, is a cripple. The only one in the family that is getting what she wants is their sister, a freshman, already the top of the food chain at their new high school. Adam is ready to become popular, and with a few parties and more than a few risks, he thinks he can be upgraded from Pizza Man to The Man. He’ll step on a few people. But nothing will get in his way.
I’ve been in a contemporary phase, which means I’ve been tearing through this genre. This also means this is the last of my review books that is contemporary, so I can no longer be productive about my contemporary binging. Sigh. Since I do follow Twitter, I was surprised to see that no one I followed had read it before me. Weird. I had no expectations except the Goodreads reviews, which were generally complementary. Therefore, I had a lot of hope riding on this book, which I saved for last, a final contemporary. I am happy to report back to you that I finished all five hundred pages within a few hours. It was good — very good. I’m going to let everyone know that this is definitely worth the read.
This book was an interesting form of prose. The style was third person. Usually, that might turn me off, as first person allows more connection with the character, in my opinion. But for this story it was definitely the right course of action! Anyway, the writing was like poetry in the uneven spacing and sometimes fragmented thoughts. I loved it. I have to admit, those five hundred pages (seven hundred on my e-reader), were it condensed to normal paragraph form, would have been shortened considerably. No one should be turned off by the size of the book. I promise, it isn’t as daunting as it first appears. The poetic writing style was raw, simple, but touching. It could break me with a single sentence.
In the book, Adam goes from loser to the most popular in school with a series of steps. He takes chances — he takes risks. I liked that about the character, that he was nervous, but not nervous enough to back down. Now, from a student’s point of view, a lot of what he did was not moral or ethical (in any way, shape, or form.) He does a lot of stuff I did not approve of. It starts off as a goal — he needed to get to the top, he needed to prove that he was more than a loser, but by the end, it was more of an obsession. The more harmless tricks he’s using to get in with the crowd get tossed aside for worse things — stealing finals, selling drugs. Strangely enough, I still found him likeable. One thing that I wish that the book had delivered better was development. He doesn’t really learn his lesson until the last ten pages, and even then, it isn’t fully explained what he’s learned.
Altogether, this book pleasantly surprised me in it’s interesting narrative form and well-paced plotline. I liked the subplot of Adam’s brother, Sam. He started out as Adam’s motivation to become more popular and well-liked. Then he became an excuse, as his risks became, well, riskier — “I’m doing it for Sam!” One of the moments for me that made me the most angry, the most disappointed, was a scene with Sam. But this book definitely toyed with my feelings, and it did it well. I think that people who enjoyed Falling Into Place (a novel with a character that can be considered unlikeable, and a popularity pyramid similar to Adam’s) might find a good read in How to Win at High School as well!
Notable Scene:
a) He doesn’t really want to hurt anyone.
b) He doesn’t really want to be dead.
That destructive shit, it’s the wrong vibe. Not even an option. It’s like, your thirsty, you don’t blow up the water fountain. You sure as hell don’t slit your wrists.
You’re thirsty? You fucking fight your way up to that water fountain and you drink, motherfucker. You quench your thirst.
Adam’s thirsty.
He’s ready to drink.
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of How to Win at High School. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
May 22, 2016
So, I meant to read a few pages of this book today to see if I wanted to keep it or return it to the library. Four hours later I had finished it and now here I am. The writing style was a bit jarring at first because it's unclear who the narrator is, but you get used to it. The main character was relatable, if not a bit insane. I actually liked the one or two page chapters, it kept the pace really quick. The whole story evolves into this mass of chaos, but you just end up believing it all because the character makes it so. I really haven't read a contemporary like it, so I went with four stars instead of three when I had to choose. Four stars for Pizza Man. The god.
Read
September 22, 2015Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Douchetastic
Drinking Buddy: At First
Testosterone Level: Scarface
Talky Talk: Pyramid Scheme
Bonus Factors: Popular Little Sister, Diversity?
Bromance Status: That Kid From the Middle School D & D Club Who Now Ignores Me
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Douchetastic
Drinking Buddy: At First
Testosterone Level: Scarface
Talky Talk: Pyramid Scheme
Bonus Factors: Popular Little Sister, Diversity?
Bromance Status: That Kid From the Middle School D & D Club Who Now Ignores Me
Read the full book report here.
July 17, 2017
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
Looking at the cover and title, I first had How to Win at High School pegged as a light-hearted story about someone trying to climb the high school social ladder. Boy was I wrong. Social climbing? Yes. Light-hearted? Nope. I haven't actually seen Scarface–the book kind of explains the plot, which was helpful, because all I had to go on beforehand was "say hello to my little friend"–and referencing the movie sets this story up to have foreboding undertones. Owen Matthews's novel is a gripping tribute to the quest for popularity, one that's full of harsh realities and dark turns.
First of all, I loved the format. I was more than a little surprised when I saw that there were more than 300 chapters, but upon reading it I found that most chapters were only one or two pages, some even just a sentence or a few sentences long. It definitely made for a quick read! And then there's the pretty unique writing style. It kind of reminded me of books written in free verse, with the purposeful line-spacing and use of parenthesis. It also flowed like a stream of consciousness narrative, which I thought was quite cool, because despite how fast I was able to read this book, I was still able to gage the depth of the situation and understand our main character.
I hated Adam, but I don't think that's much of a surprise. I suppose we are meant to hate him, as he starts to become absolved and obsessed with reaching to the top. Also, I can't believe a high school could be like this! Surely, someone would catch on. It seems unlikely that it could get this far without someone taking notice. Besides my suspension of disbelief, this whole world seemed too far from the reality of high school, which in a way kept me reading because I wanted to know how it would all go down.
A much darker take on the usual climb for popularity story, How to Win at High School was a gritty tribute to Scarface skilfully adapted for a young adult audience. With a unique writing style and convoluted characters you don't know whether to hate or support, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Owen Matthews.
Looking at the cover and title, I first had How to Win at High School pegged as a light-hearted story about someone trying to climb the high school social ladder. Boy was I wrong. Social climbing? Yes. Light-hearted? Nope. I haven't actually seen Scarface–the book kind of explains the plot, which was helpful, because all I had to go on beforehand was "say hello to my little friend"–and referencing the movie sets this story up to have foreboding undertones. Owen Matthews's novel is a gripping tribute to the quest for popularity, one that's full of harsh realities and dark turns.
First of all, I loved the format. I was more than a little surprised when I saw that there were more than 300 chapters, but upon reading it I found that most chapters were only one or two pages, some even just a sentence or a few sentences long. It definitely made for a quick read! And then there's the pretty unique writing style. It kind of reminded me of books written in free verse, with the purposeful line-spacing and use of parenthesis. It also flowed like a stream of consciousness narrative, which I thought was quite cool, because despite how fast I was able to read this book, I was still able to gage the depth of the situation and understand our main character.
I hated Adam, but I don't think that's much of a surprise. I suppose we are meant to hate him, as he starts to become absolved and obsessed with reaching to the top. Also, I can't believe a high school could be like this! Surely, someone would catch on. It seems unlikely that it could get this far without someone taking notice. Besides my suspension of disbelief, this whole world seemed too far from the reality of high school, which in a way kept me reading because I wanted to know how it would all go down.
A much darker take on the usual climb for popularity story, How to Win at High School was a gritty tribute to Scarface skilfully adapted for a young adult audience. With a unique writing style and convoluted characters you don't know whether to hate or support, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Owen Matthews.
February 22, 2015
Huge thank you to Harper Collins Canada for this ARC!
How to Win At High School is not a book I would typical read. In fact, for a YA novel, it's completely out of my comfort zone. The style is very unique (though I found it a bit awkward at the beginning), and for over five hundred pages, it's quite the page turner.
Here's the thing: I get where a lot of the low reviews are coming from for this book. Nothing about this story feels appealing, it's hard to feel emotionally connected to anyone, Adam is a damn, unlikable tool, and yet for me... I couldn't stop reading the story. Adam is like a train wreck in slow motion, and it's like the reader gets a first class ticket on watching it crash and burn. Only, oddly, it doesn't crash and burn in the way the novel gets you to think it does.
Worse off, outside of Sam, Adam's disabled brother and Victoria, everyone in this story is pretty horrific. As in downright disgusting and vile people. Fortunately, the book makes no bones about that either, so if you're curious about this novel, the best thing I can say about it is: enjoy the crappy people in this story, because they are horrid and in a lot of ways karma gets them. While the book is watching Adam's rise to fame and his fall from grace, it's impressive how he manages to take so many people on this ride with him, and how many lives he destroys in the process. When it came to Sam and Victoria, I didn't blame them for having the feelings they did throughout the story. Adam takes them completely for granted, ruining their lives in some aspects, and forgiveness is not possible. In fact, Adam never actually redeems himself at all in the story, which in a lot of ways is both frustrating and intriguing.
One thing that did annoy me with this book: absent adults. There are some adults in this story, all of them are portrayed as if they are as intelligent as a sack of bricks. I really didn't buy any moment in the story where Adam had exchanges with adults. In a way, I get they are their to eventually be a foil, but it came across really lazy and just felt unnecessary as an addition.
How to Win At High School is one of those books that if you like watching horrible people behave crappy, you'll like this book. I was pleasantly surprised how much I was engaged with the story, but I can't say I'd recommend it with any ease either. It was a page turner for me, but I can easily see the style and the lack of character development outside of Adam as being problematic for a lot of readers. There's interesting ideas and though the story is very predictable, I still felt like I had to watch this slow motion train finally crash. And crash hard.
How to Win At High School is not a book I would typical read. In fact, for a YA novel, it's completely out of my comfort zone. The style is very unique (though I found it a bit awkward at the beginning), and for over five hundred pages, it's quite the page turner.
Here's the thing: I get where a lot of the low reviews are coming from for this book. Nothing about this story feels appealing, it's hard to feel emotionally connected to anyone, Adam is a damn, unlikable tool, and yet for me... I couldn't stop reading the story. Adam is like a train wreck in slow motion, and it's like the reader gets a first class ticket on watching it crash and burn. Only, oddly, it doesn't crash and burn in the way the novel gets you to think it does.
Worse off, outside of Sam, Adam's disabled brother and Victoria, everyone in this story is pretty horrific. As in downright disgusting and vile people. Fortunately, the book makes no bones about that either, so if you're curious about this novel, the best thing I can say about it is: enjoy the crappy people in this story, because they are horrid and in a lot of ways karma gets them. While the book is watching Adam's rise to fame and his fall from grace, it's impressive how he manages to take so many people on this ride with him, and how many lives he destroys in the process. When it came to Sam and Victoria, I didn't blame them for having the feelings they did throughout the story. Adam takes them completely for granted, ruining their lives in some aspects, and forgiveness is not possible. In fact, Adam never actually redeems himself at all in the story, which in a lot of ways is both frustrating and intriguing.
One thing that did annoy me with this book: absent adults. There are some adults in this story, all of them are portrayed as if they are as intelligent as a sack of bricks. I really didn't buy any moment in the story where Adam had exchanges with adults. In a way, I get they are their to eventually be a foil, but it came across really lazy and just felt unnecessary as an addition.
How to Win At High School is one of those books that if you like watching horrible people behave crappy, you'll like this book. I was pleasantly surprised how much I was engaged with the story, but I can't say I'd recommend it with any ease either. It was a page turner for me, but I can easily see the style and the lack of character development outside of Adam as being problematic for a lot of readers. There's interesting ideas and though the story is very predictable, I still felt like I had to watch this slow motion train finally crash. And crash hard.
December 11, 2016
This book was different and enjoyable and I really loved it! The second book of Owen Matthews, which I read first, was written in the same way as this one, and yeah, really enjoy that!
July 18, 2015
This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more!
How to win at high school? By being who you are and not trying to gain some awful social status and hookup with an endless amount of people. I apologize for sounding cheesy and all, but this is Owen Matthews' message after looking at it all. How to Win at High School was a unique read that every teenager in high school should pick up as their guide to ruling school and their lives, and most of all—being happy. Positive vibes are the only things that can help us out!
I personally adored every bit of the story from start to finish. Matthews' writing is fresh, abstract to other contemporaries and his own. I've never read a book with quite a broad subject matter and it must've taken so much research to put together. I would never have come up with such a storyline as he did. Like male perspectives? I know I do, because YA doesn't seem to feature enough of them. Adam's viewpoint is kind of ew-ish, but his character was interesting to read about anyways.
Although he may have not seen it, Adam Higgs was a positive person. I guess that he and the other teenagers attending Nixon High believe that popularity gives you a key card to another world of happiness. Extra stuff that'll brighten your experience and make it memorable—drugs, alcohol, partying, hookups, sex. I'm a teenager too, and looking at this experience just makes me want to pound my head hard on a desk, you know? Today's urban society of teens can be so gullible to do things that won't even matter in ten, twenty years. Will someone actually remember you for your social status? If you were a cheerleader and a goddess in your school? Hell no. I don't know much because I'm young, but Adam's experience seriously can teach a life lesson to everyone. He believed so much, coming from everyone including his older brother who did have that key card without even trying. It doesn't matter. Period.
Adam Higgs has just began school at Nixon High as a junior. He's always lived in the area, but went to another school for random reasons. His goal is to become known, popular too. He wants to be a god, higher than the hottest guy at school. When his chance comes up to do the popular people's homework and get paid for it, he takes the chance which eventually leads him to parties, girls, drugs, alcohol and having the time of his life. He now even has a freshman girlfriend who seems to be his most favourite person in the world. Obviously things can go too far, and then we'll all see what'll happen.
Adam had real high hopes. He had this ultimate plan that made him from Pizza Man, working at his local Pizza Hut, to the god king guy in his school. Why the hell does he want to do this, you ask. POPULARITY AND THE CHANCE TO BE KNOWN. I just want to face palm myself for this guy's stupidity and his decision-making skills (which were horrible), but at the same time this is so relatable. If you have no friends, what choice do you have to make to get a few? You'll have to do something because in high school, people don't usually come up to you if they're already fine and doing well. I could relate to Adam, because I was in his situation a few times (but not in the popularity homework-cash stuff). It's not easy being a teenager, that's the perfect catchphrase that this book needs on its cover.
As you can see from above, Adam already had goals from page 29, the beginning of this extra-long novel that was written in the coolest format. The 'chapters' are basically one or two pages long at the minimum and there's 371 of them. Talk about awesomeness and lots of paper, right? The writing was fantabulous and I'd personally read anything that Matthews writes for YA fiction. After reading that this took more than ten years to write, I was completely shocked but realized how tough of a journey it is to head into the mind of a teenager who wants to change his social status and life, basically. Owen creates so many character relationships, whether it's real friendship or fake.
From the looks of it, Adam should definitely stay in more. Stay tuned for explicit language, drinking and heavy partying. I felt so much sympathy for Adam's brother, Sam, who actually got thrown a party but he hated it anyways. MONEY DOESN'T BUY YOU ANYTHING, for Sam's sake. If Adam kept doing at what he was doing with his horrible decision-making skills, he'd turn into a drug lord by twenty. I'm so surprised that the stupid dude didn't get caught for everything and only got that small punishment of heading to another school. Nice job, Pizza Man.
Victoria and Adam were adorable, but for some reason I kept thinking about how young they were and what their goals were. Victoria was 14 or 15 years old at the time when they were dating and Adam already had some goals of what he'd like to achieve when being with her. It's kind of immature and disgusting, if you ask me. (But that obviously didn't affect my thoughts of the novel at all. Zero.) I love the friendship they had even after things turned to a bad end. Victoria's one of those girls that you need in your posse after a horrible breakup. She'll come running to you with twenty tissue boxes. The ones filled with lotion, too.
Want to stay up past your bedtime with an exciting, riveting read? This is your match, whether you'll need it as a life guide or not. Matthews' teenage voice and group of teenagers battling high school will leave you never forgetting their names and wanting to sign a petition for more YA by him. Actually, let's do it. I'll be the first person to sign. *winks* More people should definitely give this one a try because there's no way that you'll be disappointed. How could you be? It's such a winner.
How to win at high school? By being who you are and not trying to gain some awful social status and hookup with an endless amount of people. I apologize for sounding cheesy and all, but this is Owen Matthews' message after looking at it all. How to Win at High School was a unique read that every teenager in high school should pick up as their guide to ruling school and their lives, and most of all—being happy. Positive vibes are the only things that can help us out!
I personally adored every bit of the story from start to finish. Matthews' writing is fresh, abstract to other contemporaries and his own. I've never read a book with quite a broad subject matter and it must've taken so much research to put together. I would never have come up with such a storyline as he did. Like male perspectives? I know I do, because YA doesn't seem to feature enough of them. Adam's viewpoint is kind of ew-ish, but his character was interesting to read about anyways.
"Real talk? High school is hard. It's hard for everyone. It's especially hard when you're the kid nobody likes, when you're getting your ass kicked by some Neanderthal every day, when you can't get a date to save your life." (Hardcover, page 21)
Although he may have not seen it, Adam Higgs was a positive person. I guess that he and the other teenagers attending Nixon High believe that popularity gives you a key card to another world of happiness. Extra stuff that'll brighten your experience and make it memorable—drugs, alcohol, partying, hookups, sex. I'm a teenager too, and looking at this experience just makes me want to pound my head hard on a desk, you know? Today's urban society of teens can be so gullible to do things that won't even matter in ten, twenty years. Will someone actually remember you for your social status? If you were a cheerleader and a goddess in your school? Hell no. I don't know much because I'm young, but Adam's experience seriously can teach a life lesson to everyone. He believed so much, coming from everyone including his older brother who did have that key card without even trying. It doesn't matter. Period.
Adam Higgs has just began school at Nixon High as a junior. He's always lived in the area, but went to another school for random reasons. His goal is to become known, popular too. He wants to be a god, higher than the hottest guy at school. When his chance comes up to do the popular people's homework and get paid for it, he takes the chance which eventually leads him to parties, girls, drugs, alcohol and having the time of his life. He now even has a freshman girlfriend who seems to be his most favourite person in the world. Obviously things can go too far, and then we'll all see what'll happen.
Adam had real high hopes. He had this ultimate plan that made him from Pizza Man, working at his local Pizza Hut, to the god king guy in his school. Why the hell does he want to do this, you ask. POPULARITY AND THE CHANCE TO BE KNOWN. I just want to face palm myself for this guy's stupidity and his decision-making skills (which were horrible), but at the same time this is so relatable. If you have no friends, what choice do you have to make to get a few? You'll have to do something because in high school, people don't usually come up to you if they're already fine and doing well. I could relate to Adam, because I was in his situation a few times (but not in the popularity homework-cash stuff). It's not easy being a teenager, that's the perfect catchphrase that this book needs on its cover.
"So how do you take over a high school? (Take over? Sounds violent. Invasive. Destructive connotations. Let's rephrase: How do you win at high school?) Winning. Like an Xbox game: Unlocking achievements. Racking up a high score. Attaining god mode. Basically becoming THE MAN. Winning." (Hardcover, page 29)
As you can see from above, Adam already had goals from page 29, the beginning of this extra-long novel that was written in the coolest format. The 'chapters' are basically one or two pages long at the minimum and there's 371 of them. Talk about awesomeness and lots of paper, right? The writing was fantabulous and I'd personally read anything that Matthews writes for YA fiction. After reading that this took more than ten years to write, I was completely shocked but realized how tough of a journey it is to head into the mind of a teenager who wants to change his social status and life, basically. Owen creates so many character relationships, whether it's real friendship or fake.
From the looks of it, Adam should definitely stay in more. Stay tuned for explicit language, drinking and heavy partying. I felt so much sympathy for Adam's brother, Sam, who actually got thrown a party but he hated it anyways. MONEY DOESN'T BUY YOU ANYTHING, for Sam's sake. If Adam kept doing at what he was doing with his horrible decision-making skills, he'd turn into a drug lord by twenty. I'm so surprised that the stupid dude didn't get caught for everything and only got that small punishment of heading to another school. Nice job, Pizza Man.
