The Fever

DNF adjacent finish. I was really into for about 20% of it between the 20 and 40% mark but after that I could hardly make myself care, too many characters none of which felt particularly interesting to me.

I finished it, technically, but in reality my attention was wandering so much that I don't think I'll remember much of anything so it wouldn't be fair of me to rate it.

I think this subject matter (possible epidemic, possible problem with vaccine) was a little too on-the-nose to be enjoyable right now. There was also something...missing from this novel. Can't quite put my finger on it.

I wonder if the unusual name Deenie was a callback to the Judy Blume novel about scoliosis—disease and difference and mean girls?

Really struggled with this. I am sure there is an important message in here somewhere but it was buried too deep in convoluted dross. I really didn't like this one at all. Starts off in one direction gets lost along the way and then just ends. Adult characters are just terrible.

This book felt like a time capsule, with its reliance on discussions and fears around the HPV vaccine. It also felt a little disjointed and its focus a little loose. I felt like the author was trying to say something about the way we police teenage sexuality but lost that plot in her investigation of crime and group fear/ psychosis events. Overall, the book was definitely readable but I don’t think it’s the authors strongest.