I really did not like this book at all.  I made myself finish it.  The first few pages that are a glossary of terms in the book should have been a tip off that I would not like it, because I didn't really even like the glossary.  I thought it was actually pretty terrible bordering on appalling.  There are so many things in the story that I didn't like, that I can't even begin to name them because the book is basically a mockery of all the issues prominent in high schools today.  Not a fan of the writing and the characters were not well-developed at ll.  I loved Heathers and I was hugely disappointed with this book.

I picked this novel up based on the interesting cover and the plot. I would recommend this to other YA readers because of the plot.

I received an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've gotta admit, I'm struggling with what I thought about this book and with what to even rate it. While initially reading this book I felt vaguely and equally disturbed and bored. The further into the book I read the more I got used to Reid's style of satire. In case it is not abundantly clear, this book is a parody of Mean Girls and the Heathers. What seems to be less clear to some is that it is also a satire of numerous issues and topics, so many in fact, that it makes the plot feel like it is lurching from topic to topic which makes it seem that little to no consideration/time/thought went into the critique. I would argue that this book is not here to make time for the reader to consider the issues (that's something that the reader can do on their own time), this book is only here to point fingers at issues. Sometimes it's a single line, other topics get given a little more plot and space. This book is not condoning or making light of the various issues brought up, rather instead it is doing what satires are supposed to do (satirize them). No one has ever said that satire needs to be tasteful.

The reading experience for this book was not exactly enjoyable and I would not say that I enjoyed it as I read, I just started to tolerate it. That said, I think this book is a fascinating snapshot of society today. Bearing in mind that almost everything in this book exaggerated (some more obscenely so than others) and in place to shock readers, it still has so much that can be unpacked and explored further. It does not take a sensitive point of view on these issues, and at times can come across anywhere from distasteful to outright offensive. I think it's all done to provoke reaction and thought. Basically I would pretty much put absolutely every kind of trigger warning on this book.

This review feels all over the place, but so was this book. It was weird, and jumpy, and out of the ordinary. I strongly recommend that anyone interested in this book takes the initiative to try it out for themselves as I think it will be a very polarizing book.

I tried really hard to read this book, I really did. But the advanced reader ebook had the world ADVANCED READER COPY NOT FINAL COPY spread throughout the entire book one word at a time in the middle of sentences. There were about 3 or more interruptions a page and it just messed with the flow of reading, which was very upsetting because I was really looking forward to reading this book. I only got about a chapter in before I couldn't deal with it anymore. The random word inserted in the middle of the sentences threw off my focus and my comprehension of what I was actually reading. I will try to read once the book is released.

DNF @ 40%

This review is based on an ARC of Kens which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin Random House Canada/Penguin Teen). 

I can't make myself read another page of this disgusting fetish porn. I am so disappointed! I was thrilled to be granted this ARC and carried such high hopes for Kens! At first I thought I would really enjoy this book and actually found myself laughing out loud a few times. That said, once we got to drag queen Sandy Hooker (with a necklace of bullets to boot) and the part about eating jizz-covered crackers, you lost me. 

Kens is just too much; too disgusting, too crude, too offensive. I get what the humor is supposed to be, and maybe I'm just being an oversensitive, bleeding-heart prude and a party pooper, but this is really just awful and not worth another minute of my time. 

I can't believe this is supposed to be a Mean Girls parallel. At least Mean Girls had a point (as well as actually funny jokes). And maybe there is a point to this book. I don't know, I never will know, I don't care to find out. At this point in the story I don't see where this is going and I really don't want to. On top of this, the characters are empty. This book relies heavily on its so-called humor and the devotion of readers who want and expect a "Heathers meets Mean Girls" story with gay guys. 

I am always sorry to DNF an ARC as it feels disrespectful to the people who have given me this opportunity, however, based on my own feelings and after reading numerous other reviews of Kens by those who have finished and also disliked the book, I feel like this is the right decision for me.

Overall i did not enjoy this book. i found the characters superficial and could not connect with them. i ended up not finishing the book

I was really excited to read Kens because it was described as a cross between Heathers and Mean Girls, but with a cast of gay characters. This book was neither of those things, however, and I was left feeling disappointed and frankly, disgusted. 

I'm not even entirely sure what Razier Reid was going for here. I understand satire and I understand subversive writing, but I don't think that Reid found that balance here. Instead of managing to skewer society's collective obsession with social media, image, popularity and the competitiveness of staying relevant, this book makes a complete mockery of homosexuality, gay culture, suicide, cyberbullying, bullying in real life, fat shaming, slut shaming, school shootings, drug use, binge drinking, Black Lives Matter and more. It's truly baffling to me that any editor read this and thought it was okay to publish. I can appreciate and recognize when something is satirical and makes us reflect on the absurdities that we as a collective people experience, but that is not what is going on with this book. This is not satire. This is appalling. I'd like to stress again that I haven't missed the point here, rather, the author has.

Aside from the fact that I had strong feelings about the content, this is sloppily written. There is no character development at all, which is sort of important at least concerning the 'main' protagonist, Tommy. If we are to believe that he is the hero at the end of this story, it would have been nice to see some sort of actual growth in him. Plot lines move at lightning speed and are quickly abandoned once another shocking revelation has occurred. It's not clear when this is set in and it's also unclear how much of this is supposed to read as science fiction or fantasy, which is confusing. 

If this book truly had been Heathers and Mean Girls then I would have probably enjoyed it. But it's false marketing and is going to end up tricking a lot of people and leaving them disappointed. 

I received this ARC as a courtesy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I would recommend this more for older teens/YA/adults over younger teen readers, as the content is highly entertaining, but risqué. To me, this was reminiscent of Heathers, where everything is a caricature of reality: big, bold, and darkly humorous. The community of Willows is insular, and unapologetically shallow, and the hierarchy of society is inverted: adults hero-worship the Kens, and the Kens rule without consequence. For fans of Heathers, with a pinch of Mean Girls, this would be a good read. 

I recognize that ARCs often have pending formatting changes, but it was distracting to have ADVANCE COPY ART TEXT NOT FINAL breaking up words and blocks of text on every page.

Before I read the first sentence I was worried. I am a huge fan of Heathers and have seen how trying to recreate a cult sensation can go wrong. At first, this book came off more like the gay Mean Girls than the gay Heathers but I was so wrong.. This book took the dark satire that I loved from the original and gave a whole new modern feel. I would love to see this become a movie because it was extremely entertaining to read. I also thought the glossary at the beginning of the book was a nice touch.