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Brothers and Frenemies
Arumand doesn’t know much about his deceased father, but what he does know is he was badass. In contrast, Arumand is an introverted, nerdy kid who gets bullied at school. The only thing they seem to have in common is appearance, and a passion for art. It’s this passion that changes the course of his life.
When bullies Sebastian, Mark, Bobby, and Joshua, steal his sketchbook, Arumand goes to school the following day determined to get it back. Things, however, don’t go according to plan and instead the incident sparks new and complicated friendships.
Will he survive this change or will going from enemies to friends be more trouble than getting his sketchbook back was worth?
This book does include teens talking about things they regularly talk about which includes topics like sex, and relationships and it also contains adult language.
When bullies Sebastian, Mark, Bobby, and Joshua, steal his sketchbook, Arumand goes to school the following day determined to get it back. Things, however, don’t go according to plan and instead the incident sparks new and complicated friendships.
Will he survive this change or will going from enemies to friends be more trouble than getting his sketchbook back was worth?
This book does include teens talking about things they regularly talk about which includes topics like sex, and relationships and it also contains adult language.
492 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 11, 2021
Bullies and Growing Up . . .
This is a coming of age story with a twist. I react badly to bullies because I firmly believe it takes a coward to come after someone they know is not comfortable defending themselves or standing up to aggression. These bullies took it a step further by stealing Arumand’s sketchbook, which means very much to him. Arumand was an introvert, passionate about his art, however. The loss of his sketchbook was enough to motivate Arumand to attempt to get it back. That action becomes a catalyst for change.
The author’s handling of the story line as bullies Sebastian, Mark, Bobby, and Joshua react to the confrontation is very well done. Grab your copy and see how a new awareness is possible which can change perceptions and behaviors going forward. If even one learns something, it’s still progress.
This is a coming of age story with a twist. I react badly to bullies because I firmly believe it takes a coward to come after someone they know is not comfortable defending themselves or standing up to aggression. These bullies took it a step further by stealing Arumand’s sketchbook, which means very much to him. Arumand was an introvert, passionate about his art, however. The loss of his sketchbook was enough to motivate Arumand to attempt to get it back. That action becomes a catalyst for change.
The author’s handling of the story line as bullies Sebastian, Mark, Bobby, and Joshua react to the confrontation is very well done. Grab your copy and see how a new awareness is possible which can change perceptions and behaviors going forward. If even one learns something, it’s still progress.
July 10, 2021
This was a really great books about friends, family, sexuality and coming-of-age. When Ibread the first few pages, I was kind of lost and wondering "ok, where is this book going?" But the more I read, the more intrigued I became. I finished yhis book in less than a week and was loving every minute of it. I loved how the characters grew into their own and how the culture of each family came into play. It made me feel what these characters are going through. I laughed, I cried..it made me feel all the feels. I loved how the circle of friends became friends and how it went to the past and talked about the parents when they were a bit younger. How Andre was a part of their lives and how the "brothers" met before everything happened. Overall, great book. I did not want to put it down.
There were some grammatical errors and at some points, I was confused on who was making the dialogue. Sometimes it would sat and other times it wouldn't. I know that when the last character speaks, that's usually who is talking to each other. However sometimes it would be a different character talking.
Either way, I believe the author captured the characters' problems and how they were solved by the characters themselves. I really recommend this book..it was awesome!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There were some grammatical errors and at some points, I was confused on who was making the dialogue. Sometimes it would sat and other times it wouldn't. I know that when the last character speaks, that's usually who is talking to each other. However sometimes it would be a different character talking.
Either way, I believe the author captured the characters' problems and how they were solved by the characters themselves. I really recommend this book..it was awesome!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 13, 2021
So much heartache so many emotions
I’ve been thinking about this review for awhile because there was just so much heartache in this book but also support and understanding between friends that is so strong.
There’s so much going on this book we’ve got so many characters who have all got their own personalities and struggles that to begin with I really found it hard to keep up. there was just so much going on but it Wasn’t long until I was totally hooked on this group of friends and they went through so much but through all of it they come together there is heartache in this book that will take your breath away but I’ve got to recommend it you will not be disappointed reading this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I’ve been thinking about this review for awhile because there was just so much heartache in this book but also support and understanding between friends that is so strong.
There’s so much going on this book we’ve got so many characters who have all got their own personalities and struggles that to begin with I really found it hard to keep up. there was just so much going on but it Wasn’t long until I was totally hooked on this group of friends and they went through so much but through all of it they come together there is heartache in this book that will take your breath away but I’ve got to recommend it you will not be disappointed reading this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 16, 2022
This is the first story I’ve read by this author. When I started it I was confused. It appeared I had the wrong book and I was confused until I found it is set up about chapters for different characters and situations. When it came together the light bulb came on. This story is different than I really expected. Bullies are as different as personalities and situations. This interaction with friends and family and the changes as life progresses gave me plenty to think about. I enjoyed this story after I figured how it is set up.
January 16, 2022
As in all of Samuel Alexander's books, he captures all the complex behaviors and emotions of the characters. Just like real people, they do good and bad things, feel generous and loving but can then be complete jerks. Here, because of the ages of the characters and how people change over those ages as they grow up, we have some significant fluctuations. I think some of the hurtful actions and words feel more painful as a reader here, because we can remember how much more vulnerable we were at those ages both to the good and the bad. This one will both hurt and uplift you at various times.
February 15, 2022
Samuel is great in creating books that keep ticking my brain over. This one took me by surprise because book, it was extensive one and had a different set up than most books. The dialogues took me some time and a reread was sometimes needed to get things clear in my mind. I recommend this books, because it will take you out of your confort zone for a while. Be aware of triggers.
I received an advance review copy through Booksirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy through Booksirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Shelved as 'dnf'
February 6, 2023DNF
One of the big reasons I don't like fantasy is just how many characters I am expected to keep track of, but then I am not really given time to know why they are important before things move on. This book also had a ton of characters and I just can't keep them straight.
One of the big reasons I don't like fantasy is just how many characters I am expected to keep track of, but then I am not really given time to know why they are important before things move on. This book also had a ton of characters and I just can't keep them straight.
December 29, 2021
oh man this was heartbreaking in many ways.. lots of violence and anger.. love and sex.. emotional and wonderfully written. it was interesting and i enjoyed it a lot.
June 20, 2022
I wrote my review of the book on my blog! You can find it here:
https://ravennonest.wordpress.com/202...
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
https://ravennonest.wordpress.com/202...
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
June 13, 2021
Splashes of life, from first real self awareness in grade school, through the following years until just after high school. Clueless yet self-aware, as only teenagers can be.
Descriptions of happenings, major and minor events, and general everyday living the lives of several families, in the hood. With all the bad that there can be, taken in stride as part of daily life, contrasted by the underlying strength of the human spirit glowing in hot embers or flaming bright in reaction to both the good and the painful.
The narration slips from one character to another - sometimes adult, sometimes child or teen, sometimes a flash to the past, sometimes a glimpse at what could be - and gradually creates a colorful, lively, very real-life sequence, a captivating story that began before the part written down and seems to continue after, just like any life lived.
The dark and the light mesh and weave patterns of fate, lives lived and lost, loves forged, fought and found, never enough yet almost too much.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Descriptions of happenings, major and minor events, and general everyday living the lives of several families, in the hood. With all the bad that there can be, taken in stride as part of daily life, contrasted by the underlying strength of the human spirit glowing in hot embers or flaming bright in reaction to both the good and the painful.
The narration slips from one character to another - sometimes adult, sometimes child or teen, sometimes a flash to the past, sometimes a glimpse at what could be - and gradually creates a colorful, lively, very real-life sequence, a captivating story that began before the part written down and seems to continue after, just like any life lived.
The dark and the light mesh and weave patterns of fate, lives lived and lost, loves forged, fought and found, never enough yet almost too much.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 23, 2022
What a stunning read, every milli second of this book, every word every page, every moment!
December 6, 2016
Dealing with issues of sexuality, friendship, family and violence, Brothers and Frenemies is a coming-of-age story unlike any other. Four boys, each struggling with their own issues, taking it out on others through bullying. Until one of their victims finally stands up to them. An unlikely friendship is born - is it one that can last?
There are a lot of characters in this book, it was at times difficult to work out who was speaking, but ultimately that didn't really matter. They all have likeable and dislikeable traits, which was great. None of them are perfect but none of them are intrinsically bad either.
I'm not sure how realistic the whole thing is. A whole group of 10-year-olds much more mature than any I've ever met, the chilled attitude to having known murderers and crime bosses as friends, and the surprisingly high number of gay men in one group (family and friends included). For all I know this could be completely normal, but as I said, I'm not sure. There were other things that I simply couldn't understand (namely, how often the boys sent videos to each other of themselves having sex). This is not a world I'm familiar with at all and therefore it was difficult to connect with the story. Despite this, I did find myself invested in the characters, genuinely concerned about what was going to happen to them.
Overall, the story was moving, interesting, and unlike anything else I've read. If you want diversity in books, this is it.
Side-note: there is A LOT of sex. Not, however, in the descriptive erotic-novel style, which makes it much easier to cope with.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
There are a lot of characters in this book, it was at times difficult to work out who was speaking, but ultimately that didn't really matter. They all have likeable and dislikeable traits, which was great. None of them are perfect but none of them are intrinsically bad either.
I'm not sure how realistic the whole thing is. A whole group of 10-year-olds much more mature than any I've ever met, the chilled attitude to having known murderers and crime bosses as friends, and the surprisingly high number of gay men in one group (family and friends included). For all I know this could be completely normal, but as I said, I'm not sure. There were other things that I simply couldn't understand (namely, how often the boys sent videos to each other of themselves having sex). This is not a world I'm familiar with at all and therefore it was difficult to connect with the story. Despite this, I did find myself invested in the characters, genuinely concerned about what was going to happen to them.
Overall, the story was moving, interesting, and unlike anything else I've read. If you want diversity in books, this is it.
Side-note: there is A LOT of sex. Not, however, in the descriptive erotic-novel style, which makes it much easier to cope with.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2021
Big thanks to the author and Book Sirens for the ebook.
This coming-of-age book talks about bullies and the bullied, sexuality, racism, family abuse/neglect and more.
____________________________________________________________
What i like:
1. The overall story itself, even though it did take me a long time to read this but i did finish 3/4 of the book under 12hr.
2. The characters and their relationships. I fell in love with each one of them esp with their personal growth.
Other than that, the writing is very easy to understand but often times in dialogue it's tricky to know who said which line. This might due to having a lot of characters but the pov sometimes hard to follow.
All in all, i throughly enjoyed this book from the start until the end.
This coming-of-age book talks about bullies and the bullied, sexuality, racism, family abuse/neglect and more.
____________________________________________________________
What i like:
1. The overall story itself, even though it did take me a long time to read this but i did finish 3/4 of the book under 12hr.
2. The characters and their relationships. I fell in love with each one of them esp with their personal growth.
Other than that, the writing is very easy to understand but often times in dialogue it's tricky to know who said which line. This might due to having a lot of characters but the pov sometimes hard to follow.
All in all, i throughly enjoyed this book from the start until the end.
January 26, 2022
3 stars 🌟
Unfortunately this one was somewhat of a miss for me... the story itself was a cute coming of age type read, the dialogue however was often confusing with trying to keep up with the many characters in this book, I found myself re-reading parts to make sure who said what...who did what, etc.... the main characters of this book were enjoyable but others I could have done without tbh...The ending was an endearing full circle moment, I was glad to see our mc's got their moment after the struggles they endured throughout their formative high school years.
* I received an ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review *
October 3, 2023
It's an amazing read. Usually, I go for books with single POV's because I find them more exciting but this one—despite having multiple POV's—didn't faze me in reading up to the end. Each of the character has an interesting thoughts which added color to the whole story.
May 20, 2022
The bullies and their victim start to open up to each other and learn from each other and start a friendship. I really enjoyed this book.
September 10, 2016
Not like anything I've ever read before
I received a copy of this book directly from the author in exchange for my honest review. I, unbeknownst to him, also preordered this before I started to read it. I want into this book completely blind, telling him I'd read it without knowing the genre or the title. I still haven't even read the blurb, or paid any attention to the finished cover art. I don't find those things important.
This is not the type of book that I would usually seek out. It's certainly not for everyone: there's plenty of violence, vulgarity and sexuality. But at its core, this may best be described as a coming of age novel.
I love reading things that are different. I usually don't enjoy the trendy stuff as much as everyone thinks I'm supposed to, so I was instantly relieved when from the very first page, I could tell this wasn't a mainstream read. It opens in a very dark, very brutal way and doesn't let up much from there. But rest assured, it's not all doom and gloom. There's actually a couple of pop culture references that made me laugh out loud.
