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Kens
Heterosexuality is so last season: Kens is the gay Heathers meets Mean Girls, a shocking parody for a whole new generation.
Every high school has the archetypical Queen B and her minions. In Kens, the high school hierarchy has been reimagined. Willows High is led by Ken Hilton, and he makes Regina George from Mean Girls look like a saint. Ken Hilton rules Willows High with his carbon-copies, Ken Roberts and Ken Carson, standing next to his throne. It can be hard to tell the Kens apart. There are minor differences in each edition, but all Kens are created from the same mold, straight out of Satan's doll factory. Soul sold separately.
Tommy Rawlins can't help but compare himself to these shimmering images of perfection that glide through the halls. He's desperate to fit in, but in a school where the Kens are queens who are treated like Queens, Tommy is the uncool gay kid. A once-in-a-lifetime chance at becoming a Ken changes everything for Tommy, just as his eye is caught by the tall, dark, handsome new boy, Blaine. Has Blaine arrived in time to save him from the Kens? Tommy has high hopes for their future together, but when their shared desire to overthrow Ken Hilton takes a shocking turn, Tommy must decide how willing he is to reinvent himself -- inside and out. Is this new version of Tommy everything he's always wanted to be, or has he become an unknowing and submissive puppet in a sadistic plan?
Every high school has the archetypical Queen B and her minions. In Kens, the high school hierarchy has been reimagined. Willows High is led by Ken Hilton, and he makes Regina George from Mean Girls look like a saint. Ken Hilton rules Willows High with his carbon-copies, Ken Roberts and Ken Carson, standing next to his throne. It can be hard to tell the Kens apart. There are minor differences in each edition, but all Kens are created from the same mold, straight out of Satan's doll factory. Soul sold separately.
Tommy Rawlins can't help but compare himself to these shimmering images of perfection that glide through the halls. He's desperate to fit in, but in a school where the Kens are queens who are treated like Queens, Tommy is the uncool gay kid. A once-in-a-lifetime chance at becoming a Ken changes everything for Tommy, just as his eye is caught by the tall, dark, handsome new boy, Blaine. Has Blaine arrived in time to save him from the Kens? Tommy has high hopes for their future together, but when their shared desire to overthrow Ken Hilton takes a shocking turn, Tommy must decide how willing he is to reinvent himself -- inside and out. Is this new version of Tommy everything he's always wanted to be, or has he become an unknowing and submissive puppet in a sadistic plan?
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 18, 2018
6 people are currently reading
354 people want to read
About the author
Raziel Reid
5 books41 followersRAZIEL REID’s debut young adult novel, When Everything Feels Like the Movies, won the 2014 Governor General’s Award for English-language children’s literature, making him, at 24 years old, the youngest ever person to win the prestigious award. When Everything Feels Like the Movies, optioned for film by Random Bench Productions, is inspired in part by the 2008 murder of gay teenager Lawrence Fobes King. Published in 2014 by Arsenal Pulp Press, it has since been published in the UK by Atom Publishing with The Telegraph listing it as one of the best YA novels of 2016, and in Germany by Albino Verlag. It was selected for inclusion in the 2015 edition of Canada Reads, where it came in second place. It was also nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children’s/Young Adult Literature, and for Publishing Triangle's Ferro-Grumley Award. Raziel lives in Vancouver and is a professor of Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults at the University of British Columbia.
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July 27, 2018
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Let us review what this book claimed to be in the blurb, "Kens is the gay Heathers meets Mean Girls, a shocking parody for a whole new generation." Kens is not a tasty blend of these two iconic master pieces. Kens is, for all intents and purposes, a very bad parody of Heathers that includes plenty of identical scenes to Heathers and the characters are clearly all based on the characters in Heathers but unfortunately this parody doesn't manage to capture a single ounce of its charm.
Tommy is clearly meant to be Veronica, but he lacks any wit or personality that would make him likable as a protagonist her. He's bland, impressionable, pathetic and why do we care about him. Blaine is a cut for cut JD. Literally, nothing is changed but the fact that he's gay and less clever because the other characters are so dumb Blaine doesn't even need a concrete plan. He'll just tell them "hey, you should kill yourself," and they agree immediately.
I also have so many concerns with how Raziel consistently portrays gay teens in his work. When I look back on When Everything Feels Like the Movies my main issues was that the protagonist used being gay as an excuse to be a shitty person. Things are the same here. The Kens sexually assault people, are promiscuous, use all kinds of drugs and are generally the WORST stereotypes you can imagine about gay teens. I know they're supposed to be bad but they're just clearly written to shock and disgust. They don't feel even near real, it makes the story ridiculous.
This is shot for shot a Heathers rewrite that's worse than the television show. It tries to modernize but Reid either doesn't actually understand how social media works or doesn't care. Seriously these rich kids couldn't even afford a domain for their blog? The scenes that aren't just Heathers scenes with slight rewrites to be more shocking are entirely pointless and slow. It's shock porn and nothing else. I'm disgusted that anyone considers any of Reid's work anything else. This isn't good, or edgy or funny it's pathetic. Reid couldn't even imagine an original story this time.
Parodies are meant to be funny or say something. Usually, you don't parody something that is already a comedy but it can be done well on occasion. Reid has nothing to say with this book. He's critiquing an exaggerated world he made up, there aren't really people this terrible in this high of a concentration. Reid throws #blacklivesmatter and gay suicide off as "jokes".
This is not a book I would recommend to anyone. It's not positive LGBT+ representation. It's not a funny parody of Heathers, if you want to read a gay Heathers I'm sure there are fanfics that do it way better. There is nothing original here. This is a book that simply wants to get a rise out of readers and isn't even successful because it contains nothing original. Satanism, drugs, plastic surgery, suicide, murder, gratuitous sex etc. It's all somehow bland, but there's definitely enough that I wouldn't want kids reading this.
I rarely actively hate a book, but boy do I hate this one. At BEST it's a trashy read to make fun of because there are parts it's almost so bad it's good. I honestly can't tell you why this book was written. I'd give it 0 stars if I could. It has nothing to say and is a waste of time.
Let us review what this book claimed to be in the blurb, "Kens is the gay Heathers meets Mean Girls, a shocking parody for a whole new generation." Kens is not a tasty blend of these two iconic master pieces. Kens is, for all intents and purposes, a very bad parody of Heathers that includes plenty of identical scenes to Heathers and the characters are clearly all based on the characters in Heathers but unfortunately this parody doesn't manage to capture a single ounce of its charm.
Tommy is clearly meant to be Veronica, but he lacks any wit or personality that would make him likable as a protagonist her. He's bland, impressionable, pathetic and why do we care about him. Blaine is a cut for cut JD. Literally, nothing is changed but the fact that he's gay and less clever because the other characters are so dumb Blaine doesn't even need a concrete plan. He'll just tell them "hey, you should kill yourself," and they agree immediately.
I also have so many concerns with how Raziel consistently portrays gay teens in his work. When I look back on When Everything Feels Like the Movies my main issues was that the protagonist used being gay as an excuse to be a shitty person. Things are the same here. The Kens sexually assault people, are promiscuous, use all kinds of drugs and are generally the WORST stereotypes you can imagine about gay teens. I know they're supposed to be bad but they're just clearly written to shock and disgust. They don't feel even near real, it makes the story ridiculous.
