So F*cking Special: 1996
Raye Murphy
Publisher: RupertBossier
Publication date: March 15, 2024
Genre: Young Adult
Rating:
A 90’s Friday Night Lights meets Fifty Shades… only the town is the sadomasochist and the two young lovers its pawns.
July Elizabeth Edwards is stuck in the existence her pretentious, rural East Texas town has allotted her. A shift in social status junior year provokes unlikely ride or die friendships, others’ secrets she’s not allowed to tell, and an unexpected crush on the ambitious Adrian Reed. The result is far more insatiable than anyone anticipated.
Before cell phones and social media, walk the halls of Pure Pines High as they are set figuratively to a Soundtrack of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Counting Crows, R.E.M., The Cranberries and Radiohead… When the preps were challenged by the grunge phase, and polo shirts and loafers were traded in for flannel shirts and name brand combat boots. Their world was changing, and it was hard to remain CLUELESS.
She’s known and competed with him her entire life. He was conceited and arrogant. She was treading water to survive Pure Pines. When circumstances strip them of cheerleading and football, the odds throw a replacement neither of them expects, and something the halls of Pure Pines High are certain to reject. One touch, an out of ordinary lingering stare, and something ignites that won’t die down, only does it count if it’s a secret? How long will it stay behind closed doors? When love is denied, lust becomes unapologetic.
My thoughts…
I loved the premise of this story. As a 90’s kid, I was excited to read a book about life before cell phones, and social media. A time before everything was recorded and uploaded for everyone to see. The 90’s were a time where it was dog eat dog. If you bullied someone, you did it to their face, not over the internet. If you had a crush on someone, you gave them side eyes while giggling with your friends, you didn’t DM them. The 90’s just seem like such a more simple time, and I was excited to dive back into nostalgia.
Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. The story jumps around a lot and it was hard to get my bearings. I had no sense of timeline of events, and didn’t know if things were happening at the same time, days apart, or months apart. I also couldn’t get a good grasp on the characters themselves. I didn’t feel like anyone had their own distinct voice. In the end, the book felt more like the author was telling us their vision for the book, versus painting the picture for us to see it and that disconnect kept me from really connecting with the story.
