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Saving Montgomery Sole
Saving Montgomery Sole is a beautiful and offbeat novel from Mariko Tamaki, co-creator of the bestselling Printz Honor and Caldecott Honor Book This One Summer.
Montgomery Sole is a square peg in a small town, forced to go to a school full of jocks and girls who don't even know what irony is. It would all be impossible if it weren't for her best friends, Thomas and Naoki. The three are also the only members of Jefferson High's Mystery Club, dedicated to exploring the weird and unexplained, from ESP and astrology to super powers and mysterious objects.
Then there's the Eye of Know, the possibly powerful crystal amulet Monty bought online. Will it help her predict the future or fight back against the ignorant jerks who make fun of Thomas for being gay or Monty for having two moms? Maybe the Eye is here just in time, because the newest resident of their small town is scarier than mothmen, poltergeists, or, you know, gym.
Thoughtful, funny, and painfully honest, Montgomery Sole is someone you'll want to laugh and cry with over a big cup of frozen yogurt with extra toppings.
Praise for Saving Montgomery Sole :
"As with Montgomery Sole, my life is made bearable and glorious by a Mystery Club―a group of authors who tell the truth with wit and verve and style. Mariko Tamaki is in this club. . . . She’s the coolest member." ―Daniel Handler, author of Why We Broke Up
" Saving Montgomery Sole is a beautiful and eloquent book that perfectly captures the yearning for a mystery larger than ourselves." ―Holly Black, author of The Darkest Part of the Forest
“A deeply satisfying, smart, and necessary kind of book. Tamaki takes a classic high school narrative and infuses it with magic, queerness, and compelling complexity.” ―Kate Schatz, author of Rad American Women A-Z
"Mysticism and emotion live side by side for Montgomery Sole, a teen girl who is trying to unravel both the mysteries of the universe and of other people. I gobbled this book up in one sitting." ―Kate Scelsa, author of Fans of the Impossible Life
"Mariko Tamaki treasures and tears apart the quirky, confounding, and awkwardly beautiful parts of being a teenager, lending her unique talent and authentic voice to a cast of oddballs who also happen to be our neighbors, friends, and family." ―Corey Silverberg, author of Sex Is a Funny Word
"Mariko Tamaki's writing is my comfort food! Try saving Montgomery Sole, end up saving yourself.” ―Raziel Reid, author of When Everything Feels Like the Movies
“A quietly assured story . . . Montgomery’s slow confrontation with reality creates a realistic, satisfying arc, and Tamaki’s economical storytelling results in dimensional characters whose struggles feel viscerally real.” ― Publishers Weekly , starred review
“Tamaki balances the story’s lighter and more intense moments through Monty’s smart, forthright first-person narration . . . Meanwhile, the well-developed and likable supporting cast raises the novel’s emotional stakes . . . Offbeat and authentic―an uncommon treat.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“The characters are refreshingly diverse for YA literature, in both sexuality and race, and the conversations around religion, homophobia, and society are written as if they are a norm of Montgomery’s life―never straying into preachy or didactic territory . . . A strong addition to most school or public library YA collections.” ― School Library Journal
Montgomery Sole is a square peg in a small town, forced to go to a school full of jocks and girls who don't even know what irony is. It would all be impossible if it weren't for her best friends, Thomas and Naoki. The three are also the only members of Jefferson High's Mystery Club, dedicated to exploring the weird and unexplained, from ESP and astrology to super powers and mysterious objects.
Then there's the Eye of Know, the possibly powerful crystal amulet Monty bought online. Will it help her predict the future or fight back against the ignorant jerks who make fun of Thomas for being gay or Monty for having two moms? Maybe the Eye is here just in time, because the newest resident of their small town is scarier than mothmen, poltergeists, or, you know, gym.
Thoughtful, funny, and painfully honest, Montgomery Sole is someone you'll want to laugh and cry with over a big cup of frozen yogurt with extra toppings.
Praise for Saving Montgomery Sole :
"As with Montgomery Sole, my life is made bearable and glorious by a Mystery Club―a group of authors who tell the truth with wit and verve and style. Mariko Tamaki is in this club. . . . She’s the coolest member." ―Daniel Handler, author of Why We Broke Up
" Saving Montgomery Sole is a beautiful and eloquent book that perfectly captures the yearning for a mystery larger than ourselves." ―Holly Black, author of The Darkest Part of the Forest
“A deeply satisfying, smart, and necessary kind of book. Tamaki takes a classic high school narrative and infuses it with magic, queerness, and compelling complexity.” ―Kate Schatz, author of Rad American Women A-Z
"Mysticism and emotion live side by side for Montgomery Sole, a teen girl who is trying to unravel both the mysteries of the universe and of other people. I gobbled this book up in one sitting." ―Kate Scelsa, author of Fans of the Impossible Life
"Mariko Tamaki treasures and tears apart the quirky, confounding, and awkwardly beautiful parts of being a teenager, lending her unique talent and authentic voice to a cast of oddballs who also happen to be our neighbors, friends, and family." ―Corey Silverberg, author of Sex Is a Funny Word
"Mariko Tamaki's writing is my comfort food! Try saving Montgomery Sole, end up saving yourself.” ―Raziel Reid, author of When Everything Feels Like the Movies
“A quietly assured story . . . Montgomery’s slow confrontation with reality creates a realistic, satisfying arc, and Tamaki’s economical storytelling results in dimensional characters whose struggles feel viscerally real.” ― Publishers Weekly , starred review
“Tamaki balances the story’s lighter and more intense moments through Monty’s smart, forthright first-person narration . . . Meanwhile, the well-developed and likable supporting cast raises the novel’s emotional stakes . . . Offbeat and authentic―an uncommon treat.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“The characters are refreshingly diverse for YA literature, in both sexuality and race, and the conversations around religion, homophobia, and society are written as if they are a norm of Montgomery’s life―never straying into preachy or didactic territory . . . A strong addition to most school or public library YA collections.” ― School Library Journal
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2016
26 people are currently reading
2633 people want to read
About the author
Mariko Tamaki
377 books2,226 followersMariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005.
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews
July 10, 2016
Saving Montgomery Sole could have been an incredibly important book... if the narrator hadn't sounded 12 instead of 16. Montgomery Sole thinks she is a much better person than everyone else she goes to school with, besides her two best friends. It promotes the worst kind of girl hate which I found sometimes difficult to read because it went so much in line with the "I'm not like other girls" trope that I abhor. She was immature, and written far younger than we were supposed to believe she was. And when I read the first half of this book, I was monumentally disappointed in just about everything.
However.
This books's saving grace was its last 25% or so. Montgomery has two moms, and her friend Thomas is gay, and Montgomery sees a lot of discrimination and bullying that these people in her life are subjected to. Throughout the book she feels more hurt by this than any of the three actually gay people in her life do, which was frustrating from beginning to end. But the final quarter of the book finally attempted to solve some of these issues. It made up for the fact that the rest of the book felt like reading about how straight people suffer more from discrimination than the gay people in their life. Which is good, because I was very displeased with that narrative.
Beyond that, the last quarter also had some truly excellent discussion in regards to religion and sexuality, something I hadn't seen discussed in a healthy way in basically any other queer book I've read. Instead of disregarding religion entirely, or treating it like the big bad villain from first page to last, it had a very healthy discussion on how Montgomery saw religion and how she maybe misjudged it because she had only ever seen the worst of it.
I wish that the first 75% of the book could have been stronger because I really felt like the ending had some important things to say. I could see it being important to people who feel really attacked in high school. But unfortunately, a lot of Montgomery's girl hate was never resolved, which I was very disappointed in. This book could have been really fantastic, but a solid ending was honestly the only thing that saved this book from my strong dislike of it.
However.
This books's saving grace was its last 25% or so. Montgomery has two moms, and her friend Thomas is gay, and Montgomery sees a lot of discrimination and bullying that these people in her life are subjected to. Throughout the book she feels more hurt by this than any of the three actually gay people in her life do, which was frustrating from beginning to end. But the final quarter of the book finally attempted to solve some of these issues. It made up for the fact that the rest of the book felt like reading about how straight people suffer more from discrimination than the gay people in their life. Which is good, because I was very displeased with that narrative.
Beyond that, the last quarter also had some truly excellent discussion in regards to religion and sexuality, something I hadn't seen discussed in a healthy way in basically any other queer book I've read. Instead of disregarding religion entirely, or treating it like the big bad villain from first page to last, it had a very healthy discussion on how Montgomery saw religion and how she maybe misjudged it because she had only ever seen the worst of it.
I wish that the first 75% of the book could have been stronger because I really felt like the ending had some important things to say. I could see it being important to people who feel really attacked in high school. But unfortunately, a lot of Montgomery's girl hate was never resolved, which I was very disappointed in. This book could have been really fantastic, but a solid ending was honestly the only thing that saved this book from my strong dislike of it.
Read
April 15, 2016DNF. I just can't get into this.
1. the audiobook narrator is SUPER monotone and it made me get lost in thought rather than paying attention to what was happening in the story.
2. the character's are strange (which I LOVED), but I lost interest in the story really quickly.
MEH.
1. the audiobook narrator is SUPER monotone and it made me get lost in thought rather than paying attention to what was happening in the story.
2. the character's are strange (which I LOVED), but I lost interest in the story really quickly.
MEH.
August 2, 2016
17-year-old Montgomery Sole lives with her sister, Tesla, and her two moms in a small town in Northern California. She attends school and runs the “mystery club” with her two best friends, Thomas, a very out gay guy, and Naoki, another girl whose family, like Monty’s, is partly Canadian. Monty’s life is shaken, however, when a new boy, the son of a virulent anti-gay preacher, comes to her school and Naoki befriends him. At the same time, Monty gets “The Eye of Know,” an amulet advertised as having great powers -- and suddenly, bad things happen to people she doesn’t like. Could its powers be real?If this summary sounds disjointed, it’s because the book doesn’t exactly flow, either.
Since I loved Mariko Tamaki’s graphic novels, especially Emiko Superstar (highly, highly recommended), I had high hopes for this regular prose novel. But wow, it was just disappointing for me. Monty is one of the few characters I’ve actively disliked while I was reading: she’s super touchy and judgemental, has a massive chip on her shoulder, constantly jumps to conclusions about everything and everybody around her, and was just plain unpleasant to spend time with. Usually I find this forgivable in teen characters, but there was nothing about Monty to balance out the rudeness and prickliness and make me empathize with her. She’s just angry and on edge all the time, distancing herself from everyone around her as if she has PTSD or something, except I couldn’t find in the text just why she would have been so traumatized.
None of the plot threads really held together for me. The son-of-a-preacher thread was entirely predictable, and the Eye of Know thread was pointless and really didn’t add anything interesting or mysterious to the plot. It just made the book feel middle-grade instead of YA.
To add to my dissatisfaction, I wondered through the whole book why Montgomery had that name -- but no explanation was ever offered. In addition, the cover shows Monty looking Japanese, but she and her little sister share both biological parents, and Tesla is described as looking like “a young Susan Sarandon,” which does not say Asian to me, so I really wish there had been a description of Monty and her mothers as well (there isn’t). It’s entirely possible that Naoki is the only non-white character in the entire book, even though the packaging would like the reader to think otherwise.
So for me, this was a total meh read. Maybe Mariko Tamaki just does better with fewer words, because her graphic novels all hit me in the gut with their insights, experiences, and character growth, while this one just left me wondering why I finished it. Worse, if I hadn’t left it up on my Goodreads homepage to remind me to write a review, I would already have forgotten I read it! :-(
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March 29, 2016One of the things I thought was cool about this book was that the title character, Montgomery Sole, was really angry. And she was angry about mostly a lot of logical things to be angry about (though some were slight misapprehensions), and at the end, she didn't learn some sort of moral lesson about how to be kind and forgiving in her heart -- because there are some things it's pretty okay to be angry about.
I think that's pretty great.
(and this book has a cover by the amazing cartoonist Eleanor Davis -- bonus awesomeness!)
I think that's pretty great.
(and this book has a cover by the amazing cartoonist Eleanor Davis -- bonus awesomeness!)
June 17, 2016
Actual Rating: 3.5*
This was a quick and easy read and I really enjoyed it. I thought Monty was a really great character and super relatable. I really liked that she had a diverse friend group and that we got to see from her perspective all the things that were affecting them - slurs, people in general, religion, etc. etc. - because I feel like a lot of allies don't realize that instead of getting weighed down and burdened by these things, most LGBTQ+ people try to roll with the punches (sometimes quite literally).
I did, however, think that this was way too short. I wanted there to be a bit more development of the Eye and the Reverend -- or to delete one of those plot points. I felt like neither was given the right amount of attention and space to come to fruition and because of this they both fell flat.
But, the characters were FANTASTIC. I loved reading about them and their emotions became my emotions. I was laughing and crying with this one and could really get a feel for what the characters were thinking and why they were acting a certain way. I thought it was great to have Monty be the lead for this reason tbh. I would have liked much more of Naoki though as well! I think she is a really interesting character and we just scraped the surface of her character (spin-off?)
I really liked the character growth in this one and how that evolved but I think more time (and therefore more pages) in this one would have really helped. I really enjoyed Tamaki's writing style and definitely will be picking up more by her (I have read (YOU) SET ME ON FIRE and enjoyed that one). Plus, Canadians!
Read this as part of the #ReadProud Challenge.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
This was a quick and easy read and I really enjoyed it. I thought Monty was a really great character and super relatable. I really liked that she had a diverse friend group and that we got to see from her perspective all the things that were affecting them - slurs, people in general, religion, etc. etc. - because I feel like a lot of allies don't realize that instead of getting weighed down and burdened by these things, most LGBTQ+ people try to roll with the punches (sometimes quite literally).
I did, however, think that this was way too short. I wanted there to be a bit more development of the Eye and the Reverend -- or to delete one of those plot points. I felt like neither was given the right amount of attention and space to come to fruition and because of this they both fell flat.
But, the characters were FANTASTIC. I loved reading about them and their emotions became my emotions. I was laughing and crying with this one and could really get a feel for what the characters were thinking and why they were acting a certain way. I thought it was great to have Monty be the lead for this reason tbh. I would have liked much more of Naoki though as well! I think she is a really interesting character and we just scraped the surface of her character (spin-off?)
I really liked the character growth in this one and how that evolved but I think more time (and therefore more pages) in this one would have really helped. I really enjoyed Tamaki's writing style and definitely will be picking up more by her (I have read (YOU) SET ME ON FIRE and enjoyed that one). Plus, Canadians!
Read this as part of the #ReadProud Challenge.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
July 23, 2016
At first I started reading this and thinking that Montgomery Sole was intentionally supposed to be unlikable and petty and insufferable. After finishing, I'm not so sure. We were definitely supposed to see her go on an arc and grow, but I'm not sure she realized just how much of a dick she was being throughout the entirety of the book.
Montgomery Sole is a 16-year-old girl living in Aunty, California, which as far as I can tell, is not a real city. The city is sort of ill-defined. We don't exactly know how big it is or where it's supposed to be in the state, but there are a lot of people there who like yoga and flip flops and suntans, and Montgomery hates them all, every last one of them. Montgomery hates popular kids, the "cool girls" and whatnot, and while there are most certainly instances in the book where we see examples of just how awful these people are, it's kind of stuffed in the last chunk of the book and so the entire first part of the book seems like Montgomery is just being super judgy and thinking of herself as a special snowflake that is Different and therefore more interesting.
For instance, Monty keeps an ongoing itemized list throughout the book of things she finds neat next to smiley faces, and things she finds inexplicable and doesn't ever want to understand next to sad faces.
Examples of smiley faces:
-ESP
-Chanting?
-Tea leaf readings
-Backmasking
-Hallucinogens
-Albinos: characteristics or special powers?
-Head shape and personality
Examples of sad faces:
-Flip-flops
-People's obsession with getting rid of all body hair
-Stupid pep rallies--which everyone else seems to love for no reason
-Kids' obsessions with fairies
-Boys' obsessions with wizards
So, there's a couple of convoluted things I have feelings on about these lists. There are problematic ones on both sides. The fact that Montgomery thinks albino people might have "special powers" is just ridiculous and not quirky or cute at all. It's actually pretty fucked up, considering if you google that phrase at all, the first several items are news stories about people with albinism being persecuted, hunted, and butchered because other people think they have these special powers. This is not explored AT ALL, it's literally just listed after Montgomery hears other people gossiping and saying another character looks like an albino.
On the other list, Montgomery mentions people's obsession with getting rid of all body hair. I'm all for body hair positivity, but Montgomery misses some crucial nuance in these discussions. In her rants about shaving and people who want to watch their carb intake/go on diets, Montgomery focuses her hatred on the people, not the culture that encourages/necessitates it. She doesn't mention people that pressure Montgomery to shave/diet and make her feel bad about herself, she just bitches about people who want that for themselves (whether because it's what they truly want or because they have not escaped the confines of the expectations of patriarchy or what have you). The fairies/wizards thing just confuses me, because Montgomery is super into paranormal/occult/magical things, so why is she getting on some high horse because her kid sister wants to be a fairy every Halloween and a lot of boys at school dressed up as Gandalf for Halloween?
Anyway, almost none of these complaints have much to do with the actual Plot of the book, which is slow to appear. On page 13, we learn about the Eye of Know, some amulet that Montgomery buys on the Internet for $5.99. The book jacket says "When Montgomery wears the Eye of Know, strange things happen, all targeted at people she despises." But really, only 2 things happen in all 225 pages, and the first one doesn't happen until page 106. We slog through 93 pages of, well... not much, before things get Slightly More Interesting, but only slightly, because whether it happened because of the Eye of Know or because of a freak accident, who knows.
There's also this subplot happening where Montgomery is really pissed off about a homophobic preacher coming to live in her town hanging up these signs all over the place. She feels targeted from the outset of the book because someone glues a cross to her locker and she has two moms. This plot also drags on. The preacher has a kid in school who Montgomery also hates even though she's never spoken 2 words to him. She assumes he is also homophobic, but lo and behold, he's not. But she doesn't find out until after she screams at him for being homophobic.
The strengths of this book are the few and far between scenes where we actually delve into the hatefulness that Montgomery has experienced, such as girls at a soccer game who see her moms kiss and make snide jokes about them being dykes and how they "might rape them," or Montgomery's own grandparents, who tell her that Jo isn't her real mother and all children need a father, or a boy she likes pressuring her to become sexual in their first semi-private encounter then flipping out on her and calling her slurs for refusing his advances (then going on to tell his buddies that she was a slut that begged him to have sex with her). These are painful scenes, but the most realistic and mature. It might be the only time in the book that the dialogue feels real (although you're sad to say so).
My disappointment with the book mostly stems from Montgomery realizing that she shouldn't have judged the preacher's son so soon without knowing anything about him, and having a good talk with her moms about how it's okay to be sad and stressed out sometimes and it's good to talk about it with people she trusts, but not realizing that a lot of her other behavior was pretty petty and mean and didn't make her any better than the people she hated. Maybe the reader is supposed to get it (her best friend does say she's becoming sort of like a villain when she's going around wielding the power to physically hurt people she doesn't like) but the book feels very on-the-surface. It's too scattered; you get one present day Mystery Club scene and that's it. Very short scenes of her interacting with her family. Two scenes with her friend from the froyo place. Mostly it's just internal, judgey monologue, and everyone seems sort of like a stereotype, not too complex and not too interesting.
I will probably not read Mariko Tamaki again. I'm a little surprised the book's overall rating is as high as it is, or that my favorite author gave an awesome blurb on the back of the book to recommend it.
Montgomery Sole is a 16-year-old girl living in Aunty, California, which as far as I can tell, is not a real city. The city is sort of ill-defined. We don't exactly know how big it is or where it's supposed to be in the state, but there are a lot of people there who like yoga and flip flops and suntans, and Montgomery hates them all, every last one of them. Montgomery hates popular kids, the "cool girls" and whatnot, and while there are most certainly instances in the book where we see examples of just how awful these people are, it's kind of stuffed in the last chunk of the book and so the entire first part of the book seems like Montgomery is just being super judgy and thinking of herself as a special snowflake that is Different and therefore more interesting.
For instance, Monty keeps an ongoing itemized list throughout the book of things she finds neat next to smiley faces, and things she finds inexplicable and doesn't ever want to understand next to sad faces.
Examples of smiley faces:
-ESP
-Chanting?
-Tea leaf readings
-Backmasking
-Hallucinogens
-Albinos: characteristics or special powers?
-Head shape and personality
Examples of sad faces:
-Flip-flops
-People's obsession with getting rid of all body hair
-Stupid pep rallies--which everyone else seems to love for no reason
-Kids' obsessions with fairies
-Boys' obsessions with wizards
So, there's a couple of convoluted things I have feelings on about these lists. There are problematic ones on both sides. The fact that Montgomery thinks albino people might have "special powers" is just ridiculous and not quirky or cute at all. It's actually pretty fucked up, considering if you google that phrase at all, the first several items are news stories about people with albinism being persecuted, hunted, and butchered because other people think they have these special powers. This is not explored AT ALL, it's literally just listed after Montgomery hears other people gossiping and saying another character looks like an albino.
On the other list, Montgomery mentions people's obsession with getting rid of all body hair. I'm all for body hair positivity, but Montgomery misses some crucial nuance in these discussions. In her rants about shaving and people who want to watch their carb intake/go on diets, Montgomery focuses her hatred on the people, not the culture that encourages/necessitates it. She doesn't mention people that pressure Montgomery to shave/diet and make her feel bad about herself, she just bitches about people who want that for themselves (whether because it's what they truly want or because they have not escaped the confines of the expectations of patriarchy or what have you). The fairies/wizards thing just confuses me, because Montgomery is super into paranormal/occult/magical things, so why is she getting on some high horse because her kid sister wants to be a fairy every Halloween and a lot of boys at school dressed up as Gandalf for Halloween?
Anyway, almost none of these complaints have much to do with the actual Plot of the book, which is slow to appear. On page 13, we learn about the Eye of Know, some amulet that Montgomery buys on the Internet for $5.99. The book jacket says "When Montgomery wears the Eye of Know, strange things happen, all targeted at people she despises." But really, only 2 things happen in all 225 pages, and the first one doesn't happen until page 106. We slog through 93 pages of, well... not much, before things get Slightly More Interesting, but only slightly, because whether it happened because of the Eye of Know or because of a freak accident, who knows.
There's also this subplot happening where Montgomery is really pissed off about a homophobic preacher coming to live in her town hanging up these signs all over the place. She feels targeted from the outset of the book because someone glues a cross to her locker and she has two moms. This plot also drags on. The preacher has a kid in school who Montgomery also hates even though she's never spoken 2 words to him. She assumes he is also homophobic, but lo and behold, he's not. But she doesn't find out until after she screams at him for being homophobic.
The strengths of this book are the few and far between scenes where we actually delve into the hatefulness that Montgomery has experienced, such as girls at a soccer game who see her moms kiss and make snide jokes about them being dykes and how they "might rape them," or Montgomery's own grandparents, who tell her that Jo isn't her real mother and all children need a father, or a boy she likes pressuring her to become sexual in their first semi-private encounter then flipping out on her and calling her slurs for refusing his advances (then going on to tell his buddies that she was a slut that begged him to have sex with her). These are painful scenes, but the most realistic and mature. It might be the only time in the book that the dialogue feels real (although you're sad to say so).
My disappointment with the book mostly stems from Montgomery realizing that she shouldn't have judged the preacher's son so soon without knowing anything about him, and having a good talk with her moms about how it's okay to be sad and stressed out sometimes and it's good to talk about it with people she trusts, but not realizing that a lot of her other behavior was pretty petty and mean and didn't make her any better than the people she hated. Maybe the reader is supposed to get it (her best friend does say she's becoming sort of like a villain when she's going around wielding the power to physically hurt people she doesn't like) but the book feels very on-the-surface. It's too scattered; you get one present day Mystery Club scene and that's it. Very short scenes of her interacting with her family. Two scenes with her friend from the froyo place. Mostly it's just internal, judgey monologue, and everyone seems sort of like a stereotype, not too complex and not too interesting.
I will probably not read Mariko Tamaki again. I'm a little surprised the book's overall rating is as high as it is, or that my favorite author gave an awesome blurb on the back of the book to recommend it.
June 16, 2016
***This review has also been posted on Xpresso Reads
When I found out that Mariko Tamaki had a book coming out, I was so excited! I was curious to see how Tamaki’s storytelling style would differ from This One Summer and it helped that the book had a stunning cover.
Montgomery Sole’s voice is truly unique and stands out. She is angsty like many young adults (in YA novels and in real life) but her way of dealing with her angst is usually not dealing with it at all which explains the title and her need to be ‘saved.’ Montgomery Sole also spends a surprising amount of time searching conspiracy theories and buying rocks we know won’t actually do anything. That’s okay though because Montgomery Sole is a precious child that needs to be protected from the world. All of this creates a really interesting dynamic between the reader and the main character. We cannot always be on the same page as her or even relate to her when it comes to some of her beliefs but the author sets Montgomery Sole up to be the kind of MC we feel for even if we don’t agree with everything she says/does/believes in.
Saving Montgomery Sole is a heartwarming novel and made especially so by all the adorable relationships. Montgomery Sole's family is the actual cutest and so realistic. Her two moms are the best and I love the time Tamaki spends giving us their morning rituals to help us better understand how they all function as a family. From one mom running around helping the younger sister find her sock to the other mom yelling at them to get in the car. I also love Montgomery’s relationship with her sister. They fight and disagree more often than not and I really enjoyed that. Also Montgomery had some awesome-sauce friends who were the bomb.com.
One of my favorite things about this book was the way it explored religion. Montgomery Sole has a very complicated relationship with religion and is, to a certain extent, frightened of it. The book poses some very interesting questions about religion in a way that isn’t shaming but also isn’t full of rainbows and unicorns. Basically important discussions are had which is awesomesauce.
This book is unfortunately not perfect and Montgomery suffered from ‘not like the other girls’ syndrome. Montgomery can be different but there was shaming involved which made me uncomfortable. This book also reads more like a middle grade novel than young adult and given Montgomery’s age, I think the book might have made a bigger impact if the book was more YA than MG.
Overall though, this is definitely a book worth reading and I would recommend it. It’s short, sweet and kind of really amazing.
Note that I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
When I found out that Mariko Tamaki had a book coming out, I was so excited! I was curious to see how Tamaki’s storytelling style would differ from This One Summer and it helped that the book had a stunning cover.
Montgomery Sole’s voice is truly unique and stands out. She is angsty like many young adults (in YA novels and in real life) but her way of dealing with her angst is usually not dealing with it at all which explains the title and her need to be ‘saved.’ Montgomery Sole also spends a surprising amount of time searching conspiracy theories and buying rocks we know won’t actually do anything. That’s okay though because Montgomery Sole is a precious child that needs to be protected from the world. All of this creates a really interesting dynamic between the reader and the main character. We cannot always be on the same page as her or even relate to her when it comes to some of her beliefs but the author sets Montgomery Sole up to be the kind of MC we feel for even if we don’t agree with everything she says/does/believes in.
Saving Montgomery Sole is a heartwarming novel and made especially so by all the adorable relationships. Montgomery Sole's family is the actual cutest and so realistic. Her two moms are the best and I love the time Tamaki spends giving us their morning rituals to help us better understand how they all function as a family. From one mom running around helping the younger sister find her sock to the other mom yelling at them to get in the car. I also love Montgomery’s relationship with her sister. They fight and disagree more often than not and I really enjoyed that. Also Montgomery had some awesome-sauce friends who were the bomb.com.
One of my favorite things about this book was the way it explored religion. Montgomery Sole has a very complicated relationship with religion and is, to a certain extent, frightened of it. The book poses some very interesting questions about religion in a way that isn’t shaming but also isn’t full of rainbows and unicorns. Basically important discussions are had which is awesomesauce.
This book is unfortunately not perfect and Montgomery suffered from ‘not like the other girls’ syndrome. Montgomery can be different but there was shaming involved which made me uncomfortable. This book also reads more like a middle grade novel than young adult and given Montgomery’s age, I think the book might have made a bigger impact if the book was more YA than MG.
Overall though, this is definitely a book worth reading and I would recommend it. It’s short, sweet and kind of really amazing.
Note that I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
August 11, 2016
I did enjoy this book because I think it tackled a teenager tantrum in a realistic way, but part of me was also disappointed that some of the rhetoric was that Montgomery is "not that kind of girl" compared to the other teenagers in the book. And I get it, because I felt like an outcast when I was in high school because of my looks or my hobbies or my interests. And I know that sometimes, teenagers are just flat out mean. So maybe there isn't really a way around it if your protagonist is not a total jerk but happens to know people who are total jerks. That was really my main struggle with this book, because media that pits girls against each other is just sending the message that "other girls" = bad, but I feel that wretched behavior should also not be tolerated. So, how do you write a book that shows a teenage girl's dissatisfaction with the behaviors of not-so-nice people? It's kind of a conundrum (in my opinion) and while I think Mariko Tamaki did a pretty good job, there were still moments when I thought UGH please don't get into this territory! So I don't know. I'm on the fence about all that. I'm sure that there are teenage girls out there who wear make-up or fashion trends and who AREN'T total jerks. But there just weren't any characters like that in this book. So...there's that. But maybe Tamaki has those characters in there to exist as a trope? Is it a commentary on other YA books that feature such static characters? Maybe I'm reading too much into it? I don't know!
Anyway, if you're looking to read a YA book that is not 1) dystopian/post-apocalyptic, 2) not a romance, 3) not a love-triangle, then I would recommend it. The voice of Montgomery is a little childish at first, but about halfway through the book, it's like she's aged a couple years (she's supposed to be 16, but honestly, the first half of the book reads like she's closer to 13, which is only a few years but still...). It's a fairly enjoyable read that deals with issues of angst, growing up, letting go, and trying to be a better person. And the cover art is beautiful! And if you're into a full sensory experience when you read, the hardback book just feels so nice in your hands when you read it. It's a good shape for reading, if that makes any sense.
I want to give this 4 stars, but I think I have to settle with 3. Sigh.
Anyway, if you're looking to read a YA book that is not 1) dystopian/post-apocalyptic, 2) not a romance, 3) not a love-triangle, then I would recommend it. The voice of Montgomery is a little childish at first, but about halfway through the book, it's like she's aged a couple years (she's supposed to be 16, but honestly, the first half of the book reads like she's closer to 13, which is only a few years but still...). It's a fairly enjoyable read that deals with issues of angst, growing up, letting go, and trying to be a better person. And the cover art is beautiful! And if you're into a full sensory experience when you read, the hardback book just feels so nice in your hands when you read it. It's a good shape for reading, if that makes any sense.
I want to give this 4 stars, but I think I have to settle with 3. Sigh.
August 29, 2016
This was lovely! I particularly enjoyed the thoughtful look at the clash between queer families and fundamentalist Christianity. That part made me tear up a bit. Mariko Tamaki is a treasure.
Read
March 11, 2016This was really underwhelming and I felt Montgomery's voice was middle grade, not 16 at all.
June 12, 2023
HOW does this only have a 3.27 star rating??
Mariko Tamaki writes some of the best teenage characters yet somehow they always get branded as annoying for checks notes acting like actual teenagers and not perfect little angels. Monty was an amazing lead and I really related to her throughout.
Mariko Tamaki writes some of the best teenage characters yet somehow they always get branded as annoying for checks notes acting like actual teenagers and not perfect little angels. Monty was an amazing lead and I really related to her throughout.
December 29, 2015
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.
When I read YA books, I of course try to think of not only my reaction as an adult, but how I would have felt about it as a teenager and how the teenagers I know would feel about it. In this book's case, I just couldn't separate my opinions from how I would have felt about it and how "most" teens would feel about it.
I think that this would have been a great book for me to have read as a teenager, because I think that our protagonist, Montgomery, is guilty of what I really didn't understand at her age. The book takes us through her journey of knowing that she's an outsider and resenting anyone who is an insider; of knowing she's going to be judged and feeling really angry and helpless about it--to the extent of not letting anyone "in." She has friends, and she loves her friends, which is great, but she doesn't trust anyone outside their circle. I think that teenagers who also feel this way will not only love this book, but hopefully learn to open themselves up a bit through reading it.
Montgomery herself has lesbian parents, but I think that any kid who feels like an outsider could relate to her situation. She has learned to be very defensive, largely through dressing differently from everyone else. I thought that the attention given to her clothes was really interesting. Looking back on my own young adulthood, I know that I used dressing differently as a way to show that I felt differently and though differently--and obviously, that's something that a lot of kids do.
That said, this definitely isn't a book that I would read with a whole class, or even with a book group. Instead, it's the kind of book that I would have a copy or two of hidden in my closet until I could be sure I knew its perfect reader. It's definitely not the kind of book to use to hook the reluctant readers. Instead, it's a nice treat for the intellectual outsiders who can handle its rather slow-moving plot.
As an adult reader, I realized pretty quickly that Kenneth wasn't going to be a clone of his dad and that Montgomery was going to have to learn to judge him by who he was and not who his dad is. I bet that most teenagers will figure that out, too. I think that it's okay that this big part of the storyline is so predictable to the reader, because it makes it that much more interesting to watch Montgomery as she struggles to learn it for herself.
I think the running allusions to The Outsiders would make a really fun essay for some high school student at some point. Montgomery is reading it in school and then the kids are putting on the play. There are some provocative moments when all the popular boys are drafted into becoming "outsiders," and a fun moment when the kids don't take off their costumes. There's that clothing motif again!
