Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Liam Geller is the son of a successful former model and an uptight CEO. The pressure placed on him to succeed from a very young age, combined with the layers of emotional abuse suffered from the words of his father, results in causing him to believe that he's not good at anything except "screwing up". When a final mistake at home causes his father to kick him out he goes to live with his "Aunt" Pete, a man who's been estranged from his family for years due to his refusal to conform to what had been expected of him.
The story goes on to share Liam's struggle of coming to terms with the fact that his parents aren't perfect and he isn't broken, as they've lead him to believe he is. The humor in this story is all a mask of much deeper issues. It's a rewarding read because of the beautifully constructed main characters. But, there will also be points when you'd like to thorw it across the room because of the anger that the other, minor characters, instill in you as a reader.
K.L. Going does a fantastic job of making you feel like you could be a watcher in this smalltown of Pineville, experiencing the ups and downs of Liam and his uncle as a next-door neighbor really would.
The one thing I would state against this book (and the reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars) is that it's not for middle-schoolers. Sure, there may be some kids mature enough to handle the subject matter at that age, but I feel that the majority of 12-year-olds out there would not be able to grasp the dynamics of this story.
These are hard subjects to handle, even for a high-schooler. But I would definitely advise that the sexual innuendo, language and subtle detailing of emotional abuse would be much better received by a slightly older audience than what the cover of the book recommends.
Other than that, A+.
Click Here to see more reviews about: King of the Screwups