There are many, many characters in this book. I don't have anything in common with any of them, and maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. It's like being a fly on the wall of a completely different way of life. A place where the lines between good and evil and love and hatred are blurred at best.
I dislike assigning star ratings to books, because that seems so subjective. A five star tends to sound fake, as if it's the best book that was ever written, and this wasn't. I'm not sure that there any book without faults, this one included. But this is more than a four star in my opinion, so I had to give it what it deserved.
As I mentioned, this is a book with a lot of characters, and when they all got together, sometimes it was difficult to tell who was talking when. Sometimes I could figure it out through context, and other times I'm not certain that I ever knew.
This is written in a style that is informal, almost stream of consciousness like, and that tone helps to set the stage. It's not polished or poetic, but there is a beauty to this all on its own. It does take some getting used to, and could be distracting to some.
I became invested in these characters, some more than others, and as I progressed farther and farther, I both wanted to finish to find out happened next, and wished it would never end. This is the kind of book that you stay up until two in the morning to complete. The kind that leaves you wanting more when it's over, staying with you long after it's done.
I received a copy of this book directly from the author in exchange for my honest review. I, unbeknownst to him, also preordered this before I started to read it. I want into this book completely blind, telling him I'd read it without knowing the genre or the title. I still haven't even read the blurb, or paid any attention to the finished cover art. I don't find those things important.
This is not the type of book that I would usually seek out. It's certainly not for everyone: there's plenty of violence, vulgarity and sexuality. But at its core, this may best be described as a coming of age novel.
I love reading things that are different. I usually don't enjoy the trendy stuff as much as everyone thinks I'm supposed to, so I was instantly relieved when from the very first page, I could tell this wasn't a mainstream read. It opens in a very dark, very brutal way and doesn't let up much from there. But rest assured, it's not all doom and gloom. There's actually a couple of pop culture references that made me laugh out loud.
There are many, many characters in this book. I don't have anything in common with any of them, and maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. It's like being a fly on the wall of a completely different way of life. A place where the lines between good and evil and love and hatred are blurred at best.
I dislike assigning star ratings to books, because that seems so subjective. A five star tends to sound fake, as if it's the best book that was ever written, and this wasn't. I'm not sure that there any book without faults, this one included. But this is more than a four star in my opinion, so I had to give it what it deserved.
As I mentioned, this is a book with a lot of characters, and when they all got together, sometimes it was difficult to tell who was talking when. Sometimes I could figure it out through context, and other times I'm not certain that I ever knew.
This is written in a style that is informal, almost stream of consciousness like, and that tone helps to set the stage. It's not polished or poetic, but there is a beauty to this all on its own. It does take some getting used to, and could be distracting to some.
I became invested in these characters, some more than others, and as I progressed farther and farther, I both wanted to finish to find out happened next, and wished it would never end. This is the kind of book that you stay up until two in the morning to complete. The kind that leaves you wanting more when it's over, staying with you long after it's done.
September 11, 2016
To say I'm a fan of this author is an understatement. If you haven't discovered him yet I highly recommend you check him out. I love how he tells a story in it's truest form. Sometimes it's ugly and not always hearts and flowers and you might not even get an HEA (but sometimes you do) but it's real and raw and challenges how you see people.
The negative: There were a lot of characters and I found it hard to keep track. Having said that, some people love the extra dimension and perspective more characters bring so this is only a personal negative and doesn't reflect the writer at all.
The positive: Everything else. It's a coming of age novel but it's so much more. It tells of developing and changing relationships and digs deep into how we perceive people and make judgments. Even those close to us.
Easily 5 stars.
The negative: There were a lot of characters and I found it hard to keep track. Having said that, some people love the extra dimension and perspective more characters bring so this is only a personal negative and doesn't reflect the writer at all.
The positive: Everything else. It's a coming of age novel but it's so much more. It tells of developing and changing relationships and digs deep into how we perceive people and make judgments. Even those close to us.
Easily 5 stars.
November 16, 2016
Expect the unexpected
I started off really slowly, then bang you had my attention. I couldn't put it down and wanted to read when I shouldn't. I was anxious to find out what happened next. Overall this was a great read and I'm looking forward to the next one.
I started off really slowly, then bang you had my attention. I couldn't put it down and wanted to read when I shouldn't. I was anxious to find out what happened next. Overall this was a great read and I'm looking forward to the next one.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews