Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Freshmen by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison - OPTIONAL

Freshmen by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison, 335 pages. Delacorte Press, 2018. $18

Language: R (100+ swears, 142 “f”); Mature Content: R (drugs, sex, and alcohol in abundance); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

Phoebe and Luke went to the same high school and now are freshmen in college together. Phoebe has had a longstanding crush on Luke, and Luke is sort of single now and he wants to be different since he is in college, playing soccer. Just when they start hooking up, there is a scandal involving the soccer team and their "Wall of Shame" where the players post pictures and rate girls they've slept with. Can Phoebe and Luke’s fledging romance take flight despite the drama? 

This is what I assume the Jersey Shore was like, except British? Lots of drinking, swearing (142 fs alone), drugs, and sex, on and off screen. Needless to say, this wasn't my college experience and I am surprised that any of the characters survived the year considering the messes they got into. I didn't love Phoebe or Luke. I didn't feel like the ultimate problem was adequately resolved. I don't think any lessons were learned. There were moments where I could see an interesting discussion on toxic masculinity, or public vs private persona, or anything more, but ultimately, it fell flat. I wouldn’t recommend this book for purchase for any school library 

Reviewer: BookswithBeddes  

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