TTYL by Lauren Myracle

Title: TTYL

Author: Lauren Myracle

Release Date: April 1, 2004

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Page Number: 209

Source: Library

- Goodreads

 

Synopsis: Audacious author Lauren Myracle accomplishes something of a literary miracle in her second young-adult novel, ttyl (Internet instant messaging shorthand for "talk to you later"), as she crafts an epistolary novel entirely out of IM transcripts between three high-school girls.

Far from being precious, the format proves perfect for accurately capturing the sweet histrionics and intimate intricacies of teenage girls. Grownups (and even teenage boys) might feel as if they've intercepted a raw feed from Girl Secret Headquarters, as the book's three protagonists--identified by their screen names "SnowAngel," "zoegirl," and "mad maddieIM reduction of the Christian poem "Footprints"--"oh, no, my son. no, no, no. i was carrying u, don't u c?").

My Review

This is going to be a different kind of review today, because 1. TTYL is a different kind of book, and 2. I had kind of a like/dislike relationship with this book. Because for everything I liked in this book there were things I didn't.

 

Pros

1. This book is told in instant messages, which I thought was super nifty! I had never heard of a book told like that.
2. I really liked Zoe's character (zoegirl). She seemed the most down to Earth of the three characters, and she wasn't as dramatic.
3. This book was pretty funny sometimes. There were some parts that I just laughed out loud, and I thought that was refreshing.
4. This book seemed like real life. I felt like these girls could be real 10th graders talking through instant message about boys, school, and everything that girls talk about.
5. This book was a really quick read. There wasn't much of a plot, it was just the girls talking about their lives, but I still found it interesting.
6. All three of the characters showed real development throughout the book.

Cons

1.  Angela (SnowAngel) was really dramatic. She was always obsessing over her latest crush, and while I get that girls do that, they don't do it 24/7.
2. Because there was not definite plot, I sometimes felt that this book went in circles, with the girls talking about the same topics over and over again. Sometimes I just wanted a change.
3.  I felt that you couldn't really get a look inside the three girls' heads because this book was told in instant messages. I really just wanted to hear some of these girls emotions and know what they were thinking sometimes.

Rating: 4/5 worms

I thought this book was enjoyable, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary.