Thank you to Shane @ Itching for Books for hosting the tour! And don’t forget to check out the rest of the schedule for more reviews, interviews, guest posts, etc. here!
About the Author:
When Erica was a kid all she did was write. She dropped out of high school and attended the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University where she was surrounded by writers and artists.
But then, in Erica's early twenties, she got a job. She worked hard at that job for 15 years and didn't write a word.
Then this happened: Erica walked into a bookstore and bought two books by Francesca Lia Block. No particular reason, she just liked their covers. Then Erica read everything Francesca wrote. She read all the YA she could. She still does. Erica think's the world that happens between 13 and 17 is everything.
She quit her job. Studied writing. And then spent three and a half years writing Uses for Boys. Now she's working on a new novel and it's like falling down a hole. Writing her first novel taught her nothing about writing the next one.
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Review:
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Series: Stand-alone
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 240
Source: eARC provided through NetGalley – thanks!
Interest: YA Contemporary; Blog Tour; Debut Author 2013
Buy the Book: IndieBound | Amazon | B&N
Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Riceballs
Book Review:
Before you read this book, ask yourself these questions:
I’m still not quite sure what I think of Anna, but as the book progresses, you might find that Anna isn’t the most likable of heroines. At times, she’s cold to those who might really care about her, or just manipulative, in order to get what she wants. She also makes a lot of choices that might also be considered “dirty”. Because of that, I admit that I couldn’t quite relate to her character, simply due to the differences in our lives, but I still admired her. By the end of the book, you really can see how strong, loving, and supportive she could be, despite her past. She just goes through so much, just to have life push her back, yet somehow she survived. To me, her recovery was, in a way, amazing!
What you expect of the book will also make or break your experience. Everything about the cover, and even some parts of the blurb SCREAM a fluffy, humorous, or somewhat happy story. Instead, Uses for Boys is much more dark and gritty – throughout the story, you encounter alcohol, rape, heartbreak, runaways, and so many other things. In fact, you don’t meet Sam (who, as you can see from the blurb, is probably the positive part in Anna’s story) until about 60 or 70% into the book. Before that, Anna suffered so much, and it didn’t seem like it would get better. The mood and story definitely weren’t fluffy, except for a few romantic moments with Sam, so if you’re looking for a beach or weekend type of read, you’ll probably get something you completely didn’t expect.
Of course, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but rather, maybe something unexpected. The plot might have a sad beginning, but it’s more of a story about learning to move on and recover, even after struggling so much. At times, Anna’s story is heart breaking, but it’s also moving and emotional. By the end of the book, you do also end up with a sense of hope for Anna, for a sort of “new beginning”, and a chance for happiness.
The language is probably my one qualm about the book. As the book went on, sometimes Anna’s voiced seemed detached and a bit jumbled because of how the author worded her language. Sometimes the book also skips around in terms of order of plot events, making it a bit confusing for me. Sometimes some details are also skipped over, so I suppose you also have to infer what had just happened. For this, what I suggest is to read the first few pages, if you get the chance, to see if you’re fine with the language. Eventually, I got used to it, but it could be a bit taxing to get through.
And on an age-appropriateness note, Uses for Boys is probably a VERY mature YA novel, maybe even in the New Adult category. There are A LOT of sex scenes, many of them being pretty graphic…
Overall, Uses for Boys, for me, was a moving story about recovery, with a surprisingly strong heroine. If you’re looking for a darker and different type of contemporary, you might want to consider Uses for Boys, although as always, I suggest reading the first few pages or checking the book out at the library to see if the book is for you (:
- Are you okay with graphic sex scenes?Uses for Boys is the type of book that someone could completely hate or just fall in love with, but it really depends on what type of reader you are. Admittedly, it’s not the type of book that would appeal to many YA readers, especially if they’re expecting something completely different. Personally however, it was a heart-breaking story of recovery for one broken yet terribly strong girl.
- What exactly are you expecting out of this book?
- Are you fine with unlikable characters, or characters that make decisions that you might not ever make? Even if they bend morals or values you’ve known your whole life?
I’m still not quite sure what I think of Anna, but as the book progresses, you might find that Anna isn’t the most likable of heroines. At times, she’s cold to those who might really care about her, or just manipulative, in order to get what she wants. She also makes a lot of choices that might also be considered “dirty”. Because of that, I admit that I couldn’t quite relate to her character, simply due to the differences in our lives, but I still admired her. By the end of the book, you really can see how strong, loving, and supportive she could be, despite her past. She just goes through so much, just to have life push her back, yet somehow she survived. To me, her recovery was, in a way, amazing!
What you expect of the book will also make or break your experience. Everything about the cover, and even some parts of the blurb SCREAM a fluffy, humorous, or somewhat happy story. Instead, Uses for Boys is much more dark and gritty – throughout the story, you encounter alcohol, rape, heartbreak, runaways, and so many other things. In fact, you don’t meet Sam (who, as you can see from the blurb, is probably the positive part in Anna’s story) until about 60 or 70% into the book. Before that, Anna suffered so much, and it didn’t seem like it would get better. The mood and story definitely weren’t fluffy, except for a few romantic moments with Sam, so if you’re looking for a beach or weekend type of read, you’ll probably get something you completely didn’t expect.
Of course, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but rather, maybe something unexpected. The plot might have a sad beginning, but it’s more of a story about learning to move on and recover, even after struggling so much. At times, Anna’s story is heart breaking, but it’s also moving and emotional. By the end of the book, you do also end up with a sense of hope for Anna, for a sort of “new beginning”, and a chance for happiness.
The language is probably my one qualm about the book. As the book went on, sometimes Anna’s voiced seemed detached and a bit jumbled because of how the author worded her language. Sometimes the book also skips around in terms of order of plot events, making it a bit confusing for me. Sometimes some details are also skipped over, so I suppose you also have to infer what had just happened. For this, what I suggest is to read the first few pages, if you get the chance, to see if you’re fine with the language. Eventually, I got used to it, but it could be a bit taxing to get through.
And on an age-appropriateness note, Uses for Boys is probably a VERY mature YA novel, maybe even in the New Adult category. There are A LOT of sex scenes, many of them being pretty graphic…
Overall, Uses for Boys, for me, was a moving story about recovery, with a surprisingly strong heroine. If you’re looking for a darker and different type of contemporary, you might want to consider Uses for Boys, although as always, I suggest reading the first few pages or checking the book out at the library to see if the book is for you (:
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