This is shot for shot a Heathers rewrite that's worse than the television show. It tries to modernize but Reid either doesn't actually understand how social media works or doesn't care. Seriously these rich kids couldn't even afford a domain for their blog? The scenes that aren't just Heathers scenes with slight rewrites to be more shocking are entirely pointless and slow. It's shock porn and nothing else. I'm disgusted that anyone considers any of Reid's work anything else. This isn't good, or edgy or funny it's pathetic. Reid couldn't even imagine an original story this time.
Parodies are meant to be funny or say something. Usually, you don't parody something that is already a comedy but it can be done well on occasion. Reid has nothing to say with this book. He's critiquing an exaggerated world he made up, there aren't really people this terrible in this high of a concentration. Reid throws #blacklivesmatter and gay suicide off as "jokes".
This is not a book I would recommend to anyone. It's not positive LGBT+ representation. It's not a funny parody of Heathers, if you want to read a gay Heathers I'm sure there are fanfics that do it way better. There is nothing original here. This is a book that simply wants to get a rise out of readers and isn't even successful because it contains nothing original. Satanism, drugs, plastic surgery, suicide, murder, gratuitous sex etc. It's all somehow bland, but there's definitely enough that I wouldn't want kids reading this.
I rarely actively hate a book, but boy do I hate this one. At BEST it's a trashy read to make fun of because there are parts it's almost so bad it's good. I honestly can't tell you why this book was written. I'd give it 0 stars if I could. It has nothing to say and is a waste of time.
August 24, 2018
Much love to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.
"Heterosexuality is so last season: Kens is the gay Heathers meets Mean Girls, a shocking parody for a whole new generation."
If that ain't the truth I don't know what is. I adore the movie Heathers and this is everything I love about that movie plus it has glitter AND gay boys!!!!!!
"Kens don't have actual blood in their veins. They have glitter."
This book is hella screwed up and highly addictive! So much fashion and bitchiness and adorableness it had me raging through the pages.
"Straight out of Satan's doll factory. Soul sold separately."
This was all kinds of fun to read in the most ridiculous sort of way. You will not find a deep plot or fabulous writing, and you will likely be offended and/or disgusted at least once, but you will be entertained!
"Your reality check bounced."
"Heterosexuality is so last season: Kens is the gay Heathers meets Mean Girls, a shocking parody for a whole new generation."
If that ain't the truth I don't know what is. I adore the movie Heathers and this is everything I love about that movie plus it has glitter AND gay boys!!!!!!
"Kens don't have actual blood in their veins. They have glitter."
This book is hella screwed up and highly addictive! So much fashion and bitchiness and adorableness it had me raging through the pages.
"Straight out of Satan's doll factory. Soul sold separately."
This was all kinds of fun to read in the most ridiculous sort of way. You will not find a deep plot or fabulous writing, and you will likely be offended and/or disgusted at least once, but you will be entertained!
"Your reality check bounced."
Read
October 25, 2018Satire is tricky and it's especially tricky when it's a satire intended for a community you're not a part of. In this case, Reid's book satirizes elite white gay culture, and it is, at times, exceedingly uncomfortable to read. It is hilarious at other times. It's clear from reading reviews of this one that it elicits a lot of feelings -- and it should. There were some scenes in here that made my stomach turn with discomfort and anger: but the point is sharp and hard to reinforce what the bigger picture is about. Doesn't mean I like it or find it appropriate because I don't, but, that's also the point. Satire forces us to look back at ourselves and what it is we do or don't feel strongly about.
That said, this is super gay, and for gay teens, it'll be a book that speaks to them in many ways. I did laugh out loud at how absurd it was many times, and that levity helped with the stuff that made me so angry. The comparison of Mean Girls and Heathers has misled a lot of readers, but, it's not an unfair comparison, either.
It'd be interesting to pair this book with, say, JACK OF HEARTS (AND OTHER PARTS) by LC Rosen, for some meta commentary about being gay in today's culture.
That said, this is super gay, and for gay teens, it'll be a book that speaks to them in many ways. I did laugh out loud at how absurd it was many times, and that levity helped with the stuff that made me so angry. The comparison of Mean Girls and Heathers has misled a lot of readers, but, it's not an unfair comparison, either.
It'd be interesting to pair this book with, say, JACK OF HEARTS (AND OTHER PARTS) by LC Rosen, for some meta commentary about being gay in today's culture.
September 16, 2018
This book is so difficult to review. I totally understand the underlying message here, and it being dark humor. My issue is I feel like a lot of the jokes went a bit too far....
I definitely think this book will spark some debate, which might have been its intent from the beginning.
I definitely think this book will spark some debate, which might have been its intent from the beginning.
April 24, 2018
I was really looking forward to this book because who doesn't love Mean Girls and Heathers? But it just left me feeling disappointing and disgusted.
The entire thing felt like it was just trying to get a rise out of the reader, with high school kids obsessed with plastic surgery, doing as many drugs as possible, and having tons of casual sex. It really felt like Reid wrote a bunch of adult characters and stuck them in high school.
I didn't have any especially strong feelings against it until I got close to the end
Go watch Heathers instead of reading this book.
The entire thing felt like it was just trying to get a rise out of the reader, with high school kids obsessed with plastic surgery, doing as many drugs as possible, and having tons of casual sex. It really felt like Reid wrote a bunch of adult characters and stuck them in high school.
I didn't have any especially strong feelings against it until I got close to the end
Go watch Heathers instead of reading this book.
December 3, 2018
What a unique, humorous, and interesting read!
Prior to picking up this novel, I knew nothing about it aside from how it was delightfully packaged in an incredibly aesthetically pleasing tomb. Immediately, it gave me the impression of Barbies and the movie "Mean Girls", all before I even turned a page.
This book came across to me as a hybrid of the movies "Mean Girls" and "Heathers", while staying authentic to the story that was being told. As stated above, it was such a unique story that was dramatic and hyperbolic but at the same time, didn't seem that farfetched in the society that we live in.
As I progressed through the novel, the story seem to become more and more strange and peculiar but was entertaining nonetheless. If you decide to pick this novel up, expect the unexpected because I don't think anyone could truly predict the events that happen or the direction that this story goes.
Overall, I think this story does a good job at exposing the level of vanity and superficiality that this current society can have. Although dramatized for entertainment, some of this novelized world does not seem that far off from how we are now.
***Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review***
Prior to picking up this novel, I knew nothing about it aside from how it was delightfully packaged in an incredibly aesthetically pleasing tomb. Immediately, it gave me the impression of Barbies and the movie "Mean Girls", all before I even turned a page.
This book came across to me as a hybrid of the movies "Mean Girls" and "Heathers", while staying authentic to the story that was being told. As stated above, it was such a unique story that was dramatic and hyperbolic but at the same time, didn't seem that farfetched in the society that we live in.
As I progressed through the novel, the story seem to become more and more strange and peculiar but was entertaining nonetheless. If you decide to pick this novel up, expect the unexpected because I don't think anyone could truly predict the events that happen or the direction that this story goes.
Overall, I think this story does a good job at exposing the level of vanity and superficiality that this current society can have. Although dramatized for entertainment, some of this novelized world does not seem that far off from how we are now.
***Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review***
September 18, 2018
I requested a copy of “Kens” by Raziel Reid from Penguin Random House after reading the description. It sounded like a very curious book, and I am grateful to the publisher for providing me with a free copy for review.
That synopsis of “Kens” is the only part of the book that is coherent and crystal clear. (That, and the acknowledgements.)
From the very first page, I felt overwhelmed. It took me a moment to get used to the writing style, and I kept referring back to the dictionary at the very beginning of the book (and occasionally - not gonna lie - turning to Urban Dictionary) and the descriptions of three Kens.
This book should come with a range of trigger warnings. Basically, warning for everything. The author does not pull any punches. It is dark humour and satire, and, dear lord, he does deliver it. Even “Kens” is a fairly short novel - and rightfully so - it is masterfully developed start to finish. Midway into the book, I realized that there was an additional plot line, which is not evident from the synopsis, and that was a pleasant surprise, as I was getting tired of the constantly squeaking and flaunting their plastic assets Kens.
I went into “Kens” not even looking at GoodReads page. And when I did, I was shocked by how low the average rating was. I think this is the very first book in my life with the rating of fewer than 3 stars that I decided to read and review. I looked at the ratings and was stunned by how repulsed readers seemed to be by the book. Even though I understand that satire and black humour are not for everyone, this displeasure took me by surprise.
“Kens” in many ways reminded me of “Beauty Queens” by Libba Bray. However, I disliked “Beauty Queens” whereas I really enjoyed “Kens”. Personally, I think that the plot structure of “Kens” was much better executed, that is why I never felt lost or confused about what was happening and what was not. Nobody was subjected to any cartoonish tv tropes, like “major injury underreaction” (e.g., brushing off a machete sticking out of their head), which really annoyed me in “Beauty Queens”. “Beauty Queens” seemed to have been better received by readers though. I wonder if this has to do with blatantly gay gayness in “Kens” (which I am all here for) and it tramps over all of the touchy topics in sparkly heels.
“Kens” is a hard book to review. It is blunt, glitter in your face, lipstick on a pig narrative which will make you stop and think twice about what you are actually reading about. Is it a book that is making fun out of such serious and relevant topics as copycat suicides and Black Lives Matter movement? Or is it showing us how artificial and self-absorbed the social media is making us? It is for you to decide.
I say, read it. And maybe keep a pair of pink glasses and a bottle of bubbly on hand as you would definitely need to sparkle up your life once you are done with “Kens”.
I want to applaud the author for having guts to research and write this. It could not have been an easy book to write. I am looking forward to checking out Raziel’s debut novel.
p.s. Read the book and then look at the dust jacket at the back, where the author's photo is. Raziel is so extra. ✨
That synopsis of “Kens” is the only part of the book that is coherent and crystal clear. (That, and the acknowledgements.)
From the very first page, I felt overwhelmed. It took me a moment to get used to the writing style, and I kept referring back to the dictionary at the very beginning of the book (and occasionally - not gonna lie - turning to Urban Dictionary) and the descriptions of three Kens.
This book should come with a range of trigger warnings. Basically, warning for everything. The author does not pull any punches. It is dark humour and satire, and, dear lord, he does deliver it. Even “Kens” is a fairly short novel - and rightfully so - it is masterfully developed start to finish. Midway into the book, I realized that there was an additional plot line, which is not evident from the synopsis, and that was a pleasant surprise, as I was getting tired of the constantly squeaking and flaunting their plastic assets Kens.
I went into “Kens” not even looking at GoodReads page. And when I did, I was shocked by how low the average rating was. I think this is the very first book in my life with the rating of fewer than 3 stars that I decided to read and review. I looked at the ratings and was stunned by how repulsed readers seemed to be by the book. Even though I understand that satire and black humour are not for everyone, this displeasure took me by surprise.
“Kens” in many ways reminded me of “Beauty Queens” by Libba Bray. However, I disliked “Beauty Queens” whereas I really enjoyed “Kens”. Personally, I think that the plot structure of “Kens” was much better executed, that is why I never felt lost or confused about what was happening and what was not. Nobody was subjected to any cartoonish tv tropes, like “major injury underreaction” (e.g., brushing off a machete sticking out of their head), which really annoyed me in “Beauty Queens”. “Beauty Queens” seemed to have been better received by readers though. I wonder if this has to do with blatantly gay gayness in “Kens” (which I am all here for) and it tramps over all of the touchy topics in sparkly heels.
“Kens” is a hard book to review. It is blunt, glitter in your face, lipstick on a pig narrative which will make you stop and think twice about what you are actually reading about. Is it a book that is making fun out of such serious and relevant topics as copycat suicides and Black Lives Matter movement? Or is it showing us how artificial and self-absorbed the social media is making us? It is for you to decide.
I say, read it. And maybe keep a pair of pink glasses and a bottle of bubbly on hand as you would definitely need to sparkle up your life once you are done with “Kens”.
I want to applaud the author for having guts to research and write this. It could not have been an easy book to write. I am looking forward to checking out Raziel’s debut novel.
p.s. Read the book and then look at the dust jacket at the back, where the author's photo is. Raziel is so extra. ✨
June 25, 2018
I was really excited to read Kens because it was described as a cross between Heathers and Mean Girls, but with a cast of gay characters. This book was neither of those things, however, and I was left feeling disappointed and frankly, disgusted.
I'm not even entirely sure what Razier Reid was going for here. I understand satire and I understand subversive writing, but I don't think that Reid found that balance here. Instead of managing to skewer society's collective obsession with social media, image, popularity and the competitiveness of staying relevant, this book makes a complete mockery of homosexuality, gay culture, suicide, cyberbullying, bullying in real life, fat shaming, slut shaming, school shootings, drug use, binge drinking, Black Lives Matter and more. It's truly baffling to me that any editor read this and thought it was okay to publish. I can appreciate and recognize when something is satirical and makes us reflect on the absurdities that we as a collective people experience, but that is not what is going on with this book. This is not satire. This is appalling. I'd like to stress again that I haven't missed the point here, rather, the author has.
Aside from the fact that I had strong feelings about the content, this is sloppily written. There is no character development at all, which is sort of important at least concerning the 'main' protagonist, Tommy. If we are to believe that he is the hero at the end of this story, it would have been nice to see some sort of actual growth in him. Plot lines move at lightning speed and are quickly abandoned once another shocking revelation has occurred. It's not clear when this is set in and it's also unclear how much of this is supposed to read as science fiction or fantasy, which is confusing.
If this book truly had been Heathers and Mean Girls then I would have probably enjoyed it. But it's false marketing and is going to end up tricking a lot of people and leaving them disappointed.
I received this ARC as a courtesy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not even entirely sure what Razier Reid was going for here. I understand satire and I understand subversive writing, but I don't think that Reid found that balance here. Instead of managing to skewer society's collective obsession with social media, image, popularity and the competitiveness of staying relevant, this book makes a complete mockery of homosexuality, gay culture, suicide, cyberbullying, bullying in real life, fat shaming, slut shaming, school shootings, drug use, binge drinking, Black Lives Matter and more. It's truly baffling to me that any editor read this and thought it was okay to publish. I can appreciate and recognize when something is satirical and makes us reflect on the absurdities that we as a collective people experience, but that is not what is going on with this book. This is not satire. This is appalling. I'd like to stress again that I haven't missed the point here, rather, the author has.
Aside from the fact that I had strong feelings about the content, this is sloppily written. There is no character development at all, which is sort of important at least concerning the 'main' protagonist, Tommy. If we are to believe that he is the hero at the end of this story, it would have been nice to see some sort of actual growth in him. Plot lines move at lightning speed and are quickly abandoned once another shocking revelation has occurred. It's not clear when this is set in and it's also unclear how much of this is supposed to read as science fiction or fantasy, which is confusing.
