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A review by beb5z
Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer
4.0
I was fortunate enough to receive a Netgalley ARC of Call It What You Want by Bridgette Kemmerer, a realistic fiction that explores the story of Rob and Maegan’s unlikely connection. Both characters have garnered the ire of most of their classmates, Maegan through her involvement in an SAT cheating scandal that ended up invalidating the scores of over 100 classmates, and Rob by being the son of a financial advisor who attempted suicide after stealing millions of dollars from unsuspecting clients, most of whom are the parents of his former best friends. When Maegan and Rob are partnered for a math assignment, both expect the worst, but their relationship quickly grows beyond a school project as Rob tries to define himself against his father’s infamous legacy and Maegan navigates the tricky waters of how to support her sister after an unplanned pregnancy.
While the plot is compelling, Kemmerer’s ability to capture the nuances of character is what truly drives this book. Almost no character is pictured as fully good or fully bad; for example, when unburdening himself about his mixed feelings about his father, Rob comments, “He was awful...but he wasn’t an awful father.” Kemmerer captures the duality of real life in Call It What You Want; best friends inadvertently betray, strong siblings display weaknesses, good people do bad things, parents fail to communicate, and moral issues appear murky. There is an exploration of poverty, labels, morality, and what it means to do right, but, as in life, this novel offers no easy answers. In the end, readers are left with the clear impression that there is good in almost everyone and, as Kemmerer repeats through a number of characters, “One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”
By considering the gray areas of life and confronting some starkly difficult situations while mixing in just the right amount of teen romance and mystery, Kemmerer succeeds in creating a compelling read that will appeal to a wide audience and encourage empathy. Call It What You Want is a strong choice for any high school library where realistic fiction is popular.
While the plot is compelling, Kemmerer’s ability to capture the nuances of character is what truly drives this book. Almost no character is pictured as fully good or fully bad; for example, when unburdening himself about his mixed feelings about his father, Rob comments, “He was awful...but he wasn’t an awful father.” Kemmerer captures the duality of real life in Call It What You Want; best friends inadvertently betray, strong siblings display weaknesses, good people do bad things, parents fail to communicate, and moral issues appear murky. There is an exploration of poverty, labels, morality, and what it means to do right, but, as in life, this novel offers no easy answers. In the end, readers are left with the clear impression that there is good in almost everyone and, as Kemmerer repeats through a number of characters, “One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”
By considering the gray areas of life and confronting some starkly difficult situations while mixing in just the right amount of teen romance and mystery, Kemmerer succeeds in creating a compelling read that will appeal to a wide audience and encourage empathy. Call It What You Want is a strong choice for any high school library where realistic fiction is popular.