Review: Say You Will by Eric Walters

Say You Will, by Eric Walters
Publication: May 19, 2015, by Doubleday Canada
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 192
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: ½

A funny, heartfelt novel about one high school boy's quest for a prom date, perfectly time for the surge in realistic YA. Sam is not exactly what you'd call a regular guy: while his IQ is stratospheric, his social skills don't quite rank as high, and his dating history: well, there's no history to speak of . . . yet. But Sam has set out to finally fit in. He's resolved to get some answers wrong in class; to stop getting perfect marks on his assignments; to get to know some people other than Ian and Brooke, his two closest (okay, only) friends--and find himself a prom date. And the prom is on everyone's mind: Sam's school has become swept up by promposals--in other words, very elaborate, very public scenes in which someone is asked to the prom. Sam thinks he might have found the inspiration he needs to ask the girl dreams out for a perfect night at the prom--as well as the unforgettable way to do it. 

My Thoughts:

Eric Walters remains one of the coolest authors out there, especially since he's Canadian (WOOO) but mostly because he writes in different genres. He skips between some fantasy, mostly contemporary, some dystopian and even tweaks of romance, like Say You Will had in store for readers. I believe that any reader, young or old, is able to find something they like about his novels, and they will never forget about that quick read that stole their hearts and left them obsessed. This was a pure example.

Looking at my borrowed copy of the novel right now, I smile. It's 192 pages long, and actually turned out to be one of the quickest reads of the year for me. I love short books, but of course, yet again, the amount of reviews that I need to write pile up eventually, haha. Walters writes about the wonders of high school, along with some issues that teenagers go through, like: anxiety, prom, peer pressure and the pressure and need to do well in school. Especially since he has experience and even taught at an elementary school, he writes this exactly like from the perspective of a teenage boy, like one of my friends who I know in school.

THIS IS THE TRUTH AND WHAT HE THINKS OF US.

This all begins with the craze of prom being right around the corner, though in this case, Sam is a junior and most likely still has one more year afterwards to go to prom again. In my school, WE ONLY GO WHEN WE'RE SENIORS. WHAAAAT!? (Some Canadian school boards do stuff differently, I guess.) Sam is a guy whose never had his first kiss, watches the girl of his dreams like someone else, and has a high IQ. He's the kind of guy who doesn't like to brag and show off of his talents, so he even pretends to not know the answer when writing a test. And then... he wants to prompose to the girl of his dreams in an unforgettable fucking way. Seriously. 

If I spoil the way Sam asks his crush out, you'll die. The whole book would be spoiled for you. It's amazing on how Walters created an easy-going story that actually was incorporated with so much depth that boys and girls will love. YOU KNOW BOYS, IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO IMPRESS A CHICK FOR PROM, READ THIS BOOK. It's mutual advice, written by a man who surely knows what he's doing. Imagine if this story actually occurred! *dies* This would hit the news, I'm sure of it.

The pacing was absolutely perfect. Why do we need an everlasting super-long story with nothing much occurring? That would've been such nonsense and the planning process wouldn't even take half as long. I saw the whole plot as just something short, sweet and simple to satisfy readers. And hey, I know I was superbly satisfied from start to finish. 5/5 for sure, as well as the plot. Walters' writing never disappoints, and I continuously find myself seeing so much depth in his words that I just can't let go of what I'm reading. Is this a sign from the bookish heavens that I deserve more of his writing and a trip to his wonderful mind again and again? I'm pretty sure that you're thinking of a plain "YES" in your heads right now. Let's hope that I'm correct instead of making a fool out of myself.

It's nothing like THAT.

Although this was pitch perfect (no, not the movie reference) all throughout, the characters are who stunned me. Everyone seemed to be too perfect. Sam had that perfect reputation where he was so smart and has social anxiety at the same time although people do speak to him. I liked him, but I certainly cannot admit that he's better than Walters' other protagonists. He seemed a little too stuck-up and confident for my liking. And then Brooke and her friends? They all seemed bitc*y to be honest. There wasn't any character who had a mean reputation or wasn't your average person. Walters added too much significance into every character and it actually grew to a disliking of some. That was a pure weakness.

AND BOY DID I ADORE THE ENDING! That was the perfect finish. It didn't leave us with suspense or take readers into a blast into the future where we see Sam and his lover at prom—no, we don't need that. From the start, readers had been anticipating the perfect promposal which the author had in mind especially from the summary, and we all knew that it would occur then. This isn't supposed to be unpredictable, it's all irony anyways. We're the readers, the audience, and we know what's going to happen but some of the characters don't. That's the best part, and what I know I won't forget about.

Just like how everyone deserves quiet and quality time in their lives, people deserve an easy, good read. This is the case, actually, and I know that many in the future will just pick this up for an hour or two and enjoy, devour and have a good time, trying to imagine what it's like to be a teenager again, finding a date and your first kiss, a huge milestone. This would be a huge milestone for me, anyway. First—fall in love with the cover, and then move on to the book, despite the lack of interesting characters.

Who's your favourite Canadian author, if you have one?