Cover of Be That Way by Hope Larson. A white teen girl with dyed red hair and paint splatters holds several brushes in her hand

About the Book

Title: Be That Way
Published: 2023

Cover Story: Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Drinking Buddy: Teen Crush
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (language, marijuana and alcohol)
Talky Talk: Teen Malaise
Bonus Factors: Journals, Video Stores
Bromance Status: Have a Great Summer!

Cover Story: Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Yeah, kind of sums up the ‘I’m not like other girls and no boy will ever notice me because I’m a kooky artist even though I’m objectively really cute’ vibe.

The Deal:

It’s 1996. high school junior Christine just had a falling out with her best friend Landry. After a regrettable kiss with her friend Paul, Christine uses her journal to take stock of her life and wonder where things are going…especially with cute neighbor boy Whit.

Drinking Buddy: Teen Crush

Two pints of beer cheersing

Well, I’d party with Christine. She’s funny, artistic, and isn’t willing to let guys push her around (when Whit is mean to her, we’re treated to a drawing of him being eaten by wild dogs). On the other hand, she’s nothing that stands out. In a year, she’ll have faded into the soup of a hundred other YA heroines.

I do like the creative types in the book. Christine is an artist and we actually get to see her work. Whit is an aspiring writer (though he likes to talk about writing more than actually writing). Paul has written a screenplay called Nuclear Submarine (not a military thriller, but the story of a guy who works at a sandwich shop). Christine’s coworker is an aspiring movie maker.

MPAA Rating: R (language, alcohol and marijuana use, sex)

I almost forgot about the sex, but it does happen. You’d think that in the journal of a young girl, it would be a much bigger event, but I’ve read books where a first kiss is described in more detail. But I guess that’s the point. She was hoping for skyrockets and ended up with firecrackers (I got that analogy from The Brady Bunch). Also, there’s Paul, her oldest friend, who totally gets her artistic aspirations and is being mistreated by his jealous girlfriend JenIFFER (not Jen!). I think we know how all of this is going to end up.

Christine and her friends make a bong out of an apple. Remember the apple bongs back in the 90s? The Coke cans? Tinfoil and coin pipes? Anyone?

Talky Talk: Teen Malaise

This book is fewer than 270 pages, and as it’s in journal form, the text is large and flowery. The author also includes a lot of excellent drawings. However, without the pictures and with standard text size, I doubt we’d have 200 pages. Also, if you’re going to give us a journal, give us a journal. Everything was perfectly spelled and punctuated, and even worse, Christine underlines the titles of books, movies, and video games. Does anyone actually do that when writing longhand in a journal for their eyes only? It kind of took me out of the story.

Also, I’m not sure if setting the story in the 90s did anything other than give the main character a chance to work in a video store. Except for name dropping some movies and not having a cell phone, this could easily have been set in present day.

Bonus Factors: Journal

An open notebook filled with writing and a fountain pen laid across a page.

When a teacher caught Christine drawing a picture of a girl with self-harm scars, they sent her to the counselor. Even though she had no intention of hurting herself, it was ‘suggested’ she use a journal to work out her feelings. Christine finds she enjoys the experience, and as she’s an artist, a lot of the entries are doodles, portraits, etc.

Hey, I’ve kept a journal since 1995. And it was interesting to read someone else’s journal, which, unlike mine, wasn’t just a long list of people who have wronged me.

Bonus Factor: Video Stores

Screenshot from Gilmore Girls of the Stars Hollow Video storefront

The kids today will never understand the joy of grabbing some fast food and snacks, and then heading over to the local video store (or even a grocery store) to rent a couple of VHS tapes. Scouring the shelves for something that hadn’t been rented, seeing if you were willing to plop down $3 for a new release, and then driving over to someone’s house for a binge, only to have everyone get angry with you because you swore that C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. was going to be really funny.

Christine works at a video store and has access to all of Paul’s rental history. ‘Hey, I rented that for my parents!’

Bromance Status: Have a Great Summer!

A nice, frothy little read, with excellent illustrations. I’m there not so much for the words as the pictures.

Literary Matchmaking

A Wrinkle In Time: The Graphic Novel

Check out the graphic novel of A Wrinkle in Time, by the same illustrator.

And She Was

Jessica Verdi’s  And She Was is a more intense book featuring a journal from the 1990s.

When You Get the Chance

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord reminds us that not all old journals are in physical form.

FCC Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher, but no money or booze from their parents’ cabinet.

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Brian wrote his first YA novel when he was down and out in Mexico. He now lives in Missouri with his wonderful wife and daughter. He divides his time between writing and working as a school librarian. Brian still misses the preachy YA books of the eighties.