Trouble is a Friend of Mine - Stephanie Tromly - Review!

Hey! It’s been soooooo long! Also, it’s SUMMER!!!!! YAY, schools out! Today we bring to you a Canadian (#readthenorth) Red Maple Award Nominee of 2017 by a super cool author we've actually been bestowed the pleasure of meeting at the Forest of Reading ceremony earlier this year. Ms. Tromly was incredibly kind and earnest and we had an amazing time chatting with her. So we're quite excited to discuss her book!

Photo Source Link

Ashvini:

While you could discuss the way the development of the main character's behaviour (if any) wore thin as Zoe repeatedly found herself in scenarios like (very mini spoiler alert!), “we found a can of snow paint in your daughter’s possession,” or “we’ll pretend to buy a bunch of drugs,” and “who says we have to go to class.” I like to imagine that despite all the questionable behaviour, Zoe’s character still took a road trip; a journey in finding herself; and each chapter, marked her progress along the way.

At the start of the novel, you had this girl who was grappling with the unfamiliar setting of the new town and the separation of her parents; two starkly different figures with unlike attitudes, ideas, and values. I remember feeling as if Zoe was caught in the middle of a parent trap: so harshly judging one parent whilst heavily idolizing the other. She struggled to characterize herself in the midst of her parents’ expectations. This, I believe, is where Digby comes in. Throughout the novel; Zoe describes Digby in the “everything changed after we started hanging out,” Margo-Roth-Speigelman light, which I like to imagine is because, Digby, the witty version of a happy go lucky Sherlock, could get to Zoe and understand her in a way that wasn’t pitying or hostile; a way that no one else could. This whole journey of Zoe discovering and finding herself, took place after meeting Digby, and in all of the expeditions they went on together, she stepped into the shoes of an alternate version of herself; one that from her descriptions of her life before moving into the story's fictional setting of River Heights, is outside of her comfort zone and a whole lot more “daring.”In doing so, she was able to realize what and who she wanted in her life. Not only that, but Zoe was also able to grow in her own acceptance towards others. 

Though I think my biggest frustration with this book, an issue that never really received any attention or closure, in the end, was the complete stereotypical judgment on Zoe’s part towards others…especially the stereotypical social-villain of her school: "Sloane." As much as I understand the use of Sloane's character for dramatic effect or even just relatability with readers, I still really despised the way Zoe would handle/indirectly respond to Sloane. I think it's simply become an incredibly tired out trope in YA literature itself. Naturally, Young Adult literature carries a myriad of teenage angst, that's a given, but I think it's just as important to convey a more matured perspective of those angsty moments at the end of a novel. Teenagers grow, we change, we understand more about ourselves and the world around us. Every author's entitled to how they choose to write...but those are just my two cents. :) 

Aside from that, the way Stephanie Tromly tells the story is really refreshing, lighthearted, easy to read; it's “book crack.” It extremely comedic, loose and frill-free, you’re allowed to colour in your own visualization and interpretations of the setting, characters, and stories, whilst still making sense.  Her easy-to-read writing reaches out and instills a critical message of finding yourself and acceptance to a different audience, and in a different way. This isn’t your mother or even your best friend’s coming-of-age novel (lol, Emma). It’s fun and breezy; and I think that it’s contribution as a novel diversifies the YA category and attracts/appeals to a variety of avid readers and simply people who want to get into reading.

Ashvini's Rating: 3.5/5

Emma:

Let me start this review off, by saying that Trouble is a Friend of Mine, is Stephanie Tromly debut novel. It was one of those books that are enjoyable to read in the moment, but not necessarily a favourite. I don’t think I will look back on this book like I do with my all time favourites. That said I didn’t hate it either. This book was incredibly different from what I am used to reading. You can often count on finding me with a high fantasy book. Believe me, I have tried to read contemporary, but I think it is the matter of finding the right type of book for me. Not the genre. Anyways, I was not a big fan of the cover at our library. The green and orange stripes did contrast in a somewhat appealing way, but I found the binoculars to completely throw off the vibe. The whole binoculars thing was just a bad idea in the first place with Digby upside down and Zoe in the corner. I found that the cover just had too much going on. Not to mention the cover for Trouble Makes a Comeback. I would have much preferred either of the two current gray covers. For that reason, The orange/green cover is not pictured.

Being written by a Canadian author, I was also quite disappointed at the fact that Trouble is a Friend of Mine, wasn’t even set in Canada. I originally read Trouble is a Friend of Mine as it was a 2017 Red Maple nominee.

(Red Maple, is a Canadian program for young readers that showcases 10 Canadian books each of which are nominated for this award. These young readers themselves then vote the candidate they enjoyed the most.)

One of the nice things about Red Maple is that since the authors are Canadian most of the time the books are set in Canada. It is really fun to explore places in your home country, as I’m sure many can relate, being that it is not often we see contemporary books that take place right here in Canada. It made me kind of upset, as the book implied that universities in Canada are not as good as the ones in the United States. I understand the honour and title that comes with being accepted into an Ivy League or other top notch universities, however, I just feel like Zoe was so caught up in her own little world having to go to ‘the best’ school. When in reality, no one other than yourself, can determine what ‘the best school’ for you is.

I found the characters to be slightly annoying, each for different reasons. There were just a lot of characters that I thought could have benefited from a little more character development. Throughout the story there were also many pop culture references. I did catch a few of the song references and I’m sure there were more pop culture references that I had missed. I did not mind the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) hints, but as I am slightly introverted and cannot keep up with everything going on, they were not nearly as engaging for me to read. On top of that the ending seemed a little hastily done as there were so many parts that had yet to be wrapped up.

A big thing for me, was the friendship. Without giving too much away, I will say that Zoe and Digby’s relationship was fine. So often YA is

One thing I did thoroughly enjoy about this book was how Tromly was not afraid to touch on the sensitive topic of drugs. I find that in YA many topics, such as drugs are treated like dynamite. Part of me thinks this is due to the fact that YA is directed at ‘young impressionable teens’ who shouldn’t be thinking about topics as harsh as addiction. Unfortunately, it is reality and I admire Stephanie Tromly for taking that unspoken risk in Young Adult literature.

Overall, I was not a big fan Trouble is a Friend of Mine. I think I just had such high expectations for it, as Ashvini kept raving about how amazing it was. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t necessarily hate it, as there were multiple enjoyable aspects, but it definitely wasn’t my favourite book either.

Emma's Rating: 3/5

                           

So, that's all for today folks! As always, please enlighten us to your thoughts! Let us know, have you read this book?  Or do you plan to? What would you like to see from us next? We wish you all some very happy summer reading!

More reviews coming to a computer near you soon!

Yours Truly,

Emma and Ashvini