Love Ya Like a Sister / Tom Kepler

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: YA/Lad Lit

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: YES
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Author:

A school teacher for over thirty years, Tom Kepler hopes his writing experiences are something valuable he can pass on to his students. "There are two things I can pass to my students. I can hand them one of my published books, and I can also give them the knowledge of how they can publish their own writing. The book may impress them, but the knowledge empowers them." For more, visit Kepler’s blog.

Description:

Randy’s life is complicated. Two neighborhood sisters both want to be his girlfriend. Another friend needs help, which he wants to provide. And his Dad, the traveling salesman, is never home, which helps Dad avoid having to face the death of Randy’s mother, but isn’t so good for Randy.

Appraisal:

The author has described Love Ya Like a Sister as young adult chick lit with a male protagonist. While that seems like a strange description, it’s a good one. Although chick lit should have a protagonist who is a chick, that is the only reason this book couldn’t be considered chick lit. It has the other defining elements, primarily being “a personal and foible-filled journey toward self-understanding and self-awareness.” (I've been told this is called Lad Lit, although that isn't a term I've seen used much.)

Randy is an eighteen-year-old high school senior struggling with relationships of all kinds: romantic, friendship, familial — which kind does he want, with who, where are the boundaries of each, and how does he shape them into what he needs? In many ways Randy is mature and much more self-aware than a typical teen boy, but not overly so. For those who feel characters in a novel should be role models — giving the reader something to aspire to, rather than reflective of the norm – he’s your man. Love Ya Like a Sister is an entertaining read for young adults of both genders, and for older adults too.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars