This book, by Cynthia Weil, is super fast paced, light and it brought ease into an otherwise heavy topic, i.e. finding their biological father. The main characters are really enjoyable and fun, not a problem with them. On a lower note though, this novel is a bit too predictable, which I don’t really like especially for my students. But anyway, this book is amazing!

This was cute. And sweet. Like, cotton candy sweet. Fluffy and sugary and airy. And Sweet. But surprisingly enjoyable for me, mainly because of the relationship that formed between KT, Gabe and Jesse. I was pretty hooked on all three characters from the start, and I wanted the book to end in a way that made all of them happy, and allow them to form a sibling bond. Finding their father, for me, was a bit of an after thought. If it worked out, great. If not, I felt like their friendship would be the more useful and impactful relationship for them. The last quarter/third of the book was pretty cheesy and hokey, but by then, I kind of didn't care. This was a quick, light, feel-good read. Nothing earth shattering or life-changing, although I did appreciate that the author was able to weave in some pretty good life lessons among all the sweet. So cute book, recommended for anyone looking for some fluff to help recover from something on the deeper, darker side. Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.

This book was super cute. The story was about three teens who find out that they are related by their sperm donor father and they set out to meet him. Lots of twists and turns in their story which made it a good book, but very predicable down to the last page. I liked it though--quick fun read that had humor and heart. Lighthearted and but definitely not reality and like I said before extremely predictable. Thank you, NET GALLEY!!!!

It has been a long time since I have been a "youth", but I still very much enjoyed this YA book. No dragons or magic, except that which the author wove with her words. And as it turns out, she is the lyricists of some of my favorite songs.

Three teens are struggling with their identities. They each find out that their father was a sperm donor and through a website, Donor Sibling Registry, they connect with each other. After several misdirections and misadventures they manage to track down their father, who is delighted to meet them. While at first not liking each other very much, by the end of their road trips they feel like siblings. The story was quite appealing, characters endearing and seems to have ended with a HEA. I would recommend to young, old and those in between.

I was lucky to get the chance to read 806 by Cynthia Weil thanks to Netgalley. Look for the book to come out March 13, 2018. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

806 begins with a girl named KT, no this isn't her actual name but it's the name she goes by through the book, who is sick of seeing her mother going after all these lame guys. Her mother believes KT needs a father in her life and tries her best to get one, but none of the guys are the right one and always leave her mother broken. Finally one night her mother tells her the name of her father and she goes to find him at his place of work. She goes to him and finds out he's not her real father. She finally is told by her mom that she used a donor. KT looks for her birth father online and instead finds her very annoying siblings who are also looking for their father. Together they go across the country looking for their father in a beat up jeep.

I really enjoyed this book but for the version they gave me I didn't like how they separated the chapters. I'm sure this won't be a problem for the physical copies. The characters are cute and different from each other. I loved the ending it felt right. I'm not for sure on how realistic this book is but for the sake of fiction it's interesting and keeps you reading.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. This book is very easy to read and doesn't take long at all. Plus the cover is so adorable and I know any reader would love to have that work of art sitting on their shelf. This book is for lovers of Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars.

806, by Cynthia Weil, is a soul-searching, poignant, and funny story about a road trip to find the missing piece.

KT is a typical teenager living in St. Louis. She is in a band with her best friend, Sasha, and Dylan, who is in love with her, but KT has no interest. She just wants to play music, oh ya and find out who her dad is.

KT's mom always told her that her dad was an ex-boyfriend. When KT learns he is not actually her father, and that her father was actually a sperm donor, she goes online to do some research. Along the way she learns that she has two siblings. Together they go on an epic road trip to find out who Donor 806 is and along the way encounter many obstacles they need to overcome to complete their journey.

I really enjoyed this book and found myself cheering for the characters the whole time.

Both funny and heartfelt, 806 warmed my heart. A story of discovery, both self-discovery and discovering who their real, biological father with a road trip in between. The characters in this book are relatable. That, being paired with the writing of the author, Cynthia Weil, made for a great experience of storytelling, along with allowing it to be a fast-paced read in most instances.

Whether you've been through a situation sort of similar, and are needing to go on a self-discovery journey, or not, this book will warm your heart and make your darker days more light-hearted. Get those fingers ready to download, and those feet ready to run to the bookstore, because this is certainly a must-read for 2018.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

When I read the synopsis for this book, I expected something sort of fun and at times, heartwarming, and I would say that 806 delivered.

This book reminds me of, and delivered the feelings I feel, when watching a sitcom. It was fun and sometimes a little silly, with these "aww-shucks" moments scattered throughout the plot. I found myself in an amused state throughout the story, and liked watching the three protagonists grow on their road trip, which was filled with ups and downs and plenty of twists and happy coincidences.

As in sitcom fashion, the tone of the book was kept light, though the topic was sort of serious, and the ending was the sweetest part with everything was tied up in a neat little bow.

806 had a great premise that didn’t really pan out for me. KT, the main character was not very sympathetic. She was very angry and the reasons for her anger didn’t seem to justify how angry she was and the initial reaction she had towards her brothers. I don’t want to spoil the plot by addressing specific aspects of the story but things seemed to happen a bit too conveniently. I read a lot and I’m all for suspended belief, but this story really stretched the boundaries., especially the last 1/4 or so of the book.

