Kind review of “Playing With Matches” by the Greenbeanteenqueen
From www.greenbeanteenqueen.com :
I read this one because it was on the Gateway premlinary nominee list and I’m so glad it was. I’m not sure if I would have come across it otherwise. I wasn’t sure what to expect-I’ll admit when I first saw it on the list, I thought “oh, it’s just on there because it’s a Missouri author.” But I was blown away by this book.
Brian Katcher packed so much emotion into this story-I found myself tearing up at parts and honestly, I don’t cry that much in books. The characters are all well drawn and the writing flows easily. I wanted to keep reading this one and found myself staying up late to do so.
Things moved a little fast, but I reminded myself I was reading about teens. I did like that it didn’t take long to get the book going-I hate when the book jacket tells you a main plot point that doesn’t happen until halfway through. That is not the case here-the story starts right away.
The only complaint I really had was Amy’s character wasn’t what I expected. I thought the way she turned out was a little unrealistic. I did like that she surprised me and had more depth though. (I don’t want to spoil the book, so I won’t say much else).
I would give this one to readers who have enjoyed John Green’s novels-I can see the audience being the same. I’m looking forward to reading Brian Katcher’s latest novel, Almost Perfect, and I’m very proud to say he’s a Missouri author!
I’m glad you found my review and I found out Playing Matches made it onto the Gateway list for next year-congrats! We’re proud to have you in MO!
Im not that old but i do have to say a few things, Playing with Matches was a great book ands down, you could picture it all in your head because the writing was wonderful, and it sounds just like a teenage boys life;mixed up with girls and doesnt know what to do till its to late. I hope i can read many more books just as good as this one and i hope to read more by you.
Thank you so much for writing “Playing With Matches”! It was amazing to read. I’m a teenager and i thought the story was sweet and hilarious. Keep up the great work. I can’t wait to read books by you in the future (I’ll be reading “Almost Perfect” soon).