Review: Winter Town

Winter Town
Stephen Emond
YA contemporary

Every winter, straight-laced, Ivy League bound Evan looks forward to a visit from Lucy, a childhood pal who moved away after her parent's divorce. But when Lucy arrives this year, she's changed. The former "girl next door" now has chopped dyed black hair, a nose stud, and a scowl. But Evan knows that somewhere beneath the Goth, "Old Lucy" still exists, and he's determined to find her... even if it means pissing her off. 
Can opposites attract? Or does growing up mean having to grow apart?

Told from two perspectives, this funny and honest novel by Stephen Emond (Happyface) is a unique combination of text, comic strips, and art. It's an indie movie in a book, perfect for the inner outcast and lovelorn nerd in us all.

Sounds like a win, right? Winter Town was a good read, but compared to my expectations for it it fell a little short. I liked the honesty of it- Lucy and Evan were the best of friends, in the most real sense of the word. Their hardships were real ones that real kids face, and the nerdiness between friends belonging to fandoms was something so relatable it had me cracking a smile at my friends' and I's similar antics. 

On the other hand, I felt the characters had a lot of depth that wasn't described. Lucy's story about her last year was told as an interlude, and in a kinda distant way. It could have been heart wrenching and painful for the characters but their feelings were a little muted. Like, you're told they're sad, but you're not shown it. 

It took me awhile to warm up to all the drawings and comics throughout the book, but as it progressed I started to see it's importance to the characters and their story. Regardless of that, they were kinda cute(;
Rating: 


Unrelated: Going to see Catching Fire tonight!! Who's excited??
Esty