Of the two books that we read for our section on Realistic Fiction, I have to say I preferred neither of them. While I really did not like Luna, I felt nothing for True Diary.
When I read True Diary, and sad moments occurred, I had a moment where I could accept that it was sad and I would pause for a second in my reading. But then I just shrugged it off and went back to reading the rest of the book. And once I finished the book, I felt like something was missing. Generally when I read, I prefer for the story to be wrapped up at the end with some sort of conclusion, whether it be happy or sad. I don't read realistic fiction, where things can't be tied up, because that's not how life works. And so for me it was difficult to enjoy the book, especially when I didn't feel anything for the character either.
As for Luna, I started off hating this book. And that was due to the characters. I thought they were all ridiculous and stereotypical, and the only emotions I felt toward them were anger and frustration. Really, I just wanted to throttle all of them. So, completely opposite to True Diary, I had a difficult time getting into this book because of how I felt towards the characters. The frustration made it difficult to truly enjoy the journey that the story was taking us on, but in the end I only disliked the book instead of hating it. I could at least appreciate the love that Reagan clearly had for Liam/Luna, and I did like that the book got such a visceral reaction out of me.
Would I recommend either of these books to a teen? I'm really not sure, and since I don't read realistic fiction, and I'm not sure what else is out there, it's hard to say what I would do.
I can say that I doubt either would have appealed to me as a teen reader. I think I still would have been apathetic towards Junior, and angry/frustrated with Reagan and her family. For me, reading about Liam and Reagan was frustrating because I would never associate with people like them in real life, but them being characters in a book, I had to force myself to wallow through their lives. And by that, I mean that Reagan was irresponsible and had no spine, and Liam was also irresponsible and more than a little selfish. Not the kind of people I like to spend time with.
Over all, I didn't really enjoy either of these books. One because it didn't evoke any response in me, and the other because it only evoked a negative reaction. But I'll still give realistic fiction a fighting chance, because maybe there will be a story out there that resonates with me. A book for everyone, and for everyone a book, after all.
