No So Pure and Simple initially comes off as your standard contemporary novel, but on further examination it delves heavily into the affects of toxic masculinity that is prevalent even among our children and teenagers. I've never read a book by Lamar Giles so I was surprised by how much I did enjoy the book. Not So Pure and Simple is simply about a boy named Del who is, for lack of a better term, is obsessed with Kiera, a young girl that he has known since kindergarten. The plot initially focuse...

I owe a review on NOT SO PURE AND SIMPLE, yet another rock-solid story by Lamar Giles that, obviously will go to "my" students. So. RTC

Good, bad. Pure, simple. Nothing comes without shades of grey.Ever since their kindergarten class's rendition of The Wizard of Oz, Del has had a crush on Keira. She's just always been with someone else. But now, she's finally available and Del is ready to make his move. But when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at church, Del's right behind her and finds himself signed up for a Purity Pledge. Surely this is the way to get her to notice him right? Maybe not, but he's not about to give up on hi...

Give this book to boys— create a book club for all the boys who like to opine that they are nice guys

My biggest issue with this book was the writing style. I don't like this straight forward style of writing; I prefer a prosey style like Nicola Yoon. But this is a me problem and not the book's problem.Issues I Had With This Book* There's Nothing Fancy Here, Folks: Giles writing style is not quotey or prosey or lyrical; it's very straight forward. The teens talk like teens and they act like teens and although this is realistic, I find it boring. But as I stated above, that's my problem and not t...

I woke up bright and early at 4am for work only to remember halfway out the door that I'm off! 🤦🏽‍♀️So I spent the morning binging a new book. HarperTeen @harpercollinsus entrusted me with an advanced reader copy of #notsopureandsimple by @lamargiles for an honest review. 😃This was a necessary read about a misguided boy named Del in love with a girl named Kiera. It's reminiscent of a 90s sitcom comedy where the male protagonist is so focused on "winning the girl" that he fails to acknowledge tha...

5✩The funniest, most wholesome book I’ve read in a while! Pulled me right out of my reading slump. Not So Pure and Simple appears to be a typical contemporary novel at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it digs deeply into the effects of toxic masculinity, which can be found even among children and teenagers. I'd never read anything by Lamar Giles before, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.Not So Pure and Simple does an excellent job of addressing the demands of sexual...

Argh! I have such conflicting feelings about this! Positives:-This was very readable. It's almost four in the morning and I stayed up to finish because I just had to know what was going to happen next. -It was funny. I definitely chuckled to myself on certain lines. I just remember, "He bored me, Del. Not everything is tragic." -I love Jameer! Also the friend group is very diverse and sweet.-It was also very Black. I found myself frustrated that races weren't mentioned before I just decided to a...

art historians have confirmed that this is indeed a true Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece

This was frustrating to read in all the best ways and I am SO GLAD I finally got around to picking this up off of my shelves. Absolutely recommend checking this one out if you haven't already.CW: teen pregnancy, slut shaming, sexual assault, religious gaslighting

It’s probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.I didn’t even know about this book until a few weeks ago but when I saw the author tweet about the kind of themes he was talking about in it, I wanted to give it a try. And I’ve previously read an anthology edited by Lamar Giles called Fresh Ink which was amazing, so I was expecting this to be equally compelling. It’s actually been a while since I’ve read a YA contemporary because I’ve started feeling a bit too old for them, so I’m trying not to pr...

This was so good - sharp and funny and thoughtful and messy. I think it would be such an interesting buddy read with HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME to see how the conversation changes across gender and racial lines, both implicitly and explicitly. Lamar Giles really is one of the few autobuy authors I will follow to the ends of the bookish earth and it was true before this book but it's officially cemented now.

A much-needed and original YA story about masculinity, sexuality, religion and friendship. A must-read.

Again, I find myself in a situation where I finished this several weeks ago but never marked it completed or reviewed it. It was a classic case of pandemic paralysis:I really should mark it completed. I need to MOVE ON!!!But if I give it a star rating but no review, that's such a failure. I have all of these extra hours on my hands!!...But the existential dread though....I guess I'll just leave it on my "currently-reading" shelf forever. That seems like an appropriate solution.Aaaaand here we ar...

Just finished this one today. I’m giving it 5 stars and a spot on my #mustReads shelf. Because I think it’s an important story. My related Youtube vid: https://youtu.be/k6BzdI3nHww“Notice how you get most mad when the truth is something you don’t like?” #BookQuotes.Not So Pure and Simple centers around a high school senior who thinks he’s a “nice guy“ and has been low key obsessed with the girl who played Dorothy in their 1st grade production of The Wiz. You know the type. He thinks his intentio...

I just finished this brilliant book, and the last line made me hug it. Ostensibly it's about a high school boy finally making his big play for the girl he's been crushing on since grade school--by joining a church Purity Pledge to get closer to her--but the book's real story is protag Del's journey from blinkered "Nice Guy" to actually good (or at least working on it), nontoxic man. This book is so FUNNY, so rich, so textured and wise, without ever leaving Del's head or reaching beyond his slow-...

Overall: 3.8 stars.Quality of Writing: 3Pace: 4Plot Development: 4Characters: 3Enjoyability: 4Insightfulness: 5Ease of Reading: 4Savings opinions to share at Book Club. I think this will make a good discussion.

3 stars !!THINGS I LIKED- the book was super funny and had some really great humorous moments and one-liners- the writing was really nice and it was super easy to read and flowed really well- the friend group is super diverse in both personality and race and that was super refreshing. how they fit all together was really cool to read about. the themes of friendship were one of my favourite in the novel. - tackles a lot of coming-of age topics really well, such as toxic masculinity/male entitleme...

3.5 starsRead for MLIS electiveI didn't really get the religion aspects (lapsed Hindu turned atheist here) but it was a great exploration of toxic masculinity, homophobia, misogyny/sexism and how patriarchy hurts literally everyone.

Lamar Giles is the real deal when it comes to writing well-developed, complex teen characters. In this book, he takes on toxic masculinity, particularly where it comes to boys thinking they are "the good ones," when in fact, they're playing right into the systems that contribute to being exactly the opposite. Del has had a crush on Kiera for forever, but she's always been with another guy. So when he sees his opportunity to swoop in when she's single, he agrees to take part in a Purity Pledge at...