When I read YA books, I of course try to think of not only my reaction as an adult, but how I would have felt about it as a teenager and how the teenagers I know would feel about it. In this book's case, I just couldn't separate my opinions from how I would have felt about it and how "most" teens would feel about it.
I think that this would have been a great book for me to have read as a teenager, because I think that our protagonist, Montgomery, is guilty of what I really didn't understand at her age. The book takes us through her journey of knowing that she's an outsider and resenting anyone who is an insider; of knowing she's going to be judged and feeling really angry and helpless about it--to the extent of not letting anyone "in." She has friends, and she loves her friends, which is great, but she doesn't trust anyone outside their circle. I think that teenagers who also feel this way will not only love this book, but hopefully learn to open themselves up a bit through reading it.
Montgomery herself has lesbian parents, but I think that any kid who feels like an outsider could relate to her situation. She has learned to be very defensive, largely through dressing differently from everyone else. I thought that the attention given to her clothes was really interesting. Looking back on my own young adulthood, I know that I used dressing differently as a way to show that I felt differently and though differently--and obviously, that's something that a lot of kids do.
That said, this definitely isn't a book that I would read with a whole class, or even with a book group. Instead, it's the kind of book that I would have a copy or two of hidden in my closet until I could be sure I knew its perfect reader. It's definitely not the kind of book to use to hook the reluctant readers. Instead, it's a nice treat for the intellectual outsiders who can handle its rather slow-moving plot.
As an adult reader, I realized pretty quickly that Kenneth wasn't going to be a clone of his dad and that Montgomery was going to have to learn to judge him by who he was and not who his dad is. I bet that most teenagers will figure that out, too. I think that it's okay that this big part of the storyline is so predictable to the reader, because it makes it that much more interesting to watch Montgomery as she struggles to learn it for herself.
I think the running allusions to The Outsiders would make a really fun essay for some high school student at some point. Montgomery is reading it in school and then the kids are putting on the play. There are some provocative moments when all the popular boys are drafted into becoming "outsiders," and a fun moment when the kids don't take off their costumes. There's that clothing motif again!
March 26, 2016
This is a smart, funny, sad, frustrating, and cool book. It started off a little slow, and then picked up speed from there. I wavered between 3 stars and 4 for the slow beginning, but settled on 4 for how it picked up as it went along.
The story follows a typical teenager, who has two moms and a little sister and is living in a small town somewhere in California. [see not below] She has a two friends that she hangs out with, at the Mystery Club, and she is OK with her life. (the Mystery Club discusses paranormal things).
Then Rev. White comes to town, and wants to get rid of people like Montgomery Sole's family. And she purchases the Eye of Knowing off the internet, which appears to have magical powers.
And knowing more than that would give the whole story away.
I liked how the dialogue felt like something that teenagers would say, especially when she is talking with her moms.
There aren't enough stories about everyday lives of children of same sex couples.
My only complaint is that there is nothing that makes it clear where in California this small town is supposed to be. California is very vague, and it would have helped me, at least, to know if it was in the Gold Country, or in the Bay Area, or in Northern, Central, Southern, Eastern, Central Valley, or Sierras. The only hint that it might be in Southern California is that she talks about wearing sandals and that they go out to the desert at some point. Minor rant.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The story follows a typical teenager, who has two moms and a little sister and is living in a small town somewhere in California. [see not below] She has a two friends that she hangs out with, at the Mystery Club, and she is OK with her life. (the Mystery Club discusses paranormal things).
Then Rev. White comes to town, and wants to get rid of people like Montgomery Sole's family. And she purchases the Eye of Knowing off the internet, which appears to have magical powers.
And knowing more than that would give the whole story away.
I liked how the dialogue felt like something that teenagers would say, especially when she is talking with her moms.
There aren't enough stories about everyday lives of children of same sex couples.
My only complaint is that there is nothing that makes it clear where in California this small town is supposed to be. California is very vague, and it would have helped me, at least, to know if it was in the Gold Country, or in the Bay Area, or in Northern, Central, Southern, Eastern, Central Valley, or Sierras. The only hint that it might be in Southern California is that she talks about wearing sandals and that they go out to the desert at some point. Minor rant.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
November 9, 2016
Admittedly this book had to grow on me as in the first sections the age of the main character's voice confused me. I still feel like the first chapters were a bit off in that way; it just really did not feel like Monty was 16. But after that it felt settled into a young YA and was a lovely realistic story of a girl with gay moms and a gay friend and sexist boys at school and feeling angry for lots of legit reasons about hate and discrimination. The book doesn't try to solve any problems or present easy answers, but it does show that people are more complex than you might think and suggests that you should give people the benefit of the doubt. I would definitely recommend this for younger teens. It tackles a lot of tough issues but not in an issues book way and it's also very funny with some amazingly spot-on authentic teen dialogue which I'm pretty sure is Tamaki's superpower.
See my full review here.
See my full review here.
May 23, 2018
Don't know if I would have liked this as much if it wasn't on audio, but as my current gardening listen, it kept me outside with my hands in the dirt long enough to get a little sunburned, so it did its job.
Full thoughts to come.
Full thoughts to come.
March 28, 2017
Montgomery Sole has found her comfort zone. She's always felt like an outsider, as the only person in her small town with two moms, but she has found two people who get her. And they've even started a club at their school! The Mystery Club, they call it. Where they investigate unexplained phenomena - basically just hang out, watching movies and geeking out over stuff they find fascinating.
Then, a notorious evangelist moves into town. And some people seem to be picking up what he's putting down. And his son is coming to Montgomery's high school! Montgomery prepares to be targeted.
I ripped through this on a cross-country flight. I love Tamaki (I'm uberproud she follows my Instagram), so look for everything she publishes.
This book is complex, incorporating lots of elements. Lots of emotions.
I took this out to local middle schools in 2017.
I wish the cover was a little more punchy or evocative of some of the plot elements.
Other than that, fantastic.
Then, a notorious evangelist moves into town. And some people seem to be picking up what he's putting down. And his son is coming to Montgomery's high school! Montgomery prepares to be targeted.
I ripped through this on a cross-country flight. I love Tamaki (I'm uberproud she follows my Instagram), so look for everything she publishes.
This book is complex, incorporating lots of elements. Lots of emotions.
I took this out to local middle schools in 2017.
I wish the cover was a little more punchy or evocative of some of the plot elements.
Other than that, fantastic.
June 5, 2018
3.5 stars, rounded up because this book made me happy. Yes, it's a bit unrealistic and oversimplified. It's rare that things come together so neatly. And I was disappointed that the critical pieces of Montgomery's history were revealed so slowly. But overall, I liked the message of the book. It was a uplifting and solid read. If it sounds interesting, give it a go!
March 23, 2018
I'll commend the author for tackling a really controversial subject: the rocky relationship between the queer community and Christians. But as you can tell in my rating, I wasn't a fan on the delivery. It had potential and I'll admit, had a very good end message about hate .
That said, the writing felt really young (Monty was supposed to be 16 but all the 'like's and 'anyway's just stuck her in more of a middle grade voice than a YA one.
The prose felt pretty unpolished—there was a lot of telling, a lot of "____because_____which______" types of run on sentences. In fact, the words "because" and "which" were just used waaaaaay too much.
Nothing could really shake me from the clunky dialogue and seemingly pointless conversations that only seemed to be a space filler.
Now the subject matter. *lets out a deep breath* I want to start off this section by saying that I have no qualms with reading books about queer characters. While they may not be my first choice, I won't ever stop reading a good story because of it.
I thought the queer elements honestly enlightened me on the community in a positive way. But also...there was a lot of hate towards the Christian church and it made me feel wildly uncomfortable. For example, the symbol of the Christian cross comes up a lot and it was portrayed as this hateful attack against homosexuality. Pastors are viewed as the ultimate bigots, and even the only Christian character that portrayed as one of the good guys doesn't change the fact that the Monty's family thinks religion doesn't work, and you shouldn't touch anything the church has to offer—even the cookies.
Monty's overall attitude does change—her very cynical personality is just a little more subdued—but I just feel like the author's conclusion didn't really speak love (it spoke "not hate" which doesn't quite do this topic justice).
To end on a more positive note, I'll give the author props for writing about this. It's gutsy and takes courage and I won't slam her for trying. That said, my end conclusion is that I felt like it gave the wrong impression of the Christian faith. Still, I appreciate that message that not all Christians are like the Reverend—that much is very true.
