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Unstoppable Moses
After accidentally burning down a bowling alley with his cousin and best friend, Charlie, Moses has one week as a camp counselor to prove to the authorities—and to himself—that he isn't a worthless jerk who belongs in jail, when Charlie doesn't get that chance.
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First published September 25, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
September 15, 2018
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I have a penchant for grief-and-loss books, and Unstoppable Moses definitely delivered a compelling portrait of one suffering a great loss. I found Moses journey from robot-boy back to feeling-human-boy quite beautiful. His pain, confusion, and complex emotions were well illustrated, and I found the exploration of his complicated relationship with his cousin quite interesting.
I also really enjoyed being at camp. The camp served an important purpose, because it was there, that Moses began to heal and feel again. After almost a year, Moses was connecting with people again, and it was quite an interesting trio, who took Moses under their wing. They gave us some breaks from all the emotional turmoil, and the camp shenanigans were rather amusing.
I struggled a little with parts of the story. There was one scene with an animal, which was really horrible. What made it worse, was that I didn't quite understand why I had to suffer through it. I didn't see its importance in the plot. Then there was the ending. Yes, Moses comes to some sort of understanding about his relationship with his cousin and works through a good amount of his pain, but I still had so many questions, and if there's one thing I struggle with the most, it's those open endings.
Overall: This was an emotional exploration of grief, which was often heartbreaking and undeniably real.
I have a penchant for grief-and-loss books, and Unstoppable Moses definitely delivered a compelling portrait of one suffering a great loss. I found Moses journey from robot-boy back to feeling-human-boy quite beautiful. His pain, confusion, and complex emotions were well illustrated, and I found the exploration of his complicated relationship with his cousin quite interesting.
I also really enjoyed being at camp. The camp served an important purpose, because it was there, that Moses began to heal and feel again. After almost a year, Moses was connecting with people again, and it was quite an interesting trio, who took Moses under their wing. They gave us some breaks from all the emotional turmoil, and the camp shenanigans were rather amusing.
I struggled a little with parts of the story. There was one scene with an animal, which was really horrible. What made it worse, was that I didn't quite understand why I had to suffer through it. I didn't see its importance in the plot. Then there was the ending. Yes, Moses comes to some sort of understanding about his relationship with his cousin and works through a good amount of his pain, but I still had so many questions, and if there's one thing I struggle with the most, it's those open endings.
Overall: This was an emotional exploration of grief, which was often heartbreaking and undeniably real.
July 2, 2018
I won my copy of "Unstoppable Moses" through a Goodreads Giveaway.
I liked "Unstoppable Moses," but I'd give it more of a 3.5/5 stars than a full 4. I'm glad I read it, but it seems to me more like a book to read once and pass on to a friend or other interested reader instead of re-reading.
The cast of characters was interesting and pretty unique, so they held my interest throughout the story. Moses and Lump (and even Test sometimes) really drove the plot. Moses' narration was both funny and sad, making his voice very realistic. The setting, too - mostly in a remote Midwestern summer camp - seemed fitting.
It was easy to see parts of this novel as a film in my head, and often I found myself (with the help of Moses the narrator) envisioning what certain scenes would look like on a screen. The addition of Moses' suggested soundtrack certainly made certain scenes read more cinematically. At other times, the addition of songs felt a bit random and forced, though.
Despite the things I enjoyed about "Unstoppable Moses," I sometimes lost motivation when reading it. I think this was partially because parts of the novel felt overwritten - sometimes the language was clunky and other times the plot dragged a bit. I noticed this the most towards the conclusion of the book. The ending was the most difficult part to read because it was so drawn out across multiple chapters. Every time I thought, "this is a perfect spot for this book to end," I realized I still had a handful of chapters to trudge through until the real conclusion.
Likewise, I wasn't sure about some of the secondary characters like Michael, Matty, and Faisal. Matty's characterization suggests that she might become Moses' love interest - especially after she and Michael experience relationship problems - but this never panned out and felt like a hanging thread. Faisal, too, makes a mention of his romantic inclinations after a phone call with his mother reveals that someone has delivered flowers to the house for him, but all of this appears for seemingly no reason since his sexuality is never mentioned again in the book. Some of the younger campers, and the specificity assigned to them, also seems like a loose thread that left me wondering, "what was the point of that?"
I also wasn't sure what to think about the plot twist that
That being said, "Unstoppable Moses," tackled difficult themes of loss, young adulthood, culpability, and guilt that many will probably relate to in some capacity. Moses' transformation from the beginning of the book to the end is inspiring, but in a that-could-actually-happen sort of way.
I liked "Unstoppable Moses," but I'd give it more of a 3.5/5 stars than a full 4. I'm glad I read it, but it seems to me more like a book to read once and pass on to a friend or other interested reader instead of re-reading.
The cast of characters was interesting and pretty unique, so they held my interest throughout the story. Moses and Lump (and even Test sometimes) really drove the plot. Moses' narration was both funny and sad, making his voice very realistic. The setting, too - mostly in a remote Midwestern summer camp - seemed fitting.
It was easy to see parts of this novel as a film in my head, and often I found myself (with the help of Moses the narrator) envisioning what certain scenes would look like on a screen. The addition of Moses' suggested soundtrack certainly made certain scenes read more cinematically. At other times, the addition of songs felt a bit random and forced, though.
Despite the things I enjoyed about "Unstoppable Moses," I sometimes lost motivation when reading it. I think this was partially because parts of the novel felt overwritten - sometimes the language was clunky and other times the plot dragged a bit. I noticed this the most towards the conclusion of the book. The ending was the most difficult part to read because it was so drawn out across multiple chapters. Every time I thought, "this is a perfect spot for this book to end," I realized I still had a handful of chapters to trudge through until the real conclusion.
Likewise, I wasn't sure about some of the secondary characters like Michael, Matty, and Faisal. Matty's characterization suggests that she might become Moses' love interest - especially after she and Michael experience relationship problems - but this never panned out and felt like a hanging thread. Faisal, too, makes a mention of his romantic inclinations after a phone call with his mother reveals that someone has delivered flowers to the house for him, but all of this appears for seemingly no reason since his sexuality is never mentioned again in the book. Some of the younger campers, and the specificity assigned to them, also seems like a loose thread that left me wondering, "what was the point of that?"
I also wasn't sure what to think about the plot twist that
That being said, "Unstoppable Moses," tackled difficult themes of loss, young adulthood, culpability, and guilt that many will probably relate to in some capacity. Moses' transformation from the beginning of the book to the end is inspiring, but in a that-could-actually-happen sort of way.
