Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Publication Date: March 1st 2012
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Genre(s): Contemporary, Young-Adult
Series Status: N/A—Stand Alone
Page Count: 295
Source & Format: Owned, Hardcover
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.
Hi! Welcome back to another book review, on, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews! I know some of you have waited on this review for a while, so I’m glad to finally have this posted—and to finally let out my frustrations on this book, since, as you can see, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book. Though I can understand why so many others have loved this book, it just wasn’t for me.
Plot
This book, I felt, had no real purpose to the whole story. I mean, it kind of has a semblance of a plot, but really, it didn’t feel like one, to me. I mean, there are some books I find, that can really pull off the plot-with-not-a-big-focus thing. Not often, but it’s possible. This book, however just didn’t do it. I didn’t find any big thing in the plot that kept me entertained or compelled to read more. Kind of harsh, maybe, but true. For me, anyway. A lot of the time I felt I continued reading simply for the sake of finishing it instead of for something more. The fact that I hardly DNF books also played a factor. However without those two things, I might’ve quit reading much sooner. I just couldn’t find myself interested in the plot. It had the potential to be really good, but I think it just fell flat and was poorly executed.
Characters
I couldn’t care less about most of the characters in this novel. I’m just going to put that out there right away, because that’s pretty much the gist of my feelings on the characters. Not only did the main character, Greg, not go through any development throughout the novel, but he also really bothered me with his insensitivity to Rachel’s situation. The girl is dying, for goodness sake, can’t you come up with at least some kind of genuine emotion? I was very happy when Earl called him out on this. However, that all being said, one thing I did kind of like was his self-deprecating personality; at least he’s not completely oblivious to what an idiot and jerk he is.
Moving on to Earl. With basically the whole book revolving around Greg, there wasn’t much space for Earl, to be honest, and although I wasn’t his biggest fan, I more or less liked him more than Greg. I actually don’t even know. On one hand I suppose I can understand why he acts the way he does, but on the other hand it really bothered me sometimes, with his whole dirty humour and all. I know this is probably how most teenage boys act, but come on. It got really tiring afterwards.
Rachel, to be honest, was not much better. I feel like the most there is to her is that she’s dying. Period. I didn’t find anything in her that truly stood out, which was a bummer. I am actually struggling to come up with more to say about her, since there isn’t really much to say. I didn’t dislike her exactly, but she wasn’t any better than the other characters either.
Writing Style
“If after reading this book you come to my home and brutally murder me, I do not blame you.”
The writing definitely took a more unconventional and unique approach to things, with readers getting a close up of how Greg thinks. Greg really spoke to the reader, and this kind of style really stood out to me since a) we don’t get that many books written as such, and b) we don’t get many books written in this style that are done well. There were also parts of the book where there are scenes being depicted as a movie script thing, which I guess was a neat thing to try and also made sense, since Greg made films and all. The writing style was definitely one of the better parts of the novel.
Overall…
This book is not your average cancer book, but it certainly isn’t anything mind blowing either. I think that’s kind of what my main problem was; there’s nothing special about this book, nothing that really interested me. While I can commend this book for being unique and written very skillfully, and for its little bits of actual humor, when it comes down to it, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wish I did. The lack of true purpose really bothered me, since there wasn’t anything else that was keeping my attention. All the characters except Greg lacked depth and Greg himself wasn’t much better. Some may argue the characters are portrayed this way to be realistic, but whether or not this is the case, it doesn’t change the fact that they were not very interesting to me, and mostly became a hindrance to read abut. I did like the writing, it was very different and was interesting to read, but unfortunately that isn’t enough to change the whole reading experience.
Looking at this review, I know it seems really harsh, but I just wanted to emphasize that I’m not trying to bash the author or the book. I’m simply trying to be honest; my final say on this would be it’s a matter of personal preference. Hit or miss, you know? If you’re looking for a unique non-cheesy-romance novel about cancer, then I think this book would be a good fit for you, but otherwise, proceed with caution.
Movie Trailer
On a completely different note, the movie for this has been released! You can check out the trailer for it below. I haven’t seen it yet, but I definitely hope it will be better than the book.
So tell me: Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Do you agree with anything I’ve said? Do you want to read this book? Feel free to let me know below! I’m honestly very curious as to what other readers have to say about this book.
I just finished this book two or so days ago and we share a lot of opinions on it. I felt it needed a bit more plot and I mostly just kept reading to get to the end too. I’ll have my own review for it up pretty soon. I haven’t checked out the movie trailer yet, I definitely will now. I think the movie has a chance to be quite good.
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Glad I’m not alone in my thoughts of the book! I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes out for your review. And I agree! The trailer has me in hopes of a more different, better version of the book. I will definitely be watching the movie to see how it is!