That said, the writing felt really young (Monty was supposed to be 16 but all the 'like's and 'anyway's just stuck her in more of a middle grade voice than a YA one.
The prose felt pretty unpolished—there was a lot of telling, a lot of "____because_____which______" types of run on sentences. In fact, the words "because" and "which" were just used waaaaaay too much.
Nothing could really shake me from the clunky dialogue and seemingly pointless conversations that only seemed to be a space filler.
Now the subject matter. *lets out a deep breath* I want to start off this section by saying that I have no qualms with reading books about queer characters. While they may not be my first choice, I won't ever stop reading a good story because of it.
I thought the queer elements honestly enlightened me on the community in a positive way. But also...there was a lot of hate towards the Christian church and it made me feel wildly uncomfortable. For example, the symbol of the Christian cross comes up a lot and it was portrayed as this hateful attack against homosexuality. Pastors are viewed as the ultimate bigots, and even the only Christian character that portrayed as one of the good guys doesn't change the fact that the Monty's family thinks religion doesn't work, and you shouldn't touch anything the church has to offer—even the cookies.
Monty's overall attitude does change—her very cynical personality is just a little more subdued—but I just feel like the author's conclusion didn't really speak love (it spoke "not hate" which doesn't quite do this topic justice).
To end on a more positive note, I'll give the author props for writing about this. It's gutsy and takes courage and I won't slam her for trying. That said, my end conclusion is that I felt like it gave the wrong impression of the Christian faith. Still, I appreciate that message that not all Christians are like the Reverend—that much is very true.
May 24, 2023
"This stuff, pretty much everything you do so you can save us, it feels like hate, so you know." I could hear the tremor in my voice. "From here, it feels like hate."
this is a really, really, really good book.
i can understand why some people might point out (internalized) misogyny as a flaw, but i honestly think montgomery's mockery of the stereotypical "popular crowd" of girls comes from another place—it's made very clear that monty has been bullied for pretty much her entire life, and it obviously comes from more a place of outsider status than just unnecessary girl hate.
and that outsider status is SO well drawn. the emotions of this story are so powerful. i'm really really glad there was no "montgomery was wrong to be suspicious and is just as bad as the other judgmental folks at school!" arc oh my god; the conclusions she jumps to are given weight and the whole thing is very nuanced. montgomery's CONSTANT anger, agitation, and hypervigilance at school are incredibly well written and taken SERIOUSLY. not to be. personal. but if i could go back in time and give this book to my middle school self... because god, this pressed a lot of buttons that haven't been pressed in a while and that was really validating ;__;
--
2023 reread: this time around, i do understand more clearly where the critiques of the not-like-other-girls thing comes from; this book could have done more to avoid falling into the bitchy popular evil girls trope. & yes, monty is angry at people because they’ve been shitty to her, but these mean girls didn’t spawn into existence—the author chose to write certain side characters as catty hyperfeminine bullies. that said, the guys in this book also suck (equality!), and also, i can’t quite say “i wish these girls weren’t like this” because sometimes high school girls are literally like this. especially when you're the weird kid.
and i don’t know, man. this book so perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to be a teenage girl who is ferociously burningly furious at all the people who have ever hurt or threatened you and your family and friends, even when nobody else seems to think your fury (or fear) is merited, because you know the pain is real even if you’re being told it isn’t. YOU know the threat posed by homophobic jocks (even if they're just kids!) and conservative christian pastors (even if they're polite!) is real. and the reviews writing this off as “oooo monty isn’t LIKE OTHER GIRLS” are about to make me start being snobbish. sorry i understood the book better than you did. it’s because i’m a genius and i have no emotional biases about this at all. unrelatedly what i said earlier about giving one book to my fourteen-year-old self is still true,
this is a really, really, really good book.
i can understand why some people might point out (internalized) misogyny as a flaw, but i honestly think montgomery's mockery of the stereotypical "popular crowd" of girls comes from another place—it's made very clear that monty has been bullied for pretty much her entire life, and it obviously comes from more a place of outsider status than just unnecessary girl hate.
and that outsider status is SO well drawn. the emotions of this story are so powerful. i'm really really glad there was no "montgomery was wrong to be suspicious and is just as bad as the other judgmental folks at school!" arc oh my god; the conclusions she jumps to are given weight and the whole thing is very nuanced. montgomery's CONSTANT anger, agitation, and hypervigilance at school are incredibly well written and taken SERIOUSLY. not to be. personal. but if i could go back in time and give this book to my middle school self... because god, this pressed a lot of buttons that haven't been pressed in a while and that was really validating ;__;
--
2023 reread: this time around, i do understand more clearly where the critiques of the not-like-other-girls thing comes from; this book could have done more to avoid falling into the bitchy popular evil girls trope. & yes, monty is angry at people because they’ve been shitty to her, but these mean girls didn’t spawn into existence—the author chose to write certain side characters as catty hyperfeminine bullies. that said, the guys in this book also suck (equality!), and also, i can’t quite say “i wish these girls weren’t like this” because sometimes high school girls are literally like this. especially when you're the weird kid.
and i don’t know, man. this book so perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to be a teenage girl who is ferociously burningly furious at all the people who have ever hurt or threatened you and your family and friends, even when nobody else seems to think your fury (or fear) is merited, because you know the pain is real even if you’re being told it isn’t. YOU know the threat posed by homophobic jocks (even if they're just kids!) and conservative christian pastors (even if they're polite!) is real. and the reviews writing this off as “oooo monty isn’t LIKE OTHER GIRLS” are about to make me start being snobbish. sorry i understood the book better than you did. it’s because i’m a genius and i have no emotional biases about this at all. unrelatedly what i said earlier about giving one book to my fourteen-year-old self is still true,
July 25, 2016
Monty lives in small town Aunty, California, and sometimes it's just too small town for her. She's bullied because she has two moms and because she just plain doesn't fit in. School is excruciating--fellow classmates think foreshadowing means something dark, like night, and she's constantly teased by her ex-boyfriend of two days who calls her a dyke. Her younger sister is annoying (whose wasn't when they were a teen?) and her moms are always asking how she's doing (again, whose wasn't when they were a teen?) Monty's happiest when hanging out with her best friends Thomas and Naoki in their mystery club, which admittedly sounds like a lot of fun. We loved watching Monty slowly shake off the judgmental shroud she had unknowingly donned and come to the realization that not everyone is out to get her. Recommended to those who like a paranormal mystery with a philosophical twist, like She Is Not Invisible.
April 15, 2018
I'm not sure what I expected from this one based on the summary included in the book. I picked it up twice and wasn't engaged, but something changed today. Although there is a feeling that the book lacks focus, everything comes together in the end.
January 19, 2019
2.75 stars
This book was really mixed for me.
I enjoyed all of the parts of the story about the main character's family and I thought the author did a good job of really bringing the family and all their different dynamic to life.
I also really enjoyed the discussion of religion and how it is addressed that, just because the main character's experience with religion have been negative, doesn't mean religion is negative as a whole.
However, I felt like the aspects of the story surrounding the crystal were really underdeveloped and I really hated that none of the side characters had any real depth. Either you are a 'weirdo' and a good person or you are popular and a bad person.
Overall missed the mark for me.
This book was really mixed for me.
I enjoyed all of the parts of the story about the main character's family and I thought the author did a good job of really bringing the family and all their different dynamic to life.
I also really enjoyed the discussion of religion and how it is addressed that, just because the main character's experience with religion have been negative, doesn't mean religion is negative as a whole.
However, I felt like the aspects of the story surrounding the crystal were really underdeveloped and I really hated that none of the side characters had any real depth. Either you are a 'weirdo' and a good person or you are popular and a bad person.
Overall missed the mark for me.
May 30, 2017
I haven't given a book this low of a rating in quite a while, but then again, I haven't read a book I haven't enjoyed at all in a while, either.
For most of the book, the protagonist is unbearably judgmental and whiny. Montgomery Sole is supposed to be sixteen but acts quite a bit younger. She's often mean to her younger sister Tesla and brushes off her well-meaning moms all the time (despite the fact that she gets offended on their behalf for much of the novel). Monty dismisses anorexia as "gross and sad" (Tamaki 36), slut-shames a girl for wearing a miniskirt, and disparages people for enjoying and/or partaking in pep rallies, Doctor Who, wizards, fairies, flip-flops, shaving, eating healthily, sports, religion, and a plethora of other things. She goes on and on about how no one in Aunty, CA has a clue (about how The Outsiders is amazing, good music, foreshadowing, overalls, sperm donors, etc.), yet she spends all her time in a Mystery Club (made up of her and her two best friends), which is dedicated to testing out things she reads about on the internet (like remote viewing and telekinesis).
