Review: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King

in a sentence or so: Vera's ex-best friend Charlie's death left many things unsaid. like how he loved her. like how she loved him. like how she HATED him. like how he changed and turned into someone she knew he wasn't. but mostly, how his death is part of a lie that only Vera can unravel. but does she have what it takes to find the truth? does she even want to?

Vera's miserable since Charlie died. well, she was miserable before Charlie died. actually, she was miserable since her mom left six years ago and at least had Charlie to lean on. until he started drift away to leave her all alone. i mean, she has her dad. her neurotic, organized, overbearing, but totally loving and practical dad. he reminds Vera constantly of making good choices (unlike her parents) and responsibility (delivering pizzas and still getting straight As), but is lacking in the expressing-of-emotion and verbalizing-love departments.

Vera just wants to be ignored. she's just trying to get her business done, finish school, and get mad tips from her gig as a pizza delivery technician.  she does a pretty decent job of this, considering she's trying as hard as she can to keep the secret identity of her mother under wraps.  Vera's may be doing a good job of getting ignored by her peers, but she isn't getting ignored by Charlie. in fact, he's been pushing, prodding, and provoking ever since he died for her to reveal the truth about what happened. the truth about what happened the night he died, and the truth about what happened to him.

okay, this book has been ALL over the ya blogosphere. and for GOOD REASON. it was incredible. like, i'm trying not to just say 'IT'S AWESOME' for an entire post. so let me try and gather my thoughts into a coherent blurb.

Vera's voice is spot on. i knew her. i love her. i loved learning about her. i cried when she talked about someone throwing dog crap at her (she didn't cry, just me). i was scared for her when she drank herself silly and didn't think it was a big deal.  i was happy for her when she starts a new romance with an older co-worker.

but the true winning feature of this book for me was the relationship between Vera and her dad.  don't get me wrong, the Vera and Charlie storyline is super important and crucial to the plot and everything. but i was so excited for the few chapters that were written by Ken Dietz. the way King was able to craft a story about parent's hopes for their children and children's awareness of their parent's shortcomings left me weepy.

this is a story about loss. but it's more so a story about self-discovery and acceptance. it's a story about being scared to do what you need to do and finding the courage to do it anyway.  contrary to the title, please do not  ignore Vera Dietz. pick her up. NOW.

fave quote: "I haven't been Charlie's friend since April, when he totally screwed me over and started hanging out full-time with Jenny Flick and the Detentionhead losers. Let me tell you - if you think your best friend dying is a bitch, try your best friend dying after he screws you over. It's a bitch like no other." (pg 7)

fix er up: okay, i'll admit it. i was curious as to what was on the package. i don't want to drop a spoiler, so i'll leave it at that.

title: Please Ignore Vera Dietz
author: A.S. King
genre: Death, Coming-of-Age


other reviews you may want to peep:
Reading Rants
Story Siren
Forever YA

the source:
A.S. King

[hey FTC, i checked this book out from the library. so i didn't get compensated or anything for my review.]