Thank you BookishFirst for this win!
This was such a great book! KT is a sarcastic, grumpy, mad at the world type of girl. She is also lonely, feels like she is missing a part of herself, only has her music. KT's finds out she is a sperm donor child and find a website that help sperm donor children find their donors. She gets 2 mails from siblings, and she is excited. They meet and then she disappointed. She gets another e-mail from donor 806 saying he wants to meet his donor children and he gives his name and contact info. That's when the adventure begins for thee 3 unlikely, totally different half siblings.
This book gives a light hearted approach to an issue that can be very emotional. The journey these kids took may have started out as finding a bio dad, but they found so much much and the author conveyed that beautifully. The story is interesting and different. It has a great storyline with heat characters. Its funny and witty. Kudos to the author on this one!

A fun, cheesy YA story about three kids going off in search of their sperm donor dad. Unrealistic but enjoyable story.

Give It A Chance; This Book Will Grow On You.

There are lots of terrific feel-bad/feel-good books out there for Young Adult readers. Libba Bray's "Going Bovine", anything by John Green, most books by Andrew Smith, Jesse Andrews' "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" - they are excellent reads; I'm sure you could think of a dozen more. But, what about younger readers and adventurous middle graders? How bad should the feel-bad part be, and how much feel-good is enough? Well, this book struck me as being the answer to that question.

The setup is clear. K.T., Jesse, and Gabe are all children conceived with a contribution from an anonymous sperm donor. They get together after they find out that they are half-siblings who share a common father. They decide to find that father, and the tale unfolds from there. It's a fairy tale - fast paced and illogical and unrealistic, but the reader knows that going in.

Now, for the feel-bad. K.T.'s Mom is a sad sack loser at love and a bit of a child herself, so K.T. has abandonment issues and has to be a grownup sooner that she would like. As a consequence she's become a bit dark and a lot snarky. Jesse is a jock pretty boy, but feels hollow and searches for inner truth and substance. Gabe is a nerdy guy, (and not cool nerdy), and doesn't want to be shy and socially awkward forever. O.K., that's all fine for feeling-bad without being too heavy or dramatic. No one's dying, and these are almost universal issues.

The book does not start well. We open with K.T. and her teen snark-bitch attitude looks like it will make for a bumpy ride. Hooking her up with a shallow pretty boy and an awkward geek doesn't seem any more promising. I had my doubts about spending time with this crowd. But wait. After only a few pages the author gets these three together and gets them on the road to find Dad. The road is, of course, always magical, and it begins to work its wonders as soon as their broken down Jeep's wheels hit the asphalt. K.T. starts to humanize and loosen up, Jesse starts to develop a third dimension, and Gabe begins to get in touch with his inner mensch. And they all start to bond.

The plot rollicks around, and the book's pacing is headlong. There are all sorts of adventures. There are some clever set pieces and some funny banter and throwaway lines. The Dad search hits deadends and then clues and coincidences fall from the sky. I didn't care about any plot problems or coincidences, because that isn't the point. This is a road trip with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and it was just fun to watch everyone travel to Oz. As you might imagine, SPOILER OF SORTS, there is a feel good ending. Indeed, it turns out that every single character who ever appeared in the book gets a feel good ending. That was O.K. by me.

Along the way we learn about friendship, loyalty, patience, family bonding, forgiveness, and everything else good. Along the way the three heroes grow up and become the better people they were meant to be. And, along the way, we start to feel affection for these three brave and resourceful souls, and we're happy that they get their feel-good ending. That may be a little simple and a lot unrealistic, but it's nice for younger readers to get their feet wet before they hit all the books in which everyone dies from cancer and no one ever gets a full unconditional feel-good ending.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

When I initially read the excerpt of this, I thought hmm this could be a really cool YA book. Wellll, it wasn't. It was incredibly cheesy. And the title is incorrect after the first third of the book so it should be called "Donor Kids" or "Are You My Brother?" or "Finding Dad" or something. IDK. Finding Dad, I like that one. But not 806. KT is a donor kid. And now that she's a teenager she's looking for her father. She finds a couple of classmates who are her half-siblings. They go on a terrible, haphazard journey to find their "do not contact" biological father and in doing so, lie, steal, and cross the country. There's so much wrong with this book. I wanted it to be good so badly! But it just fell flat. I liked Jesse's journey of self-discovery. But I don't feel like KT or Gabe had the same journey. KT just was all wow Mom I appreciate you now. *insert eyeroll* All teenagers go through that whether they have 2 bio parents or not.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: I had never really though about sperm-donor kids before.

Check out author's other books? Probably.

Recommend this book? Yes.

Notes and Opinions: This was a cute adventure book. I had never really thought about kids with sperm-donor parents before this book. I have known adopted kids and in fact my best friend is adopted but I have know very few, if any that have had a sperm-donor as a parent. Which surprised me a lot to think about honestly, I know many gay couples who have children but I guess I always assumed they just adopted, I had never thought too hard on the other options out their for them as well as for parents where one is sterile. So I really enjoyed this book and it taking me out of my comfort zone but still teaching me that "You never know what amazing things can happen". I loved the adventure these kids had in finding their bio dad and the obstacles that were presented. There were parts that felt a little too fairy tale-like but I truly enjoyed the read.

Go Into This One Knowing: These kids will do anything to find their bio dad including stealing, lying and being sneaky. This is about kids finding their sperm-donor parent which can be a touchy subject with some people.

I found 806 to be quirky and fun. Although some serious subjects were discussed- knowing yourself, feeling different and lonely- the characters were so believable so you thought you were reading about friends. KT was especially endearing because her grumpiness is how so many teenage girls go through life. I appreciated how KT, Jesse and Gabe became siblings to each other although they had not grown up with each other. They showed great compassion. I loved the humor and the adventures. Although most of this book could not happen, it is more fun to pretend that it could than to believe in vampires and werewolves. Overall, a great fast read that should be enjoyable to people of many ages. I look forward to more books from this author

Cynthia Weil’s 806 was a joy to read during a period that’s been fairly heavy for me. This happily unrealistic road trip of a novel had me laughing and commiserating at the same time. Like KT/Katie, I didn’t meet my father until I was 18 so I can relate to her angst of not knowing and the curiosity that can hound you at times. I think that’s why I was drawn to this book.

While it was funny and cute, I definitely thought of 806 as a coming-of-age story, especially for KT. She goes through this very visual evolution of figuring out her own self-worth that all teenagers go through at some stage. She starts to learn about acceptance–particularly that of the people around her, and how they all tie together to create a family. Her relationship with her mother is fraught but changes drastically by the end. She dislikes her newfound siblings throughout the book but figures out there’s more that binds them together than doesn’t.

If I had one niggle about 806, it would be the book’s plausibility. I didn’t think it was at all believable – some of the things that happen during the road trip had me going “really?” with a bit of a groan. The ending was way too neat for the story as well. The whole novel is about how families are messy and complicated. It was a bit tied up with a bow at the end.

Even so, I really did enjoy 806. It was a nice break from heavy reading and a book I’d recommend if you’re looking for some lighthearted laughs with substance thrown in.

E-book copy generously provided by BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.

This was an awesome journey! There was humor, wit, and heart. The author does a great job touching on an important issue as three teenagers comes to terms with who they are, where they come from, and where they are going.

A little cheesy, too many coincidences but a feel-good congenial search for identity

Three teenagers at the same high school discover that they are actually siblings, after learning they all share a donor father - number 806. Each for their own reason, they want to find their biological father.

Musician Katie (who insists on KT), jock Jesse and allergy-prone magic-fan Gabe 'borrow' a car and head off across the country, tracking down their father. They have nothing in common besides their shared heritage. At least, they don't think so...

You need to suspend disbelief repeatedly for this - the coincidences that allow this to happen are pretty far-fetched (how they obtain the information, the ease with which they 'find' certain necessary persons). But if you do, it's a diverting story with three appealing central characters.

There are many road movies that run along similar lines to this, many teenage 'how I grew up and found myself' stories, though the context of this is not as common (saying that I have read a book by Robin Benway recently about adopted siblings finding each other).

The threesome at the heart of this kept me reading, I liked KT and her 'brothers' though I found the story unbelievable.

This will be enjoyed by teenagers aged 13+.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.

I'm struggling with rating this because:
a) it's a fun, lighthearted book, but
b) it shouldn't be.

The way this narrative treats the children of sperm donors completely glosses over the real-life implications of this method of assisted reproduction, using it as nothing more than a vehicle to deliver a predictable message about celebrating different kinds of families, with some interplay between family of choice vs family of blood. Nothing about it is remotely close to realistic, and the fact that three kids, same age, same school, simultaneously decide to post to an online message board and discover they are half-siblings is actually the least of the offenders. There is an attempt at conveying the emotional turmoil Katie and her half-brothers feel, but it always disappears within a page and then it's back to their jovial (occasional illegal) escapades. This novel does a disservice to real people who truly have no way of uncovering that part of their parentage, and have to deal with the fallout - emotionally; physically, as they may not have any medical history for half their DNA; and even legally, as child support battles have been waged over this issue.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop as a series of (purposefully, one must assume) fantastical circumstances lead the trio to their biological father, but that moment never came. Everything skates easily into a happily ever after that is in no way reminiscent of real life, and puts forth dangerously misguided notions about the effects of sperm donation on the donors, children and families involved. This is a fantasy masquerading as contemporary YA fiction.

806, by Cynthia Weil is a modern young adult novel focused on family and friendships.

Kate (or KT, as she prefers to be called), Jesse, and Gabe are three siblings only connected by their biological father, as well as their interest in meeting him. While on their pursuit to meet Donor 806, the three siblings deal with their new relationships, as well as various issues on their new family adventure.

806 is an enjoyable road trip adventure story, particularly geared towards teenagers (and those who enjoy YA books).


Note: I received this book from Bookish First (via NetGalley), which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.