Book Review: Saw Her Standing There by Patrick Formanes.
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| Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. |
About the Book:
In New York City, there were these two people, Ryan and Lane. They met in high school, fell in love, and later married. Yes, to each other. From here, it would be easy to ask, “Does anyone die? Did they turn into wizards? Witches? Ghosts? Vampires? How about zombies? Or, are they monsters of unknown origins, their only aim to annihilate their neighboring monsters by gnashing them to delicious morsels with their ridiculously sharp incisors, leaving the planet to stew in the juices and horrific odors of rotten animal flesh, splintered bones, and exposed innards, then kill each other because: (1) they get hungry again and (2) they don’t like vegetables?” No. None of that stuff will be found in this novel. Through these pages, you will learn about Ryan and Lane, who are regular humans devoid of any superpowers, as well as their fellow Filipino-American friends, and how they maneuver through personal challenges while attending their Queens high school. Follow them as they play sports, kiss (and more), use the foulest language, excel academically (at least most of them), fight, go to parties, eat food, take public transportation, and, most importantly, learn about each other.
Review:
Warning: this book contains discussions about sex and languages not suitable for younger readers.
This book is so refreshing. It is different from other contemporary young adult books that I have read in a way that it is written in a very realistic way. It is a book that is relatable, especially to teenagers like me because the conversation between the characters is what the teens are also discussing about which is love, sex, and relationships (And Food in the case of Rob). The dynamic and conversations between the characters is so good. I love how the Oder, Sam, and Ryan banter with one another and how Lane and her friends take care of one another, which also happens in real life with friends. But I really enjoyed reading Sam, Oder, and Ryan's parts of the book, especially Sam because he is so funny especially when he is talking about April.
Moreover, the dialogues in this novel are real and genuine in the sense that what the characters talked about is what teens are also talking about. The characters are also relatable for example Lane. She had a bad break-up and because of that she is skeptical about giving Ryan a try and I think that like Lane other people are like that given that kind of situation. Furthermore, I like how this book features Filipino-American teens in the United States because there are not a lot of stories about them despite their large population in that country. Also, the book shows a different kind of life teens had back then as compared to nowadays, especially in dating. In the case of Oder, long distance relationships are harder because they had to write letters to one another instead of texting, which is more convenient and faster. We can also see how communication is a big part in this book. It is also important in relationship. In addition, this book is also fast paced with it having shorter chapters, which is a good thing for me because I do not like books with long chapters.
In the end, my problem with this book is that I expected it to be a romance novel but the romance in it is like 1/4 of the book because Lane and Ryan did not meet until like more than half of the book. Nevertheless, I recommend this book to readers looking for a quick, funny, and refreshing read without the drama. If you like John Green books but without the drama you would definitely like this book and I recommend that you try it.
Philippines
Patrick Formanes’ Saw Her Standing There is available in Fully Booked branches in Bonifacio High Street, Alabang Town Center, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center, Promenade Greenhills, Greenbelt 5, Century City Mall, and Eastwood City.
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