Solitaire by Alice Oseman 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! A while ago, I received Solitaire in exchange for my honest review from Edelweiss.  It was amazing! I think that a good way to describe it would be Catcher in the Rye meets Perks of Being a Wallflower meets Winger.  It was fantastic, but I feel obligated to give a warning: "This Book Contains Some Extreme Teen Angst, Proceed With Caution".  That being said, it wasn't too much, but the angst definitely existed, and I know that some of you hate those kinds of books... so beware.
Anyway, the cover:

Official Description:

In case you're wondering, this is not a love story.
My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that's all over now.
Now there's Solitaire. And Michael Holden.
I don't know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don't care about Michael Holden.
I really don't.
This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and all unflinchingly honest writers.

My Description:

While the above description is accurate, and I feel like I need to add... the premise of the book.  

At Tori Spring's high school, an anonymous group starts pulling pranks and posting about it on their blog, Solitaire.  The pranks start out simple enough, playing Sexy Back when the principle walks onto the stage, but start to escalate... and escalate.  Meanwhile, Tori (the chronic pessimist) has a few personal problems.  Her brother has a mental illness, her best friend Becky is behaving differently, her best friend from grammer school (Lucas) transfers to her school and wants to be friends with Tori (ugh. Socializing), and a new boy Michael Holden always seems to be around.  

And, also to clarify, in the official description is says that "this is not a love story" in a way that implies that it actually is a love story, but I disagree.  This is NOT a love story. If anything, there's more hate than love contained in Solitaire's pages, so don't let that turn you off of it!

My Review:

I loved this book! I was deep, it was funny, it was ridiculous, it was philosophical, and it was real.  

Alice Oseman took care too develop all of the characters to the extent where they felt like real, complex people who had lives outside of the events of this book.  They were incredibly realistic, and there was so much character development! It wasn't just for the main character, but for almost all recurring characters. At certain points, I had some disagreements with Tori (You hate the Beatles? You don't like reading?!?!) but I managed to get past them remarkably easily and could still relate with Tori.  Even if you are nothing like her, I think that you will still completely understand her character!

The plot was very exciting. I couldn't wait to read of Solitaire's latest escapade or really any of the other plot lines. I was spellbound.  However, I must admit that some aspects were predictable. I  was thrown off by certain moments, but I knew the "surprise" orchestrator of Solitaire fairly early on as well as a few other things that Tori was seemingly oblivious to. That didn't affect my reading experience, but you should know.

The writing style was very similar to a modern-day Catcher in the Rye. You might disagree, but the narration style, if not the rest of the book, was definitely reminiscent of it.  I really loved the way Oseman told this story. It was the perfect way to write it, and I deeply respected it. 

Also, my inner fangirl loved everything about this book.  For example, the characters argued over whether Drarry (Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter) was a thing. There were just countless references to books, movies, and TV shows that I love. It made the entire book kinda cool.

Overall, Solitaire was amazing.  I highly recommend reading it.  It is aimed at teenagers, so keep that in mind, but I don't think your age will affect your reading experience. 

Quote Bonus Round:

I don't normally do this, but I don't think that you can truly appreciate the majesty that is Solitaire without reading at least some of it. 

(Note: Since I read an 'uncorrected proof' of Solitaire, these quotes might be altered in the physical books.)

"Rebecca Allen is probably my only real friend at the moment. She is also probably my best friend. I am yet unsure whether these two facts are related."

On Bruno Mar's Grenade: "it's unlikely anyone would want to catch a grenade for anyone else. Or jump in front of a train for someone else. That's very counterproductive."

"'you're Sherlock Holmes. I'll be John Watson. But we've got to be the Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman Sherlock and Watson, because the BBC Sherlock is infinitely greater than all other adaptations' I stare at him. 'It's the only adaptation that gets the bromance right.'

'You're a fangirl,' I whisper"

I hope that was enough for you to get the feel of this book!

Phrase:

It's funny because it's true

Solitaire by Alice Oseman comes out March 30, 2015.

Happy Reading!