Victoria and Adam were adorable, but for some reason I kept thinking about how young they were and what their goals were. Victoria was 14 or 15 years old at the time when they were dating and Adam already had some goals of what he'd like to achieve when being with her. It's kind of immature and disgusting, if you ask me. (But that obviously didn't affect my thoughts of the novel at all. Zero.) I love the friendship they had even after things turned to a bad end. Victoria's one of those girls that you need in your posse after a horrible breakup. She'll come running to you with twenty tissue boxes. The ones filled with lotion, too.
Want to stay up past your bedtime with an exciting, riveting read? This is your match, whether you'll need it as a life guide or not. Matthews' teenage voice and group of teenagers battling high school will leave you never forgetting their names and wanting to sign a petition for more YA by him. Actually, let's do it. I'll be the first person to sign. *winks* More people should definitely give this one a try because there's no way that you'll be disappointed. How could you be? It's such a winner.
November 29, 2019
How to Win at High School by Owen Matthews
It’s safe to say that this book was far different from my typical science fiction reads, but even I found myself immersed in the plot. I originally thought that this was going to be an uplifting story of a high-schooler pulling himself up out of bad grades or unpopularity. Although my guess was close to the truth, the book was far from uplifting, and the plot took darker turns than I expected, quickly spiraling out of control.
Adam Higgs is a “loser.” Or at least that’s what he thinks of himself. In this book, he moves to a new school, and sees it as the perfect opportunity for reinvention. All he wants is to be popular, no matter the cost. At first, he is successful in his mission, with a small and manageable -though also illegal- business of doing the popular kids’ homework for money, gaining their attention and trust. But matters quickly snowball and threaten to destroy everything Adam has ever known. His newfound popularity, his girlfriend, his future. Everything. Can he stop himself before he ruins his life? Or is high school popularity more important?
Even from the beginning, the unique writing style of this story is apparent. At first, I was annoyed by the choppy sentences, parentheses, weird formatting, and the occasional chapter containing only a singular sentence or word. However, I eventually grew fond of this style which allowed me to see deeper into Adam’s head. Additionally, I also liked the clear-headedness provided by everyone around him, offsetting Adam’s irrationality and stupid decisions for the reader. I disliked Adam’s choices though. Some just seemed unnecessarily stupid to me. For example, he based his “takeover” of high school off the movie Scarface and repeatedly uses it for inspiration. It just seemed a little superfluous to me.
Despite the unwarranted and unexpected dark twists of fate, I am glad I read this book. I feel that it teaches a valuable lesson about self identity and what not to do in high school. This book is not suitable for readers uncomfortable with explicit (though not graphic) scenes. That being said, I would recommend this to anyone in high school or college looking for guidance in their life.
It’s safe to say that this book was far different from my typical science fiction reads, but even I found myself immersed in the plot. I originally thought that this was going to be an uplifting story of a high-schooler pulling himself up out of bad grades or unpopularity. Although my guess was close to the truth, the book was far from uplifting, and the plot took darker turns than I expected, quickly spiraling out of control.
Adam Higgs is a “loser.” Or at least that’s what he thinks of himself. In this book, he moves to a new school, and sees it as the perfect opportunity for reinvention. All he wants is to be popular, no matter the cost. At first, he is successful in his mission, with a small and manageable -though also illegal- business of doing the popular kids’ homework for money, gaining their attention and trust. But matters quickly snowball and threaten to destroy everything Adam has ever known. His newfound popularity, his girlfriend, his future. Everything. Can he stop himself before he ruins his life? Or is high school popularity more important?
Even from the beginning, the unique writing style of this story is apparent. At first, I was annoyed by the choppy sentences, parentheses, weird formatting, and the occasional chapter containing only a singular sentence or word. However, I eventually grew fond of this style which allowed me to see deeper into Adam’s head. Additionally, I also liked the clear-headedness provided by everyone around him, offsetting Adam’s irrationality and stupid decisions for the reader. I disliked Adam’s choices though. Some just seemed unnecessarily stupid to me. For example, he based his “takeover” of high school off the movie Scarface and repeatedly uses it for inspiration. It just seemed a little superfluous to me.
Despite the unwarranted and unexpected dark twists of fate, I am glad I read this book. I feel that it teaches a valuable lesson about self identity and what not to do in high school. This book is not suitable for readers uncomfortable with explicit (though not graphic) scenes. That being said, I would recommend this to anyone in high school or college looking for guidance in their life.
August 12, 2019
(spoilers!)
This book took a bit to heat up, but with the fast pacing, it won't be too long before you're swept up in all the drama.
I like how Adam was the tragic hero in his own story. He started out as a loser, wanting to be popular to show his paralyzed brother that he can be someone, and that to pick up where his brother left off before his accident. He starts by doing people's homework for money, and he gets what he wants. He has money, a girlfriend, Sam's approval, and popularity. But that's not enough for him. His greed and his want to be worshiped leads him to sell drugs, have his friends get beat up, sell booze, and fake ID's. And even though everyone loves him, it'll never be enough. He's gone so far that he lost sight of what was important to him in the first place: Sam. He eventually gets busted, he loses everything that he worked so hard and long to get, and ends where he started. As a loser.
And even though I didn't summarize it very well, I liked it. It's filled with drama, which I always appreciate, and I just liked it because it felt real. Matthews' writing style is fast paced and immersive, and I would recommend this book if you want an exciting reading experience, full of twists and turns.
This book took a bit to heat up, but with the fast pacing, it won't be too long before you're swept up in all the drama.
I like how Adam was the tragic hero in his own story. He started out as a loser, wanting to be popular to show his paralyzed brother that he can be someone, and that to pick up where his brother left off before his accident. He starts by doing people's homework for money, and he gets what he wants. He has money, a girlfriend, Sam's approval, and popularity. But that's not enough for him. His greed and his want to be worshiped leads him to sell drugs, have his friends get beat up, sell booze, and fake ID's. And even though everyone loves him, it'll never be enough. He's gone so far that he lost sight of what was important to him in the first place: Sam. He eventually gets busted, he loses everything that he worked so hard and long to get, and ends where he started. As a loser.
And even though I didn't summarize it very well, I liked it. It's filled with drama, which I always appreciate, and I just liked it because it felt real. Matthews' writing style is fast paced and immersive, and I would recommend this book if you want an exciting reading experience, full of twists and turns.
October 5, 2019
I always feel bad giving a book a 1 star rating. In this book’s case, I had to. I didn’t enjoy the story, at times I really cringed and while yes it is about high school, I couldn’t root for the main character. I actually did not like the main character at all. It was unfortunate. A great thing this book had in its favor is how the author writes the chapters, it’s very creative. I read his other book “The Fixes” and I enjoyed that SOOO MUCH MORE. Same chapter format and that style really works, makes it a fast pace which I appreciate.
Overall: I finished this book trying to see if it got better, I’m sad to say it didn’t.
Overall: I finished this book trying to see if it got better, I’m sad to say it didn’t.
