Starter for Ten

** this book had some seriously good LOL moments and such tight writing but I don't enjoy David Nicholls' weak-ass defence of the protagonist's sexist-entitled behaviour who is a proper prick**

Our hero is a man child with deeply sexist and racist ideas and claims to be a liberal - often using his “intellectual capacity” as a shield against his vulnerability and teenage insecurities. His lying, cheating, misogynistic actions all go unpunished and had his own “happily ever after” with “she is not like other girls” heroine. No, no, just no.

I love the quotes, quiz questions at the beginning of the book. How real and raw the university scene is talked about, the coming of age struggle, the loss of a loved one, the chase of a beautiful stranger but this archaic understanding of “out-of-my-league hottie” for whom he'll spread himself thing and kiss his self-respect goodbye only to turn back and call her “she is pretty and she knows it”, or “prick teaser” is unacceptable. What is more unacceptable is him findings a happy ending with a “not too pretty, cursing a lot but so bloody smart” girl. These tropes are just - argh - no. The target audience for this book is teens and adolescents and we really don't want this message for them.
David, you know how to write a story well and I enjoyed and laughed at some bits.
But I can't, I just can't enjoy this trope of “intelligent” boys who feel victimised because “they are the nice nerdy guys but pretty hot girls don't like me so I'll act like a desperate creep and stalk her and get outraged when she eventually rejects me and call her an attention-seeking whore/prick-tricker but also expect everyone else to feel pity for me because I'm the poor nerdy nice guy. “
And the worst thing? They are real, very very real.

This could have been so much more satisfying and enjoyable :/