Book Blog #169: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
# of Pages: 295 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Humor
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: This is the funniest book you’ll ever read about death.

It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he’s figured it out. The answer to the basic existential question: How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl. This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg’s mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg’s entire life.
Review: I have no idea how to write this stupid review.

Seriously, this book was a strange combination of funny and general weirdness that I don't know what to think. One moment I was mentally hating on the crazy formatting (scripts/bullet points/lists), and the next I was literally laughing out loud.  I almost gave this book three stars instead of four because I was really getting an "Average Joe" vibe. I'd say the actual rating is three and a half stars.

"Though this novel begs...comparisons to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, it stands on its own in inventiveness, humor, and heart." -Kirkus Reviews

At first glance, this book seems like TFIOS. There's a "dying girl", the writing style and characters are a bit quirky, and both are realistic fictional stories about teenagers. But that's basically where the similarities end.

"This book contains precisely zero Important Life Lessons, or Little-Known Facts About Love, or sappy tear-jerking Moments When We Knew We Had Left Our Childhood Behind for Good" (Andrews 3). 

 TFIOS is definitely more emotionally engaging (fall in love with Gus and Hazel's relationships and then cry at the end) while MEDG is mostly for the laughs. I wasn't even remotely close to crying at the end of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and I don't think you're necessarily suppose to.

I actually wanted to be more emotionally engaged so that's part of the reason why I didn't give it a perfect score/rating. The other reason was because the ending was incredibly underwhelming.

This book is great for teens age 14+, or people who can tolerate profanities and crude(?) humor. And MEDG is GREAT for people who trying to get into reading.