Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Review: Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo Love and Other Perishable Items
By Laura Buzo
Publisher:
Knopf Books for Young Readers

To Sum It Up:

For Amelia Hayes, the best part of her part-time job at the local supermarket is getting to hang out with Chris, a fellow employee. He’s so easy to talk to, and pretty soon Amelia finds herself head over heels for him. The problem is, Chris is a twenty-one-year-old college student trying to figure out what to do with his life, and Amelia is a fifteen-year-old still in high school. They both know that things won’t work out between them, yet when they’re together, the age difference doesn’t seem like an obstacle at all.

Review:

Here’s the thing about contemporary fiction and me. Like dystopian books and me, contemporaries and I don’t always hit it off. When it comes to character-driven novels, if the characters fail to hook my interest fairly early on, we’re probably not destined to be friends.

With Love and Other Perishable Items, my opinion of the two narrative voices is split. I liked Amelia, a fifteen-year-old high school student who works part-time at the local supermarket and who falls for her co-worker, Chris. Unfortunately for Amelia, Chris is twenty-one and in college. We also get to read from Chris’s perspective through his journal entries.

I’ll continue talking about Amelia first. She’s super smart, funny, and a pretty likable character. All she asks for in life at the moment is for Chris not to see her as the “Youngster,” as he has nicknamed her. Amelia is realistic about the prospect of Chris ever considering her as a romantic interest, not that she doesn’t spend a lot of time wishing he would. The two share some lively banter throughout the book that I really think showed off Laura Buzo’s writing talent.

Here’s where my gripe comes in: I much preferred Chris as viewed through Amelia’s eyes over the Chris revealed through his own narration. I suppose that was the point of presenting both characters’ points of view, to illustrate the differences between the real Chris and Amelia’s perception of him. It turns out that Chris is trying to recover from a shattered heart, and he’s not doing very well on that front. In his journal, he notes that he’s on a Search for the Perfect Woman, and he has a list of candidates and their qualifications. I’m sorry, but my brain couldn’t reconcile this side of Chris with the one who discusses feminism with Amelia and even recommends some feminist reading to her. To his credit, Chris grows up a lot by the end of the book, but not before regaling us all with his tales of hangovers and attempts to find someone to cuddle with at the end of the night. Chris can be witty, but I found him a bit too smug about his wit for my liking. Overall, I just didn’t find him as dreamy as Amelia did.

This wasn’t a bad read at all, just one that wasn’t for me. I liked Buzo’s writing style and would read other books of hers in the future. The story in Love and Other Perishable Items never really jumped out at me, and I read with only a mild interest. I think I might have liked this novel better if Amelia had narrated all of it because I wasn’t as enthused about Chris’s chapters. I couldn’t find the emotional investment for this one, but that doesn’t mean that other readers won’t connect with it.

All in All:

I’m super finicky about these types of novels, and this time, things didn’t work out as I’d hoped. There are plenty of rave reviews for this, which is why I wanted to read it in the first place. If you enjoy contemporary coming-of-age stories, then Love and Other Perishable Items might be of interest to you.

22 comments:

  1. I don't know if these are for me or not. I haven't read any contemporary coming of age stories unless they have some sort of paranormal or supernatural aspect. Amelia sounds like a great lead character. It seems like the author was going for a reality vs. rose colored glasses thing with Chris and the journal entries but that didn't work for you. Wonderful review! Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.

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    1. I mostly read paranormal myself, but sometimes I like to branch out into different genres for a change. This just didn't grab me, and Chris just wasn't my type of guy.

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  2. I had planned on trying this one out but now I am thinking it is a pass!

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    1. It's very well-written, and I felt kind of bad for not being that crazy about it. I think it's a matter of whether or not the characters click with the reader or not.

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  3. It is interesting to get two sides of the same character, since different perspectives will reveal more of who that person is, though it seems that in this case, Chris probably wasn’t a great love interest all around. And depending what his criteria for a “perfect woman” is, there’s a chance he could have come off as a real jerk.

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    1. I found Chris a little too on the angsty side over his broken heart, and in general, his personality just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. At least Amelia didn't get all angsty over him, though, lol.

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  4. I'm not into contemporary reads either and only try the ones that are highly recommended, think I'll give this a miss. Although, I'd probably see myself in Amelia, at fourteen I had a much more 'rose-tinted' view of everyone around me, and crushes do tend to build people up.

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    1. This had a lot of positive reviews, and that's why I took the chance on it. I have one more contemporary out from the library at the moment, and then I think I'll head back to good old paranormal for a while, lol.

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  5. This is very popular in YA blogs but I skipped reading it. Maybe I'm getting old-er because at times I no longer find YA stories funny or cute LOL.

    BUT! I read this cool YA contemporary the other day, CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE by L.M Augustine. It's really cute and light and great! I suggest you read it if you haven't yet.

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    1. Sometimes I also wonder if my old age is showing when I attempt these types of reads, lol. I will definitely check out your recommendation, though!

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  6. This one got some serious love from my Goodreads friends. I've been curious about it since well before its US release. I may still check it out, but it's definitely not going to be at the top of my to-read list.

    Great review, Lee!

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    1. Contemporaries are really hit or miss for me, and I just couldn't get into this one. The writing is excellent, though, and I can understand why so many other readers loved it.

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  7. I love the honesty in your review. I have heard nothing but good things about this book. I haven't personally read it, but it is refreshing someone being honest and not just jumping on the band wagon. Great review! Melody @ JC's Book Haven.

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    1. I think I'm the lone weirdo who didn't really care for this one, lol. I just wasn't the right reader for it.

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  8. I'm also very... wary of chick-lit/contemporary books so I don't think I'll be picking this one up. I've also got a thing about age gaps between love interests too for some reason. :3 I am glad that Chris managed to grow and redeem himself a little by the end but it's a pity this just wasn't for you. This doesn't sound like a book that's for me either. Great review! :)

    - Rachel @ Booktastic Reviews

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    1. I like to check these types of books out on occasion because sometimes I do find one I really enjoy. I've had my fill for now, though, so it's back to paranormal for a while.

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  9. Oh, too bad you didn't like this novel. The cover is so pretty! I personally quite like chick-lit as well as contemporary, sometimes the mood strikes and I really feel like reading it. ^^ x

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    1. I used to read quite a bit of chick lit when I was in my early 20's, but then it all started seeming like the same story over and over. I still give it a try every once in a while when the mood strikes.

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  10. So I read this one and really, really tried to love it. Forever Young Adult gave this a rave review and I could see why they loved it but it just wasn't enough for me. Unlike you I did get pretty invested and was actually really bummed out by the vague, we'll-see-what-happens ending and so forth. There just wasn't enough for me, here. :(

    I like that so far we've tended to be on the same page about things :D

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    1. I tried to love this, too, and I couldn't do it, either. I completely understand why it's worked for other readers, but sadly, I wasn't one of them.

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  11. You know, as much as I wish you would have loved this as much as everyone else seems to, I'm kind of glad not to see a rave review for this one for once! Contemporaries aren't my thing, but when I see one around getting constant glowing reviews, I start to feel as though I'm missing out! From the way you described the story...and especially Chris, I feel like my feelings about this book would be dead-on with yours! Sorry it didn't work out for you but thanks for the insightful review Lee!!

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    1. There are so many contemporaries out there with lots of positive reviews, and I also feel like I'm missing out by not giving them a shot. But when a contemporary doesn't turn out to be for me, I approach the genre with even more hesitance the next time. I try to space these types of reads out so that I don't get too burnt out if they don't work out.

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