If this book truly had been Heathers and Mean Girls then I would have probably enjoyed it. But it's false marketing and is going to end up tricking a lot of people and leaving them disappointed.
I received this ARC as a courtesy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 31, 2018
Zero stars in actuality, but that rating doesn't work on Goodreads.
Longer review TK, but TW for fat shaming, rape culture, suicidal ideations, copycat suicides, underage drug and alcohol use, a teen bringing a fake gun to school, mockery of the BLM movement, mockery of school shootings.
Longer review TK, but TW for fat shaming, rape culture, suicidal ideations, copycat suicides, underage drug and alcohol use, a teen bringing a fake gun to school, mockery of the BLM movement, mockery of school shootings.
October 7, 2018
I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Penguin Random House Canada. I don’t usually remark on the quality of digital ARC copies, since format and editing errors are to be expected, but this one is especially (dare I say intentionally?) bad. The words NOT FINAL ADVANCE READERS COPY are interspersed throughout every page in the middle of paragraphs, in the middle of sentences, and sometimes in the middle of words. It was hugely distracting, like having someone shout in my ear every other paragraph, and it made it difficult to focus on the writing or pacing. I understand advance readers get paid in free books, but I think it’s a requirement that the copy be, you know, readable. I’m tempted to write my review with the same intrusions, but I decided I’m only petty enough to think about it, not actually do it. Some discussion of NSFW content ahead. Trigger warnings: homophobia, racism, violence, guns, suicide, severe illness.
Kens is the story of Heathers (1988), if the Heathers were plastic surgery-obsessed gay men who rule their high school through a combination of black cards, blow jobs, and bitchiness. Their social media reigns, and every score or faux pas in the school ends up on their Tumblr. When a bored Ken decides they need a new project, they take Tommy from a life of invisibility, give him a plastic makeover, and introduce him as the newest Ken. When his new love interest, bad boy Blaine, and Tommy accidentally kill one of the Kens, well… it’s not like he had a soul anyway, and death has made the Kens more popular than ever.
This is a highly crude and offensive novel, and clearly meant to be. Its flippancy toward issues of gay suicide and oversexualization, police violence against people of color, AIDS, and school shootings is breath-takingly awful. There’s hardly an issue Kens can’t make a joke out of, and it’s not funny so much as appalling. Yet I’d hesitate to call it a satire. Satire includes a lesson or some sort of social/political critique, and I can’t see what there is to be gained by satirizing gay men and drag queens. If Kens wants to make fun of the 1% who are dependent on their plastic surgeries and prescription drugs to make it through the day, then I’m all for it. But I’m hesitant at the idea of satire that’s aimed at populations that are already marginalized. At what point is it just reinforcing some truly horrible stereotypes? The television adaptation of Heathers didn’t work because it made genderqueer, POC, and fat girls into villains, when these groups already face discrimination on a daily basis. I can’t help feeling that Kens makes the same damning mistake. It’s entirely possible that I missed the point though, and I’d be interested to see well-thought-out interpretations from someone who didn’t totally hate it.
The novel relies heavily on shock value as humor, and I don’t have a lot of patience for shock value. It’s a cheap, one-time trick that loses its potency the more it’s used, and Kens pretty much never quits. I can’t tell if the writing is any good because it’s buried under crude jokes and a landslide of slang. I miss the days when I didn’t know what “thot” means and had never heard the word “hunty”. I generally feel that slang dates a novel really fast, so while Kens seems trendy (in the worst way) right now, teens are going to laugh at its archaic language in a few years. The transitions between scenes are often abrupt or awkward, as ending a scene on a bit of pithy dialogue usually is. The plot is a flat knockoff of Heathers with only a few deviations and none of its charm.
I’m not going to pretend the three Ken characters are anything more than a compilation of the worst gay stereotypes mashed up with the mean girl tropes of the original film. They’re soulless and hyper-sexualized, with little care for anything besides vodka for dinner and the number of likes on their latest social media post. Tommy has none of Veronica’s spine, and his transition from wanting to be as famous as the Kens to just wanting his school to be a nice place is clunky and under-developed. Blaine is an even flatter J.D. without a bit of his appeal or (albeit warped) justification. J.D.’s methods are twisted, but the film allows us to understand his reasoning. Kens doesn’t bother giving Blaine the same development. I wish we’d gotten to see more of Tommy’s friend, Tutti, an overweight girl who turns down a free plastic makeover and does fierce makeup tutorials. Unfortunately, she’s relegated to the sidekick who’s forced to laugh every time Tommy and the Kens do or say something horrible to her.
The end spirals out of control much like the original film, with the twist that the rash of suicides following a Ken’s death is centered wholly on gay teenagers– a group that already suffers from discrimination and high suicide rates. There’s nothing funny about it, and the novel doesn’t give us time to mourn. Tommy and Blaine set up the single black character to be gunned down by a policeman, the resulting funeral which is then presided over in blackface, and that issue is skated over as well. People who enjoy dark comedy and shock value may be able to get past the insensitivity of most of Kens’s topics, but I’m not one of them. If the idea was to be as offensive as possible, then congratulations. It worked. I’ll be steering a wide path from Reid’s writing in the future, since it obviously isn’t for me.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
Kens is the story of Heathers (1988), if the Heathers were plastic surgery-obsessed gay men who rule their high school through a combination of black cards, blow jobs, and bitchiness. Their social media reigns, and every score or faux pas in the school ends up on their Tumblr. When a bored Ken decides they need a new project, they take Tommy from a life of invisibility, give him a plastic makeover, and introduce him as the newest Ken. When his new love interest, bad boy Blaine, and Tommy accidentally kill one of the Kens, well… it’s not like he had a soul anyway, and death has made the Kens more popular than ever.
This is a highly crude and offensive novel, and clearly meant to be. Its flippancy toward issues of gay suicide and oversexualization, police violence against people of color, AIDS, and school shootings is breath-takingly awful. There’s hardly an issue Kens can’t make a joke out of, and it’s not funny so much as appalling. Yet I’d hesitate to call it a satire. Satire includes a lesson or some sort of social/political critique, and I can’t see what there is to be gained by satirizing gay men and drag queens. If Kens wants to make fun of the 1% who are dependent on their plastic surgeries and prescription drugs to make it through the day, then I’m all for it. But I’m hesitant at the idea of satire that’s aimed at populations that are already marginalized. At what point is it just reinforcing some truly horrible stereotypes? The television adaptation of Heathers didn’t work because it made genderqueer, POC, and fat girls into villains, when these groups already face discrimination on a daily basis. I can’t help feeling that Kens makes the same damning mistake. It’s entirely possible that I missed the point though, and I’d be interested to see well-thought-out interpretations from someone who didn’t totally hate it.
The novel relies heavily on shock value as humor, and I don’t have a lot of patience for shock value. It’s a cheap, one-time trick that loses its potency the more it’s used, and Kens pretty much never quits. I can’t tell if the writing is any good because it’s buried under crude jokes and a landslide of slang. I miss the days when I didn’t know what “thot” means and had never heard the word “hunty”. I generally feel that slang dates a novel really fast, so while Kens seems trendy (in the worst way) right now, teens are going to laugh at its archaic language in a few years. The transitions between scenes are often abrupt or awkward, as ending a scene on a bit of pithy dialogue usually is. The plot is a flat knockoff of Heathers with only a few deviations and none of its charm.
