Monday

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Author: Antony John
Pages: 352
Genre: YA
THE CHALLENGE: Piper has one month to get a paying gig for Dumb—the hottest new rock band in school.

THE DEAL: If she does it, she'll become manager of the band and get her share of the profits, which she desperately needs since her parents raided her college fund.

THE CATCH: Managing one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl who is ready to beat her up. And doing it all when she's deaf. With growing self-confidence, an unexpected romance, and a new understanding of her family's decision to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, Piper just may discover her own inner rock star. [via GoodReads]
This book was AWESOME!  Piper is one hell of a leading lady.  She never intended to end up the manager of a rock band, a very unlikely role for someone who is deaf.  But nevertheless, she finds that being Dumb's manager might be the best thing to happen to her.  I immediately identified with Piper.  I'm sure most girls and women can.  She is struggling with all sorts of issues from self-esteem, family, lack of popularity at school, etc.  

I can't even begin to tell you what great characters you'll find in this story.  They are all quirky and eclectic yet come together so perfectly.  There is great character development and maturity and I'm sure anyone can relate with at least one of them (if not more).

Piper's issues with her parents raiding her college fund in order to buy a cochlear implant for her sister was the more serious tone in the story.  I was intrigued to see how Piper reacted to this.  And was surprised that she reacted not in anger that her college funds had somewhat depleted, but that the bond she shared with her deaf sister would be severed.  The one thing they had in common would be no longer.  It was touching and definitely pulled on the heartstrings.  

I loved the tone of this novel.  It is told in a very fresh and fun voice.  I loved the way it portrayed Piper's family life (dysfunctional, yet loving), how a deaf girl can learn to love music, making new friends, starting new relationships and even a little romance was thrown in there.  Irresistibly hard to put down.  One of the best books I've read this year.


My Rating:

13 comments:

  1. Eleni1:42 PM

    Love this review! I was on the fence about this one, but I think I'll be buying it now. :)

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  2. Brooke T1:46 PM

    oh my gosh! I love your review and definitely going to have to read this one. I'm hard of hearing so I can sort of relate :)

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  3. Cinette2:48 PM

    I hadn't heard of this novel; thanks for putting it on my radar!

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  4. Caitlin3:35 PM

    I want to read this book so much because it sounded really cool and now I'm so glad to hear you liked it so much! Thanks for the great review :D

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  5. Edna4:55 PM

    Heck I like it for the title alone. It's great that it has a good story to back it up. I'm definitely putting this on my tbr list. Thanks for the review!

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  6. holdenj7:42 PM

    Wow, what a great reveiw, I will have to check it out.

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  7. Erin8:03 PM

    I've been looking forward to this book for so long. I can't wait for its release! great review!

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  8. Anna8:11 PM

    great review! can't wait to read this one!

    please check out my blog and my reviews too!:

    http://theburstingbookshelf.blogspot.com/

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  9. CHRISTIE11:19 PM

    Fantastic review! I wasn’t sure about this one, but now I’ll keep on my TBR list.

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  10. Antony John11:59 PM

    Thank you so much for the lovely review, Nely. I'm thrilled you enjoyed DUMB, and loved Piper's (admittedly rather insane) family. The book was a joy to write, and it's so cool to know it's fun to read, too!

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  11. Missie, The Unread Reader1:36 PM

    Never heard of this book or the author, but after reading your review, I raced over to amazon and put the book on in my pre-order cart!

    I love the cover, and as usual, your enthusiasm has me eager to read it.

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  12. Lu10:14 PM

    I added this to my " to read" list! Thanks for bringing this book to my attention!

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  13. Applegateyuee12:05 AM

    [Joey finishes his cereal, licks his spoon, and puts it back in the silverware drawer.] Centon DataStick 128GB USB Flash Drive (RCDSW128GB-001). • Serve in half a cantaloupe or add to vegetable or fruit salad recipes This begs the question:

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