July 19, 2018
A realistic high school version when someone truly attempts to become the "Tony Montana" of their school after being the obscure nobody all their life. From "tutoring" schemes to magical menage a trois moments, I found the book to be really entertaining and a solid read. It's far from all glits and glam, managing to make the main character at times super relatable. Likewise, the amateur Montana is super unlikable at times, but you still root for him. Definitely worth a shot.
July 2, 2017
I throughly enjoyed this piece; it was the kind of book you couldn't bear to put down. It only took me a day to read it. Loved the casual feel of reading notes, and the third person perspective. Would recommend to any high-schooler who understands the struggle of wanting to be accepted amongst their peers.
May 24, 2018
Books about people making cascading bad decisions stress me out. This one retained some enjoyment, though, because I was still rooting for the main character, and I wanted his criminal enterprise to keep growing and succeeding even though I dreaded his eventual epic comedown. It was gentler than expected, and I was relieved.
January 31, 2019
I personally really liked this book. It drags you in from the start. It’s a realistic book about this nerd who tries to become the most popular guy in the whole school. It’s has really interesting chapters and they are really fun to read. I would recommend this book to like teenagers and up though because younger kids wouldn’t really understand it.
December 29, 2018
It was a fun read, even for an adult, even tho it was a young adult book. Good plot, and the placement of the words on the page was very unique and added to the story, making it more fun to read. I also liked the mostly one page chapters.
July 11, 2017
This was a really interesting read( a good interesting. Not bad) I actually quite enjoyed it. The writing was very unique which I like sometimes.
September 25, 2018
Adams a complete asshole and this book goes to crazy levels but the message in the end was popularity really isn’t worth it and I like that.
May 9, 2019
If I could give this book 0 stars I would. It was a waste of my time but I forced myself to finish it thinking that it would get better but it never did.
March 23, 2020
The attention-grabbing title did not live up to expectations. The storyline of a high school nerd rising to the pinnacle of popularity was not that believable.
November 6, 2016
Interesting writing style. It was a refreshing change. The plot was predictable, but well done.
September 15, 2016
This review is also available on my blog, Bows & Bullets Reviews
Adam Higgins is a loser. He’s a guy from the poor side of town with one friend and a sister who hates him. So when he starts at a new school, he is determined to make a name for himself. Using Scarface as a model, he comes up with a homework business that soon gets him in tight with the popular crowd. When homework isn’t enough, he gets into booze and fake IDs. Soon, Adam is in over his head. And he wonders what happens to his relationship with schools Gods & Goddesses if he can no longer hook them up with the things they need. One thing is for sure, this is not going to end well unless Adam can keep it together. Can he balance his businesses or will his multiple operations be his downfall?
Adam was a guy I could instantly sympathize with. Being alone isn’t easy, especially when you aren’t the loner type. I didn’t really understand the want to get in with the popular crowd, but it’s a common enough theme in YA that I can get behind the concept. The more popularity he gains, the less I liked him. If he could have stuck with the homework business, things would probably have turned out fine. He’s own grades would stay high because he has to know the material to write everyone elses’ papers and it wasn’t so much that he got overwhelmed. But adding the fake IDs and booze and then the possibility of drugs is a series problem. Not only are the others ones frowned on in high school, but they are completely illegal which leads to more serious ramifications if he gets caught. Plus, part of why he did this was to get a girlfriend (and get laid) and he succeeds in that area. Once he as the girlfriend and she starts wanting more time with him, you’d think he’d back off some of the businesses to enjoy some of the rewards, but he doesn’t. He just wants to keep climbing the ladder. I kinda wanted to slap him. I liked him a lot at the end. I liked how he mans up. I won’t say more than that.
The rest of the cast is interesting. You’ve got the uber selfish popular crowd, all of whom have their heads up their own asses. His sister is a bitch from the start, hating him for no apparent reason. He’s big brother is the only character I liked a lot. He’s smart and a hard worker. I also like his girlfriend for a while, but she seems a bit naive and that bugged me. It took her way too long to pickup on Adam’s businesses than it should have considering her intelligence level.
This novel is insanely readable. It’s written in short chapters with plain language. Matthews doesn’t mince words or make things overly flowery. He tells it bluntly like it is and I couldn’t get enough. From chapter one, I needed more. What idiotic thing was Adam going to next? Were the gods & goddesses going to accept Adam into their fold? Were they going to reject him? Exactly how badly is Adam going to crash and burn? I had a burning curiosity to find out.
Despite the fact that this doesn’t have a completely happy ending, it does end on a hopeful note. For those of you like me, who want a perfect ending, you won’t find it here. It took me a while to decide what to rate this because it’s not my normal desired ending and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I went with 4 stars because it was so insanely addictive and it is a bit hopeful. Adam learns a valuable lesson or two and the story wraps up in a very believable manner. This novel is like nothing I’ve read before. It does not fit into the normal YA categories. YA mafia drama? I don’t know what to label it. What I do know is that I will be keeping an eye out for what Owen Matthews writes next!
****Thank you to Harper Teen for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****
Adam Higgins is a loser. He’s a guy from the poor side of town with one friend and a sister who hates him. So when he starts at a new school, he is determined to make a name for himself. Using Scarface as a model, he comes up with a homework business that soon gets him in tight with the popular crowd. When homework isn’t enough, he gets into booze and fake IDs. Soon, Adam is in over his head. And he wonders what happens to his relationship with schools Gods & Goddesses if he can no longer hook them up with the things they need. One thing is for sure, this is not going to end well unless Adam can keep it together. Can he balance his businesses or will his multiple operations be his downfall?
Adam was a guy I could instantly sympathize with. Being alone isn’t easy, especially when you aren’t the loner type. I didn’t really understand the want to get in with the popular crowd, but it’s a common enough theme in YA that I can get behind the concept. The more popularity he gains, the less I liked him. If he could have stuck with the homework business, things would probably have turned out fine. He’s own grades would stay high because he has to know the material to write everyone elses’ papers and it wasn’t so much that he got overwhelmed. But adding the fake IDs and booze and then the possibility of drugs is a series problem. Not only are the others ones frowned on in high school, but they are completely illegal which leads to more serious ramifications if he gets caught. Plus, part of why he did this was to get a girlfriend (and get laid) and he succeeds in that area. Once he as the girlfriend and she starts wanting more time with him, you’d think he’d back off some of the businesses to enjoy some of the rewards, but he doesn’t. He just wants to keep climbing the ladder. I kinda wanted to slap him. I liked him a lot at the end. I liked how he mans up. I won’t say more than that.
The rest of the cast is interesting. You’ve got the uber selfish popular crowd, all of whom have their heads up their own asses. His sister is a bitch from the start, hating him for no apparent reason. He’s big brother is the only character I liked a lot. He’s smart and a hard worker. I also like his girlfriend for a while, but she seems a bit naive and that bugged me. It took her way too long to pickup on Adam’s businesses than it should have considering her intelligence level.