I’m not going to pretend the three Ken characters are anything more than a compilation of the worst gay stereotypes mashed up with the mean girl tropes of the original film. They’re soulless and hyper-sexualized, with little care for anything besides vodka for dinner and the number of likes on their latest social media post. Tommy has none of Veronica’s spine, and his transition from wanting to be as famous as the Kens to just wanting his school to be a nice place is clunky and under-developed. Blaine is an even flatter J.D. without a bit of his appeal or (albeit warped) justification. J.D.’s methods are twisted, but the film allows us to understand his reasoning. Kens doesn’t bother giving Blaine the same development. I wish we’d gotten to see more of Tommy’s friend, Tutti, an overweight girl who turns down a free plastic makeover and does fierce makeup tutorials. Unfortunately, she’s relegated to the sidekick who’s forced to laugh every time Tommy and the Kens do or say something horrible to her.
The end spirals out of control much like the original film, with the twist that the rash of suicides following a Ken’s death is centered wholly on gay teenagers– a group that already suffers from discrimination and high suicide rates. There’s nothing funny about it, and the novel doesn’t give us time to mourn. Tommy and Blaine set up the single black character to be gunned down by a policeman, the resulting funeral which is then presided over in blackface, and that issue is skated over as well. People who enjoy dark comedy and shock value may be able to get past the insensitivity of most of Kens’s topics, but I’m not one of them. If the idea was to be as offensive as possible, then congratulations. It worked. I’ll be steering a wide path from Reid’s writing in the future, since it obviously isn’t for me.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
September 30, 2023
At Tommy's high school, the Kens rule everything. They look exactly like each other, thanks to plastic surgery. Everyone wants to be a Ken, even going so far as to pretend to be gay to win their favor. When a new guy, Blaine, appears on the scene, and the Kens announce they are picking a new Ken to join them, Tommy is surprised and delighted to find himself named as the new Ken. But being a Ken isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Tommy goes along with Blaine in sabotaging them... until it leads to murder.
This book came up when I was searching the library catalog and I checked it out wondering if this was somehow connected to the Barbie movie. Yes, the "Ken" moniker comes from Barbie & Ken (the head Ken's mother is named Barbie). These Kens are unabashedly gay and some of their power and dimwittedness come from a rhinestoned cell phone rumored to have belonged to Paris Hilton and a "magic earring," as well as contact lenses that apparently impart overconfidence. The overall vibe (and the plot) is like Mean Girls, with more murder/suicide. It's all very over-the-top and unbelievable, and it was a bit of a struggle to care about Tommy's journey from "loser" to Ken.
Content advisory: Teen drinking and drug use, sexual references, murder, teen suicide, social media bullying, racially motivated murder by the police.
This book came up when I was searching the library catalog and I checked it out wondering if this was somehow connected to the Barbie movie. Yes, the "Ken" moniker comes from Barbie & Ken (the head Ken's mother is named Barbie). These Kens are unabashedly gay and some of their power and dimwittedness come from a rhinestoned cell phone rumored to have belonged to Paris Hilton and a "magic earring," as well as contact lenses that apparently impart overconfidence. The overall vibe (and the plot) is like Mean Girls, with more murder/suicide. It's all very over-the-top and unbelievable, and it was a bit of a struggle to care about Tommy's journey from "loser" to Ken.
Content advisory: Teen drinking and drug use, sexual references, murder, teen suicide, social media bullying, racially motivated murder by the police.
June 11, 2022
DNF'd @ p. 20
Heathers meets Mean Girl this is not.
Heathers meets Mean Girl this is not.
December 23, 2023
"Let them puke cake."
DNF @ 50%
You couldn’t pay me to finish this garbage. Mean Girls and Heathers it is not.
DNF @ 50%
You couldn’t pay me to finish this garbage. Mean Girls and Heathers it is not.
August 11, 2018
Kens is described as Heathers meets Mean Girls with a gay twist, but the writing reminds me more of the reviews I've read of Tyra Banks' Modelland. The jokes are bawdy and crass, which isn't bad in itself, but they're just too obvious to really land. The humour seems better suited to a South Park scene or an SNL sketch -- it's so reliant on shock value that it loses its impact when dragged out for a full book.
Kens attempts to be a satire/parody on celebrity culture in the Instagram age, but isn't quite sharp nor incisive enough to be effective. At times, it's hard to tell what the target of its humour is -- for example, I assume one of the Kens being a drag queen named Sandy Hooker who wears a necklace of bullets is supposed to skewer people like Ken, who appropriate tragedy for likes, but it's a sight gag that also seems to poke fun at the Sandy Hook tragedy itself.
Or when going viral sets of a trend of copycat attempts, I can see how Reid takes the trend of videotaping dangerous stunts for views to the extreme for parody's sake, but I can't help feeling like the story sneers not just at the celebrities who knowingly encourage dangerous behaviour, but also at the people who follow suit. A lot of the dark humour in Kens tries to punch up, but ends up inadvertently punching down at the same time. In a way, it almost feels worse, that while the story deliberately tears down the Kens of this world, the countless, often nameless, other characters end up as mere cannon fodder.
+
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
+
As an aside, this e-galley was especially hard to read because of the formatting. The words "REVIEW COPY NOT FINAL" were interspersed as individual all caps words throughout the text, which was just really distracting.
Kens attempts to be a satire/parody on celebrity culture in the Instagram age, but isn't quite sharp nor incisive enough to be effective. At times, it's hard to tell what the target of its humour is -- for example, I assume one of the Kens being a drag queen named Sandy Hooker who wears a necklace of bullets is supposed to skewer people like Ken, who appropriate tragedy for likes, but it's a sight gag that also seems to poke fun at the Sandy Hook tragedy itself.
Or when going viral sets of a trend of copycat attempts, I can see how Reid takes the trend of videotaping dangerous stunts for views to the extreme for parody's sake, but I can't help feeling like the story sneers not just at the celebrities who knowingly encourage dangerous behaviour, but also at the people who follow suit. A lot of the dark humour in Kens tries to punch up, but ends up inadvertently punching down at the same time. In a way, it almost feels worse, that while the story deliberately tears down the Kens of this world, the countless, often nameless, other characters end up as mere cannon fodder.
+
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
+
As an aside, this e-galley was especially hard to read because of the formatting. The words "REVIEW COPY NOT FINAL" were interspersed as individual all caps words throughout the text, which was just really distracting.
unfinished
October 4, 2018I DNF'd on pg 35 (~13%)
**I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest voluntary review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**
When you pitch a book as the "Mean Girls" for a whole other generation you set up some very high expectations. I was really excited to read this book for that reason and because of the gender swap aspect. It was a very intriguing concept.
But I only got two chapters in before I realized this was not going to be the book I wanted it to be.
The main goal of this book is to shock and it certainly does that. However, everything is taken to an extreme that sucks out the realm of probability. I mean, isn't that why Mean Girls works as a story? Sure, Regina George takes the Queen Bee role to a whole new level with her bullying and backstabbing, but in some ways you could see how it would happen in everyday life. Here, not so much.
