Girl Parts
Author: John M. Cusick
Series: ---
Publisher: Candlewick
How Received: ARC at BookExpo America
Comes Out August 10 2010
David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot designed to encourage healthy bonds and treat “dissociative disorder,” he can’t get enough of luscious, redheaded Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Severed from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up to her, knowing that she isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal “companion” is about to become her own best friend.
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Not as good as I hoped, but still enjoyable.
Girl Parts took a little while to get into - the first five chapters are all set up for the rest of the book, but once you get past that, it's enjoyable enough. It's not the best debut novel this year, but it's a solid piece of fiction.
I liked watching Rose develop from a regular robot into something more - she reminded me a bit of Brennan from Bones, where she's trying to comprehend slang and the actions of those around her. (Though Brennan probably wouldn't do a striptease for a boy.)
Dave was your typical teenage jerk, right down to the tee. And Charlie - love Charlie! I know a bunch of boys like him, so it was fun to watch his character.
I dislike the ending. I just felt it was rather abrupt and didn't fit well with the rest of the book. There was no set up to expect something like this could happen. It wasn't one of those, "Gasp! I can't believe that just happened moments!" It was more like, "... that just happened? Why?"
But it's a quick read - I finished it in about an hour - and the characters are relateable enough.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 6/10. Both writing and plot can be improved on, but it's an enjoyable, quick read, with interesting characters.
Cover Comments: LOVE! Though I'm not sure about the "Fragile" sticker...