Play Me BackwardsAuthor: Adam Selzer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
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Review:
Play Me Backwards follows smartie turned slacker Leon as he finds out his first love Anna might be moving back to town. Leon upon learning that awesome Anna is heading to Iowa realizes that his life isn’t where he wants it to be. Leon enlists the help of his friend Stan better known as Satan who sends him on random adventures that might or might not help him get his life in order.
I loved Leon, his voice felt so natural. I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to know what task Stan was going to give Leon and how Leon was going to handle it. Having Leon as a narrator I learned to expect the unexpected because he was always surprising me.
Stan or rather Satan was probably my favorite character. I loved the morally ambiguous grey area he operated in and the fact that I was never sure if he really was Satan or not. He was just a fun character and, despite some hairy moments, a good friend to Leon.
While I loved the characters in Play Me Backwards I think my absolute favorite thing was the setting. One of my best friends in Law School was from Iowa so I ended up driving all over the state and I have been to Des Moines a few times. Selzer really captured the feel of the city. I am also so freaking excited that someone is finally discussing the fact that Kum & Go is a terrible/hilarious name for a gas station. The author is right, the day I stop laughing at that gas station is the day my soul has died a little.
Overall, Play Me Backwards was a novel with strong voice, fun characters and an excellent setting. I really enjoyed following Leon and Satan and will definitely be reading whatever Adam Selzer writes next!
*The rating of this book was changed from 4 to 5 stars are part of my post In Which I Reconsider Book Ratings
Read Play Me Backwards while listening to
Du Hast by Rammstein- In the Ice Cave they usually listen to Norwegian heavy metal music. I know Rammstein is German but I think it similarly captures the experience of being in the Ice Cave.
This seems like such a fun book! I definitely want to read it now, great review :)
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great! I went to Goodreads and it said "for fans of Perks of Being A Wallflower" aka, the magic words. :) This one is now on my TBR list. I like books where the character's have to go do certain things for whatever reason...at least I think I do. Several books I want to read have that kind of plot.
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