Everything comes across as ridiculous, especially the characters and that makes them hard to like. "Like" as in appreciate their roles in the story because I certainly wasn't going to like any of the Kens. But Tommy is "blah"--I could see why Ken Hilton passed him over.
If you enjoy reading hot messes or need a guilty pleasure read, this might be for you. But if you are looking for the next Mean Girls, this is far from it.
Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!
Full Review: https://wp.me/p7hLUw-2JU
Actual Rating: DNF
**I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest voluntary review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**
When you pitch a book as the "Mean Girls" for a whole other generation you set up some very high expectations. I was really excited to read this book for that reason and because of the gender swap aspect. It was a very intriguing concept.
But I only got two chapters in before I realized this was not going to be the book I wanted it to be.
The main goal of this book is to shock and it certainly does that. However, everything is taken to an extreme that sucks out the realm of probability. I mean, isn't that why Mean Girls works as a story? Sure, Regina George takes the Queen Bee role to a whole new level with her bullying and backstabbing, but in some ways you could see how it would happen in everyday life. Here, not so much.
Everything comes across as ridiculous, especially the characters and that makes them hard to like. "Like" as in appreciate their roles in the story because I certainly wasn't going to like any of the Kens. But Tommy is "blah"--I could see why Ken Hilton passed him over.
If you enjoy reading hot messes or need a guilty pleasure read, this might be for you. But if you are looking for the next Mean Girls, this is far from it.
Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!
Full Review: https://wp.me/p7hLUw-2JU
Actual Rating: DNF
November 1, 2018
Seemingly a parody of Heathers. When a book is so hip it needs a glossary to define the jargon it screams of dating itself rather quickly. It would seem that a 69-year-old retired bachelor is not the book’s intended audience.
The Ken of the title refers to Ken Dolls, Barbie's mate and unrealistic male counterpart. The boys in this novel are turned into Ken Dolls by plastic surgery. The young author is Canadian. He manages to turn a huge number of modern teen icons and obsessions on their ears and confronts many teen issues including that of mass suicides.
In a world where being online with your nose suck in an i-phone or a tablet accessing social media round the clock, where the number of fake friends you have counts more than the people around you, and where losing face can be devastating; losing track of reality is very real danger.
I remember decades ago running into a lass who was having a panic attack because the batteries on her mp3 player had expired and she’d have to listen to the real world for a change. That phenomenon has only gotten worse to the point that people only seem to know they’re enjoying a movie when they turn on their phones and text about it to someone else.
A masterful work but will the intended audience get the message?
The Ken of the title refers to Ken Dolls, Barbie's mate and unrealistic male counterpart. The boys in this novel are turned into Ken Dolls by plastic surgery. The young author is Canadian. He manages to turn a huge number of modern teen icons and obsessions on their ears and confronts many teen issues including that of mass suicides.
In a world where being online with your nose suck in an i-phone or a tablet accessing social media round the clock, where the number of fake friends you have counts more than the people around you, and where losing face can be devastating; losing track of reality is very real danger.
I remember decades ago running into a lass who was having a panic attack because the batteries on her mp3 player had expired and she’d have to listen to the real world for a change. That phenomenon has only gotten worse to the point that people only seem to know they’re enjoying a movie when they turn on their phones and text about it to someone else.
A masterful work but will the intended audience get the message?
October 14, 2018
While I wasn't shocked to see the copious amounts of negative reviews for Kens, I was stunned by the overall rating. While I understand how it could easily be mistaken for a book that was only written for shock value, I don't think that was the primary intent. It highlights a lot of the more negative aspects within gay culture and that seems to upset some people. Showing a minority is a negative light is a very bold thing to do but it is ultimately necessary. Not everything can be sunshine and rainbows. Okay, maybe keep the rainbows. The author's writing style is also being disregarded by a lot of reviewers who are appalled by the polarizing plot and characters. There is a significant amount of juxtaposition that really drives the overall themes of the novel. There is also a bit of metaphor and simile which are a little obvious for my taste but that's just my opinion. Overall, it accomplished the difficult task of being funny while dealing with very serious subject matters and I would recommend it to people who like more offbeat humor and satire. I would not recommend this book to people who are conservative or easily offended. As a gay teen myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
October 18, 2018
This book is gonna trigger so many straight people lmao.
October 1, 2018
what is 2018’s worst contribution to the world? the heathers tv show or kens?
kens honestly reads as a queer genderswapped heathers, but y’know, nowhere near as good as the 80s film. the concept of teenage suicide (don’t do it) from the film was completely thrown out the window, as in kids in this book kill themselves in order to be validated by the titular kens. just awful. i understand it’s meant to be darkly comedic but it just doesn’t quite land.
note to everyone ever: please stop trying to emulate the cult classic heathers because it just isn’t possible.
content warnings for literally everything in this book including drug use, murder, a ton of suicide, bullying, homophobic slurs and eating disorders
kens honestly reads as a queer genderswapped heathers, but y’know, nowhere near as good as the 80s film. the concept of teenage suicide (don’t do it) from the film was completely thrown out the window, as in kids in this book kill themselves in order to be validated by the titular kens. just awful. i understand it’s meant to be darkly comedic but it just doesn’t quite land.
note to everyone ever: please stop trying to emulate the cult classic heathers because it just isn’t possible.
content warnings for literally everything in this book including drug use, murder, a ton of suicide, bullying, homophobic slurs and eating disorders
June 7, 2019
Wow, this book is seriously twisted! But that's kind of the point. It's so out there that if it wasn't it would be boring. It's like the extreme version of Mean Girls and the Heathers. Tommy is blinded by what society has deemed as perfection, the Kens. The Kens have made being plastic the only way of life and have everyone bowing down to their every need/want. It's honestly sickening how much power they have over the town. Blaine comes in and you think he's going to be cool and bring Tommy back to reality, but instead he's a total psycho who has some insane plot to rid the world of plastics. Ken Carson is the only sane one of Kens, and I'm glad he finally realized who he should be and not who he was told to be. The whole book ends on a good note and the truth finally comes out.
January 11, 2019
I am so polarized on this book. At times I thought it was really clever but other times I thought it was becoming the thing it was trying to be satire of. It was clearly inspired by Heathers, with doses (pun intended) of Jawbreaker and Mean Girls.
November 7, 2019
You can never start a book with expectations. I mean, there is always a little bit of anticipation that the book will fulfill all your wildest hopes and dreams, but you just can't expect it! Kens is a great example of that. The synopsis says "Heathers meets Mean Girls", and that a giant pair of shoes to fill, if you're expecting the book to fit exactly into the mold that description brings to mind.
For me, the synopsis gave me the feeling that the characters would be snarky, shallow, self-centered, and likely wildly inappropriate for how I'd want my kids to behave at that age. Guess what?! I was not disappointed! Each of the things I thought I might see in the book came to fruition, and then some! The ridiculousness of the characters, the town they live in, just the everything, had me laughing out loud in the first 3 minutes! That is a win in my books.
Now, the wit was there. The comedy. The shock value. The one piece I didn't expect was the hot button issues, the LGBTQ awareness and acceptance, of teen suicide, the pressures of bullying, the coarseness social media brain. I was pretty shocked by how accurately these pieces ring true, in some of the exact same ways portrayed in this radically fictional novel. Suicide isn't a laughing matter, and by giving us a look at it in such a glaringly obvious fictional way, yes, its shocking that people stood by and watched in the book, even support it for social media likes, the metaphor wasn't lost on me. Social media can make people do some pretty horrible things in the name of public approval. I was impressed with how each topic was clearly meant to shock, but was also such an extremely appropriate metaphor for the way our society now interacts and behaves.
Raziel Reid did an excellent job on this one. No doubt about it. 4.5* for me. The language was a bit intense for my sensitive heart lol, so that is where the .5 is lost.
For me, the synopsis gave me the feeling that the characters would be snarky, shallow, self-centered, and likely wildly inappropriate for how I'd want my kids to behave at that age. Guess what?! I was not disappointed! Each of the things I thought I might see in the book came to fruition, and then some! The ridiculousness of the characters, the town they live in, just the everything, had me laughing out loud in the first 3 minutes! That is a win in my books.
Now, the wit was there. The comedy. The shock value. The one piece I didn't expect was the hot button issues, the LGBTQ awareness and acceptance, of teen suicide, the pressures of bullying, the coarseness social media brain. I was pretty shocked by how accurately these pieces ring true, in some of the exact same ways portrayed in this radically fictional novel. Suicide isn't a laughing matter, and by giving us a look at it in such a glaringly obvious fictional way, yes, its shocking that people stood by and watched in the book, even support it for social media likes, the metaphor wasn't lost on me. Social media can make people do some pretty horrible things in the name of public approval. I was impressed with how each topic was clearly meant to shock, but was also such an extremely appropriate metaphor for the way our society now interacts and behaves.
Raziel Reid did an excellent job on this one. No doubt about it. 4.5* for me. The language was a bit intense for my sensitive heart lol, so that is where the .5 is lost.
Read
July 19, 2018I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I am not sure what to feel about this book. There is so much going on inside of my I am shaking as I trying to type this. This is painful to write as it was to read. It comes off as a snapshot of our world today, but it is all the worst parts. It seems to poke fun and almost look down on all the societal points that it is trying to make. I did not find any of the jokes in this funny. There were points I wanted to slam my laptop shut and not continue to read. The bullying, shaming, drinking, drugs and all just because a bit much for me to handle. I did finish the book but it did not live up to what was blurb. I wanted so much to like it, but I am being honest and I did not enjoy it at all. It hurt my heart and damaged my soul. 0 Stars.
June 23, 2018
Before I read the first sentence I was worried. I am a huge fan of Heathers and have seen how trying to recreate a cult sensation can go wrong. At first, this book came off more like the gay Mean Girls than the gay Heathers but I was so wrong.. This book took the dark satire that I loved from the original and gave a whole new modern feel. I would love to see this become a movie because it was extremely entertaining to read. I also thought the glossary at the beginning of the book was a nice touch.
October 30, 2018
This book just wasn’t for me, while I see what the author was going for as a message it just wasn’t the way to go for me. I really liked the idea of a retelling of Mean Girls and that’s what originally made me request this one. The writing style really took me a while to get used to, but eventually I learned to appreciate it. I loved the fact that there was so much diversity as well.
There was a ton of pop culture references in the book and I just don’t feel like it was hitting the mark, for me personally. I felt more like all of these references were being thrown at me, where as maybe not trying so hard may have worked better.
The whole plot point at the end (sorry can’t spoil it here), was just outrageous to me. I cringed so much while reading the book as a whole I thought there was no way it would be able to hit me any more, but wow…. It did. I get that the author was using dark humor, satire etc. but for me it just wasn’t working. I was simply mortified, throughout most of the book.
There was a ton of pop culture references in the book and I just don’t feel like it was hitting the mark, for me personally. I felt more like all of these references were being thrown at me, where as maybe not trying so hard may have worked better.
The whole plot point at the end (sorry can’t spoil it here), was just outrageous to me. I cringed so much while reading the book as a whole I thought there was no way it would be able to hit me any more, but wow…. It did. I get that the author was using dark humor, satire etc. but for me it just wasn’t working. I was simply mortified, throughout most of the book.
June 29, 2018
DNF @ 40%
This review is based on an ARC of Kens which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin Random House Canada/Penguin Teen).
I can't make myself read another page of this disgusting fetish porn. I am so disappointed! I was thrilled to be granted this ARC and carried such high hopes for Kens! At first I thought I would really enjoy this book and actually found myself laughing out loud a few times. That said, once we got to drag queen Sandy Hooker (with a necklace of bullets to boot) and the part about eating jizz-covered crackers, you lost me.
Kens is just too much; too disgusting, too crude, too offensive. I get what the humor is supposed to be, and maybe I'm just being an oversensitive, bleeding-heart prude and a party pooper, but this is really just awful and not worth another minute of my time.
I can't believe this is supposed to be a Mean Girls parallel. At least Mean Girls had a point (as well as actually funny jokes). And maybe there is a point to this book. I don't know, I never will know, I don't care to find out. At this point in the story I don't see where this is going and I really don't want to. On top of this, the characters are empty. This book relies heavily on its so-called humor and the devotion of readers who want and expect a "Heathers meets Mean Girls" story with gay guys.
I am always sorry to DNF an ARC as it feels disrespectful to the people who have given me this opportunity, however, based on my own feelings and after reading numerous other reviews of Kens by those who have finished and also disliked the book, I feel like this is the right decision for me.
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2018: Funny Bone: a humorous book
(It was at first...)
This review is based on an ARC of Kens which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin Random House Canada/Penguin Teen).
I can't make myself read another page of this disgusting fetish porn. I am so disappointed! I was thrilled to be granted this ARC and carried such high hopes for Kens! At first I thought I would really enjoy this book and actually found myself laughing out loud a few times. That said, once we got to drag queen Sandy Hooker (with a necklace of bullets to boot) and the part about eating jizz-covered crackers, you lost me.
Kens is just too much; too disgusting, too crude, too offensive. I get what the humor is supposed to be, and maybe I'm just being an oversensitive, bleeding-heart prude and a party pooper, but this is really just awful and not worth another minute of my time.
I can't believe this is supposed to be a Mean Girls parallel. At least Mean Girls had a point (as well as actually funny jokes). And maybe there is a point to this book. I don't know, I never will know, I don't care to find out. At this point in the story I don't see where this is going and I really don't want to. On top of this, the characters are empty. This book relies heavily on its so-called humor and the devotion of readers who want and expect a "Heathers meets Mean Girls" story with gay guys.
I am always sorry to DNF an ARC as it feels disrespectful to the people who have given me this opportunity, however, based on my own feelings and after reading numerous other reviews of Kens by those who have finished and also disliked the book, I feel like this is the right decision for me.
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2018: Funny Bone: a humorous book
(It was at first...)
September 19, 2018
I loved this satire. It has the subject matter of Mean Girls, with the satirical style of Animal Farm.
The popular boys at school are called the Kens. Many of the characters are named after characters in the Barbie world, including Ken, Barbie, Tutti, Todd, and Tommy. I loved this throwback to the dolls of my childhood!
In this world, the Kens are the most popular kids in school, so everyone wants to be them. The three Kens had plastic surgery to look exactly the same, and they all changed their names to Ken. The Kens are also gay, so everyone wants to be gay too. There is even one boy who pretends to be gay, but he is secretly heterosexual.
I loved the satire aspects of the story. It starts out very much like the story of the movie Mean Girls. Tommy wants to be just like the Kens, and one day he gets his wish. However, everything goes wrong when one person in the school dies. The power of the Kens becomes apparent, and it isn’t necessarily a good thing.