February 7, 2018
A court order places a pathologically introspective teen in a position of responsibility at a skills building camp.Protagonist Moses Hill is an average, somewhat cerebral kid who has had a couple experiences that have knocked him far from the average teen original packaging and placed him in the "damaged, marked down to sell" bin. The fact that author Tyler James Smith avoids nearly all the cliche minefields this milieu offers is the most prevalent and greatest victory of the book. We get a real tale of a real kid who operates by his own rules and even when he tries to shift into a more mature version of himself, grinds a few gears and doesn't bemoan it. Even when the "bigger than himself" moment presents itself, Moses still manages like a real, breathing teenager to fuck off on a tangent before pulling his past and future together and attempting to take care of some very important business. First time novelist Smith manages to bring the story to a close without forcing us to sit through a Disney fireworks show and hold hands while singing It's a Small World After All" when it would have been very easy to do so. The world of Unstoppable Moses is an only slightly less confusing place for the young semi-hero than when it began and that's just one of the reasons this book is so honest and so compelling.
They are calling it a "YA" novel, but footnotes and all it has an appeal for a much wider audience than that.
They are calling it a "YA" novel, but footnotes and all it has an appeal for a much wider audience than that.
October 9, 2018
The novel started off intensely but never regained that intensity. The camp scenes were very boring to me. The idea that a judge would punish a criminal kid by putting him in a position of authority over young children seems highly unlikely to me. I couldn't quite get past that detail. The author seemed in such a hurry to write the big picture that he neglected the finer details. There were many loose ends that were not addressed, and the surprise about Charlie made the whole story feel like a lie.
February 13, 2018
Though Moses is a young man in an unusual circumstance, his journey is a familiar one. His struggle with painful introspection and rediscovering normalcy post-trauma is something any reader can relate to. It's easy to keep turning pages as the tone shifts between comedic, sobering, uplifting and any combination of the above. This is NOT some tired coming of age story. This is an authentically human story.
July 31, 2018
I received this as an EARC from net galley for an honest review. I gave this a 4.75/5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. I thought it would be a cliche contemporary but it wasn't. I felt as though it was written very well and I was sucked into the novel and couldn't put it down. The synopsis may not be that compelling because I know it wasn't for me but its defiantly one you need to pick up this summer. would highly recommend.
February 26, 2018
Unstoppable Moses resonates with human voice and heart. This is a beautiful story of survival and broken pieces, and of messy, uncertain self-discovery. Smith moves from hysterically funny to heartbreaking to sobering and profound with skill and ease, and his characters feel authentic and deeply familiar.
October 18, 2018
Moses and Charlie, his cousin, were inseparable best friends. They believed they were invincible; after all, Moses is the kid who defied death. That all changed one night when a prank went very wrong. With a building left in ashes, groups of people ready to pray the devil out of him and a potential hate-crime sentenced against him, Moses finds himself utterly alone and stuck in the place he's always ached to leave.
Just when Moses is left thinking everything is over, he gets the opportunity to prove himself. Moses must volunteer as a camp counselor for a week to show he isn't a hate-filled danger to society --- which, by the way, is a title that doesn't look great on college resumes. He looks forward to leaving the stares and whispers of his small Illinois town, but on the ride to the camp in Michigan, he realizes that it may not be that easy. Among a crew of unlikely characters, Moses will be forced to face the ghost that's been haunting him for most of his life, and tragedy that seems to follow in his wake.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES is Tyler James Smith's debut novel featuring rock 'n' roll gods, teacup pigs, grief, baby deer, a pregnancy pouch full of questionable items and, ultimately, heart.
I never expected to love UNSTOPPABLE MOSES as much as I do, but upon reading the first chapter, I knew this was going to be one of those rare favorites that readers can only hope to be so lucky to stumble upon. Moses has a wit that is all his own, but still falls in line with the youth that he is a part of. The pacing of the book is absolute perfection and the characters, no matter how minor, all have personality and purpose that add to but never distract from the story.
From the first sentence, Smith gives the reader no disillusion that this is going to be a run of the mill book. And that stand-out quality is just weaved throughout the entire 300+ pages of UNSTOPPABLE MOSES. It’s been a while since I’ve read about arson, pigs and camp; even longer since those things have made me laugh aloud and cry. In UNSTOPPABLE MOSES, Smith lets the reader explore the full range of human emotion alongside Moses in such an effortlessly readable way. While reading, I found myself wondering where the story could possibly go next, how Smith would connect the dots. This left me in unfamiliar territory as a reader but wow, was it an amazing journey. This may be Smith’s debut, but he writes with the expertise of a seasoned writer.
Smith truly captured this generation’s humor, which is not an easy feat. So often when an adult tries to impersonate the humor we have, it comes across as try-hard and just all wrong. Moses and company would blend effortlessly into a high-school today, much like they’re supposed to. Smith’s humor is so in tune with my generation humor but will still without a doubt be able to make readers from different generations laugh as well.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES is a book I’d recommend even to people who turn their noses up at the idea of YA. It doesn’t fall into the mold of what a “typical” young adult book is perceived to be and as such has major cross-over appeal. It’s the type of book a teen could loan to their parents and they’d enjoy it just as much, if not more.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES deals with universal topics like loss, grief and the way we perceive ourselves. In writing those things successfully, the book was guaranteed to be spectacular, but adding all the extra oddities to Moses’s story is what took it to the next level and carried it to a spot on my rare “Recommend to Everyone” list.
In trying to compare Smith’s writing to other authors for a point of reference, I found myself coming up short. Sure, his writing style could be compared to Stephen Chbosky (THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER) and his humor and heart to that like Jesse Andrews (ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL). But truthfully, as a debut author, Tyler James Smith has already distinguished himself as someone that I will now compare other writers to rather than the other way around. Smith is now most definitely on my radar --- and he should be on everyone else’s too.
Just when Moses is left thinking everything is over, he gets the opportunity to prove himself. Moses must volunteer as a camp counselor for a week to show he isn't a hate-filled danger to society --- which, by the way, is a title that doesn't look great on college resumes. He looks forward to leaving the stares and whispers of his small Illinois town, but on the ride to the camp in Michigan, he realizes that it may not be that easy. Among a crew of unlikely characters, Moses will be forced to face the ghost that's been haunting him for most of his life, and tragedy that seems to follow in his wake.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES is Tyler James Smith's debut novel featuring rock 'n' roll gods, teacup pigs, grief, baby deer, a pregnancy pouch full of questionable items and, ultimately, heart.
I never expected to love UNSTOPPABLE MOSES as much as I do, but upon reading the first chapter, I knew this was going to be one of those rare favorites that readers can only hope to be so lucky to stumble upon. Moses has a wit that is all his own, but still falls in line with the youth that he is a part of. The pacing of the book is absolute perfection and the characters, no matter how minor, all have personality and purpose that add to but never distract from the story.
From the first sentence, Smith gives the reader no disillusion that this is going to be a run of the mill book. And that stand-out quality is just weaved throughout the entire 300+ pages of UNSTOPPABLE MOSES. It’s been a while since I’ve read about arson, pigs and camp; even longer since those things have made me laugh aloud and cry. In UNSTOPPABLE MOSES, Smith lets the reader explore the full range of human emotion alongside Moses in such an effortlessly readable way. While reading, I found myself wondering where the story could possibly go next, how Smith would connect the dots. This left me in unfamiliar territory as a reader but wow, was it an amazing journey. This may be Smith’s debut, but he writes with the expertise of a seasoned writer.
Smith truly captured this generation’s humor, which is not an easy feat. So often when an adult tries to impersonate the humor we have, it comes across as try-hard and just all wrong. Moses and company would blend effortlessly into a high-school today, much like they’re supposed to. Smith’s humor is so in tune with my generation humor but will still without a doubt be able to make readers from different generations laugh as well.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES is a book I’d recommend even to people who turn their noses up at the idea of YA. It doesn’t fall into the mold of what a “typical” young adult book is perceived to be and as such has major cross-over appeal. It’s the type of book a teen could loan to their parents and they’d enjoy it just as much, if not more.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES deals with universal topics like loss, grief and the way we perceive ourselves. In writing those things successfully, the book was guaranteed to be spectacular, but adding all the extra oddities to Moses’s story is what took it to the next level and carried it to a spot on my rare “Recommend to Everyone” list.
In trying to compare Smith’s writing to other authors for a point of reference, I found myself coming up short. Sure, his writing style could be compared to Stephen Chbosky (THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER) and his humor and heart to that like Jesse Andrews (ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL). But truthfully, as a debut author, Tyler James Smith has already distinguished himself as someone that I will now compare other writers to rather than the other way around. Smith is now most definitely on my radar --- and he should be on everyone else’s too.
November 27, 2018
My sister, a former high school teacher, gave me this book to read by one of her former students. I'm impressed! How did Tyler James Smith learn so much in such a short time?!
This is a story about Moses and all the trouble he got in as a boy with his cousin, Charlie. Charlie's the instigator and Moses is his "getaway driver." At 8, Charlie shoots Moses in the chest; he dies but is brought back to life. Everyone always calls Moses Super Boy after that. Their last act was putting Jesus, Buddha, Vishnu, and a Pakistani flag on a bowling alley roof playing heavy rock. Moses learns he's not all bad, he's still got feelings, and he can be angry with Charlie even though he loves him...and that life goes on. One of my favorite lines:
p. 324: We're always in the aftermath of the storm. We're always staggering from one disaster to the next. And at the same time, we are the storms in other people's lives. We are the disasters that lay waste to cities and anticipated apocalypses. ..But we are also so much more...I used to think that happy endings were just prologues for tragedy; that if you kept your eyes open for long enough, you'd see the tapered line where the shining moment ended and the grimy, black downfall began. And it's true: happy endings always precede tragedy...But tragedy inevitably precedes hope...Someday I will be new again. I'll be new until I'm not. And then I'l fall. And I'll rise. Then fall. Then rise again...
I think I'll buy this book for my little local library as well as my Pulitzer-prize winning sister-in-law who always sends me new and interesting books to read. Now it's my turn to send her one.
This is a story about Moses and all the trouble he got in as a boy with his cousin, Charlie. Charlie's the instigator and Moses is his "getaway driver." At 8, Charlie shoots Moses in the chest; he dies but is brought back to life. Everyone always calls Moses Super Boy after that. Their last act was putting Jesus, Buddha, Vishnu, and a Pakistani flag on a bowling alley roof playing heavy rock. Moses learns he's not all bad, he's still got feelings, and he can be angry with Charlie even though he loves him...and that life goes on. One of my favorite lines:
p. 324: We're always in the aftermath of the storm. We're always staggering from one disaster to the next. And at the same time, we are the storms in other people's lives. We are the disasters that lay waste to cities and anticipated apocalypses. ..But we are also so much more...I used to think that happy endings were just prologues for tragedy; that if you kept your eyes open for long enough, you'd see the tapered line where the shining moment ended and the grimy, black downfall began. And it's true: happy endings always precede tragedy...But tragedy inevitably precedes hope...Someday I will be new again. I'll be new until I'm not. And then I'l fall. And I'll rise. Then fall. Then rise again...
I think I'll buy this book for my little local library as well as my Pulitzer-prize winning sister-in-law who always sends me new and interesting books to read. Now it's my turn to send her one.
July 22, 2018
Following a broken, angry, confused teenage boy named Moses; Unstoppable Moses is a journey about survival, loss, and getting yourself together in the hopes of moving on from life's tragedies. Somehow the author manages to tell this story in a way that often switches between shockingly heartbreaking and suddenly funny.
After Moses and his cousin execute a prank that goes horribly wrong, Moses must learn to live with life after loss and learn to deal with the many confusing feelings and thoughts that come with losing his other half. After being accepted to be a camp counselor for a week he meets a group of friends and a lonely camper who, through adventure and more tragedy, help him realize sometimes you just need to pick up your broken pieces and start the new life you're thrust into.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend picking it up when it comes out this fall!
After Moses and his cousin execute a prank that goes horribly wrong, Moses must learn to live with life after loss and learn to deal with the many confusing feelings and thoughts that come with losing his other half. After being accepted to be a camp counselor for a week he meets a group of friends and a lonely camper who, through adventure and more tragedy, help him realize sometimes you just need to pick up your broken pieces and start the new life you're thrust into.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend picking it up when it comes out this fall!
July 15, 2018
Unstoppable Moses is a book I'm unable to keep on the shelves in my classroom library. My students have enjoyed it, they're telling their friends about it, and talking amongst themselves about the characters and reality of the story. I believe this book can span readers from the YA category to adults. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for a copy of Unstoppable Moses. My students and I look forward to more books from Tyler James Smith.
July 15, 2018
A wonderful coming of age story! Relatable in many ways where the characters are fully developed and likeable. While some of the experiences are not what we have experienced we certainly know someone who has. The camp setting was very real, funny, tragic, and brought back memories both
good and bad. Hee! An author to follow and a good read.
good and bad. Hee! An author to follow and a good read.
February 4, 2018
I loved this book! Very refreshing, original story. Draws you in and keeps you guessing til the end.
February 19, 2018
A true coming-of-age book with relatable characters. An extremely well written tale. Keeps you engaged from the first page. Highly recommend!
March 22, 2021
entitled kid gets a second chance, ok so it wasn't a hate crime but you burned down what seemed to be a small business
Ugh, look this book has a vibe. Like toxic masculinity type of vibes. Like white privilege vibes. Moses and Charlie are best of pals and you see they decide to do this really lame prank of putting figures (some religious and stolen) on top of a bowling alley and blasting “cool” rock music. But Charlie, as he’s often blamed in this book as being either undiagnosed bipolar or the reckless one, sprays lighter fluid and commits arson. So funny.
