ARC Review: Wild and Crooked
Image from publisher’s website
Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas
Release: June 4, 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
*I received a free digital ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Leah Thomas’ books tumbled into my life when a friend plopped Because You’ll Never Meet Me down on my desk at work. I fell in love with her characters through the quirky, sci-fi writing and even weirder premise. So, of course, I read the sequel, Nowhere Near You, and then I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this new standalone pop up - Wild and Crooked.
Wild and Crooked is NOT sci-fi but it does have a weird premise - Kalyn is returning to public school while Gus is struggling to maintain status quo as “the kid with cerebral palsy”. The two form an unlikely friendship where they can act as their true selves. And don’t forget my favorite character - Phil - Gus’ best friend from childhood. However, it comes to light that Kalyn’s father (“a good for nothing kid”) is in prison for murdering Gus’ father (“the golden child”) when the two were teenagers - and the town does not approve of this new friendship. But is everything as it seems? Hmm…
Thomas does an excellent job of layering concepts of identity. In Wild and Crooked, Kalyn is struggling with her past self and the overarching beliefs of the community regarding her family. Gus is overcoming the preconceived notions others have about him due to his cerebral palsy. Phil is trying to overcome his own lack of empathy and understanding. All are trying to figure out who they are independently and are striving to determine how they want their futures to proceed. At every turn and corner Thomas’ main characters are forced to face their own positive and negative traits - reacting to catalysts in ways that will change them forever. Thomas does this wonderfully and in a way that seems natural for her characters.
Another thing that I HAVE to mention about Thomas’ writing is her ability to incorporate humor into her writing well. Her humor is definitely dark (which speaks to my soul) but she does it in quips, jabs, and subtle ways that make you chuckle. With Phil, Kalyn, and Gus, who knows what might be said!? You can see Thomas does this in her other works as well so I’m happy her humor extends across her other works.
I’m giving Wild and Crooked 4 out of 5 Awesome Austin Points. The characters are all well developed, the humor is on point, and I loved the way the mystery pieced itself together in the end. If you’re a fan of books with strong relationships and a little bit of sleuthing, this will be a must read for you in June!
