Review: Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You – Todd Hasak-Lowy

Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You – Todd Hasak-Lowy

A heartfelt, humorous story of a teen boy’s impulsive road trip after the shock of his lifetime—told entirely in lists! 

Darren hasn't had an easy year. 

There was his parents’ divorce, which just so happened to come at the same time his older brother Nate left for college and his longtime best friend moved away. And of course there’s the whole not having a girlfriend thing. 

Then one Thursday morning Darren's dad shows up at his house at 6 a.m. with a glazed chocolate doughnut and a revelation that turns Darren’s world inside out. In full freakout mode, Darren, in a totally un-Darren move, ditches school to go visit Nate. Barely twenty-four hours at Nate’s school makes everything much better or much worse—Darren has no idea. It might somehow be both. All he knows for sure is that in addition to trying to figure out why none of his family members are who they used to be, he’s now obsessed with a strangely amazing girl who showed up out of nowhere but then totally disappeared. 

Told entirely in lists, Todd Hasak-Lowy's debut YA novel perfectly captures why having anything to do with anyone, including yourself, is: 

1. painful 2. unavoidable 3. ridiculously complicated 4. possibly, hopefully the right thing after all.

Review: Fifteen-year-old Darren is having trouble coping with his parents’ divorce and his brother going away to college. One day, while visiting his brother, Darren meets Zoey, a strange girl who changes his life. But, Zoey disappears before Darren can learn anything about her.

Since this novel is written entirely in lists, I thought it should be reviewed in lists.

5 Reasons that this Book is Awesome

1. It’s a story told in lists. How cool is that?

2. Darren is a fairly realistic teenager. He’s a little depressed, very average, not always likeable.

3. Darren’s brother is funny. Nate is my favorite character, even though he’s also not very likeable.

4. Darren’s father is loving and patient. I wish Darren was nicer to him.

5. The book is over 600 pages, but it doesn’t take very long to read. Because it’s written in lists.

5 Reasons that I Struggled to Finish this Book

1. It’s bloated. Many of the lists are pointless. They don’t advance the plot or develop the characters. Sometimes the lists even seem to hinder the storytelling.

2. The story is bland and lacks suspense. I had a hard time staying interested in the plot because there isn’t really a plot.

3. I didn’t love any of the characters. They’re okay, but not particularly memorable.

4. Why is this story told in lists? There has to be a reason. The author tries to give one at the end, but it’s not enough of a reason for me.

5. I didn’t completely understand Darren’s reactions to anything. Why is he so obsessed with Zoey? Why is he so angry at his father?

2 Additional Thoughts

1. The execution is interesting and original, but the story and characters aren’t.

2. I’m slightly disappointed.