Winger Hardcover – May 14, 2013

Wow. Just...wow. This book is freaking brilliant. I mean it. I think this is top 5 for this year, if not all time, and is most definitely the most heartbreaking this year if not all time.So one of the best things Winger has got going for it is it's male pov written by a male. This ship is real, y'all (unlike Ryan Dean, I try not to swear, even in my writing)! I mean, Ryan Dean is just such a....boy. A teenage boy at that. I had no trouble believing all the ridiculous things he thinks, says, and does throughout the novel. Peeing in a gatorade bottle rather than going to the bathroom? Check. Being pervy with every single female character (by "every single" I mean all of them, not single as in relationship status because...well, RDW has some homewrecker moments) in the book, particularly in his thoughts? Check. Ryan Dean is really astute and a remarkably good narrator, but he's also straight-up dumb sometimes, but that's okay because it fits so well with reality as well as the world of the book.See, when Ryan Dean is acting like a hormonal idiot, Andrew used his other characters to take up the slack. There's Joey Cosentino: the Voice of Reason. I don't care that Joey is gay, I am totally in love with him. Joey's job is to point out every time Ryan Dean is being stupid, but he always has RD's back, on the rugby field and off, and I have nothing but respect for him. He's a Nice Guy, but he's not above getting dirty to defend himself or calling someone out when they need to be put in place.There's Annie: the Best Friend and Love Interest. It's way cool seeing Annie face reality when it comes to her relationship with Ryan Dean. I, being a girl who at one time was sixteen, innately know what's going on in Annie's head so it's way cool understanding her thoughts while actually reading from Ryan Dean's mind. Love it.There's Chas: the Hostile Roommate & Teammate/Romantic Competition. Chas's purpose really confused me during much of the novel, but his presence actually puts Ryan Dean into the role of bad guy at one point, which forces the reader and Ryan Dean to actively acknowledge his fault. Also, Chas is instrumental to the resolution of Ryan Dean's story.There's Seanie (the Comic Relief, insofar as sometimes Ryan Dean has to be serious for a second and not be funny himself) and JP (the Other Romanic Competition). These guys...well, I didn't care a whole whole lot for them because Seanie is just an oddball and JP is a douche, but again, we see Ryan Dean in a different light because of them. Ryan Dean makes a lot of mistakes, and Seanie and JP are kind of the collateral damage.There's Megan: Love Interest/Temptation. While Annie is the attainable-but-unattainable best friend/crush, Megan is the unattainable-but-attainable (yes, there's a difference) hot girl that Ryan Dean wants because she's hot, but shouldn't want because she's otherwise taken. Yet, while Annie is spending her time wrestling with her feelings for Ryan Dean, Megan decisively chooses to spend some quality time with Ryan Dean pressed up against the water fountain, if you know what I mean. Megan helps Ryan Dean transform into the Wild Boy of Bainbridge Island.There's Casey: the Bully. Grade A douchenozzle. Spends all his time picking on everybody else. His presence gives Ryan Dean the opportunity to be both the victim and the hero.There's the staff: Mr. Farrow (Perpetually Absent Authority Figure), Ms. Singer (Perpetually Present Stick-Up-Her-Butt [possibly a broomstick] Female Authority Figure Who Might Be a Witch Constantly Cursing Ryan Dean), Mr. Wellins (Pervy Teacher Who Reads Sex Into Everything), Coach M (Authority Figure Who Actually Means Something to the Students), and Nurse Hickey (Hot Nurse With Suggestive Name). These characters aren't hugely present, but each one has a unique relationship with Ryan Dean so I figured I'd include them. There are others as well, like guys on the rugby and football teams, Isabel, Annie's parents, etc, but not too intricately included in the story. I did just kind of reduced all these characters to a small label-able characteristic or two, but trust me when I say they're important.So the characters are all great. The story, at least at first, was a bit slow for me, but it picks up. I thought Winger was supposed to be just a funny novel. And it really is a hilarious look at Ryan Dean trying to fit in at his school, trying to navigate the waters of romance, trying to not die either on the rugby field (by an opponent OR teammate because it was touch-and-go sometimes), trying not to be cursed by Ms. Singer. Winger reads like a journal with Ryan Dean frequently breaking the fourth wall to talk to the reader, rating things on his ridiculous scales like my rating above, and drawing awesome cartoons. Seriously, the drawings add an awesome artistic element. I really hope this trend gets a kickstart because I love it. So I'm reading Winger, expecting it to continue the funny when WHAM! Out of absolutely nowhere, Andrew Smith decided to punch a hole through my heart. It took me a couple of weeks to read Winger, but one night I decided to just finish it in one sitting. It was about 1 AM so when this crazy unimaginable, unexpected, heart-wrenching event occurred, I couldn't take it anymore. Oh, sure, I finished Winger at about 1:30, and then for at least an additional 20 minutes I sobbed like my 3-year old niece when someone tells her no. So...thanks for that, Andrew Smith, you cruel genius you!

