• About

Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach

~ I TEACH emerging female writers in tv/film & novels HOW to create stories to fall in love with✨© Stephanie Bourbon 2022

Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach

Daily Archives: September 9, 2015

GREAT YA-NOT AFTER EVERYTHING by Michelle Levy

09 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Do you want a GREAT YA novel about a truly sad, messed up kid dealing with overwhelming grief? Read NOT AFTER EVERYTHING by Michelle Levy

Boy-on-steps-400x300

*I chose the above photo because to me, it says everything about the main character in this story. I found it on the internet, but here is the actual cover.

18520658

This book is the BEST book with a boy lead that I have read in years. I can say that immediately it reminded me of S.E. Hinton’s THE OUTSIDERS, and J.D. Salinger’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. I was obsessed with both of these books as a middle school kid going through more than any kid should-and they are why I became a writer.

When I opened Michelle’s book I couldn’t stop reading it. Although since I was on a plane headed to a workshop for writers, I had to. I picked it back up on the return flight and finished it. The day I finished it, I started again from page one and read it a second time. I rarely reread a book the same day that I finish it, but I wanted to savor every single word because it’s so authentic, gritty, raw and tragic.

To say that I love this book is a gross understatement. I beyond loved it. The reason? TYLER-the main character is so REAL that it’s scary. If I didn’t know Michelle personally I would swear this was written by a man because she nails the voice of a teen boy. I even have read passages from it to my boyfriend who agrees wholeheartedly.

*I also write boy leads from the POV of the boy, so this gives me so much inspiration to know that I can do it. Michelle is my female-writer-boy-POV-guru! 🙂

This book reminds me of Andrew Smith’s work. Andrew is the author of many teen books with male leads such as GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, 100 SIDEWAYS MILES, STICK, and my favorite WINGER (and now the sequel STAND-OFF). When I first started reading Andrew’s books, I was taken in immediately by the voice. Michelle Levy does the same thing in NOT AFTER EVERYTHING.

I don’t like reviews that give away everything in a story or rewrite a synopsis so I will spare you that. But I will say that this is a tremendous look into grief, heartache, pain, addiction, social bullshit that comes in highschool and financial hardship. TYLER has lost his mother to suicide before we even meet him. His plans for college and his future have been undone by the actions of his mother. He is struggling to find his way back throughout the book. He discovers a lot about himself through his new friendship with Jordyn-a goth girl at school, who he used to be friends with before he became popular and she became weird.

At the beginning of the book, he isn’t playing football anymore, and things with his girlfriend are falling apart. The only time they are together she is using him just to be seen helping the sad, sad, boy. Told in the first person point of view, the reader gets an awesome insight into the mind of this kid going through hell. When they break up, he is even more alone and depressed. Then he reconnects with Jordyn and she is the only one who isn’t pussyfooting around him, feeling sorry for him, or treating him differently. While it takes them a bit to connect when they finally do, it’s amazing.

There is a part in the book where he hooks up with a random girl who he meets at his job. I especially like this passage because the way he feels when she leaves is HONEST. He feels even more alone than he did before she came over, which is very real, even for guys.

Now onto the big issue his mother’s death by taking her own life. Suicide is a particularly hard thing to deal with, especially for a teen. Whenever we lose anyone in life, it’s hard. When the person is a family member, it’s really hard. When the person is a family member, and they kill themselves, it’s devastating. How we react is everything about who we are. How Tyler reacts to his mother’s death is tragic, hard to watch and yet beautifully sad at the same time.

This book was compared with a couple other books that I just don’t understand. If I were to say anything about where this belongs on the shelves, besides the TEEN BEST SELLER list, it would be with Jay Asher’s THIRTEEN REASONS WHY and Jennifer Niven’s ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES. Not just because they are books that involve suicide and death because they are books that deal with the way characters handle suicide and death.

Or I would say, and am saying this. If you like Andrew Smith’s WINGER, and you like Jay Asher’s THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, you’ll LOVE Michelle Levy’s new book NOT AFTER EVERYTHING.

If it were a few decades back, I would say the same but replace the above books with S.E. Hinton’s THE OUTSIDES and J.D. Salinger’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.

Buy this book, tell your friends about it, because it’s deserving of it, and you will love it. If you really want to get inside the head of someone going through some tough times, read this book.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

Categories

  • Children's books
  • Just For Fun
  • My journey into Hollywood writing :0)
  • NEWS
  • Novels
  • Writing (film & television)
Follow Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach on WordPress.com

Blogroll

  • I'm Just Sayin'
  • My Website
  • Stephanie's Facebook

Recent Posts

  • Crushing Your Query Letter
  • Why Silicon Valley Has It All
  • Why Jerry Maguire Is The Perfect Bromance
  • How To Write A Story That Works
  • Romantic Comedy Character Archetypes & Who Needs To Be Included

Tweet tweet~

  • RT @NHLFlyers: It’s 2️⃣3️⃣’s night. #HockeyFightsCancer | @oskarlindblom https://t.co/YQiiZTUYt8 1 year ago
  • RT @frankolivieri40: gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of… 2 years ago

Older and more wiser. . .

  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (3)
  • April 2021 (1)
  • February 2021 (2)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (3)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (2)
  • September 2019 (3)
  • August 2019 (3)
  • July 2019 (10)
  • June 2019 (9)
  • May 2019 (11)
  • April 2019 (15)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (2)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (3)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (1)
  • March 2016 (1)
  • November 2015 (1)
  • October 2015 (2)
  • September 2015 (2)
  • July 2015 (1)
  • June 2015 (2)
  • May 2015 (2)
  • April 2015 (1)
  • March 2015 (2)
  • February 2015 (4)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • March 2014 (1)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (3)
  • October 2013 (3)
  • September 2013 (1)
  • August 2013 (4)
  • July 2013 (3)
  • November 2012 (1)
  • October 2012 (3)
  • September 2012 (4)
  • August 2012 (15)
  • July 2012 (5)
  • June 2012 (3)
  • May 2012 (4)
  • April 2012 (5)
  • March 2012 (9)
  • February 2012 (6)
  • January 2012 (17)
  • December 2011 (6)
  • November 2011 (6)
  • July 2011 (1)
  • January 2011 (2)
  • November 2010 (1)
  • October 2010 (4)
  • September 2010 (16)
  • August 2010 (8)
  • July 2010 (14)
  • June 2010 (23)
  • May 2010 (16)
  • April 2010 (12)
  • March 2010 (1)
  • January 2010 (2)
  • December 2009 (3)
  • November 2009 (4)
  • October 2009 (14)
  • September 2009 (11)

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 3,601 other subscribers
September 2015
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930  
« Jul   Oct »

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach
    • Join 30 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...