I get that Monty wants to believe in things that are bigger than her world and all, but she just comes off as hypocritical. She spends so much time being derisive toward others who believe in religion and calls her high school super ignorant, but her only extracurricular activity is literally just surfing the internet for things like Ouija and hypnosis and talking with her two friends. For a teenager who grew up in the age of technology, Monty is a bit dumb about the kind of sites she frequents (which mostly sound like hoaxes and scams--she spent three hours watching a haunted closet stream) and the kind of stuff she buys off the internet (even the Eye of Know doesn't sound legit).
But enough about Monty. Let's move on to her best friends. According to Monty, the only likable people in all of Jefferson High School are her and her best friends Thomas and Naoki. Except I never felt that I got to know either of the two friends as real people. Thomas Masters is a gay theatre nerd from San Francisco who enjoys "old" movies (like Terminator and Back to the Future! So Edgy). He dates older men he nicknames The Butcher and The Soprano, dresses in drag on Halloween, and wears velvet pants, checkered jackets, and top hats, etc. on regular days. He seems to fulfill the role of the stereotypical gay best friend. Which leaves Naoki Wood as the half-Japanese, half-Cree token minority. She has long bleached white hair with black tips, is a super nice, super happy girl who moved to Aunty two years ago, has lucid dreams, and kind of seems like a "mythological creature" (Monty's words). And that's about all the nuance any secondary character gets, because the rest of Jefferson High is a mishmash of stereotypical dumb blondes (who confuse Death Cab for Cutie with Def Leppard?? What year is this?) and mean homophobic jocks.
Besides my issues with characterization, the setting was also incredibly vague and just came off as an indistinct concept of California. Aunty is a small Californian town with "vast blue sky and rolling green hills" (Tamaki 11), which is near the coast but also near a "desert... right by this great big canyon" (Tamaki 224). Monty has a pine tree that smells like rain in her front yard (Tamaki 10) and an avocado tree in her backyard (because everyone in California, like, loves avocados! and avocado toast! especially on rye! [Tamaki 23]). Aunty also has tons of "yoga-loving hippie moms" (Tamaki 99) who count carbs and are tanned and wear flip-flops (because "minidresses and bejeweled flip-flops are the other California uniform for all seasons" [Tamaki 100]).
Also... since Monty spends so much of the time being petty, I'm going to be, too. This novel feels like it should be set in the early 2000s. Like, who even IMs anymore?
For most of the book, the protagonist is unbearably judgmental and whiny. Montgomery Sole is supposed to be sixteen but acts quite a bit younger. She's often mean to her younger sister Tesla and brushes off her well-meaning moms all the time (despite the fact that she gets offended on their behalf for much of the novel). Monty dismisses anorexia as "gross and sad" (Tamaki 36), slut-shames a girl for wearing a miniskirt, and disparages people for enjoying and/or partaking in pep rallies, Doctor Who, wizards, fairies, flip-flops, shaving, eating healthily, sports, religion, and a plethora of other things. She goes on and on about how no one in Aunty, CA has a clue (about how The Outsiders is amazing, good music, foreshadowing, overalls, sperm donors, etc.), yet she spends all her time in a Mystery Club (made up of her and her two best friends), which is dedicated to testing out things she reads about on the internet (like remote viewing and telekinesis).
I get that Monty wants to believe in things that are bigger than her world and all, but she just comes off as hypocritical. She spends so much time being derisive toward others who believe in religion and calls her high school super ignorant, but her only extracurricular activity is literally just surfing the internet for things like Ouija and hypnosis and talking with her two friends. For a teenager who grew up in the age of technology, Monty is a bit dumb about the kind of sites she frequents (which mostly sound like hoaxes and scams--she spent three hours watching a haunted closet stream) and the kind of stuff she buys off the internet (even the Eye of Know doesn't sound legit).
But enough about Monty. Let's move on to her best friends. According to Monty, the only likable people in all of Jefferson High School are her and her best friends Thomas and Naoki. Except I never felt that I got to know either of the two friends as real people. Thomas Masters is a gay theatre nerd from San Francisco who enjoys "old" movies (like Terminator and Back to the Future! So Edgy). He dates older men he nicknames The Butcher and The Soprano, dresses in drag on Halloween, and wears velvet pants, checkered jackets, and top hats, etc. on regular days. He seems to fulfill the role of the stereotypical gay best friend. Which leaves Naoki Wood as the half-Japanese, half-Cree token minority. She has long bleached white hair with black tips, is a super nice, super happy girl who moved to Aunty two years ago, has lucid dreams, and kind of seems like a "mythological creature" (Monty's words). And that's about all the nuance any secondary character gets, because the rest of Jefferson High is a mishmash of stereotypical dumb blondes (who confuse Death Cab for Cutie with Def Leppard?? What year is this?) and mean homophobic jocks.
Besides my issues with characterization, the setting was also incredibly vague and just came off as an indistinct concept of California. Aunty is a small Californian town with "vast blue sky and rolling green hills" (Tamaki 11), which is near the coast but also near a "desert... right by this great big canyon" (Tamaki 224). Monty has a pine tree that smells like rain in her front yard (Tamaki 10) and an avocado tree in her backyard (because everyone in California, like, loves avocados! and avocado toast! especially on rye! [Tamaki 23]). Aunty also has tons of "yoga-loving hippie moms" (Tamaki 99) who count carbs and are tanned and wear flip-flops (because "minidresses and bejeweled flip-flops are the other California uniform for all seasons" [Tamaki 100]).
Also... since Monty spends so much of the time being petty, I'm going to be, too. This novel feels like it should be set in the early 2000s. Like, who even IMs anymore?
December 30, 2022
I am rating this 5 stars as a fuck you to the people who went 3.5 stars because of "girl hate." Also, the book is genuinely 5 stars worth of content and I'm so happy I finally got a chance to read it-- couldn't put it down for a second.
Montgomery Sole is ANGRY. She is a real, genuine, living sixteen-year-old girl facing homophobia and sexism and all kinds of shit, and she's mad about it. She wants to fight back. Tamaki knows what it's like to live with that kind of vibrant, endless rage inside you, just wanting to do anything while being powerless against the people who hurt you and the systems who uplift them. This book did a lot of good for my internal rage patterns.
Another thing this book did well: Christianity-related trauma. Balancing the fact that someone else's religion is not about your personal trauma--and someone else's trauma is not about your personal religion. It's okay to feel drawn to religion. It's okay to loathe it. The complicated relationship of LGBT people with religion was so perfectly captured here.
The characters were all realistic, unique, and entertaining to follow. I honestly enjoyed every page; following the different plot elements was always a delight. I have to specifically give Tamaki props for creating a main character who is actually different from other people at school--so much teen/YA lit centers on a character who is ~not like other girls~ and finally there is discussion of what it is actually like to be concretely discriminated against at school for not being like the rest.
Mild issues I had spoilered:
Overall? This book was incredibly cathartic. I need a little break after reading it, but in a good way... I feel like I got to let go of something after reading it. It's something I'd recommend to any LGBT teen, especially those who have suffered from homophobia/transphobia in their communities.
Montgomery Sole is ANGRY. She is a real, genuine, living sixteen-year-old girl facing homophobia and sexism and all kinds of shit, and she's mad about it. She wants to fight back. Tamaki knows what it's like to live with that kind of vibrant, endless rage inside you, just wanting to do anything while being powerless against the people who hurt you and the systems who uplift them. This book did a lot of good for my internal rage patterns.
Another thing this book did well: Christianity-related trauma. Balancing the fact that someone else's religion is not about your personal trauma--and someone else's trauma is not about your personal religion. It's okay to feel drawn to religion. It's okay to loathe it. The complicated relationship of LGBT people with religion was so perfectly captured here.
The characters were all realistic, unique, and entertaining to follow. I honestly enjoyed every page; following the different plot elements was always a delight. I have to specifically give Tamaki props for creating a main character who is actually different from other people at school--so much teen/YA lit centers on a character who is ~not like other girls~ and finally there is discussion of what it is actually like to be concretely discriminated against at school for not being like the rest.
Mild issues I had spoilered:
Overall? This book was incredibly cathartic. I need a little break after reading it, but in a good way... I feel like I got to let go of something after reading it. It's something I'd recommend to any LGBT teen, especially those who have suffered from homophobia/transphobia in their communities.
April 17, 2019
Montgomery Sole has a chip on her shoulder. The trouble is, she doesn’t know it.
