Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Rating:
Characters: 19/20
Plot: 18/20
Originality: 19/20
Writing: 18/20
Recommendation: 18/20
Overall: 92/100 or A
Source: Publisher
Eighteen-year-old Vera's spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she's kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.
So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, or even the police. But will she emerge and clear his name? Does she even want to?
An edgy, gripping story, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.
I was enchanted by King's first book, The Dust of 100 Dogs. When I first heard about Please Ignore Vera Dietz, I was so excited to read it. Luckily, it was just as unique and strange as her last book. Vera's voice was so easy to relate to. She felt so lonely and vulnerable, which everyone does at some point. I haven't related to a character as much as I did to Vera in a long time. I loved how the story jumped all over the place, with flashbacks and to what is currently happening. I adored that you could see the transformation that happened to Vera over time, and that we create our own fate. I loved all of the emotions that came out, when she was talking about Charlie. I could feel her love, hatred, and fear for who he was and later who he became. I also found the little changes of point of views to Charlie and Vera's dad gave a great insight into both of the characters. With Charlie, you could feel all of the regret for what he did and how much tiny things ended up hurting him in the long run. With her dad, you could see his reasoning behind the pressure that he put on Vera to not become anything close to what her mother or him were. I loved how there was a hint of mystery in this book and I was surprised for the ending. A.S. King is an author that I will be watching in the coming years. Her writing is insightful and heartbreaking, while inspiring and beautiful in the turn of a page. Please Ignore Vera Dietz is more then a coming of age story. It is one of those books that after you read it, you will be just thinking "Wow!". I highly recommend that you pre-order it now or buy it October 12th. From the first page, you will feel immersed and entangled into this stunning story.