*Massive thank yous to Amberjack Publishing and Netgalley for sending me an ARC!*
Harry Houdini. Dorothy Dietrich. Akiko Miyake. And... Mattie McKenna. In the summer before her senior year, Mattie finds Miyu Miyake, the daughter of one of her heroes: Akiko Miyake, a famous escapologist. Miyu teaches her how to perform the technicalities of escapology, but Mattie also learns to find supportive friends in unexpected places. This is a sweet story, mostly about the power of opening up and finding people who want to be a part of your life, which I think is super important. As a result of this, the characters become more intriguing than the plot, even with the death-defying escapology tricks Mattie explores. Mattie herself is great. Her relationship with her brother and her parents was believable, even with her sneaking around to practice and perform. I think some of her actions were incredibly brave for a character in a "non-traumatic-experience" contemporary novel. Her actions took guts, and not everyone could pull that off. Will is one of Mattie's new friends. He's a stereotypical popular jock... but he's gay, and struggling to come out to his family and friends. He and Mattie are supportive of each other's secrets and help each other throughout the book, but I found Will slightly less realistic than Mattie. The concept of his story was fantastic, but its execution was slightly below expectations. His dialogue felt stilted, and I understand that the 1920's were an inspiration for him, but I don't know a single teen who takes on the catchphrases of the decades they admire. He felt too much like an idealization, instead of a real person. Overall, awesome story about the courage it takes to pursue the life you want to live.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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