James KliseCritiques

This was a decent, quick read, but not very engaging for me. It was less crime thriller than the summary lead me to expect and more of a slice-of-life, queer coming-of-age, which was fine by me, I'm just as interested in historical queer stories. However, I couldn't connect well with the characters and didn't find much interest in their relationships. The importance of building a queer community or support network was given lip service, but it never got flesh out and the underground queer culture was not shown all that much.

I enjoyed this one! It did take a bit before the story really hooked me but once it did, I had a hard time putting it down. Joe goes to Chicago to make some money to send back home to his mother and save their farm. Times are hard and Joe is not afraid of hard work but he is soon drawn into a less-than-honest way to make some real money. I was incredibly worried about how things would work out for Joe before this book drew to a close.

I liked Joe right away but I cannot say the same thing for his cousin, Bernie. I feel like he grew and learned a lot about himself over the course of the story. Joe has always tried to do what is expected of him but while he is in Chicago he is able to explore his true feelings and what he really wants out of life. He spent time with two very different young men, Raymond and Eddie. Things aren’t always what they seem and Joe learns a lot about the kind of man he wants to be. I thought that the fact that the book was set in the 1930s made the story even more interesting.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very well-done coming-of-age story. I really liked the characters and loved the way the setting came alive. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there were a few twists that made the story even more interesting. I would not hesitate to read more of James Klise’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Algonquin Young Readers.

I really liked this book, despite it starting slow.
Unlike a lot of historical works, this one actually feels like it's set in the past. Everything from the slang, the expressions and the movie references feel like they're part of the setting. The only thing that made raise my eyes was the word 'sayonara' which i'm not sure would have been in use in 1930s America.

The blurb made it sound like a gay romance, but the romance was more of a side thing. It's mainly about Joe getting tangled up in various problems, and the more he lies the more gripping the book becomes. Through Joe's experiences, the book discusses the ethics of the era. When is a person rich enough to steal from? And how responsible is the middle man for the crimmes committed indirectly through him?
In the second half of the book I really wanted to know how it would end and which parts of Joe's lies would withstand the consequences.

I read an ARC of this book so things might be sifferent in the published version.½

2.75 stars

Bah. There should have been far more consequences all around, especially for Dr. Gamez, who is the epitome of the stereotypical amoral and unethical scientist who is more concerned about his research than about the results and negative aspects of the pills he's creating and their affects on the people he's using to conduct his research, including his own daughter. His interactions with the MC, Jamie were teeth grindingly annoying. As for Jamie? While I do get that accepting oneself is really hard, the way he went about trying to deny his sexuality was, to be quite honest, breathtakingly stupid.

*I received an advanced reader copy from Goodreads Giveaways

I really enjoyed the plot of this book and the multiple perspectives the story was told in. It was an interesting story and the mystery kept me guessing.

Left homeless after a fire of unknown origin destroys their apartment, Saba Khan and her family’s lives are changed forever. Fellow students at Highsmith School decide to collect items for an auction to be held at school with the proceeds to be donated to Saba’s family. But when a rare and valuable painting worth hundreds of thousands of dollars gets donated to the auction, lies, secrets, jealously, deception, and greed become entwined with this otherwise altruistic act. Told through the voices of numerous narrators in personal journal entries, along with official documents, interviews, and articles, this teen novel will intrigue and keep the interest of all readers.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

Although I loved all the Chicago references, this one was just a bit too YA for me :(

Fire, fraud, and fakes are the themes in this Edgar YA winner. I always try to read the Edgar's yearly nominees, and I think the thing I liked best in this book was the twist in the tale. It's a story told in multiple first-person POVs, making it unique. You're often reading Saba Khan's journal--given to her after her family's apartment caught fire--by her school social worker. There are chapters from others in Saba's life too, friends, high school teachers, her father, and a first-love interest. But things are not what they seem. The plot thread follows a dumpster-dive found piece of art and a planned high school fund-raising auction to help Saba's family recover their losses. It has a subtle layer of the immigrant's experience in America, yet its unpredictable ending is what I think made this book a winner.

A mysterious fire, a mysterious work of art, and a school fundraiser are the main events in this novel. I liked the mystery about the book. The characters were not anything special and I thought the story was a bit young for a teen audience.

I’ve never read a book quite like THE ART OF SECRETS by James Klise. Told in multiple perspectives, almost entirely in the form of discourse and conversation (with the occasional journal entry from protagonist, Saba Kahn), THE ART OF SECRETS is part mystery, part drama, and so very fun to read.

In the wake of a fire that destroyed her family’s home and all of their belongings, Saba Kahn has gone from almost invisible at her Chicago prep school (where she is a scholarship student) to borderline notorious, with a basketball star as a sort-of boyfriend and school do-gooders organizing a charity auction to help her family.

She’s got a lot to deal with, though. Saba’s family is getting too much attention at school, and from the police. Authorities can’t seem to decide if her family are victims or culprits, which means the rumors are flying at school. And then there’s the whole art thing — an item in the auction, which new girl cum auction organizer and her brother found in an alley, has turned out to be some seriously valuable paintings by a famed but reclusive Chicago outsider artist. When the art goes missing, Saba has another mystery plaguing her and her family. And more rumors to try and ignore.

With points of view ranging from Saba’s father, to Saba’s boyfriend, to the school principal, to her classmates running the auction, THE ART OF SECRETS is a unique mystery, as well-designed as it is well-written. Klise‘s characters are wry and witty, and even with so many narrators, the voices are compelling and distinct. I’m still excited about the book. I can’t stop being excited about it. And while it’s a rare book that I think is a contender for the Printz, the National Book Award, and the Edgar, I fully expect to see these and other accolades for James Klise in the near future.

“I did not see that coming”. This thought crossed my mind when I reached the end of The Art of Secrets by James Klise. Complete with those clever red herrings, this refreshing who done it kept me guessing right up to the last few pages.

The pacing is good, and Klise has an ear for how people actually talk. Solid plotting and a few genuinely surprising moments. Recommended.

This book was interesting. Jamie's dire quest to be like everyone else kinda' broke my heart. I will say that I'm not gay, but I think fitting in is a universal struggle. Everyone, at one time or another has the desire to want to fit in. And let's face it, love is love regardless of who it's between.

At what price does that blending come at? Is it really worth it if it completely changes who you've become? How sad to let the person you are slip into oblivion so that you may become someone like everyone else.

Jamie is a great character. I feel his pain and his uncertainty. I was always surprised at what he was going to do next. I'd recommend this book and I like the cover. It's pretty cool. 3 1/2 fabulous kisses for this one!

Love Drugged, is quite amazing. The plot is not only interesting, but it conveys the message to always be yourself, to not let anyone change you, or to fit their idea of perfection. If that alone doesn't make you want to read it, there's also the fact that it's written about a gay boy, by a gay man. It's interesting to see things from that point of view.
4.5Q, 5P; Cover Art: Awesome!
This book is best suited for highschoolers.
It was selected due to first being interesting in the cover, then an interest in the gay protagonist.
Grade (of reviewer): 10th
(SM-AHS-NC)

High school freshman Jamie has a big secret - he's gay - and when someone at his school finds out, he'll do anything to change who he is, to become "normal". When Jamie discovers a new miracle drug that promises to "cure" homosexuality, he jumps at the chance to take it. But when the side effects get worse and worse, Jamie has to decide whether it's worth it.

The main character has a lot of heart and I was rooting for him the whole way through. I also loved the tone of the book, which strikes a nice balance between funny and serious. I wish secondary characters had been more three-dimensional, but overall I really enjoyed this debut novel.

More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/09/love-drugged.html

Jamie is so likable that you are willing to go along on an incredibly painful ride with him. Would be a good teen book group read to get a discussion going during Pride month.

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

TAKE A DOSE OF "LOVE DRUGGED"! Side effects include: laughing out loud, insomnia (from wanting to finish), and being one step closer to finding your identity.

Jamie Bates may seem like any other teenage guy on the outside, but deep down he knows he is far from it. His constant attraction to other guys could be a huge hint that he's gay, yet Jamie does not want to come to this conclusion. In a world where phrases like "no homo" and the word "queer" can be thrown around jokingly, guys like Jamie fear it, understanding the torment and consequences that would result if their peers knew of their sexuality.

At first, Jamie finds solace with his homosexuality in an online forum, being able to discuss his interests without being ridiculed. Unfortunately, his one escape is nixed once he discovers a fellow user just so happens to go to the same school. Panicked, Jamie tries to find a way out of the island he and his online friends would be exiled to once everyone knew the truth.

Jamie's savior comes in the form of his fellow service club member, Celia Gamez. Extremely gorgeous, rich, and smart, Celia is the girl every guy would want. Jamie and Celia eventually are paired up to work on the Valentine's Day Carnation sale. With her flirtatious manner towards him, Jamie takes this as an opportunity to be put on the straight path. The idea seems to backfire in an instant though, as the physical attraction is absent, at least for Jamie.

Out of the blue, Jamie is introduced to a pill called Rehomoline, a drug that is meant to suppress the feelings one has for the same sex. When all else fails, Jamie takes this second chance to live like every other guy, without knowing the side effects that will ensue. Before he knows it, Jamie's relationship with Celia veers in a direction that he never expected, his actions become completely out of character, and the drugs begin to have serious consequences. And yet, is this all okay if it means he will end up being straight?

With having to worry about his best friend, Wes, and his own pill problem, dreams that haunt his mind, crushing on a blue-eyed classmate, and having a family that is all too plain and unsuccessful, Jamie must quickly figure out if this drug is what will cure him and give him the life he so desperately yearns for.

Every now and then a novel is published that will change the lives and minds of whoever reads it, and LOVE DRUGGED just so happens to be the one. James Klise creates a realistic character who some will fear because he is all too easy to relate to. Just like Jamie, those who are gay are sometimes unsure whether they will be accepted, mainly because a picture of a perfect, normal guy who is meant to play sports and marry a woman is painted and loved by family and friends. Little do they know that they will still be loved for who they really are.

An intriguing, perceptive, and heartwarming novel, LOVE DRUGGED may seem like any other simple coming-of-age novel, but with its twists and page-turning effect, it will ultimately leave a lasting impression.