What results is a court case, arrests, and Moses being sent to a camp as some kind of community service. But as someone pointed out, when was the last time having a misdemeanor allowed you to look after kids at a camp (unless you’re white or it’s a badly written book). Honestly, I thought the whole camp aspect was a play on some Wes Anderson or Judd Apatow trope. Moses comes across as jaded but what can you expect when he thinks he’s the victim in all of this. He stole a church’s Jesus figure, broke into a business, and thought what? He could get away with it. Yeah, I know in the grand scheme of it all no one was supposed to get hurt. And you’re right. I’m not going to get twisted up by a bunch of white kids (I’m assuming they’re white because no one mentions about race) doing stupid shit. What I will gripe about is how this kind of behavior is quirky and fun but the same sort of curtesy is never extended to kids of color. They will face jail time no matter what. It just so happens that I think cops are gross that this turned into a shit show so that Moses can cry over something. Seriously, fuck Moses.
He’s not a tragic hero. He doesn’t deserve my sympathy. He’s at camp so that he can rehabilitate his image and continue to go to Duke in the fall.
What fucking makes me even more mad is this party scene where Moses and his new camp friends comes across a guy who is about to give a drunk girl ecstasy and have sex with her. No one in the book ever says it but I will. He was about to RAPE her. Of course the guy is Maddie’s ex and he’s portrayed as a total asshole. He reveals Maddie is not a virgin which upsets her current boyfriend’s masculinity (ok but the idea of virginity is fucking stupid and technically she’s never had sex with you so it is your first time). Then they call his mom and all they say is that he’s selling ecstasy again and completely omits the crucial information that he was planning to RAPE a girl at a party. And he RAPED Maddie multiple times by coercing her to have sex when she felt uncomfortable. Nooooo. Instead he get’s kicked in the crotch and decides he won’t rape anyone TONIGHT. I don’t even know where to begin but this book is the fucking whitest, sexist bullshit I have read in young adult in a while. Can you imagine in this scenario, the kids don’t call the cops (well, there’s not much they can do) but to simply do a hijink and call it a night. Like, the author’s idea of justice is that this kid hopefully learns his lesson because his ex embarrassed him. What the fuck.
I totally believe in rehabilitation but this just seems like the author making some kind of weak argument that boys will be boys. We all do dumb shit and it shouldn’t haunt us for the rest of our lives. While what I see is a pattern of behavior that is never addressed or confronted until someone gets hurt. Charlie leading up to his accident was violent and vindictive. This dude at the party was about to have sex with a girl who couldn’t consent. I don’t know what else to tell you but it’s not society that has the fucking problem.
Ugh, look this book has a vibe. Like toxic masculinity type of vibes. Like white privilege vibes. Moses and Charlie are best of pals and you see they decide to do this really lame prank of putting figures (some religious and stolen) on top of a bowling alley and blasting “cool” rock music. But Charlie, as he’s often blamed in this book as being either undiagnosed bipolar or the reckless one, sprays lighter fluid and commits arson. So funny.
What results is a court case, arrests, and Moses being sent to a camp as some kind of community service. But as someone pointed out, when was the last time having a misdemeanor allowed you to look after kids at a camp (unless you’re white or it’s a badly written book). Honestly, I thought the whole camp aspect was a play on some Wes Anderson or Judd Apatow trope. Moses comes across as jaded but what can you expect when he thinks he’s the victim in all of this. He stole a church’s Jesus figure, broke into a business, and thought what? He could get away with it. Yeah, I know in the grand scheme of it all no one was supposed to get hurt. And you’re right. I’m not going to get twisted up by a bunch of white kids (I’m assuming they’re white because no one mentions about race) doing stupid shit. What I will gripe about is how this kind of behavior is quirky and fun but the same sort of curtesy is never extended to kids of color. They will face jail time no matter what. It just so happens that I think cops are gross that this turned into a shit show so that Moses can cry over something. Seriously, fuck Moses.
He’s not a tragic hero. He doesn’t deserve my sympathy. He’s at camp so that he can rehabilitate his image and continue to go to Duke in the fall.
What fucking makes me even more mad is this party scene where Moses and his new camp friends comes across a guy who is about to give a drunk girl ecstasy and have sex with her. No one in the book ever says it but I will. He was about to RAPE her. Of course the guy is Maddie’s ex and he’s portrayed as a total asshole. He reveals Maddie is not a virgin which upsets her current boyfriend’s masculinity (ok but the idea of virginity is fucking stupid and technically she’s never had sex with you so it is your first time). Then they call his mom and all they say is that he’s selling ecstasy again and completely omits the crucial information that he was planning to RAPE a girl at a party. And he RAPED Maddie multiple times by coercing her to have sex when she felt uncomfortable. Nooooo. Instead he get’s kicked in the crotch and decides he won’t rape anyone TONIGHT. I don’t even know where to begin but this book is the fucking whitest, sexist bullshit I have read in young adult in a while. Can you imagine in this scenario, the kids don’t call the cops (well, there’s not much they can do) but to simply do a hijink and call it a night. Like, the author’s idea of justice is that this kid hopefully learns his lesson because his ex embarrassed him. What the fuck.
I totally believe in rehabilitation but this just seems like the author making some kind of weak argument that boys will be boys. We all do dumb shit and it shouldn’t haunt us for the rest of our lives. While what I see is a pattern of behavior that is never addressed or confronted until someone gets hurt. Charlie leading up to his accident was violent and vindictive. This dude at the party was about to have sex with a girl who couldn’t consent. I don’t know what else to tell you but it’s not society that has the fucking problem.
August 2, 2018
Note: I received a copy of Unstoppable Moses by Tyler James Smith via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
17-year old Moses Hill takes on the position of a camp counselor to prove to the authorities & to himself that he isn't a delinquent who deserves to be tossed away in jail. Why? A prank goes horribly wrong, as Moses and his cousin Charlie, accidentally burn down a bowling alley. But, that's not all! With the destruction of the bowling alley came the burning of a stolen Rock-and-Roll Jesus, and other religious figures like Buddha and Vishnu. Unstoppable Moses is a coming-of-age novel that's filled with real human emotions we've all felt at one time or another.
Listen, the first chapter of Unstoppable Moses really had me in its grasp. Not to be dramatic, but wow -- talk about amazing novel beginnings. I envisioned the entire scene as I read it, and felt that I could even hear Guns N' Roses playing in the background. The beginning of Unstoppable Moses truly felt more like a cinematic experience, than a novel. & it's the ending of the beginning chapter that really begs you to keep reading.
Unstoppable Moses held a cast of relatable & well-developed characters. Through dialogue and actions, you are able to learn so much about each supporting character; without being bombarded with long and drawn out back-stories. Moses, who is constantly seen as the delinquent who committed a hate-crime, finally finds a group of friends that don't know he's the kid behind the very publicized fire. He finds himself in awe with the fact of how open they are about their lives; as if secrets are non-existent. I loved watching the development of Moses becoming more comfortable with this new crew.