Montgomery is just trying to get through high school. She’s not engaged in a battle of the bands, vying for president or striving for a date to the high school dance. She is an ordinary girl with…unusual interests. She knows and accepts this. So it takes a while for the reader to realize that certain things have been niggling at her, nibbling at her feelings just below the surface.
All the slights, slings and arrows that afflict people on a daily basis are slowly bringing Montgomery to a boil and the novelist is adept at giving us her inner turmoil and physical actions. We are exposed to Montgomery’s home life which is very much like that of other adolescents (over-attentive parents, bratty sibling). But Montgomery’s anguish stems from feeling other people’s misery and she decides she’s going to take a stand on their behalf.
She’s not lauded for her efforts because her behavior starts to frighten and worry people. So, no, we’re not getting Saint Montgomery. What we get is a realistic portrait of a girl struggling to reconcile her urge to help with other people’s determination to help her. Montgomery tries to protect others even while they’re trying to protect her and she comes to understand this through ordinary conversation.
So this is a book of quietude, of people learning to be still and listen to their inner voices as well as the people around them. For readers who prefer strong realism along with adolescent quirkiness, for the triumph of the everyday as opposed to that BIG MOMENT that afflicts so many high school comedic films, this novel is a solid dark stone within a wildly churning stream.
Montgomery is just trying to get through high school. She’s not engaged in a battle of the bands, vying for president or striving for a date to the high school dance. She is an ordinary girl with…unusual interests. She knows and accepts this. So it takes a while for the reader to realize that certain things have been niggling at her, nibbling at her feelings just below the surface.
All the slights, slings and arrows that afflict people on a daily basis are slowly bringing Montgomery to a boil and the novelist is adept at giving us her inner turmoil and physical actions. We are exposed to Montgomery’s home life which is very much like that of other adolescents (over-attentive parents, bratty sibling). But Montgomery’s anguish stems from feeling other people’s misery and she decides she’s going to take a stand on their behalf.
She’s not lauded for her efforts because her behavior starts to frighten and worry people. So, no, we’re not getting Saint Montgomery. What we get is a realistic portrait of a girl struggling to reconcile her urge to help with other people’s determination to help her. Montgomery tries to protect others even while they’re trying to protect her and she comes to understand this through ordinary conversation.
So this is a book of quietude, of people learning to be still and listen to their inner voices as well as the people around them. For readers who prefer strong realism along with adolescent quirkiness, for the triumph of the everyday as opposed to that BIG MOMENT that afflicts so many high school comedic films, this novel is a solid dark stone within a wildly churning stream.
December 10, 2016
A pretty uneven story that didn't really seem to say very much. The book just didn't coalesce for me - it was like it was in concept form, but never was given much in the way of a setting, plot, or characters. It is set in Aunty, CA (that name really bugged me) which we know is a small town with "rolling green hills" and "crisp blue sky" and then in the last chapter it is implied that it is near a desert? But in another chapter it is implied that it is near the coast? I never got a real sense of this town. A couple of stores were mentioned, but I couldn't picture the architecture, the landscape, how close the houses were together - anything.
You do get a better sense of the school - your standard rah-rah sports-centered school, but the picture you get from it is because it is cliche of a school. And, at least through the eyes of our narrator Montgomery, most of the students are cliches, too.
What is interesting to me is that it seemed like the one main point that the book is trying to make is that you can't judge people, and that you don't really know their stories. Montgomery learns this in a scene towards the end....but then seems to quickly forget this idea. One person at a time I guess?
In terms of characters, the only characters that seemed to have, well, characteristics, that made them seem like people were Monty's two friends - I had a clear picture of them in terms of how they looked and how they were in the world. I never really had that picture for any other characters, and to some extent, for Monty herself.
You do get a better sense of the school - your standard rah-rah sports-centered school, but the picture you get from it is because it is cliche of a school. And, at least through the eyes of our narrator Montgomery, most of the students are cliches, too.
What is interesting to me is that it seemed like the one main point that the book is trying to make is that you can't judge people, and that you don't really know their stories. Montgomery learns this in a scene towards the end....but then seems to quickly forget this idea. One person at a time I guess?
In terms of characters, the only characters that seemed to have, well, characteristics, that made them seem like people were Monty's two friends - I had a clear picture of them in terms of how they looked and how they were in the world. I never really had that picture for any other characters, and to some extent, for Monty herself.
August 9, 2018
I'm trying to write not mean reviews for these books but after so many bad ones the past month or so it's hard not to.
Main character was unbearable. I was hoping this would turn into a kind of Edge of Seventeen situation where she realizes she is a huge brat and apologized to everyone and makes some big revelation at the end. It was not. She just decides to be nice to one person and that's it.
Antagonists were flat and nothing much was done with them outside of Kenneth. It just gave me flashbacks to when I was an overly judgemental person in high school. Her hatred for so many things, such as people who just wanted to diet (God forbid!!) was completely unwarranted. Who fucking cares? And why is it a good thing that the yogurt lady mislabels the food she sells customers? She could be hurting people who get low calorie food because they are diabetic. Why is this encouraged?
She gets overly sensitive about people judging her moms and yet treats them like shit.....lmfao ok. And this is never addressed? And the whole Eye of Know thing was not very well fleshed out.
Would not recommend.
Main character was unbearable. I was hoping this would turn into a kind of Edge of Seventeen situation where she realizes she is a huge brat and apologized to everyone and makes some big revelation at the end. It was not. She just decides to be nice to one person and that's it.
Antagonists were flat and nothing much was done with them outside of Kenneth. It just gave me flashbacks to when I was an overly judgemental person in high school. Her hatred for so many things, such as people who just wanted to diet (God forbid!!) was completely unwarranted. Who fucking cares? And why is it a good thing that the yogurt lady mislabels the food she sells customers? She could be hurting people who get low calorie food because they are diabetic. Why is this encouraged?
She gets overly sensitive about people judging her moms and yet treats them like shit.....lmfao ok. And this is never addressed? And the whole Eye of Know thing was not very well fleshed out.
Would not recommend.
April 6, 2016
Wonderful! Less supernatural than it sounds, just a great, funny coming of age with perfect dialogue, diverse and distinct characters, and a fun hook for exploring issues of bigotry and belonging.
Update on reading other people's complaints that the voice sounds too middle grade: the book's first few pages are mega-MG, but it quickly settles into a lower YA voice that felt just right to me (Montgomery is billed as 16, but she seems 15. NOT 12). It's easy to forget how freaking young you can sound and feel in high school. Monty is a late bloomer, and that might be something we don't see enough of with YA protagonists.
Update on reading other people's complaints that the voice sounds too middle grade: the book's first few pages are mega-MG, but it quickly settles into a lower YA voice that felt just right to me (Montgomery is billed as 16, but she seems 15. NOT 12). It's easy to forget how freaking young you can sound and feel in high school. Monty is a late bloomer, and that might be something we don't see enough of with YA protagonists.
September 8, 2022
I’m glad this was a short book. The last quarter of the book saved it from getting 2 stars and instead more like a very low 3 star. I felt like nothing important happened in the first part of the book in terms of where’s the plot. Then it got better around the almost 200 mark so for a book that is 225 pages that is not a good thing. Montgomery is so not like other people around her because she doesn’t care about frivolous things such as pep rallies, sports, sun tanning, wearing makeup, and learning to skateboard. Apparently those interests are pointless, dumb, and useless to her. She was an unlikable character due to this behaviour. She eventually became a better character but I’m giving this a 3 star because I really like Montgomery friends and the message at the end about how just because someone is religious doesn’t mean that they are homophobic and hate gay people. I really love Montgomery conversation with Kenneth at the end about religion too.
January 19, 2019
Meh. The narrator was a bit too snarky for my taste for so much of the book, plus the reader seemed to add more snarkiness. Some YA readers might enjoy the book, but ultimately I wanted more out of the narrator’s change. If she would have drawn some more conclusions about her misbehavior and made more amends, I could have appreciated it more. Plus I found the gay characters to be very strong stereotypes.
A couple of lines I liked:
“You don’t know what you’re talking about...you think you’re the only person who’s ever been oppressed or hurt or treated badly because of who you are? ...You, you should know better!”
“Apparently you can be someone who spends a lifetime on the internet looking up stuff and still not know crap about the world around you.”
A couple of lines I liked:
“You don’t know what you’re talking about...you think you’re the only person who’s ever been oppressed or hurt or treated badly because of who you are? ...You, you should know better!”
“Apparently you can be someone who spends a lifetime on the internet looking up stuff and still not know crap about the world around you.”
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