I wouldn't want to be a teenager again - not for a lot of money, not even for a short time. However, if I had to do it, the one - possibly the only - good thing (other than not aching every time I sit on the floor for more than five minutes) about the experience would be the vast array of truly excellent books aimed at the young adult market. I mean, I was virtually inseperable from whatever my book was at the time, and there was very little actually AIMED at people my age. I read a lot of YA books now. Because on the whole, they are fairly awesome. This book, though, wow. I just loved it. It manages to be an extremely serious novel about teen angst and mental health and not fitting in and loneliness and insecurity while at the same time not taking itself in the least seriously, and being truly laugh-aloud funny at the same time (and not just the great epigraphs at the top of each chapter). It's less accurate to say that I read this, than that I inhaled it. Just fantastic. And if you are a big fan of Buffy who doesn't take yourself too seriously (not sure any true fan of Buffy can take themselves too seriously) you will just love the Indie side plot where Ness teases and pokes fun at Buffy (and its ilk) in the way you only can when secretly, Buffy is your BFF or favourite child.
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