Review of Winger by Andrew Smith

Hey there! You look super nice today - nicer than usual I mean. Welcome back to another book review, my last before starting university. The attention battle between textbooks vs novels will soon recommence. Let's get into reviewing. 

This is also a dang good cover too btw.

My first though as I finished this book was, 'Quick, write what you're feeling,' and the next few minutes I stared at a blank page. Pretty much, I didn't know what to feel about what just happened which, I guess, was the point. More on the ending later though.

Winger tells the story of a rugby playing, cartoon drawing, 14 year old boy who is struggling to 'not become an ass' under the influence of his new dorm mates. He is the youngest in the grade by 2 year and consistently tries proving self-worth to his teammates, his new friends and to his best friend Annie who has friend-zoned him to the max. Some standout characters included his stalker/perverted friend Seanie, the big-hearted Joey and of course the British rugby coach whose pleasant humour was emphasised by his 'Henry Higgins' accent.

I cannot adequately convey how funny this book was. The book was littered with cartoons Ryan Dean draws to relive moments, play out his weird nightmares or sexual fantasies. There were so many ridiculously hilarious situations -he's a male version of Mia Thermopolis really- and a lot of too-much-information alerts. Being a kind of girly-girl, it took a bit of convincing for me to truly immerse myself in the book. A few chapters in however, I was hooked. The gigantic presence of Ryan Dean as a narrator was the hero of the book for me.

And now we come to the end, which I don't really want to tell you about apart from the shell-shock numbness that washed over me. It was a great book. Truly. But I don't think I'll reread it any time soon for fear that I will notice things I over-looked the first time through. I do recommend you read this book if you like John Green. That means everyone :) 

Favourite quote:

"I shaved this morning, Joey. I had one whisker. Here Can you see it?"

I held my chin up and pointed. 

Joey leaned close and laughed.

"Yeah. Sure." And then he asked, "How was her place?"

"Incredible. I am so in love with her, Joey."

"I can see that, Ryan Dean. More than I can see that nonwhisker, that's for sure."

Leave me your thoughts on Winger and your book recommendations. Ciao!