But my favorite part? Lump. Allison, nick-named Lump, is one of the campers. She's young, she's courageous, and she has a huge heart. Everyone can learn something from this little girl. Her hero is Amelia Earhart, and she even names a missing fawn Harriet Tubman. I love this girl. & it's Lump that truly pushes the story forward, and shows Moses that he's not some cold-hearted human. Honestly, everyone should be more like Lump.
There are other things I enjoyed in Unstoppable Moses, such as the footnotes added throughout the chapters, and the chapters that alternated between past & present. Everything just fit.
I enjoyed Unstoppable Moses by Tyler James Smith. Contemporary isn't usually my go-to genre, but I did enjoy watching Moses development throughout. I enjoyed all of the characters, and again, that opening scene was epic. Unstoppable Moses is definitely a book I recommend.
For more of my reviews check out my blog!
17-year old Moses Hill takes on the position of a camp counselor to prove to the authorities & to himself that he isn't a delinquent who deserves to be tossed away in jail. Why? A prank goes horribly wrong, as Moses and his cousin Charlie, accidentally burn down a bowling alley. But, that's not all! With the destruction of the bowling alley came the burning of a stolen Rock-and-Roll Jesus, and other religious figures like Buddha and Vishnu. Unstoppable Moses is a coming-of-age novel that's filled with real human emotions we've all felt at one time or another.
Listen, the first chapter of Unstoppable Moses really had me in its grasp. Not to be dramatic, but wow -- talk about amazing novel beginnings. I envisioned the entire scene as I read it, and felt that I could even hear Guns N' Roses playing in the background. The beginning of Unstoppable Moses truly felt more like a cinematic experience, than a novel. & it's the ending of the beginning chapter that really begs you to keep reading.
Unstoppable Moses held a cast of relatable & well-developed characters. Through dialogue and actions, you are able to learn so much about each supporting character; without being bombarded with long and drawn out back-stories. Moses, who is constantly seen as the delinquent who committed a hate-crime, finally finds a group of friends that don't know he's the kid behind the very publicized fire. He finds himself in awe with the fact of how open they are about their lives; as if secrets are non-existent. I loved watching the development of Moses becoming more comfortable with this new crew.
But my favorite part? Lump. Allison, nick-named Lump, is one of the campers. She's young, she's courageous, and she has a huge heart. Everyone can learn something from this little girl. Her hero is Amelia Earhart, and she even names a missing fawn Harriet Tubman. I love this girl. & it's Lump that truly pushes the story forward, and shows Moses that he's not some cold-hearted human. Honestly, everyone should be more like Lump.
There are other things I enjoyed in Unstoppable Moses, such as the footnotes added throughout the chapters, and the chapters that alternated between past & present. Everything just fit.
I enjoyed Unstoppable Moses by Tyler James Smith. Contemporary isn't usually my go-to genre, but I did enjoy watching Moses development throughout. I enjoyed all of the characters, and again, that opening scene was epic. Unstoppable Moses is definitely a book I recommend.
For more of my reviews check out my blog!
June 20, 2019
”Charlie ended my life when I was eight, but he started it too.
Someday, I will be new again. I’ll be new until I’m not.
And then I’ll fall.
And I’ll rise.
Then fall.
Then rise again.”
Moses Hill was murdered by his cousin and best friend, Charlie Baltimore, at eight years old.
They were wild imaginative kids, just playing around, and Charlie accidentally put a bullet through Moses’s chest. Moses was gone for three minutes. But then he came back again. In that moment, Moses was practically a superhero. He was unstoppable.
Flash forward to their teenage years, and Moses and Charlie are pranksters, full of teenage hormones. One particular incident involving a rock band of religious figures and the burning of a bowling alley results in Moses’s crime record and a frightened policeman’s bullet through Charlie’s head.
Now alone, guilt-stricken, but surprisingly composed and emotionless, Moses is practically a robot. When he receives the lucky opportunity to volunteer as a camp counselor for a week to avoid jail time, Moses is determined to make things right again, even when the world seems to be against him.
He meets friends, makes enemies, and takes journeys along the way, but no matter how hard he tries to escape Charlie’s presence, bad things are close by.
Is Moses really unstoppable?
Wow. This story is a work of art, really. What a beautiful debut. Tyler James Smith gives you a world of remarkable characters, hilarious events, and heartbreaking tragedies.
Moses’s narration is so rich, so vibrant. I loved every page, from his dialogue, to his memories, to his own intrusive thoughts. Everything was written so well, and I ate it up.
(Side note: DUDE, I JUST DISCOVERED THE BOOK COVER IS ACTUALLY GLOW IN THE DARK! WHOA!)
You won’t forget this story. It’s one that is stunning, from the very beginning to the very end.
”We’re always in the aftermath of the storm. We’re always staggering from one disaster to the next. And at the same time, we are the storms in other people’s lives. We are the disasters that lay waste to cities and anticipated apocalypses.
But we are also so much more.”
Someday, I will be new again. I’ll be new until I’m not.
And then I’ll fall.
And I’ll rise.
Then fall.
Then rise again.”
Moses Hill was murdered by his cousin and best friend, Charlie Baltimore, at eight years old.
They were wild imaginative kids, just playing around, and Charlie accidentally put a bullet through Moses’s chest. Moses was gone for three minutes. But then he came back again. In that moment, Moses was practically a superhero. He was unstoppable.
Flash forward to their teenage years, and Moses and Charlie are pranksters, full of teenage hormones. One particular incident involving a rock band of religious figures and the burning of a bowling alley results in Moses’s crime record and a frightened policeman’s bullet through Charlie’s head.
Now alone, guilt-stricken, but surprisingly composed and emotionless, Moses is practically a robot. When he receives the lucky opportunity to volunteer as a camp counselor for a week to avoid jail time, Moses is determined to make things right again, even when the world seems to be against him.
He meets friends, makes enemies, and takes journeys along the way, but no matter how hard he tries to escape Charlie’s presence, bad things are close by.
Is Moses really unstoppable?
Wow. This story is a work of art, really. What a beautiful debut. Tyler James Smith gives you a world of remarkable characters, hilarious events, and heartbreaking tragedies.
Moses’s narration is so rich, so vibrant. I loved every page, from his dialogue, to his memories, to his own intrusive thoughts. Everything was written so well, and I ate it up.
(Side note: DUDE, I JUST DISCOVERED THE BOOK COVER IS ACTUALLY GLOW IN THE DARK! WHOA!)
You won’t forget this story. It’s one that is stunning, from the very beginning to the very end.
”We’re always in the aftermath of the storm. We’re always staggering from one disaster to the next. And at the same time, we are the storms in other people’s lives. We are the disasters that lay waste to cities and anticipated apocalypses.
But we are also so much more.”
January 12, 2020
This book has flown completely under the radar and I'm sure the reason is the painfully generic cover and the downer summary. The flap text pitches an introspective, heavy book. And it is has those elements, but Unstoppable Moses is also hilarious. To the point I was taking photos of my kindle screen to send to people because I couldn't wait 'til I got home to copy and paste quotes. The world needed to know now!
Profane and sometimes profound it has all the elements of a John Green book: "precocious teens, nerdy dialect, love, death, and of course someone in crisis." but also does its own thing. Best of all, NO ROMANCE! Books with male protagonists are already in short supply but ones without a love interest are practically unicorns.
This is a character-driven story and even campers that would normally be a one note, one joke, walk-on role(Goblin Joe!) feel like people you've bumped into in real life.
John Green and Rainbow Rowell-loving teens will eat this up, if they can get past the cover and on to page one.
Note: I read the ebook version of this, which did an abysmal job of integrating the book's foot notes. These are super important, especially in the final chapters, and completely changed the ending for me. The audiobook may have the same issue.
Profane and sometimes profound it has all the elements of a John Green book: "precocious teens, nerdy dialect, love, death, and of course someone in crisis." but also does its own thing. Best of all, NO ROMANCE! Books with male protagonists are already in short supply but ones without a love interest are practically unicorns.
This is a character-driven story and even campers that would normally be a one note, one joke, walk-on role(Goblin Joe!) feel like people you've bumped into in real life.
John Green and Rainbow Rowell-loving teens will eat this up, if they can get past the cover and on to page one.
Note: I read the ebook version of this, which did an abysmal job of integrating the book's foot notes. These are super important, especially in the final chapters, and completely changed the ending for me. The audiobook may have the same issue.
July 26, 2018
4.25/5
"Charlie Baltimore murdered me when we were 8 years old."
I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting to, it gave me some John Green vibes (John Green is one of my favorite authors). It was funny, cute, and had just the right amount of existential angst I look for in a coming of age story. Even though I don't actually like kids in real life that much, I liked reading about the kids at the camp (Lump!) and the crazy hijinks of the camp buddies.
I think my only complaint was the ending was a little too open-ended for me, I would have liked something with more of a resolution, but I have this feeling toward most contemporary books so maybe it's just me.
Overall, although this wasn't something I would normally pick up, I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to reading more from this author :)
I received this ARC from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
"Charlie Baltimore murdered me when we were 8 years old."
I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting to, it gave me some John Green vibes (John Green is one of my favorite authors). It was funny, cute, and had just the right amount of existential angst I look for in a coming of age story. Even though I don't actually like kids in real life that much, I liked reading about the kids at the camp (Lump!) and the crazy hijinks of the camp buddies.
I think my only complaint was the ending was a little too open-ended for me, I would have liked something with more of a resolution, but I have this feeling toward most contemporary books so maybe it's just me.
Overall, although this wasn't something I would normally pick up, I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to reading more from this author :)
I received this ARC from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
June 30, 2018
Unstoppable Moses is a coming of age book. This young man was just being a boy, got wrapped up in a situation that turned tragic. As kids, we all knew how things escalate into things that weren’t supposed to happen. Moses is court orders to go to a camp and basically work for a week to help change him. He meets a group of characters that accept him for him, the first time in a long time, he can just be himself. He meets an amazing kid that touches his heart. I won’t spoil what happens, but his heart is changed. I think it’s a turning point for him to finally grow up.
September 24, 2018
Unstoppable Moses is a terrific debut for Tyler James Smith.
Moses opens the story by explaining how he died and came back after his cousin Charlie accidentally shot him when they were kids, hence his “unstoppable” reputation. The two of them became inseparable companions in a variety of stunts, until a prank gone wrong leads to a destructive fire and Charlie being shot in the head by a cop. As part of court-ordered community service for the fire, Moses is required to be a “buddy” (read, counselor) at a camp for kids. Moses just wants to put his head down and get through the experience, like he’s done for every moment of every day since Charlie was shot. But three potential new friends and a kid who’s pretty unstoppable in her own right force Moses out of his emotional stasis and encourage him to reconnect with the people around him.
I’m not sure the style the book is written in will work for everyone. The story flips back and forth between Moses’s present experiences at the camp and episodes in his past with Charlie and after Charlie was shot. That shifting between past and present might annoy some readers. Moses’s narration is also sometimes interrupted by endnotes that contain additional information and commentary about things Moses says or thinks as he is telling his story. Sometimes they seemed unnecessary to the actual meat of the novel, like telling the reader how to say “I love you” in binary. However, most of the time they worked for me, because they gave deeper insight into what Moses is feeling at certain points, since what he says and what he feels aren’t always the same.
That’s really the key to the book, Moses learning to feel again after shutting down emotionally for a long time, and the way Smith describes that process and the language he uses are both often wonderful. Some of the emotional moments are just amazingly written; they left me thinking, “Yes, that, that’s just right for that character right now.” The short chapter where Moses describes exactly what happened as Charlie was shot is one long run-on sentence, which absolutely conveys how shocking it is. I won’t say the book is always perfect—sometimes the description of what Moses is feeling is maybe a little too elliptical—but generally it works.
I think Tyler James Smith is an author to watch, and I’d highly recommend this novel for adventurous readers of YA contemporaries.
A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.
Moses opens the story by explaining how he died and came back after his cousin Charlie accidentally shot him when they were kids, hence his “unstoppable” reputation. The two of them became inseparable companions in a variety of stunts, until a prank gone wrong leads to a destructive fire and Charlie being shot in the head by a cop. As part of court-ordered community service for the fire, Moses is required to be a “buddy” (read, counselor) at a camp for kids. Moses just wants to put his head down and get through the experience, like he’s done for every moment of every day since Charlie was shot. But three potential new friends and a kid who’s pretty unstoppable in her own right force Moses out of his emotional stasis and encourage him to reconnect with the people around him.
I’m not sure the style the book is written in will work for everyone. The story flips back and forth between Moses’s present experiences at the camp and episodes in his past with Charlie and after Charlie was shot. That shifting between past and present might annoy some readers. Moses’s narration is also sometimes interrupted by endnotes that contain additional information and commentary about things Moses says or thinks as he is telling his story. Sometimes they seemed unnecessary to the actual meat of the novel, like telling the reader how to say “I love you” in binary. However, most of the time they worked for me, because they gave deeper insight into what Moses is feeling at certain points, since what he says and what he feels aren’t always the same.
That’s really the key to the book, Moses learning to feel again after shutting down emotionally for a long time, and the way Smith describes that process and the language he uses are both often wonderful. Some of the emotional moments are just amazingly written; they left me thinking, “Yes, that, that’s just right for that character right now.” The short chapter where Moses describes exactly what happened as Charlie was shot is one long run-on sentence, which absolutely conveys how shocking it is. I won’t say the book is always perfect—sometimes the description of what Moses is feeling is maybe a little too elliptical—but generally it works.
