Tonight the Streets are Ours by Leila Sales

Challenge #12 ~ “A book about reading, books or an author/writer.”

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

My opinion in three sentences:

I was largely indifferent at first, it being a readable but not soul-consuming book, and then everything picked up in the second-half, propelling into the promised tale. Tonight the Streets Are Ours offered some interesting ideas on the notion of self-worth and value amid friendships, but at times the protagonist was a little hard to connect with (particularly at the start). Nevertheless, for a cute little coming-of-age tale, Sales’ story isn’t half-bad, and not horrifically written to boot!

(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:

There’s mystery around Peter’s blog. It’s clear he’s a good writer (even if he does turn out to be a pretty douche-y character), and the way Sales leaves some points unexplored is a great testimony to the complex nature of life. The blog doesn’t have all the answers (in a way that actually turns out to be an epic twist!) and this is the most realistic portrayal of such a concept I’ve seen. Life isn’t cut and dried or tied up in a neat bow, so why should the (supposedly) unfolding life of a fictional character be so?

A warning for the book: 

Getting into the story can take a while. Not only is Arden a little hard to connect with at first (whether this is due to how bland she comes across, or her lack of self-awareness as a narrator, I can’t be too sure), but it takes a good half the book for us to actually get to New York, supposedly where the story is set! Once things get going, it becomes a movie-worth of action, drama and unexpected turns, but perseverance is needed to get that far.

Recommended for fans of:

• The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
• Whisper to Me by Nick Lake
• Without Annette by Jane B. Mason