Flash Burnout

I loved this book. Flash Burnout introduces us to Blake; a soon to be 16 year old who has his first girlfriend and a friend who's a girl and is sometimes totally lost about what to do with either of them. Blake is a wonderful character and travels through this well paced story with humour, and lots of confusion. He's not perfect, but he tries so hard to be it's very endearing. He's just figuring things out in his relationships with Shannon and Marissa and finds himself in the middle of some things boys his age don't typically have to deal with. What I like so much about this character is that he steps outside his own self involvement and tries so hard to be a good friend and provide these two young women what he thinks they need from him. This results in alot of humour and eventual heartache. His mom is always telling him "actions have consequences" and that's one of the many lessons he learns here. Speaking of the mom, hoorah! Finally here's a great literate teen novel that features parents who are present and involved in their kids lives (at least in Blake's case). That alone is a refreshing change. Blake has a great relationship with his parents and they allow him to solve his own problems while always being nearby for support. You just don't see that much in YA literature. I think that will make this book more relatable to a wider variety of kids. I like the growth Blake goes through in this book. It has the ring of truth to it. This is a great read that will appeal to both boys and girls. Because of the sexual situations, (Blake thinks about sex alot) I would recommend for teens 15 and up. Blake's parents have raised him with a more cavalier attitude towards sex than some parents of young readers would be comfortable with. There's also some language, although not a gratuitous amount. All in all a great read - I look forward to giving it to my son in 4 years or so; I think he could probably learn some great things about loyalty and friendship from Blake. A good, well told story.

Blake's narration is laugh out loud funny at times and poignant at others. It includes a fine cast of interesting supporting characters and a functional family (something out of the ordinary for typical YA novels.) Blake struggles with having his first girlfriend while keeping a girl friend. He wants sex, but isn't sure how that should go. Aside from raging hormones, Blakes passion is photography and making people laugh. Music, Shakespeare, pop culture, teen angst and family drama are all added to the mix to make this a memorable and engaging read.

This is a book in which actions have consequences, and it's a rare pleasure to read a novel that ends honestly. LK Madigan doesn't stint on the truth in this gritty debut.

Blake is trying to understand relationships. He has a girlfriend and he is also the friend of a girl. Both relationships are important to him, but he realizes balancing them requires artful skill much like in his hobby of photography. There are rules to follow and one mistake can cause everything to go out of focus. Blake is a cool character. He dreams of life as a stand-up comic and uses almost every opportunity to test out jokes and one-liners. He chalks up an invisible mark every time he gets a laugh. Many of those laughs come from Shannon. Blake can't believe how much fun she is, how beautiful she is, and how much he is really starting to love her. Marissa is Blake's partner in photography class. As the two youngest in the class, they became partners by default, but it's a partnership that has worked well. Their friendship revolves strictly around photography until the day Blake accidentally takes a picture of Marissa's mother. He didn't realize they were mother and daughter when he stumbled across the homeless woman sleeping on the street. The photo begins a change in their friendship as Blake learns the truth about Marissa's mother. What makes this story unique is the combination of an interesting cast of characters in a mix of serious situations and refreshing humor. My attention was immediately grabbed in the opening pages as Blake enters the kitchen for breakfast. He describes the snapshots of gunshot wounds fanned out across the kitchen table and the snoring of his father, the coroner, asleep on the nearby couch. Then there's the entrance of his mother, a hospital chaplain, dressed in only underwear and a blouse. As she fixes her morning coffee, Blake is disgusted, but not particularly shocked, when she warns of an oncoming hot flash and promptly removes her blouse. With an introduction like that, how can readers not continue turning pages? L. K. Madigan has fun with her characters as she takes them through the good times and the bad. Readers are sure to find at least one character to relate to and at least one experience to learn from. Several added bonuses include a photography tip at the beginning of each chapter and two interesting playlists with commentary from Blake at the end of the book. FLASH BURNOUT doesn't come out until October 2009, but be sure to watch for it; it's a worthwhile read. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

I was smitten with the main character's voice just a few pages into LK Madigan's FLASH BURNOUT. This YA novel is really, really funny at the same time it tackles some tough issues about family, teen romance, drug addiction, and friendship. The novel begins with a photography assignment for fifteen-year-old Blake, just experiencing his first real romance. When Blake inadvertently snaps a picture of his friend Marissa's drug-addicted mother, he launches Marissa into a journey for which she desperately needs his support. That journey causes Blake to question what he thought he knew about love, sex, and friendship and takes readers on a wild ride of their own. The voice in this book is really remarkable, and Madigan's rich characters with their hysterical dialogue reminded me of John Green at times. FLASH BURNOUT is a fantastic, fantastic debut!