The Spectacular Now, Tim Tharp

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp reviewed by Izzy


Author: Twitter
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 304 pages
Buy this book: Amazon
Rating: 4 Stars

What is this book about? 
SUTTER KEELY. HE’S the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He’ ll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

Who should read this book?

It will have most impact on teens aged 13 and up

Would you have tea with the protagonist? (Aimee)

Yes of course.

Would you fall for the main love interest? (Sutter)

For me, Sutter would be the boy I would want to save.

Would you want to 'strain' the main antagonist? (Sutter's Dad)

Yes. The scene between Sutter and his Dad made me weep.

Were the characters three dimensional?

YES. Sutter particularly was possibly one of the most interesting characters I have ever read, not just in YA fiction but in fiction generally.

Do you like the authors flavour of writing?

Easy to read, but continually interesting, yes.

Was the writing strong or weak?

Strong. Tharp created a voice that was 100% recognizable- a difficult feat but managed with such ease.

Was the ending to your taste?

At first no, but after consideration, yes. I feel this may be the answer given by lots of people.

If this cover were tea, would you drink it?

I had the cover with Miles Teller on the front. So what do you think? Have you seen Miles Teller? Come on, Miles Teller people. He was in Footloose. Footloose. (Please say Miles Teller never reads this)

Favourite Quote?

"Childhood was a fantastic country to live in." 

Overview: The most remarkable thing about The Spectacular Now was that it was not what I was expecting at all. Sutter was not how I imagined him and he was a character I had never read before. His voice shone throughout the book and he became utterly real and alive to me. Even with books I adore this doesn't always happen. I cried and laughed for him. For the character of Sutter Keeley, YA literature should be eternally grateful to Tharp. The plot was good and strong, but Sutter really lifted this book into "great" for me.