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This review instantly made me not want to read it. If the characters aren’t good and plot isn’t organized and on point then it’s not the book for me. Thank you so much for reviewing this!
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I’m glad you found this review helpful! It was actually kind of hard to write this review, since I really wished I could’ve enjoyed this book more than I did. It’s a shame this book ended up being as it is!
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It would be tough to actually write a not so good book review!
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Your review is great! So honest, it’s kind of funny (in a good way), and helpful to those of us considering reading it. Don’t worry about offending people – you presented the pros & cons of this book. Not everyone likes the same things; that’s where your value in writing the review comes in to other readers. Thanks for posting!
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Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me. It was quite hard writing this review since I was trying to be honest without being rude—and that was really difficult when I thought about all the people who loved this book. Thank you for visiting and leaving such a thoughtful comment!
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I haven’t read this yet, but I was really looking forward to reading it! You’ve got me worried now. I need a plot with a focus, unless I adore the characters. Since this doesn’t have either, I’m wondering if I shouldn’t bother reading it? Thanks for warning me away 🙂
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Yes, it’s a shame because I really wanted to like this book! And before I picked it up, I hadn’t read many negative reviews—now I wish I kind of did so I wouldn’t have been taken so much by surprise! For me, I found this book had no real plot or any worthwhile characters, but maybe—hopefully—you’ll think differently? 🙂 If you do happen to read it, I’d be curious to see what you think of it! ❤
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Great review! I actually really loved this book. I do agree that the plot was a pretty much pointless but I felt like that went well with the style of the book, if that makes sense… I also watched the movie and also really loved it. They did change some things though so I think u may like the movie better. 🙂
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Thank you! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this. And don’t worry, I kind of see what you mean! That’s a good point, I suppose it does make sense to have this kind of plot, although I wasn’t a big fan of it. I’m also glad to hear you liked the movie! I definitely hope I like the movie as well. ❤
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Lack of depth in characters AND a pointless plot? Ugh. I’ll pass. Hope your next book is a better read.
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Yes, it’s quite a shame I found it that way, since I wanted so much to like this book! Thank you! ❤
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I have borrowed this book like 20 times from my library but I just never got round to reading it. I might have to go and buy it to force myself to read it!
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Haha I think I would say to just stick with the library copy! This book isn’t the best story, so it would be the safer bet to save your money and simply borrow the book from the library, even if you don’t end up reading it anytime soon. 😉
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Ok then, I will probably get round to it soon especially since the movie came out to pretty good reviews. I’ll have to watch it after I read it.
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I will definitely be interested in seeing what you think of it! I’ve heard the movie is good as well, and I want to watch it soon as well.
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I saw this book around a lot, especially since the movie is coming out, too, and I wondered if I should read it. Thanks to your review, I think maybe I’ll pass! Thank you 🙂
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I’m glad my review was helpful! It was actually very hard to write this because I wanted so much to like this book. ❤
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Great Review =)!! I’m happy that I’m not the only person who didn’t like this book. Just like you I didn’t care about the characters. However I really want to see the movie. It looks good
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Thank you! I’M glad as well; I know there are lots of people who loved it, and I didn’t want to be the only black sheep. 😉 Yes, I want to see the movie as well! It seems like it will be better and different than the book. ❤ Fingers crossed!
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Wonderful review, Analee! I love when bloggers express their negative or not so popular opinions about a book freely. It’s honestly something I really appreciate when going to pick up a book and since this one is on my TBR, an unpopular opinion was needed amongst the huge amount of raving reviews!
xoxo, Josie 💋
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Thank you so much, Josie! ❤ I was actually pretty nervous writing this review—thanks to you, I know I don't need to have been! I just really wish I could've liked this book, when it came down to it. 🙂 If you ever happen to pick this up, I'll be curious to see what you think of it!
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Any time Analee!
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I totally agree with you. I didn’t love this book. It fell flat for me. I think the movie may actually end up being better than the book for this one.
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Glad I’m not alone on this! ❤ I definitely agree, the movie gave me some more different—and hopefully better—vibes than the book; looking forward to watching it!
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I’ve been noticing that people either really love or really dislike this book…it’s rarely in the middle! I haven’t read it yet, but after seeing your review and a few others from bloggers I follow, I’m going to wait on it. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this one more!
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Haha very true, I’ve noticed the same thing. It’s really a shame I, and other readers, didn’t enjoy this more; I know I certainly was hoping I’d like it! It seemed like a very promising story at the time. I definitely think waiting on it might be the best idea! If you ever do happen to get around to reading it though, I’d be interested in seeing what you think of it! ❤
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