Review: The Kidney Hpothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days by Lisa Yee

Title: The Kidney Hpothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days

Author: Lisa Yee
Publisher: Arthur A Levine Books
Publishing Date: March 31st 2015
Pages: 272
Genre: YA Humorous Coming of Age
Series: Stand Alone
Source:  ARC

  

Lisa Yee gives us her most fascinating flawed genius since Millicent Min.

Higgs Boson Bing has seven days left before his perfect high school career is completed. Then it's on to Harvard to fulfill the fantasy portrait of success that he and his parents have cultivated for the past four years. Four years of academic achievement. Four years of debate championships. Two years of dating the most popular girl in school. It was, literally, everything his parents could have wanted. Everything they wanted for Higgs's older brother Jeffrey, in fact.

But something's not right. And when Higgs's girlfriend presents him with a seemingly innocent hypothetical question about whether or not he'd give her a kidney . . . the exposed fault lines reach straight down to the foundations of his life. . . .

The first time I heard about this book, it was when I received a copy of the ARC. I thought.. sounds cute, sounds funny, sounds very very interesting...and it was. I enjoyed this read. It kept me interested and it kept me smiling. The characters were fun, the story was funny but with a bit of depth. All around a good read. It didn't wow me but it did keep my attention and gave me a few giggles throughout the book.

Higgs Boson Bing has a pretty good life. He has a popular, gorgeous girlfriend, hes known in school, has great grades, headed off to Harvard. He has 7 days until graduation. One question brings it all down. The Kidney Hypothetical. He couldn't truthfully answer it, its a hypothetical, so his girlfriend dumps him.... the next day at school someone posted horrible flyers and started a new nickname for him, a not so nice dinky dick nickname. His best friends abandons him, his Harvard admission gets questioned, Yup its all down the toilet. He then meets Monarch and his life begins to change. He questions everything as he and Monarch try to uncover the mastermind behind the school prank. 

So my thoughts, it was good, it had what I was looking for, some interesting characters, some laughs and some "awe" moments. Just a little bit of depth, Enough to keep the book a tad emotional. It was far different than some of the other books I have read recently and it was a fresh taste.

Higgs Boson Bing was a very interesting character. He was the classic do what I have to keep my parents happy because my dad is a hard ass and mother is losing her mind. Higgs brother died when he was very young and his parents or Higgs are still dealing with that. Higgs entire Junior High and High School life have been about giving his parents and himself the life that his older brother was headed for, Harvard to be a dentist. Higgs doesn't really want to be a dentist but feels this is what he must do for himself, for his parents, and for his brother. Losing it all and meeting Monarch changes everything and Higgs finds it in himself to figure out what he really wants and its not what he had. 

I really liked Higgs, I connected to him easily and I felt him through out the book, really rooting for him. I also found him irritating and annoying because of his faults, but not so much that I didn't like him. I just felt what I needed to feel to really appreciate his growth.

Monarch was a very interesting character but she felt really secondary to me and I didn't connect to her. She was a tool for Higgs in my mind. A means to an end and it worked.

The book is full of funny lines and funny incidents. The book was short and quick and read very easy at a very fast and even pace. 

I would definitely read more from this author. Especially when I need a break from heavy stuff.

A good fun read.

Lisa Yee was born and raised near Los Angeles. As a kid, she loved reading, opening brand new boxes of cereal (to get the prize), and riding the teacups at Disneyland.

Lives in South Pasadena, California. In her spare time, Lisa likes to read, make things out of junk, and consider taking a nap. Her HUGE collection of Winnie the-Poohs is on loan to the White River (Ontario) Winnie-the-Pooh Museum.

With the publication of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Lisa has realized her lifelong dream of becoming an author. The winner of the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award, there are over 500,000 copies of MILLIE in print. Lisa's second novel, Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time won the Chinese American Librarian Association Best Book of the Year award, and was named an American Library Association Notable Book. 

Lisa was also named the 2007 Thurber House Children's Author-in-Residence. Her third novel, So Totally Emily Ebers came out in 2007 and so did Good Luck, Ivy, an American Girl historical novel.

In 2009, Lisa's first YA novel, Absolutely Maybe, debuted, as did Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally), the first of her new chapter book series, which was followed up by Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) in 2010. 

2011 marks two more American Girl books, Aloha, Kanani and Good Job, Kanani, plus Warp Speed, a spin-off of the Millicent Min Trilogy.