This is a great story! I loved it!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
The popular boys at school are called the Kens. Many of the characters are named after characters in the Barbie world, including Ken, Barbie, Tutti, Todd, and Tommy. I loved this throwback to the dolls of my childhood!
In this world, the Kens are the most popular kids in school, so everyone wants to be them. The three Kens had plastic surgery to look exactly the same, and they all changed their names to Ken. The Kens are also gay, so everyone wants to be gay too. There is even one boy who pretends to be gay, but he is secretly heterosexual.
I loved the satire aspects of the story. It starts out very much like the story of the movie Mean Girls. Tommy wants to be just like the Kens, and one day he gets his wish. However, everything goes wrong when one person in the school dies. The power of the Kens becomes apparent, and it isn’t necessarily a good thing.
This is a great story! I loved it!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 13, 2018
Warnings: body dysmorphia, fatmisia, substance abuse (drugs, alcohol), suicidal ideation, suicide, medical procedures, school shootings
I was interested in this book primarily because it advertises as a gay retelling of Mean Girls (and Heathers, too, but I haven't seen that one so it does not matter in this case) and man, did I get disappointed all over again (You may remember me being disappointed over the novelization of Mean Girls which wasn't compelling, either)! For starters, I want to say - how does one manage to make an outdated movie like Mean Girls even worse? By stuffing in as many offensive tropes and events as possible; I honestly had a tough time with that warnings banner above. I would get it if it was a smart satirical novel with black humor, which I am guessing was its intent, but it ended up using those tropes for cheap shock value.
So the protagonist, Tommy, a gay kid who pretty much flies under the radar, gets a chance to be one of the Kens, the gay Mean Girls squad, who are so obsessed with looking like Ken dolls, they even get surgical procedures done to 'match'. Tommy undergoes a cosmetic and soul surgery, drinks the Kool-Aid, and transforms into a Ken, only to crash and burn on their first outing. The Heathers angle kicks in with a love interest who tries to get Tommy to help him take revenge on the Kens, with a body count. After that, it progressively gets worse, and if I am being vague here, it is only because I have been fighting opposing impulses to wipe this from my brain and to remember enough to write this review. (This is why you take notes while reading!)
Kens is exaggerated, sure, and often makes the characters dramatic for emphasis, but I don't exactly see what it was trying to achieve with it. The depiction of gay characters is so over-the-top, I want to scream stereotyping here. They all are only obsessed with drugging and boozing themselves into a stupor, and maintaining their social media presence. It then proceeds to make a joke out of social justice movements, and suicides by having copycat suicides erupt after the death of one of the Kens. Like, I get this materialistic and vain town doesn't care for anything else and the story wants the reader to realize the depths of the shallow pond that is their brains, but FFS, have it all mean something! Even the protagonist is a sheep who doesn't improve much until the end. His romance arc or whatever was NOT in any way a satisfactory conclusion to whatever this mess was.
In short, a disappointing tribute to pop culture.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Penguin Teen, via Netgalley.
I was interested in this book primarily because it advertises as a gay retelling of Mean Girls (and Heathers, too, but I haven't seen that one so it does not matter in this case) and man, did I get disappointed all over again (You may remember me being disappointed over the novelization of Mean Girls which wasn't compelling, either)! For starters, I want to say - how does one manage to make an outdated movie like Mean Girls even worse? By stuffing in as many offensive tropes and events as possible; I honestly had a tough time with that warnings banner above. I would get it if it was a smart satirical novel with black humor, which I am guessing was its intent, but it ended up using those tropes for cheap shock value.
So the protagonist, Tommy, a gay kid who pretty much flies under the radar, gets a chance to be one of the Kens, the gay Mean Girls squad, who are so obsessed with looking like Ken dolls, they even get surgical procedures done to 'match'. Tommy undergoes a cosmetic and soul surgery, drinks the Kool-Aid, and transforms into a Ken, only to crash and burn on their first outing. The Heathers angle kicks in with a love interest who tries to get Tommy to help him take revenge on the Kens, with a body count. After that, it progressively gets worse, and if I am being vague here, it is only because I have been fighting opposing impulses to wipe this from my brain and to remember enough to write this review. (This is why you take notes while reading!)
Kens is exaggerated, sure, and often makes the characters dramatic for emphasis, but I don't exactly see what it was trying to achieve with it. The depiction of gay characters is so over-the-top, I want to scream stereotyping here. They all are only obsessed with drugging and boozing themselves into a stupor, and maintaining their social media presence. It then proceeds to make a joke out of social justice movements, and suicides by having copycat suicides erupt after the death of one of the Kens. Like, I get this materialistic and vain town doesn't care for anything else and the story wants the reader to realize the depths of the shallow pond that is their brains, but FFS, have it all mean something! Even the protagonist is a sheep who doesn't improve much until the end. His romance arc or whatever was NOT in any way a satisfactory conclusion to whatever this mess was.
In short, a disappointing tribute to pop culture.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Penguin Teen, via Netgalley.
December 12, 2018
Worst book I’ve ever read.
The only decent thing about the book is the main character feeling remorse after many people die. I guess the author showed us how stupid it is to try to be perfect. I wish I could get my money back though. I only finished it because I had to. SO BAD.
The only decent thing about the book is the main character feeling remorse after many people die. I guess the author showed us how stupid it is to try to be perfect. I wish I could get my money back though. I only finished it because I had to. SO BAD.
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August 28, 2018I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1.5/5
You know when you can practically physically *feel* something trying too hard? That was the case with Raziel Reid's Kens. There was no substance or effort made in fleshing out characters or making an enjoyable story. The sole purpose of this book was to shock people, and while the low-hanging fruit and weak shots at topical controversies like Black LIves Matters have certainly shocked some other readers, I found myself sighing and rolling my eyes. I felt similarly while reading WHEN EVERYTHING FEELS LIKE THE MOVIES, but it was creative and evocative enough that it warranted 3 stars and a promise to check out the author's other works.
I would have given this book two stars (one star for the base score, and other for the creative attempt at queering Heathers), but because both Heathers and Mean Girls are two of my favorite movies of all time I had to dock one. This wasn't a parody or satire, it was an uninspired copy-and-paste job.
Reid has certainly gotten the reaction he wanted with the amount of pearl-clutching surrounding this book, but when you get past the easy-to-criticize surface shock value stuff, you're just left with a below average book that lacks substance.
Rating: 1.5/5
You know when you can practically physically *feel* something trying too hard? That was the case with Raziel Reid's Kens. There was no substance or effort made in fleshing out characters or making an enjoyable story. The sole purpose of this book was to shock people, and while the low-hanging fruit and weak shots at topical controversies like Black LIves Matters have certainly shocked some other readers, I found myself sighing and rolling my eyes. I felt similarly while reading WHEN EVERYTHING FEELS LIKE THE MOVIES, but it was creative and evocative enough that it warranted 3 stars and a promise to check out the author's other works.
I would have given this book two stars (one star for the base score, and other for the creative attempt at queering Heathers), but because both Heathers and Mean Girls are two of my favorite movies of all time I had to dock one. This wasn't a parody or satire, it was an uninspired copy-and-paste job.
Reid has certainly gotten the reaction he wanted with the amount of pearl-clutching surrounding this book, but when you get past the easy-to-criticize surface shock value stuff, you're just left with a below average book that lacks substance.
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