Lance Rubin
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Knopf
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
The author of Denton Little's Deathdate gives us a tragicomic story of bad dates, bad news, bad performances, and one girl's determination to find the funny in high school.REVIEW
Winnie Friedman has been waiting for the world to catch on to what she already knows: she's hilarious.
It might be a long wait, though. After bombing a stand-up set at her own bat mitzvah, Winnie has kept her jokes to herself. Well, to herself and her dad, a former comedian and her inspiration.
Then, on the second day of tenth grade, the funniest guy in school actually laughs at a comment she makes in the lunch line and asks her to join the improv troupe. Maybe he's even . . . flirting?
Just when Winnie's ready to say yes to comedy again, her father reveals that he's been diagnosed with ALS. That is . . . not funny. Her dad's still making jokes, though, which feels like a good thing. And Winnie's prepared to be his straight man if that's what he wants. But is it what he needs?
Caught up in a spiral of epically bad dates, bad news, and bad performances, Winnie's struggling to see the humor in it all. But finding a way to laugh is exactly what will see her through.
This should have been a great year for Winnie. She had her two best friends at her side, a cute older boy was showing interest in her, and she was going to attempt performing again, but then, things started to unravel. Friend drama, boy drama, epic comedy fails, and worst of all, her father's ALS diagnosis had Winnie wondering where she could find any humor in her life, but with love, and yes, comedy, Winnie was able to find her way.
I think my first update for this book was about how I had already laughed and cried. Rubin did a wonderful job blending the light and heavy in this beautiful story, which delivered quite an emotional punch.
Five Things I Loved About Crying Laughing:
- Winnie was a little spark plug. I found her witty and charming, and she did indeed, make me laugh. Her journey over the course of this book was not an easy one, but she took each lesson to heart, and learned from her mistakes, as well as, the mistakes of others. She opened her eyes a little wider, and began to see the world in a bit more detail.
- I think I have only read one other YA book that featured improv, but not to the depth encountered in this book. Rubin really delivered an education on the art of improv, and I enjoyed learning more about it. It was also a nice parallel to how Winnie needed to begin listening more and living in the moment. She had to challenge herself to not think about her father's end, but rather, treasure the moments she still had with him.
- When I took my adolescent psychology class, I remember discussing how this was a time in a teen's life, when they realize their parents were only human. They made mistakes and were simply mere mortals. Winnie had to face this about her father, who she sort of hero worshipped. She first had to accept, that he would probably be gone in 2 - 5 years, and then she learned some more hard truths about her parents, which she had to deal with. Rubin handled this part quite thoughtfully, and spared no emotional impact as he did so.
- The relationship between Winnie and her father was very special. I loved seeing them interact and joke around, but I also found their deeper discussions quite touching. These two filled me with feels and brought me to tears.
- I loved the friendship that Winnie shared with Asmaa and Leili. They had some ups and downs over the course of the story, but that only made it seem more authentic. Fletcher was also a good friend, and all three were a source of comfort and support for Winnie as she attempted to deal with her father's failing health and family situation.
"Laughing and crying, you know it's the same release." - Joni Mitchell (from Laughing Crying)As promised, this book made me laugh and cry, but it also was a great reminder to hold onto the ones you love, while you can, to listen to each other, and to be present.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Do you like improv?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
I like the mix of humour and grief (for want of a better word) in this. It's such a complex, emotional plot -- I can well imagine laughing and crying through this!
ReplyDeleteALS is a tough diagnosis, and yes, there was definitely grieving. That is probably why I appreciated the overall idea of living in the moment, because looking ahead with this was painful.
DeleteThis sounds lovely! I especially like the sound of Winnie's relationship with her dad. You know I'm a sucker for good family relationships! :)
ReplyDeleteThey shared a special bond, and had some issues to overcome, but I loved seeing them together. She grew to understand her mom too, which I felt was important given the circumstances.
DeleteGreat review! I can't recall if I've ever read a book where improv played a roll.
ReplyDeleteI read one other book with improv, A Messy Beautiful Life, which I adored.
Deletegreat review. i love a book that has me laughing and crying. i have come to love character driven stories just as much as action stories, opening up genres that i used to pass by
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I like when an author can deliver a mix of emotions, and this could have easily gone into melodrama land, but Rubin did a good job keeping the emotions balanced,
DeleteThis sounds really good! I love a book that makes me feel a mix of emotions like that. Winnie's relationship with her dad sounds amazing and that's pretty uncommon in the books I read. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThe exploration of her relationship with her dad was so important to the story, and it was handled beautifully.
DeleteThis reminds me of my daughter who can go from crying to laughing ...in a heartbeat and who loves improv too! LOL
ReplyDeleteLook at that! I don't think I have ever known anyone who was really into improve, though, What's My Line was fairly popular at some point.
DeleteSo excited for this book, because I really enjoyed Denton Little. It was laugh-out-loud, and I keep hearing this book brings that and then some!
ReplyDeleteI loved Denton too. This was different, but still clearly Rubin. I laughed quite a bit, but this got a bit of bigger emotional response from me, due to the nature of the father's illness. I hope you get a chance to read it and love it.
DeleteI have Denton Little on my shelf right now. Grace recommended to me and I definitely plan to read it. This also sounds really good. Winnie sounds like a great character and I like the way it sounds like the book deals with her father's illness.
ReplyDeleteDenton was such a fantastic story, and I was treated to a lot of the humor, which I enjoyed, once again, in Crying Laughing. Winnie was very real, and her emotions were messy. I found her process, of working through the pain, very gratifying.
DeleteI love that the book delivered on its title. I'm also intrigued by the improv aspect of the book. I'll have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
So much improv. Like, lots of details and examples of the different types of improv.
DeleteI am always up for a good parent-child relationship in a YA book!
ReplyDeleteThere were a few complications that developed during the story, but there was no doubt how much these people loved each other.
DeleteThis sounds like a fantastic read and one I definitely want to check out. I've not really seen comedy or improv in a YA book before so that's pretty original and it seems like the humour is needed in this book to balance out Winnie's dad's diagnosis. It seems like there are a few hard truths to be learned as Winnie realises that her dad who she adores will not be there forever. It definitely sounds like it's a book about growing up.
ReplyDeleteThis is only the second book I have read, which featured improv, and it was really interesting. It was a great way to keep the book from getting too heavy. I mean, the subject matter was weighty, but it was dad's diagnosis plus just regular teen issues, and the comedy bits helped keep that emotional balance.
DeleteI lost a loved one to ALS so this book would definitely pack an emotional punch for me. I love that it's a mix of humor along with the sadness though. Sounds like the author hit a good balance there.
ReplyDeleteThe author's father actually has something similar to ALS, which he explained in the acknowledgements. So, obviously, I cried a little more. That level of connection definitely would make this land a harder emotional blow, but I will say, it was hopeful, though honest.
DeleteYes, I also love when they have that moment of realisation about their parents and it develops into the story. Winnie sounds like an amazing character and it sounds like this was a very well written and emotional story.
ReplyDeleteIt was bittersweet, because dad fell from grace, but he was also dying, so a lot of emotional stuff to deal with there, and I though Rubin did a great job with it.
DeleteThis book sounds great! It's been awhile since a book really made me laugh, and I like that this one takes you through a wide range of emotions.
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
There's a lot of explicit comedy in the book, so, it wasn't that hard to get some funny bits in there. But, you know, it was so necessary, because the dying dad part.
Delete