Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me

by Kristen Chandler

[jeannamichel]

I set out expecting to love this book. Unfortunately, that's not what happened.

I adored the small town vibes. Since I am also from a small town, Chandler truly captures the essence of one with everyone knowing everyone else's business, waving to each other on the street, etc. Also being a farmer, I could definitely relate to the rancher's perspective of the wolves but also see the wildlife preservation POV. This book explores two sides of a major debate about wolves: should the wolves be allowed to stay in Yellowstone. Chandler makes the argument and readers get to see both sides clearly.

However, I wasn't expecting the book to be so heavy in the wolf debate. I was expecting much more boy drama than there was. And even though Chandler gets us deep in the discussion of protecting the wolves, the characters felt rather flat. The brief romance was also understated and rather strange. If I had read this book in high school, I think I would have liked it much better. Now, I didn't really connect to anyone-- and while the topic was interesting, it wasn't enough for me to really love the book.