Title: Awkward
Author: Marni Bates
Series: N/A
Publisher: K-Teen
Publish Date: 12/27/11
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 300
Source: Borrowed from Library
Buy the Book: Awkward
SUMMARY: Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she’s the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous – not to mention unwelcome – attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that’s when life gets really interesting… (Via Amazon)
BRIAN’S REVIEW: Awkward is so effortlessly charming, funny, and entertaining, that it pains all us aspiring authors to learn that Marni Bates is only in her early twenties. It’s one of those teen reads that’s not very deep or particularly thought-provoking, but just makes you happy. The protagonist Mackenzie is a lovable train wreck, the kind of high school girl who thinks herself a touch bit more awkward than all the rest. A quirky book like this lives and dies by its main character, and Mackenzie is a joy to read. Let’s be honest — we’ve all at one point in our lives seen ourselves in her shoes. We might not all have become overnight Youtube sensations — oh wait, I have — but it’s easy to identify with a person who’s always felt in many ways like an outsider.
Mackenzie thinks herself invisible, but that all changes when she accidentally knocks a football player to the ground and attempts to give him CPR, even though he’s not in need of it. Someone films the incident from beginning to end, and before Mackenzie can say Youtube, the video has gone viral. Part of the joy of this book is the way Bates weaves elements of the real world into her fictional story. For example, the embarrassing video goes viral when Ashton Kutcher tweets about the video. The book in many scenes is so engaging because it feels like it’s something that could really happen. At first you might think, “a goofy video like this could never make an ordinary person into a celebrity.” But in 2012? It’s not about how talented and special you are. It’s about what makes people laugh at their computer screen!
The premise of Awkward is imaginative but it’s definitely the kind that could have fizzled out after fifty pages or so. But Bates takes the idea to its fullest potential, keeping Mackenzie grounded and in wonder even when she’s appearing on Ellen. (Yep, she has a full-on conversation with Ellen Degeneres on her talk show!) Despite the high concept premise, Mackenzie never gets brash or self-centered. She always stays her original charming self. Her relationship with the attractive Logan is a joy to watch play out, and I loved her eccentric, lovable friend Jane. The book zips along from beginning to end, all the way to its romantic, and earned, happy ending.
Ultimately what I loved most about Awkward was the voice. I’ve been trying to develop my own voice as a writer for many years, but Bates has already found hers. All of her characters, not just the protagonist, leap off the page, and keep us fully engaged throughout the story. Bates’ striking, original voice is a revelation, and it’s one that will keep me seeking out all the books she has yet to write! Don’t let Awkward pass you by, it’s a must read. And keep an eye on Marni bates. This is an author to watch!
