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Jump to navigationJump to searchSevered Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider (view source)
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|isbn=978-1471115462
|pages=336
|publisher=Simon & Schuster Childrens Children's Books
|date=August 2013
|aznuk=1471115461
This is one of the most literary teen books I've read for a long time - up there with [[:Category:John Green|John Green]] - and it's a delight to read, especially thanks to frequent references to [[The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald|The Great Gatsby]], one of my favourite ever novels. I thought Ezra was an outstanding narrator with a brilliant voice, while Cassidy is an equally excellent love interest. I loved the way the relationship between the pair developed. I also enjoyed the supporting characters, especially the way that Ezra and Toby dealt with their past friendship and the gulf that had grown between them over the past few years, and thought that Schneider captured the school atmosphere very well.
It's one for more mature teens, both in terms of the language used and content - there's sex, but it's handled in a beautifully understated way, not at all explicit. Dealing with the ending of Ezra's athletic career and the effect this has on his social standing, it's a hard-hitting read and a thought-provoking one.
My overwhelming fear of spoiling the really good books means that this is another one which I'm not sure I'm doing the greatest of jobs in reviewing. Like [[You Don't Know Me by Sophia Bennett]], I went into this with little real idea of what to expect and was completely stunned by it - I'd like you to have the same experience. I hope I've made you think that you'll give it a try! One thing I can say, though, is that the ending absolutely blew me away, being unpredictable, powerful, and altogether fantastic. As for the closing paragraph - is it the best since Gatsby itself? Possibly not, but it can't be far off.
The only real link between this and [[Don't Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer]] is that they both have main characters on debate teams, but I don't need much of a link to recommend such a wonderful book as DCMI. Fans of Schneider's writing style should definitely check out the aforementioned John Green. While [[Looking For Alaska by John Green|Looking For Alaska]] and [[The Fault in Our Stars by John Green|The Fault in Our Stars]] seem to be thought of by most as his best books, [[Paper Towns by John Green|Paper Towns]] is my personal favourite.
Another fantastic recent book which is clearly inspired by [[The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald]] is [[The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell]], perhaps my favourite adult novel so far in 2013. You might also like to take a look at [[Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider]].
{{amazontext|amazon=1471115461}}