This novel is insanely readable. It’s written in short chapters with plain language. Matthews doesn’t mince words or make things overly flowery. He tells it bluntly like it is and I couldn’t get enough. From chapter one, I needed more. What idiotic thing was Adam going to next? Were the gods & goddesses going to accept Adam into their fold? Were they going to reject him? Exactly how badly is Adam going to crash and burn? I had a burning curiosity to find out.
Despite the fact that this doesn’t have a completely happy ending, it does end on a hopeful note. For those of you like me, who want a perfect ending, you won’t find it here. It took me a while to decide what to rate this because it’s not my normal desired ending and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I went with 4 stars because it was so insanely addictive and it is a bit hopeful. Adam learns a valuable lesson or two and the story wraps up in a very believable manner. This novel is like nothing I’ve read before. It does not fit into the normal YA categories. YA mafia drama? I don’t know what to label it. What I do know is that I will be keeping an eye out for what Owen Matthews writes next!
****Thank you to Harper Teen for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****
April 13, 2015
Originally reviewed at http://www.shaelit.com/2015/04/review...
Whew, this book. What a ride. HTWaHS is the character study of a loser junior who uses Al Pacino mob film Scarface to go from the high school junk pile to the top of the heap. It's... not my usual fare, to say the least.
On the one hand, tracking the start of Adam's rise to power is pretty fascinating. Despite coming across as an underachiever, Adam pinpoints how to leverage the upper class's weaknesses to further his goals. Whether it's crafting essays or scoring booze, Adam works the laws of supply and demand. This kid has the principles of economics in the bag. I've always found fictional accounts of subtle manipulation and psychological pressure to be fascinating, so I fell into the story pretty quickly.
On the other hand, loser Adam is kind of a jerk. He's a whiny little nerdball who is obsessed with losing his virginity and being "cool." And "winner" Adam? That guy goes lightyears beyond "jerk." And that's kind of the point.
On the Goodreads description, the cover copy talks about this book being "laugh-out-loud funny." Forget that. This book is not funny, nor is it particular fun. Actually, it's surprisingly dark. It also does a great job of skirting around any direct author-to-reader moralizing. We see and feel what Adam feels. When he's riding high, the world is all dolla dolla bills, y'all. There's not a shred of foreshadowing or gloom on the horizon. And yet all the outs are there. Characters warn Adam about the road he's following. He's shown different paths he could take and still be happy. But he doesn't. The prose does a fantastic job of keeping an Adam-centric tone. This is his story with his voice. Adam's not going to use descriptions of regret and unease, because that's not what he feels. We as readers might feel sorrow, disgust, pity, or loathing for the things that Adam chooses to do, but that's the talent of the author. We're allowed to see around Adam's beliefs while maintaining the integrity of the narration. It's beautifully done, actually.
But yeah, this is a dark book. It's dark and squicky and kind of makes me want to pour bleach in my ears. It's not a book I'll ever touch again. Subjectively, I can't rate it as high as it might deserve for that very reason. But author dude, thumbs up to you, sir.
Points Added For: The unique writing style and chapter structure, Adam's rise to power, the psychological plausibility, the ending.
Points Subtracted For: All the female objectification, the content that I had to skim in places because nope nope nope, Tommy.
Good For Fans Of: Scarface, rise-to-power stories, conning mafia boys, metaphorical train wrecks.
Notes For Parents: I kind of lost count of the content warnings, partially because I had to start skimming. Let's just call it very much upper YA and leave it at that.
Note: I received a review copy of this title from the publisher for review consideration.
Whew, this book. What a ride. HTWaHS is the character study of a loser junior who uses Al Pacino mob film Scarface to go from the high school junk pile to the top of the heap. It's... not my usual fare, to say the least.
On the one hand, tracking the start of Adam's rise to power is pretty fascinating. Despite coming across as an underachiever, Adam pinpoints how to leverage the upper class's weaknesses to further his goals. Whether it's crafting essays or scoring booze, Adam works the laws of supply and demand. This kid has the principles of economics in the bag. I've always found fictional accounts of subtle manipulation and psychological pressure to be fascinating, so I fell into the story pretty quickly.
On the other hand, loser Adam is kind of a jerk. He's a whiny little nerdball who is obsessed with losing his virginity and being "cool." And "winner" Adam? That guy goes lightyears beyond "jerk." And that's kind of the point.
On the Goodreads description, the cover copy talks about this book being "laugh-out-loud funny." Forget that. This book is not funny, nor is it particular fun. Actually, it's surprisingly dark. It also does a great job of skirting around any direct author-to-reader moralizing. We see and feel what Adam feels. When he's riding high, the world is all dolla dolla bills, y'all. There's not a shred of foreshadowing or gloom on the horizon. And yet all the outs are there. Characters warn Adam about the road he's following. He's shown different paths he could take and still be happy. But he doesn't. The prose does a fantastic job of keeping an Adam-centric tone. This is his story with his voice. Adam's not going to use descriptions of regret and unease, because that's not what he feels. We as readers might feel sorrow, disgust, pity, or loathing for the things that Adam chooses to do, but that's the talent of the author. We're allowed to see around Adam's beliefs while maintaining the integrity of the narration. It's beautifully done, actually.
But yeah, this is a dark book. It's dark and squicky and kind of makes me want to pour bleach in my ears. It's not a book I'll ever touch again. Subjectively, I can't rate it as high as it might deserve for that very reason. But author dude, thumbs up to you, sir.
Points Added For: The unique writing style and chapter structure, Adam's rise to power, the psychological plausibility, the ending.
Points Subtracted For: All the female objectification, the content that I had to skim in places because nope nope nope, Tommy.
Good For Fans Of: Scarface, rise-to-power stories, conning mafia boys, metaphorical train wrecks.
Notes For Parents: I kind of lost count of the content warnings, partially because I had to start skimming. Let's just call it very much upper YA and leave it at that.
Note: I received a review copy of this title from the publisher for review consideration.
May 14, 2015
“Adam Higgs is a loser.”
Adam “Pizza Man” Higgs uses Scarface as his inspiration to “win” at high school and achieve god-like status. He is selfish and desperate … at the expense of his friends, family, and girlfriend. He gets in over his head and his feelings of being overwhelmed and unable to stop his trajectory, or to feel anything honest, may resonate with some teens – even if those readers aren’t going to the same extremes as Adam in their own lives.
Having said that, I LIKED Adam and I rooted for Adam. His poor decisions and downward spiral were difficult to read and I got emotional during a few scenes in particular. There was definitely a snowball effect which dominated the second half of the book. But, I continued to pull for Adam and loved reading his journey – the good and bad.
But, there are some cautions to those librarians and teachers who work with teens. Although nothing is explicit or overly graphic, there is language, frequent sexual situations and references, underage drinking, and drug/pill use. So, this YA novel is certainly recommended for older, mature teens.
The book cover is misleading. It led me to believe the story was going to have a much lighter tone, but it turned out to be more serious and heavier than I initially thought. How to Win at High School was so much different than I was expecting – but in a good way. Over the course of the plot, it developed into a serious contemporary YA novel which looked at the dangers of trying to gain popularity or reach certain expectations.
The writing was especially unique. Written in a free verse style which was sometimes very poetic, it took some getting used to but I ended up loving the style immensely by the book’s end. With 371 chapters (!) and about 500 pages, I also wasn’t expecting my reading of the novel to fly by. I devoured it in two sittings. The pacing was so well done and made it such a quick read.
Along with the free verse style of the book, the third person narration was effective. I clearly got the feeling of having Adam’s story told to me, and there are a few moments when the narrator directly addresses the reader amid Adam’s poor choices.
But, what I probably enjoyed most about the novel was its male perspective, watching a teen guy try to fit a particular “image” and struggle with how he felt he needed to BE. Although all teens deal with these pressures, male and female, it was an honest portrayal of seeing a young man deal with them. Particularly worth noting is his use of alcohol/pills to get through certain situations and his sexual experiences filled with emotional disconnect (compared to the genuine feelings he has for his ex-girlfriend).
In terms of what I didn’t particularly like, some of the plot points were a bit far-fetched and there is zero adult presence. It does also have a bit of an “after school special” feel to it. But, I think many of the positive and unique elements to this book outweigh some of these issues.
How to Win at High School shows that “winning” can mean different things and doesn’t always end in sunshine and rainbows. This was quite an unexpected novel for me – the blurbs and cover design really don’t jive with the overall experience of the book. It’s hard for me to rave that I absolutely loved it because of the heavy content and the difficult situations for these teens. But, it certainly will strike a chord with teen readers who are looking for honest, mature, contemporary stories about high school life.
Due to the mature content, recommended for older teens and the upper-YA audience.
Adam “Pizza Man” Higgs uses Scarface as his inspiration to “win” at high school and achieve god-like status. He is selfish and desperate … at the expense of his friends, family, and girlfriend. He gets in over his head and his feelings of being overwhelmed and unable to stop his trajectory, or to feel anything honest, may resonate with some teens – even if those readers aren’t going to the same extremes as Adam in their own lives.
Having said that, I LIKED Adam and I rooted for Adam. His poor decisions and downward spiral were difficult to read and I got emotional during a few scenes in particular. There was definitely a snowball effect which dominated the second half of the book. But, I continued to pull for Adam and loved reading his journey – the good and bad.
But, there are some cautions to those librarians and teachers who work with teens. Although nothing is explicit or overly graphic, there is language, frequent sexual situations and references, underage drinking, and drug/pill use. So, this YA novel is certainly recommended for older, mature teens.
The book cover is misleading. It led me to believe the story was going to have a much lighter tone, but it turned out to be more serious and heavier than I initially thought. How to Win at High School was so much different than I was expecting – but in a good way. Over the course of the plot, it developed into a serious contemporary YA novel which looked at the dangers of trying to gain popularity or reach certain expectations.
The writing was especially unique. Written in a free verse style which was sometimes very poetic, it took some getting used to but I ended up loving the style immensely by the book’s end. With 371 chapters (!) and about 500 pages, I also wasn’t expecting my reading of the novel to fly by. I devoured it in two sittings. The pacing was so well done and made it such a quick read.
Along with the free verse style of the book, the third person narration was effective. I clearly got the feeling of having Adam’s story told to me, and there are a few moments when the narrator directly addresses the reader amid Adam’s poor choices.
But, what I probably enjoyed most about the novel was its male perspective, watching a teen guy try to fit a particular “image” and struggle with how he felt he needed to BE. Although all teens deal with these pressures, male and female, it was an honest portrayal of seeing a young man deal with them. Particularly worth noting is his use of alcohol/pills to get through certain situations and his sexual experiences filled with emotional disconnect (compared to the genuine feelings he has for his ex-girlfriend).
In terms of what I didn’t particularly like, some of the plot points were a bit far-fetched and there is zero adult presence. It does also have a bit of an “after school special” feel to it. But, I think many of the positive and unique elements to this book outweigh some of these issues.
How to Win at High School shows that “winning” can mean different things and doesn’t always end in sunshine and rainbows. This was quite an unexpected novel for me – the blurbs and cover design really don’t jive with the overall experience of the book. It’s hard for me to rave that I absolutely loved it because of the heavy content and the difficult situations for these teens. But, it certainly will strike a chord with teen readers who are looking for honest, mature, contemporary stories about high school life.
Due to the mature content, recommended for older teens and the upper-YA audience.
April 7, 2015
HarperTeen are one of my favourite publishers, if only because I am pre-approved for all of their titles, and since they add 10 or so titles every couple of months, that’s a pretty great thing to celebrate. One of the titles I downloaded was How To Win At High School and when I was flicking through my Kindle, wondering what to read next, I saw two things: firstly, that the novel has 371 chapters which literally blew my mind, and secondly, the first chapter only had one line to it. I was intrigued! I wanted to know what was going on, and as it turns out, a novel with short chapters (two pages is the longest chapter) keep you hooked, because the chapters just end in the middle of a scene. Which is a good thing, sure, but also sucks if you like to sleep (which I do).
How To Win At High School is pretty much the definitive guide to winning at high school. Kind of. It depends if you go to the kind of exlusive preppy sort of school Adam lands in. I also wouldn’t really advise doing what Adam does, because a lot of it is illegal and some of it will get you kicked out of school (if you don’t get arrested for the illegal stuff, obvs). So while I can’t recommend the book and say go do this and you’ll be king of your high school, it is a bizarrely entertaining read for imagining yourself in Adam’s shoes. What he does, and how he strives to be king of Nixon Collegiate is applaud-worthy (and sometimes icky). Because, let’s be honest, we all want to be the popular kid in school and you have to be a lucky SOB to be that kid. I wasn’t, and probably never would be, so it was nice to egg Adam on in my head as he came up with more ways to please the Gods and Goddesses at Nixon.
I’ve never been so blown away by a novel. Adam does a lot wrong especially in regards to how he treats his actual friends, as well as his poor brother Sam but I could then also see why he just couldn’t bring himself to stop his Pizza Man enterprises, because it must be like an addiction, to be wanted by people; to be needed by people; to make money off these lazy rich kids and be one of the pack. Did I want Adam to fall on his butt? Yes, eventually, because he does get too big for his boots, but I was addicted to the novel as Adam was addicted to being popular. It was sort of like witnessing a car crash. I knew it was wrong to keep staring, but I just couldn’t stop myself.
