Also it would be criminal for me not to mention the swoon (in an unexpected and unpredictable way). Gary Schmidt does an incredible job with character development, and he is one of those writers that can take a small phrase and so clearly set the scene and make you visualize what’s happening. He especially does a great job with the scenes with the dog—it is obvious that the author knows and likes dogs, and those scenes were both heartbreaking, and hysterical! In addition to Henry, the characters of Henry’s friend Sanborn (who shows up to climb Katahdin and support his friend--despite Henry’s attempt to go it alone) and of “the enemy” Chay are superbly done. Sanborn and Henry have one of those deep male friendships disguised by constant insults and even fights—the kind of fights where neither gets mad no matter who wins. And Chay has layers that are revealed a small bit at a time. He goes from The Bad Guy of the story to just…human. There’s no question Schmidt writes from a wealth of life experience. When he writes about lawyers, he knows about lawyers. When he writes about snobby prep schools, he knows about snobby prep schools. I could go on and on. Schmidt is strong in pretty much all phases of the game as he weaves a memorable tale of forgiveness and redemption.

One scene that totally didn't ring true and really bugged me was the courtroom "interrogation" of the witnesses: Why would Chay's lawyer laying out all the information that can convince anyone that Chay had every right to take revenge on Franklin, after being harassed for such a long time? All those questions serve as an exposition for the readers but it was done in a way that is not convincing at all.

Aaron has his own story, his own battles that have haunted him. He is lost and lonely. He meets his best friend in a residential home. Oh Neville! Aaron felt safe and happy playing cards and spending with someone who needs some company, friendship. Aaron suffered happiness and sadness in such a short amount of time that he needs a focus. Hannah needs his support, a friend to rely on, and he wants to matter again, he needs to do something amazing. He becomes a fake baby daddy and he takes it with both hands and doesn't let go. There is something deeper between them but friendship is the beginning.

It’s super meaningful, and has so many brilliant messages for you to take away. There’s some pretty heavy themes in the second half of the book, but they were dealt with so well, and the book was still kept light and enjoyable. These dark feelings a character had were really important, and weren’t glorified in any way. It was real, dark, yet uplifting because of how well they were dealt with.

Anyway, other than all of that.. I enjoyed reading Trouble. I was frustrated, it got me laughing and it made me think. I don't think it's for everybody though, but it's worth giving a try!

How had his father guessed? 'Remember you were Cambodian before you were American.' And so he had taken his dog to teach him what he had to learn. He beat her. He made him watch. He starved her. He made him watch. 'Learn how to be strong,' he said. Then he took her away. 'She is drowned,' he said when he returned. 'Learn to be cold inside.' Aaron’s perspective throughout the book is what differentiated Trouble for me from an experience like Juno. True, Aaron is not actually the babydaddy—and while his volunteering of those services might seem far-fetched, the juxtaposition of his rising star with Katie’s falling one says a lot about how something like being pregnant shows you who your friends are. The subplot about Aaron’s “shadowy past” teeters on the brink of cliché but never quite goes over—and at the very least, it serves to avoid making him into a manic pixie dream boy whose only purpose is to be Hannah’s friend.

Did we miss something on diversity?

But despite all those positive points, as the book went on I genuinely started to find it weak and distasteful. It can’t be. Babies aren’t that big except in hospital shows, where they don’t have minutes-old babies on standby for the end of a birth scene.

I liked the way this was shown to be not true. It’s a really big issue for teenage girls today, and it was explored so well, if you want to look for the themes. It's another really important message that I took away from this book, and I think if you're willing to think about it a bit, it's really educational. Also, Hannah's self esteem and self worth is not dictated by these disgusting men. She knows it isn’t true, and that’s one of the reasons why I love this book so much. If the end was a bit too nicely resolved...well, I can forgive a lot when a book is this well done. I found it problematic. Maybe I’m too old. But I just don’t want to read books that reinforce negative ideas. Readers deserve better. As characters, Hannah and Aaron deserved better.

We spent far too long messing about getting ready, so that by the time we came downstairs loads of Jay’s mates had arrived. I’m not going to lie. I was on the prowl. A summer of flirting with Tyrone and learning how to make a guy lose control had given me confidence. I've said before that I find British young adult contemporary novels to be much gritter than their American counterparts. Although I love the 'really cute' or 'really sad' contemporary novels that I tend to go for, Trouble is neither. It's a brilliantly written and wonderfully authentic and realistic novel to add to the top of the pile of this increasingly popular genre. It's also interesting to see just how different the two covers are. If cigarette smoke was removed from the cover for John Green's Looking for Alaska, I'd love to know what they'd make of sperm on the cover of Trouble! (I think it's a fantastic cover, by the way.). Trouble stands out because it does not shy away from the awkward, uncomfortable and often harsh reality of teenage life, but it's still funny and touching, with two endearing characters that you'll enjoy spending time with. Trouble is so amazing. I seriously can't praise it enough. I find it difficult accepting that this in Non Pratt's debut novel. It reads like she has been doing this for years. Her incredible writing completely captures you and pulls you in at the start and won't let you go until you have demolished the book. Trouble is told from split perspectives from our two lead protagonists, Hannah and Aaron. Non completely nailed split perspectives. Both characters voices were superb and there was no 'hang on who is speaking here' confusion that sometimes happens in split perspective novels. She completely nailed them both and made the characters voices so authentic. The writing really is phenomenal. Pratt has created amazingly layered and captivating characters in the form of Hannah and Aaron and we get their stories in alternating chapters. Both of them are struggling with what is going on in their lives… Hannah in a very apparent way, and Aaron in a way that is a bit less apparent but none-the-less hard for him.