Review: Wolves, Boys, and Other Things that might Kill Me

Wolves, Boys, and Other Things that Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

Published by Viking (Penguin Group)

Genre: YA

$17.99 (US hardback)

371 pages

What it's about:

KJ Carson didn't plan on writing about the wolves living in Yellowstone National Park. She'd been really good at minding her own business for the past sixteen years. But when shaggy-haired Virgil shows up in her journalism class--increasing the population of West End, Montana, to 948--KJ finds herself doing things she'd never imagined. She's getting up before dawn to go wolf watching, writing newspaper articles about the highly controversial wolf reintroduction program, and kissing the boy who helps her do it all. She may be in over her head, but she's finally following her heart.

And then a shotgun blast reminds her where she is: a place where the only good wolf is a dead wolf... and anyone who defends them is threatened with a similar fate. In the past, KJ would've turned tail and run, but now there's more than just her own life at stake. Is she interested in the wolves because she's falling for Virgil? Or is she falling for the wolves themselves?

My thoughts:

I don't know why I do this to myself. I love environmentalism. I love following stories on what is going on with certain areas, and the wolves in Yellowstone is a story I had been following. So finding this book made me really excited.

I should have known better. I get all kinds of worked up when it comes to this sort of story. I get so angry at most of the characters in environmental books like this that it changes my views on the story. I am incredible biased when it comes to this.

With that being said, I still liked this book, even if I didn't much care for most of the characters. I did however really liked KJ. She was willing to look past everything and to try to not be biased. That is impressive for any age, but the fact that she is 16 and does it? Incredible. Virgil was also a pretty fun character. He was cute, talented, smart, and realistic. Chandler even described him as having acne. Not many love interests actually have acne or seem realistic. They are always too perfect. Virgil was not. Just the fact that his name is Virgil shows how he isn't perfect.

I ended up reading this book in two sittings. It sucked me in even though it frustrated me to no end. If you like stories about environmentalism, then you should definitely read this book. If you liked the book Torched by April Henry, then you should read this one as well, or the other way around.

My rating: 8.5/10

"I would laugh at all my provincial inmates, but I'm too busy lusting. I'm not usually interested in a guy with 'take a number' on his forehead, but this guy doesn't have a forehead--it's buried in messy blond hair. And he's not one of the twenty guys I've known my entire pubescent life. He smiles like the Fourth of July. What's a dumb girl to do but get in line with everyone else not in his league? I guess journalism just became my most beloved class." --pg. 16

"You love a good bellyache, don't you, Katherine Jean? Do you think you're the only kid who ever had a bad day or got a bad grade? if you don't like your life, change it."--pg 71.