I actually cannot get over how much I enjoyed How To Win At High School. From the crazy unique way of telling the story, and the hundreds and hundreds of chapters and the fact Adam loved Scarface, which I’ve never seen (I have homework, I know). Owen Matthews pays homage to another writer Don Winslow in his acknowledgements who also stylizes his books the way How To Win At High School was stylized, so I’ll definitely be checking him out, and I hope this is the first of many, many YA novels for Owen Matthews. He hit the scene perfectly, and it’s one of the most impressive books I’ve ever read and already a favourite for 2015.
How To Win At High School is pretty much the definitive guide to winning at high school. Kind of. It depends if you go to the kind of exlusive preppy sort of school Adam lands in. I also wouldn’t really advise doing what Adam does, because a lot of it is illegal and some of it will get you kicked out of school (if you don’t get arrested for the illegal stuff, obvs). So while I can’t recommend the book and say go do this and you’ll be king of your high school, it is a bizarrely entertaining read for imagining yourself in Adam’s shoes. What he does, and how he strives to be king of Nixon Collegiate is applaud-worthy (and sometimes icky). Because, let’s be honest, we all want to be the popular kid in school and you have to be a lucky SOB to be that kid. I wasn’t, and probably never would be, so it was nice to egg Adam on in my head as he came up with more ways to please the Gods and Goddesses at Nixon.
I’ve never been so blown away by a novel. Adam does a lot wrong especially in regards to how he treats his actual friends, as well as his poor brother Sam but I could then also see why he just couldn’t bring himself to stop his Pizza Man enterprises, because it must be like an addiction, to be wanted by people; to be needed by people; to make money off these lazy rich kids and be one of the pack. Did I want Adam to fall on his butt? Yes, eventually, because he does get too big for his boots, but I was addicted to the novel as Adam was addicted to being popular. It was sort of like witnessing a car crash. I knew it was wrong to keep staring, but I just couldn’t stop myself.
I actually cannot get over how much I enjoyed How To Win At High School. From the crazy unique way of telling the story, and the hundreds and hundreds of chapters and the fact Adam loved Scarface, which I’ve never seen (I have homework, I know). Owen Matthews pays homage to another writer Don Winslow in his acknowledgements who also stylizes his books the way How To Win At High School was stylized, so I’ll definitely be checking him out, and I hope this is the first of many, many YA novels for Owen Matthews. He hit the scene perfectly, and it’s one of the most impressive books I’ve ever read and already a favourite for 2015.
August 14, 2014
Book isn't out until March 3, 2015..so don't go hunting for it yet.
I have an advance copy loaned to me by my children's specialist.
Interestingly enough, Owen Matthews is also Owen Laukkanen, who is a crime novelist and I have read all of his crime novels (I am a big fan, but that doesn't bias my review).
This format makes it very quick to read, once you get into it.
548 pages sounds like a lot of pages, but chapters are very quick, very short and to the point, and Adam, well, he's a great teen role model, in my opinion.
Even when he gets involved in that writing papers for the popular school goddess. Even when he gets involved in the booze business. Even when he gets into the fake ID business. Even..no matter what he does, you are sympathetic to Adam from the start. He pulls at your heartstrings, even as he's pulling your dirty dishes away from you while bussing the table at Pizza Hut.
He's misunderstood. He just wants to be part of the cool kids crowd, even if the cool kids are really a bunch of spoiled rich kids with attitudes who look down on you because you aren't the kid who shops at J.Crew and instead gets their clothes from Walmart. Those cliques? They exist in real-time. It's refreshing that someone has written a very real accounting of what happens when an essentially good, lonely kid who just wants to fit in, does so- in formidable fashion, and for the most part, on his terms. It's also refreshing that there are no punches pulled here. The author does a splendid job of cutting to the chase and telling about Adam's rise to popularity, in all the wrong ways, and the fall that follows. No excuses, just telling it like it is. I wish there had been more books written like this when I was younger. I would have known and been more prepared for high school cliques and how book nerds like me were frowned upon. (and even worse, I bought my clothes at K-mart!). Thankfully, we have books like this that some teens (tweens? Is that the new term?) can go into and read and have an idea that there is stuff like this going on. You know that's a fact, watch the nightly news.
I liked that Adam gets a chance to make a connection with a girl. Victoria may be one of the popular set, but you feel as if she has a heart beating underneath those expensive duds, which you don't see in a lot of the other narcissistic little brat princesses who are on display in the book. Although the dark clouds do eventually descend, you have a feeling that there is a very real chance that Adam is going to make it out alive, and doing just fine, whether he's popular or not.
I loved this book. I hope Owen does more young adult fiction (I still love the crime novels, too, but I really love when great authors branch out into new genres). Highly recommend.
*How To Win At High School by Owen Matthews is published by Harper Teen and will be out in March, 2015.*
I have an advance copy loaned to me by my children's specialist.
Interestingly enough, Owen Matthews is also Owen Laukkanen, who is a crime novelist and I have read all of his crime novels (I am a big fan, but that doesn't bias my review).
This format makes it very quick to read, once you get into it.
548 pages sounds like a lot of pages, but chapters are very quick, very short and to the point, and Adam, well, he's a great teen role model, in my opinion.
Even when he gets involved in that writing papers for the popular school goddess. Even when he gets involved in the booze business. Even when he gets into the fake ID business. Even..no matter what he does, you are sympathetic to Adam from the start. He pulls at your heartstrings, even as he's pulling your dirty dishes away from you while bussing the table at Pizza Hut.
He's misunderstood. He just wants to be part of the cool kids crowd, even if the cool kids are really a bunch of spoiled rich kids with attitudes who look down on you because you aren't the kid who shops at J.Crew and instead gets their clothes from Walmart. Those cliques? They exist in real-time. It's refreshing that someone has written a very real accounting of what happens when an essentially good, lonely kid who just wants to fit in, does so- in formidable fashion, and for the most part, on his terms. It's also refreshing that there are no punches pulled here. The author does a splendid job of cutting to the chase and telling about Adam's rise to popularity, in all the wrong ways, and the fall that follows. No excuses, just telling it like it is. I wish there had been more books written like this when I was younger. I would have known and been more prepared for high school cliques and how book nerds like me were frowned upon. (and even worse, I bought my clothes at K-mart!). Thankfully, we have books like this that some teens (tweens? Is that the new term?) can go into and read and have an idea that there is stuff like this going on. You know that's a fact, watch the nightly news.
I liked that Adam gets a chance to make a connection with a girl. Victoria may be one of the popular set, but you feel as if she has a heart beating underneath those expensive duds, which you don't see in a lot of the other narcissistic little brat princesses who are on display in the book. Although the dark clouds do eventually descend, you have a feeling that there is a very real chance that Adam is going to make it out alive, and doing just fine, whether he's popular or not.
I loved this book. I hope Owen does more young adult fiction (I still love the crime novels, too, but I really love when great authors branch out into new genres). Highly recommend.
*How To Win At High School by Owen Matthews is published by Harper Teen and will be out in March, 2015.*
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