A good and probably-about-to-be-underrated-read! This was my first-ever physical arc I received directly from an author and publisher, and I have to say I’m pretty pleased it was this one.

The Art of Escaping is a book about finding your passion, whatever it is, and finding a group of people who want to be a part of that passion. I think in high school, wanting to find a group who want you - it could be one person or fifty people - is one of the most important things in the world. This is a book that knows how important that can be, and wants to show you.

First of all, can I just say: this book is really humorous. The humor here didn’t always fit my sense, but several moments of sarcastic humor gave me a good laugh.

And there were so many minor things that worked for me! I appreciated the moments of poking fun at typical high-school tropes. I also really liked, though it was minor, Mattie’s history class - cool good teachers in YA are always something I really enjoy.

And okay, a nitpick section for somewhat eh lines and themes that I, personally, disliked? Okay, there’s one moment - this is arc and not final copy - where a teacher suggests a gay-straight alliance and the main character responds with “I’m apolitical” and, you know, I am dead tired of being queer being defined as a political thing. Would love if that got released. And the minute girl hate element is... hm. On one hand, Mattie talks a lot about how Meadow isn’t really bad, just above it all, and puts her on the same level as several dudes. But on the other hand, the intro is so filled with bouncy hair that the entire thing feels like yet another “wow, aren’t girls who fit western beauty standards terrible?” And in general, I think a few of the attempts to point out racism and homophobia fall a little short. Will’s thoughts on his mother’s treatment of gay men as objects beyond people are so amazing and important. And then… they disappear in two pages. His later coming out exemplifies his mom’s homophobia, but the whole thing is written off.

And in general, I think this book was not without flaws — a few more complicated sections feel somewhat messily written in that debut-novel way. There’s a dream sequence towards the beginning that could use some editing.

Whatever, though. In the end, I thought this was a really fun story about finding your passions. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author.

Seventeen-year-old Mattie is a lover of many things: jazz music, history, Star Trek, and famous escape artists. Her mom has been criticizing her for spending her life consuming those things she loves instead of creating something, and when her best friend goes away for the summer Mattie finally has a chance to change that. After finding the reclusive daughter of a famous escape artist, Miyu, Mattie manages to convince Miyu to mentor her and help her learn escapeology. As she starts to perform at a local club, things seem to be going incredibly, but a chance appearance by a popular athlete from her school threatens to shine the spotlight on Mattie's secret life. When Will shares a secret of his own, a new friendship is born. Can this continue when her best friend comes back to town, or will everything be different now?

I found myself enjoying this book an incredible amount, even though I had a feeling I knew where it was going. The "teenager with a secret" plot has been done so many times, I tried to prepare myself for the giant explosion as everyone's secrets came to life and wrecked everything else in the book. I hoped that it would not take away the enjoyment I had experienced so far. Amazingly, this was not the case in "The Art of Escaping." The focus stayed on the characters and their lives, and it was much better for it. This book was an amazing ride, and well worth a read for any fans of the genre.