I think Tyler James Smith is an author to watch, and I’d highly recommend this novel for adventurous readers of YA contemporaries.
A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.
November 26, 2019
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/yafict...
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES is quite an interesting YA contemporary. With dark humor, grief/healing, and guilt/blame, this book takes on some big themes. Moses and his BFF/cousin, who is described as his other half, were trying to pull an epic prank. However, Charlie did not tell Moses about all his plans- a not infrequent occurrence- and the result was something far worse than Moses ever could have imagined.
Alone and blaming himself for all the things he possibly could have done differently, Moses has a huge chip on his shoulder. The sentencing comes down, and Moses is sent for community service at a children's camp that is primarily supervised by teens, a.k.a Buddies. As Moses attends the camp, he is drawn to three friends who may help open him up to new possibilities outside of his guilt, as well as a young camper who really changes everything.
What I loved: This book pulls the reader in quickly and really builds up Moses and his personality well. He feels like a very close friend whose life we are watching. Moses and the other characters felt really authentic and well crafted. He undergoes a lot of growth during the story, and this ended up being quite a healing, coming-of-age read. The book also manages to infuse some humor even amongst the darkest of stories.
What left me wanting more: There was a lot of space here for some professional help, which would have been nice to see. Of course, people are imperfect, and Moses addresses the way people deal with him, but it would also have been nice to see him getting more help. He is dealing with some big things. There are also other characters who are dealing with big issues that are hinted at but not fully explained, and I felt like some threads were not completely woven into the story by the end. I still had some questions, which was not bad, but it would have been nice to get more answers.
Final verdict: Overall, this is an engaging contemporary young adult fiction that deals with some major issues, such as loss, grief, and finding yourself. Would recommend for people who enjoy similar YA contemporary reads that deal with big issues like THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER or ULTIMATUM.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
UNSTOPPABLE MOSES is quite an interesting YA contemporary. With dark humor, grief/healing, and guilt/blame, this book takes on some big themes. Moses and his BFF/cousin, who is described as his other half, were trying to pull an epic prank. However, Charlie did not tell Moses about all his plans- a not infrequent occurrence- and the result was something far worse than Moses ever could have imagined.
Alone and blaming himself for all the things he possibly could have done differently, Moses has a huge chip on his shoulder. The sentencing comes down, and Moses is sent for community service at a children's camp that is primarily supervised by teens, a.k.a Buddies. As Moses attends the camp, he is drawn to three friends who may help open him up to new possibilities outside of his guilt, as well as a young camper who really changes everything.
What I loved: This book pulls the reader in quickly and really builds up Moses and his personality well. He feels like a very close friend whose life we are watching. Moses and the other characters felt really authentic and well crafted. He undergoes a lot of growth during the story, and this ended up being quite a healing, coming-of-age read. The book also manages to infuse some humor even amongst the darkest of stories.
What left me wanting more: There was a lot of space here for some professional help, which would have been nice to see. Of course, people are imperfect, and Moses addresses the way people deal with him, but it would also have been nice to see him getting more help. He is dealing with some big things. There are also other characters who are dealing with big issues that are hinted at but not fully explained, and I felt like some threads were not completely woven into the story by the end. I still had some questions, which was not bad, but it would have been nice to get more answers.
Final verdict: Overall, this is an engaging contemporary young adult fiction that deals with some major issues, such as loss, grief, and finding yourself. Would recommend for people who enjoy similar YA contemporary reads that deal with big issues like THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER or ULTIMATUM.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
July 19, 2019
This book strikes a weird balance between feeling like a familiar YA novel while also not feeling like other YA novels that I've read. Tyler James Smith has captured an authentic teen voice here that feels much more grounded in gritty, unpleasant reality than many other books of this type, even though it has a few surreal elements as well.
Moses is a character that lives in his own head. He's got little choice - as the kid who (accidentally) set fire to a bunch of religious icons on top of a bowling alley along with his cousin Charlie, who was shot by police in the aftermath of the blaze, Moses has pretty much alienated everyone else. His parents are still super supportive, but he has no friends, everyone who recognizes him avoids him, and he's carrying the guilt of what happened, combined with extra guilt because he isn't grieving for some reason.
Moses's voice feels authentic to me in a way that many other YA novels don't. Maybe it's the frequent swearing, which sounds a lot more like how my friends and I talked at sixteen than the characters in any John Green novel ever do. Maybe it's his penchant for mentally setting the mood for everything that happens with various classic rock songs, most of which I was just discovering around that age or a little older. Or maybe it's just because I know what it's like to live mostly inside your own head and not always know how to engage with the world around you.
Anyway, this story is driven a lot more by characters than by plot. What happens is fairly simple - Moses does community service at a childrens' camp in the woods, starts to make new friends who don't know what he's (in)famous for, and tries to watch over a strange little girl in an aviator cap named Lump. The story isn't complex, but the characters come to life in such a believable way that I could almost smell the wood smoke of the campfires, hear the insects chirping as Moses and his friends snuck out of camp at night, feel the late night chill as they ran through the woods, and felt my stomach drop as they tried to run past the farmer's house without spooking the dog.
It took me awhile to get through this, but it was a worthwhile read for sure.
Moses is a character that lives in his own head. He's got little choice - as the kid who (accidentally) set fire to a bunch of religious icons on top of a bowling alley along with his cousin Charlie, who was shot by police in the aftermath of the blaze, Moses has pretty much alienated everyone else. His parents are still super supportive, but he has no friends, everyone who recognizes him avoids him, and he's carrying the guilt of what happened, combined with extra guilt because he isn't grieving for some reason.
Moses's voice feels authentic to me in a way that many other YA novels don't. Maybe it's the frequent swearing, which sounds a lot more like how my friends and I talked at sixteen than the characters in any John Green novel ever do. Maybe it's his penchant for mentally setting the mood for everything that happens with various classic rock songs, most of which I was just discovering around that age or a little older. Or maybe it's just because I know what it's like to live mostly inside your own head and not always know how to engage with the world around you.
Anyway, this story is driven a lot more by characters than by plot. What happens is fairly simple - Moses does community service at a childrens' camp in the woods, starts to make new friends who don't know what he's (in)famous for, and tries to watch over a strange little girl in an aviator cap named Lump. The story isn't complex, but the characters come to life in such a believable way that I could almost smell the wood smoke of the campfires, hear the insects chirping as Moses and his friends snuck out of camp at night, feel the late night chill as they ran through the woods, and felt my stomach drop as they tried to run past the farmer's house without spooking the dog.
It took me awhile to get through this, but it was a worthwhile read for sure.
