Save Steve

by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan

• ISBN10: 0062876279
• ISBN13: 9780062876270
• Publish Date: 1 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

After reading this author duo's lovely debut, Unpregnant, last year, I added this book to my TBR basically immediately. And it had the same humor mixed with important lessons and character development that its predecessor had! So, what did I like and what did I not enjoy as much? Read on!

Yays:

• ►There were lots of funny moments! This is definitely what I expected from this writing duo, and it didn't disappoint. Especially considering that it's a fairly serious premise (young person with cancer is always rough!), the dark humor was just really on point. Is it absurd at times? Sure, but that's part of the fun!



• ►I liked that Cam was really close with his mom! I'll get to that more later (yes, it happens to be a part of my "nays" as well, but that's okay!), but I really admired that they both worked at their relationship. Cam really did embrace a lot of the (very important, tbh) lessons that his mom tried so hard to impart on him, even if he slipped up (and he did, again, see below).



• ►I 100% liked the will-they-won't-they bromance more than the actual love interest. Kaia was fine, but she wasn't what propelled me forward. I kept hoping that Steve would come around, and that Cam's motives would become purer. I wanted these two to be besties, forever. I won't tell you what happens and whether they do, but it was so fun to read!



• ►All of the characters do grow and learn a lot. They might start out pretty questionably, but everyone starts to engage in some much needed self-reflection, yay!

Nays:

• ►This is completely a personal thing, but Cam's cringiness got to me. See, Cam's mom is a single mom trying to raise him to be... not a typical white guy jerk. Which is admirable! And like, same! It is my whole life's goal that my son is not a white guy jerk too! Which is why, when Cam is so, it just... ouch. But like, he did eventually realize it, which is why I still enjoyed the book.

Bottom Line: Save Steve is... look, it's a funny yet heartfelt cancer book. And yes, those things can coexist, and they do so beautifully here!

[Sam@WLABB]

Cam had been pining away for Kaia, and he finally thought the time was right to make his move. Little did he know that she already had a boyfriend, and even worse, that boyfriend was Steve, Oh, and even worse than that, Steve had cancer. In an attempt to impress Kaia (and win her heart), Cam offered to help with a fundraiser to "Save Steve". What seemed like a good idea at the time turned into a nightmare, when Steve decided to to beat Cam at his own game.

• Pro: This book is hilarious! The humor leans slightly darker employing some gallows humor and it's often over the top, but still, hilarious. Lots of laughter was heard in these parts as I made my way through this story.

• Pro: I loved that the book pokes fun at some well known tropes. One character warns Cam, over and over, not to mess with a "cancer love story". At different points throughout the book, she name-drops a bunch of books and movies, such as: The Fault in Our Stars, Here on Earth, Love Story, A Walk to Remember, etc. Every reference was well placed and Cam's reactions were always priceless.

• Pro: I could not get over the hoops poor Cam had to jump through. Some of the stunts he was challenged to complete were worthy of being in an episode of Jackass.

• Pro: Steve was what I would call the anti-Cam. These two were opposites in almost every way. The striking contrast resulted in a lot of really lively and entertaining situations, but I also love the idea of such different people being able to work together in some capacity as they found some common ground.

• Pro: I thought this would be a romance and was not disappointed when it wasn't. I loved the friendship that formed between Steve and Cam. So unexpected, but a really nice touch. I was quite impressed by some of the more tender moments they shared too.

• Pro: Way to surprise me! The story took a few unexpected turns. They were interesting choices, and more interesting was that I was ok with these unanticipated twists.

Overall: I came for the over the top hilarious antics, but I was happy to find a buddy story with quite a bit of heart.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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