Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich
kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for
troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s
madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.
With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for
doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even
find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to
figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like
everything has fallen apart.
Winger was one of those books I had to throw across the room in complete
anger and take a few days to get over before reviewing. It was a great book
with an ending that made me bawl my eyes out I was so furious and anguished. I
really did finish the book days ago, but I had to let the dust of my emotions
settle before I could write this. Let me start out by saying that I really
loved this book.
The characters (especially Ryan Dean, a.k.a. Winger) were raw and totally real.
I could absolutely believe that Ryan Dean was a fourteen-year-old boy and he
was hilarious too! He had all these funny, and sometimes perfectly perverted,
drawings that really brought his character to life in a new way. I could read
about Ryan Dean all day. He was just a very relatable character and there were
all these nuances to his voice that made him that much more real. Like how he
felt stupid for being worried about Joey being gay. Or how he kept calling
himself a loser for various things. Or how he thought Ms. Singer was a witch.
It was all hilarious and the little bits of rugby were brilliant as well.
One thing you should know about me is I love rugby because of Teen Wolf
and now also because of Winger. It was rugby that kept the story going.
It was the thing that tied Ryan Dean to all the parts of the story of his
junior year. All in all, it was an amazing story to read and so very hilarious.
Now let me move on to the things that bugged me. I never really understood when
Ryan Dean and Annie’s relationship shifted from
“never-gonna-happen-cause-I’m-fourteen” to “omg-this-is-flirting-this-is-real”.
It was an awkward transition that I never actually saw. It kind of took me out
of the story because I was confused as to when this relationship became
possible. I mean obviously they’re meant for each other, but I wish I could
have really seen what Ryan Dean did to change Annie’s view of him.
Next, I felt that there was an over-usage of the word loser. It was funny, and
at times I didn’t notice or care that Ryan Dean called himself a loser at least
once every chapter, but it was definitely overkill. I mean, Ryan Dean
writes haikus to his friend, he could at least change up his words a little. At
the same time, though, it did make his character consistent and likeable. I
just wish it had been done every other chapter.
And lastly, Joey Cosentino. I’m not going to say anything else on that subject
because it will ruin the whole end of the book. Just, when you finish reading,
come to me and we shall rant and yell privately.
Overall, despite the cons, there was still way more good in this book and I
would really recommend it to anyone. I would even give it to female writers
trying out male voices because this one is spot on and a great starting point
for similar characters. So please, read it and let me know what you think
because seriously, Joey Cosentino. I’m done. With life.
XOXO Tia
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