The Other F- Word by Natasha Friend-- Blog Tour Review & GIVEAWAY

The Other F-Word

by Natasha Friend
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: March 7, 2017

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:

A fresh, humorous, and timely YA novel about two teens conceived via in vitro fertilization who go in search for answers about their donor.

Milo has two great moms, but he's never known what it's like to have a dad. When Milo's doctor suggests asking his biological father to undergo genetic testing to shed some light on Milo's extreme allergies, he realizes this is a golden opportunity to find the man he's always wondered about. 

Hollis's mom Leigh hasn't been the same since her other mom, Pam, passed away seven years ago. But suddenly, Leigh seems happy—giddy, even—by the thought of reconnecting with Hollis's half-brother Milo. Hollis and Milo were conceived using the same sperm donor. They met once, years ago, before Pam died. 

Now Milo has reached out to Hollis to help him find their donor. Along the way, they locate three other donor siblings, and they discover the true meaning of the other F-word: family.

This book was practically perfect.  I consider myself a fairly pessimistic person, and always find at least one or two annoyances with every book.  Even if they are minor.  I think good reviews should always point out the good AND the bad, so I like to explore what I like and what didn't work as well for me.  So as I'm reading this book, I'm like WHAT am I going to say that I would change??  Upon closing the book, I realized I got nothing.

So this book is initially about Milo and Hollis (and the book features them as duel narrators) and how they are half siblings-- related through their sperm donor.  They had met as small kids and haven't kept in touch, but now Milo wants Hollis to help him find out who their sperm donor is.  Milo SAYS it's for medical reasons (he has severe allergies), but it becomes obvious that the reason goes way deeper than that.

Eventually they find out that there are more people that had children using the same donor as theirs-- meaning they have OTHER half-siblings.  They all join in group email sessions discussing everything from their feelings about finding their donor to home life to genetics to everyday life things.

Milo has this pot-head friend at school, and I kind of thought ah-ha!!  This is what I'm not going to like about this book.  The D-Bag friend.  But, no.  JJ freaking GREW on me.  Once we really get to know JJ, it's impossible not to like him.

So what exactly did I love about this book:  Besides everything??  Okay, I loved the way the author handled Hollis and her hook-ups with Gunner (a football player that she was using to get back at a friend and also distract her from her feelings).  It could have left me with a bad taste in my mouth-- but I kind of loved Hollis for it.  FINALLY!!  A girl who admits that she likes hooking up.  It's okay for us to do it too people!!  Also, I think a lot of people use sex and sexy-times as a way to feel good about themselves or for all sorts of various reasons that have nothing to do with the person they're hooking up with.  I love that that was explored.

I loved all the siblings and their relationships with each other!!  I loved the parents and all their issues and complicated feelings about the kids wanting to find the donor.  I loved how Ms. Friend took us on a journey-- and that journey ended up being really exciting.  By mid-point in the book, I was on pins and needles waiting for them to figure out how to find their donor & wondering what this man would think about finding out his sperm donation resulted in having 5 children.

This was the most unique book that I've read in a long time.  It didn't go into any usual tropes and it didn't randomly let a romance take over the plot when there were bigger issues to deal with.  I can't wait to read more by Natasha Friend!!

OVERALL:  This book needs WAY more attention.  I thought it was witty, silly, nuanced, and one of the most unique YA books I've read in a long time.  Do yourself a favor and add this to the TBR.

My Rating: 5/5

     

Natasha Friend is the award-winning author of Perfect, Lush, Bounce, For Keeps, My Life in Black and White, Where You'll Find Me, and The Other F-Word. When she isn’t writing, she is building forts and making chocolate-chip pancakes. Natasha lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband, three children, and dog, Beckett.

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