September 20, 2018
FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER THROUGH NET GALLEY. I VOLUNTARILY OFFER MY HONEST REVIEW OF THE BOOK, THOUGH IT IS NOT EXPECTED OF ME! RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW!
I enjoyed this book a lot. If you liked The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas you will enjoy this book.
Moses was a very well written character, he had many dimensions and wasn't just some screw-up who burnt down a bowling alley and got sentenced to community service, he was also very intelligent and compassionate.
Charlie, on the other hand, was very one-dimensional thought a smaller character in the story, by the end you didn't really feel sorry for what had happened to him. He seemed like a big jerk!
Mattie, Micheal, and Faisal were a bit one-dimensional also, but since it was told form Moses POV and he didn't know them well that makes more sense. I was definitely Lump as a child, so I really enjoyed that character, who was also well written.
There were some unneeded elements to the story, like the porcupine, which I really didn't like. That element and the fact that after a strong start it got a bit boring for about 20% of the book, then picking up for the last 50-75% of the book, is why I gave it 4 stars.
I enjoyed this book a lot. If you liked The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas you will enjoy this book.
Moses was a very well written character, he had many dimensions and wasn't just some screw-up who burnt down a bowling alley and got sentenced to community service, he was also very intelligent and compassionate.
Charlie, on the other hand, was very one-dimensional thought a smaller character in the story, by the end you didn't really feel sorry for what had happened to him. He seemed like a big jerk!
Mattie, Micheal, and Faisal were a bit one-dimensional also, but since it was told form Moses POV and he didn't know them well that makes more sense. I was definitely Lump as a child, so I really enjoyed that character, who was also well written.
There were some unneeded elements to the story, like the porcupine, which I really didn't like. That element and the fact that after a strong start it got a bit boring for about 20% of the book, then picking up for the last 50-75% of the book, is why I gave it 4 stars.
January 18, 2019
This book landed in my lap accidentally and I was very glad for it. It was a great book about grief and I feel like we got a really good look into Moses's mind which was interesting. I was feeling what he was feeling. I won't tell you a synopsis of the story, you can read that all on your own. What I will say there were times that the past/present scenes sometimes threw me off so I would have to re-read them to make sure I knew who/when I was reading.
My biggest complaint would be the ending which was intentional I'm sure. It didn't answer any questions, didn't feel like an ending....nothing was tied off in neat bows....it was just that...driving away into the crappy weather with a bunch of question marks for dust. Not that this book left you with a cliff hanger or that it was off the beaten path. It was simple and fit the book but I wanted to know more. I NEED to know more but those questions will become my theories and I'll always question it.
So pick up the book, read it and make your own assessments. I was still happy with it.
My biggest complaint would be the ending which was intentional I'm sure. It didn't answer any questions, didn't feel like an ending....nothing was tied off in neat bows....it was just that...driving away into the crappy weather with a bunch of question marks for dust. Not that this book left you with a cliff hanger or that it was off the beaten path. It was simple and fit the book but I wanted to know more. I NEED to know more but those questions will become my theories and I'll always question it.
So pick up the book, read it and make your own assessments. I was still happy with it.
August 7, 2018
Thanks to Newtgalkey for the ARC!
I had a hard time getting into this book at first. I couldn’t figure out where it was going. Then when it flashed back, I had to reframe in my mind what time I was reading about. But once Moses is really at the camp and getting to know those kids and fellow counselors, I got sucked in. The dialogue was witty, and I had moments where I laughed. I enjoyed the characters and was able to care about them and occurred them. Honestly, I didn’t love the ending, though. I can’t see exactly why that was the way to go, it or didn’t ruin it for me; it just kept me from genuinely loving it.
Just FYI there’s a lot of strong profanity/language in here ( which honestly make me cringe as I used to be a camp counselor), and there’s some sexual references. Overall, fresh concept and interesting read.
I had a hard time getting into this book at first. I couldn’t figure out where it was going. Then when it flashed back, I had to reframe in my mind what time I was reading about. But once Moses is really at the camp and getting to know those kids and fellow counselors, I got sucked in. The dialogue was witty, and I had moments where I laughed. I enjoyed the characters and was able to care about them and occurred them. Honestly, I didn’t love the ending, though. I can’t see exactly why that was the way to go, it or didn’t ruin it for me; it just kept me from genuinely loving it.
Just FYI there’s a lot of strong profanity/language in here ( which honestly make me cringe as I used to be a camp counselor), and there’s some sexual references. Overall, fresh concept and interesting read.
October 1, 2018
Moses was an incredibly powerful and compelling narrator. From the first page to the last, he was the sole reason I kept reading. To me, his journey was exceptionally difficult. Many times, I'll read similar stories and I can identify the problem and how it can be solved, but I just couldn't with Moses. Maybe because his problems differ so much from my own or because our personalities are so similar.
A great aspect to this book was formatting. I've never read a YA book with footnotes. I'm impressed. It was a fantastic idea that showed a lot of Moses's personality and thought process.
I really thought I wasn't going to cry when I started this book, boy was I wrong!
I was blubbering by the end. Though I'm not sure I understood precisely how everything went down, I got confused at times. And I definitely wish it hadn't ended so soon. I was just very emotional about all of it.
A great aspect to this book was formatting. I've never read a YA book with footnotes. I'm impressed. It was a fantastic idea that showed a lot of Moses's personality and thought process.
I really thought I wasn't going to cry when I started this book, boy was I wrong!
I was blubbering by the end. Though I'm not sure I understood precisely how everything went down, I got confused at times. And I definitely wish it hadn't ended so soon. I was just very emotional about all of it.
February 4, 2020
Moses has had an interesting childhood. His cousin Charlie shot him when he was young, but he survived, and the two of them have lived since then by the philosophy that Moses is untouchable. Then they burn down a bowling alley, Charlie gets shot, and Moses finds himself at camp doing community service. He meets a new group of friends whose dynamics help him navigate the relationship he has had with his cousin. He tries to do the right thing, particularly in taking "Lump" under his wing. But when another catastrophe happens, he has to really decide what kind of person he wants to be. Moses's character is well-developed. His new friends start out more flat, but they round out toward the end as well. I love the character of "Lump". She is funny and smart and helps Moses be a better Moses.
February 8, 2019
I thought this book was okay. The plot was really different and interesting, not something I have seen before. I really liked the character of the little girl. I also really enjoyed reading about between her and Moses' relationship. I thought the rest of the "buddy" character were slightly annoying and kind of unnecessary to the plot though.
February 21, 2019
Moses must come to deal with what happened that fateful day. His best friend and cousin gets shot by a policeman. They pull a crazy prank and it goes wrong. He now has to live with this event and come to terms with it. This book is intense and mellow at the same time. He discovered things about himself and finally finds the courage to move on. He is much stronger and prepared for the future.
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