Review: Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld

Maybe it's the fact that the blurb slaps you in the face with the message, maybe it's that the female protagonist just  has to repeat it every couple of pages just in case you forget it, or that the "intense" things they experience are just plain unrealistic, but I was constantly torn between irritation and disbelief whilst comparing the massage that the perfect world the characters live in leads to a bland life and the actual things that happen in the novella. 
Teenage hormones rarely lead to most of what Maria does, like walking into a storm just to feel the rain on her skin, or going to the South Pole in a wet dress and with wet hair to see a boy.  
And I've never written bad poetry, or any kind of poetry for that matter, from scraps of conversations.  
And I don't think I've ever dreamt every night for a week just because I had a crush. 
Maybe I wasn't a typical sixteen-years-old, and if it's exactly the kind of thing you did at that age let me know, but to me this looks like a grossly inaccurate portrayal of adolescence.
The message and the just story don't fit. I still liked the book, though. 
The characters are interesting. Maria, who apparently takes all her information on how to act like a teenager from ridiculous period romance novels, was particularly fun to read.
Her relationship with Kieran was cute and its development felt natural, which is always nice and sadly scarce, especially in YA literature.
There were also a couple of moments that made me snort, like when Kieran calls Hamlet "psycho prince guy" and Maria is begrudgingly impressed by the fact that he read Hamlet in the first place. 
I needed to relax and read something fun, quick and a bit silly and this was the perfect read for that. It's not deep, or imaginative or exceptional in any way, but I'm glad I read it. 

Rating:  

★★★