REVIEW #110: The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney

Title: The Boy Recession

Author: Flynn Meaney

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: August 7, 2012

Pages: 246, Hardcover

Summary from Goodreads:

The population of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, is shrinking as families move to cities and towns with greener pastures, and the local high school is hurting: nearly all of the area's most eligible guys have moved or transferred schools.

With little competition, the remaining boys find their stocks on the rise, and even the most unlikely candidates have a good chance at making the team and getting the girl. Guitar-strumming slacker HUNTER FAHRENBACH has made an art of blending into the background, but now desperate coaches are recruiting him and popular girls are noticing his scruffy good looks. With a little help, Hunter might even by boyfriend material...

Down-to-earth KELLY ROBBINS has a simple wish for her junior year: "one normal, nice boy to crush on." Kelly and Hunter have always been friends, but is there something more to their platonic relationship? And can Kelly overcome the odds? After all, dating is hard enough without a four-to-one ratio.

 

I can't think of a better book to describe as "light and fun". The Boy Recession had a great set of characters, and an entertaining plot. All in all, it was very cute and enjoyable. 

The girls of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin find themselves in the middle of a crisis - "sixty percent of the hotness" has transferred out of Julius P. Heil High School, leaving some very slim pickings. Suddenly all of the girls are scrambling for the attention of the few boys that are left, including Hunter and his friends Eugene and Derek, who were pretty much invisible before the recession. Meanwhile, Kelly and her friends Darcy and Aviva sort of sit back and provide a running commentary of things. The events and language used to describe them were pretty amusing. But we're talking high school here, so everything was a little immature and over the top. 

Now, amidst all the chaos is the story of Kelly and Hunter, who are slowly finding their way toward each other. In the wake of the budget cuts they pair up to create a peer music system for young kids. They were always friends through band, but the new time spent together has led each of them to develop deeper feelings. But Hunter discovers that he has some serious musical talent and becomes sort of a big deal, which pulls him away from Kelly and into the arms of Diva Price, creating a sort of detour in their road to love. 

Now Hunter reminded me of James Franco in Pineapple Express, minus all of the pot. He was this super mellow, super lazy, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. The only reason he went out with Diva was because it would take more energy for him not to. But when Hunter actually cared about something, he did a hell of a job at it. And he grew to care about Kelly. Kelly, on the other hand, was a middle-of-the-road type gal. She was sweet but very plane Jane. Sort of unmemorable. 

In fact, I liked the secondary characters more than I liked the main ones. Hunter's friend Eugene really stole the show for me. He reminded me of Any Bernard from The Office. Basically a preppy d-bag, that just acts ridiculously. He was determined to take full advantage of the boy recession and started pulling out all the stops to bag the popular Bobbi Novak, and much to everyones surprise, it actually worked. And ever the businessman, he starts turning profit by creating a portfolio of eligible prom dates for the desperate women of Julies P. Heil High. He was just so absurd. 

Meanwhile, Kelly's friends Darcy and Aviva outshone her. Darcy is your stereotypical super-brainy overachieving,  good-two-shoes, whereas, Aviva is your boy-crazy, overly-dramatic, no-nonsense teen. I love these two types of characters, but especially together when their contrasting personalities actually enhance one-another. Together they set up some laugh-out-loud dialogue. I really enjoyed their dynamic on the pages. 

The Boy Recession chronicles the silly antics of a bunch of hormone-driven high schoolers and the budding relationship of two innocent, unassuming teens. There were an eclectic mix of characters,  providing plenty of humor, innocence, bickering, sass, adventure, and surprise. It was a very easy book to finish, and the perfect read for a summer by the pool or a date with the gym.