November 1, 2017
Gr 9 Up-Ever since his parents' divorce, 16-year-old Adam has struggled with feelings of abandonment, trust issues, and an addiction to pornography. In his junior year, he hits rock bottom and finds himself in trouble at school. As an alternative to expulsion, he agrees to participate in a type of character-building and rehabilitation program with a support group of other teen addicts. He gradually begins to build bonds with the other teens, including a beautiful (manic pixie dream) girl named Dez who is, in her own words, "addicted to being addicted." She tells Adam that she will not date him because she doesn't believe two addicts can have a healthy relationship, which leads Adam to finally face his addiction head-on. Connis emphasizes the importance of battling addiction with transparency, communication, and self-forgiveness. While the teens find support in one another, their recovery also relies on their relationships with adults who help them to set boundaries and goals. Impressively, this novel rarely feels preachy. Despite the main character's obsession with pornography, there is very little graphic sexual content, and the teens' dangerous activities, including drug and alcohol use and cutting, are never glorified. The overall tone is fairly maudlin, which will likely appeal to some teens and feel off-putting to others. VERDICT This debut may ultimately get lost among the multitude of recent books about teens with mental health issues, but its positive messages will make a worthwhile addition to most teen collections.-Liz Overberg, Zionsville Community High School, IN
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2017
A coming-of-age story told through the lenses of pornography addiction, music, and romance. While the medical community still debates pornography addiction, books on the topic should offer nuanced, through-provoking, and interesting vantage points to allow readers to consider (and possibly challenge) their perspectives. Alas, this book does not. Readers meet Adam Hawthorne, a white high school student whose addiction to pornography is almost as strong as Connis' fondness for grandiose and cumbersome dialogue. A school-based MacGuffin forces Adam to meet weekly with a platitude-spouting music producer-turned-chemistry teacher with a drug- and alcohol-fueled past who saves Adam from expulsion by forcing him to attend a public addiction group and to meet with a group of students who all are caught up in their own destructive addictions. Adam also meets the white and infinitely sexy Desiree "Dez" Coulter, a self-proclaimed addict to addiction. When one of the students falls victim to his demons, Adam must re-examine his life and attempt to move forward as a recovering addict. Separately, Adam's melodramatic eccentricities are not wholly out of line with the teenage ego, but when assembled, they create a disingenuous character. The secondary characters seem little more than sketches with a few capricious quirks, while the character of Dez and her "addicted to addiction" storyline offer little insight or support for readers considering their own dependencies. Readers looking for addiction fiction would be better served elsewhere. (Fiction. 14-18)
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October 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 When a teacher, Mr. Cratcher, discovers Adam's porn addiction, Adam ends up serving an unusual detention. In addition to attending 12-step groups, he must spend every morning helping Cratcher record and produce an album. Adam's parents have separated, and his beloved sister Addy now lives with their mother, leaving Adam with a father too distracted by his own grief to notice Adam's. At one of the 12-step groups, Adam meets brilliant, sexy Dez (Desiree) Coulter and finds motivation to kick his porn habit so he's worthy of her. A suicide and a terminal illness result in a road trip from Washington State to Nashville to help Cratcher, who turns out to have a shadowy past as a songwriter and accused murderer. It's a crowded and didactic plot, with often heavy-handed symbolism (as in the title), but Connis' earnest, empathetic narrative voice reflects obvious compassion for teens struggling with addiction. Adam and Dez in particular are fully dimensional characters, with real issues and problematic behaviors, and their courage in battling their demons is inspiring.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2018
When sardonic loner Adam is suspended from school, an unconventional rehabilitation program helps him confront his addiction to pornography. This voice-driven, realistic teen novel approaches a delicate but widespread teen issue with unflinching candor. Unfortunately, much of Adam's recovery narrative relies on overblown, pseudo-philosophical dialogue; generic plot contrivances; and weak, stereotypical characterization.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)