Genres
Description
In 1994 Germany, four teenage boys find their normal lives turned upside down when they find a large amount of cash hidden in an abandoned house and opt to spend the money on clothing, food, clubbing, and drugs.
Publication
Zest Books (2013), 208 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member lilwolfmisty
The book started out ok kind of reminded me of "Glass" but then it fell apart. Too many ends were left loose. I expected the book to look back and then in the end at least reveal what happened to the rest and how it was tied in. Also I did not understand the short chapter with the dog getting the
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poison meat. Was it a real dog? Hilda's dog? or a metaphor for the boys who kept returning to the poison money? The book has potential, but in it's current state I was left wanting and wondering what the whole point was. Show Less
LibraryThing member CaitieM.
I found after reading this book that I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I feel that male readers would probably have enjoyed it a bit more simply because they could more easily relate to the characters and the things they were experiencing. The book follows four German, male best friends during one
The book was interesting and I liked the author’s style of writing. He had a way of writing that was not too sophisticated to detract from the first person narrative and make me question if a teenager would actually say the things in the novel, which is the often the case with first person narrative YA novels. The book may not have had anything exceptional about it, but it also had nothing that I found horribly wrong with it which is why I gave it 3.5. I would recommend this to male readers who often times have a hard time relating to the characters in novels. They will find that the main characters in this story are similar to them in a plethora of ways and even facing the same challenges that the reader may be facing.
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summer of their teenage years in which they find a good bit of money and the effect the money has on them, both good and bad. There are also snippets of the story in which the narrator is an adult. The book was interesting and I liked the author’s style of writing. He had a way of writing that was not too sophisticated to detract from the first person narrative and make me question if a teenager would actually say the things in the novel, which is the often the case with first person narrative YA novels. The book may not have had anything exceptional about it, but it also had nothing that I found horribly wrong with it which is why I gave it 3.5. I would recommend this to male readers who often times have a hard time relating to the characters in novels. They will find that the main characters in this story are similar to them in a plethora of ways and even facing the same challenges that the reader may be facing.
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LibraryThing member KWROLSEN
I recently read How to Lose Everything. I felt that the mood of the book was a bit dismal and depressing. None of the characters had much going for them aside from partying and hanging out at the skate park. I felt a little uncomfortable and sad for the characters as I read the book. Even though
On a side note, the back cover says that this is a Young Adult book which is recommended for ages 14 and up. I disagree with this rating, as there is a lot of drinking, drug use, bad language, and other adult content. I would caution parents of young teens if their child brings this book home.
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the group found (technically stole) a fortune, their lives did not get any better. This was the “take home” message of the book. Overall, this book was okay. I was engaged in the plot and made it a point to read a few chapters each day; however, it was not my taste.On a side note, the back cover says that this is a Young Adult book which is recommended for ages 14 and up. I disagree with this rating, as there is a lot of drinking, drug use, bad language, and other adult content. I would caution parents of young teens if their child brings this book home.
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LibraryThing member SheilaCornelisse
A group of teenage boys looking for adventure, finding a treasure and their ultimate demise from ill-gotten gains. The premise of this storyline was promising but for me, the constant barrage of drugs and alcohol detracted from what could have been another classic like "The Outsiders" by S.E.
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Hinton. A redeeming factor was that Jonathan, despite the negative influence of his friends, still possessed some bit of a conscience throughout. If this is based on the author's life, I am glad that he was able to get it together. In many ways this book appears to glorify the use of drugs, alcohol, crime and wasting your life. You should remember though that it is set in Germany where the laws may be more lenient on what we consider in North America to be illegal use of marajuana and underage drinking. Sam's psychological demise is very relevant today with studies linking schizophrenia to marajuana use, and the fates of Schultz and Eric are not surprisng. Has potential to be a good read for reluctant teenage boys; however, I would be leery about what they could read into it. Show Less
LibraryThing member s_webb
Based on the summary, I was very excited to read this book. However, after finishing it, it left me pretty disappointed. I felt like the summary made the book sound more intense than it actually ended up being. In addition, the story wasn't that well written. There seemed to be many tangents that
[SPOILER ALERT] ...And what happened to Hilda?!
Overall, I feel that the author tried to hype up a tragic experience in his life, and in doing so, wrote a quasi-memoir that will disappoint readers looking for more action and more closure.
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did not contribute to the story, which bored and confused me. The endings of many of the chapters also were not well done and seemed to just...end. Same thing with the ending of the whole book: I was surprised to turn the page and realize that the book was done! I was hoping that the story would return to the beginning, where the friends meet up again years later, and offer some kind of closure, but it just left me depressed and wondering what the point of it all was.[SPOILER ALERT] ...And what happened to Hilda?!
Overall, I feel that the author tried to hype up a tragic experience in his life, and in doing so, wrote a quasi-memoir that will disappoint readers looking for more action and more closure.
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LibraryThing member hankesj
This book kind of reminded me of that 80's movie Stand By Me. It has that coming of age feel with the boys. I enjoyed that it was from male POV since a lot of YA novels are focused around female characters. It was a breath of fresh air. I liked the mystery and was able to keep interest throughout
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the entire book which can be rare for me. I'm adding this author to my to-read list for further works. Show Less
LibraryThing member gracemcclain
Entertaining story about 4 boys during one summer of high school. Coming-of-age on drugs, literally. Lots of great foreshadowing in the beginning that kept me interested in finding out the conclusion. The 4 boys were a bit hard to tell apart at first, but they all came into their own eventually.
LibraryThing member LauraEnos
What would you do if you found a substantial amount of money and assumed the owner of the money was deceased? Keep it? Report it to the police? Give it to charity? Jonathan, a teenager growing up in Munch, Germany, and his friends feel they have "struck gold" when they found the equivalent to
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thousands and thousands of dollars in an abandoned home. Their lives change dramatically after they all decide to keep the money for themselves, spending it on unnecessary splurges (clothes, restaurant food, etc.) and then eventually the spending involved illegal activity causing a spiral of chaos and greed in their relationships. The outcome of the book is blatantly hinted in the title of the book so the reader can easily predict that there will not be a happy ending. I was honestly surprised with the boys' reckless lifestyle that there weren't more causalities then portrayed in the book. I also wondered (since the story is loosely based on an actual, autobiographical scenario of the author) where the parents' involvement was in these boys' lives. The parents and the teenagers seemed quite disengaged with one another. The story does make you think as a reader, "What would you do?" and the twist near the end with Jonathan's last visit to the abandoned home was something I did not see coming. Somewhat dark and depressing, it was still an intriguing story line until the very end, but the actual ending of the book was abrupt as if a final reflection by the narrator was needed. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1936976404 / 9781936976409