High school is hard enough, but if you are a 14 year old junior in high school, you can expect some pretty ridiculous situations to live through. Ryan Dean West is a 14 year old junior who is starting his school year in O-Hall, the hall for the "juvenile delinquents". Unfortunately, those are the same people who make his life miserable, including his brand-new roommate! Winger is a hilarious account of Ryan Dean's year in all its awkward, hilarious, and heartbreaking glory!When Ryan Dean is put in O-Hall, he knows he is going to be ducking and dodging Chas, his new roommate, for the rest of the year. All he wants is to move back with his friends, Seanie and JP, but now he is stuck in a room with the meathead. Add to that his best friend, Annie, has no idea he is madly in love with her, and you have the recipe for one seriously sucky year. But then something bizarre happens. Chas is a turd, but sometimes, he is less turdy. Sometimes, he just isn't so bad. When Chas's girlfriend, the hottest girl at school, starts flirting with Ryan Dean, he doesn't have any clue what is happening. but he is also not stupid enough to question it!In O-Hall, he even finds himself enjoying his time with guys like Kevin and Joey. Sure Joey is gay and all, but everyone seems to know it and not give a crap. But even when things seem to be going OK, there is always the chance they are going to take a turn for the hilarious and horrible worse. From late night poker games and the two-beer hangover that almost kills him the next day, to doing something he knows he shouldn't but can't stop himself, to using humor to convince Annie she really should consider dating a 14 year old, Ryan Dean is a tricky guy, a funny guy, but just don't call him "little boy"!This is one of the most hilarious books I have read! Ryan Dean's dry sarcasm and wit is so spot on, it makes you want to meet Andrew Smith, because, let's be honest, he HAS to be hilarious, right?! There is no way he can't be. Ryan Dean kept me cracking up right until the final part of the story. Don't get me wrong, there are some serious parts of this book that are difficult and beautifully written, but it is Ryan Dean's outlook on life that makes this book special. He just tells it like it is, and you know those thoughts are going through the mind of every single 14 year old boy! Especially one surrounded by hot older chicks he knows he can't get... or can he?!There is a good amount of language and sexy times referred to in this book, but not too graphic- mostly Ryan Dean talking about his junk (wait for the fateful rugby game/ball sack incident!). I think this is such a good story it spans gender and age groups, but the humor also ranges from clear gutter humor to really sophisticated wit. I mean, Ryan Dean is a seriously smart guy! But he is also super young! So it just makes sense that he would embody both- the immature doofus who can't stop thinking about sex, and the sophisticated wit that leaves you speechless! I really enjoyed this story, and the end really knocked me for a loop. I am looking forward to the sequel and more of Ryan Dean and his hilarious antics!

Andrew smith is my new favourite author and, as a professional bookseller, I read a lot. This book is brilliant, and don't worry, you don't have to know anything about rugby to enjoy it. I've been pushing it on all of my colleagues since I finished it because I desperately need to talk to someone about it!! This is one of those books that stays with you for a long time after you've finished it. Pure brilliance, andrew smith, write lots more!Ps. Buy grasshopper jungle too. I can't decide which if them I like best.

So many people on GoodReads have commented this is a difficult book to review, and I totally agree.The majority of the book is an easy three star read; I chose it to get over a 'book hangover' and it did just that.The ending makes it a 5* read. Didn't see it coming, and made my heart lurch. Not a book I'll be forgetting any time soon.

Easy book to read with tiny chpaters, so it's perfect to read when taking a break from work/spare 5mins.As a girl I would say this is a rom com aimed at young teenage boys, but I found it enjoyable to read, and Im in my late teens.The ending is amazing, and the story is humerous throughout.I am very glad I brough this book.

This story is an epic interesting adventure of a smart boy who is having trouble with girls friends and anything that lives. This book is suitable for older readers as there strong language in some places . Read this book and you will know what growing up is like.Five stars from me!

This book is amazing. It kept me gripped to the last page. The story is so good, it makes you feel like you are really there experiencing the plot.