Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Ask the Passengers

by A.S. King

Astrid Jones copes with her small town's gossip and narrow-mindedness by sending love to the passengers in the airplanes flying overhead. Maybe they'll know what to do with it. Maybe it'll make them happy. Maybe they'll need it. Her mother doesn't want it, her father's always stoned, her perfect sister's too busy trying to fit in and the people in her small town would never allow her to love the person she really wants to - another girl named Dee. There's no one Astrid feels she can talk to about this deep secret or the profound questions that she's trying to answer but little does she know just how much sending her love - and asking the right questions - will affect the passengers' lives, and her own, for the better.

In this unmistakably original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's boxes and definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything - and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking and sharing real love.

Reviewed by Angie on

3 of 5 stars

Share
Ask the Passengers was quite interesting. There's a lot going on; maybe too much. Astrid is figuring herself out, like many teenagers are. She doesn't want to be forced into any boxes, and she doesn't want to be told what to do or when to do it. She wants to do things on her own time, like coming out. If she's even really gay. Astrid isn't sure if she's gay, she just knows she's in love with Dee. Love is also something she struggles with due to her weird home dynamics, so she likes to lay outside and send love to the passengers on the airplanes overhead.

I did like Ask the Passengers quite a bit, but it did feel long to me since there was so much happening. I loved Astrid's journey to figure out her sexuality and how/when to come out to everyone. I loved her relationship with Dee. They're super cute together, and I appreciated that the author tackled the subject of Dee trying to pressure Astrid into sex, and Astrid standing up for herself. Her coming out wasn't easy at all, but it wasn't wholly horrible either. I think her sister was the worst, even with the straight out school bullies.

While I loved the coming out aspect of Ask the Passengers, where it kind of dragged for me was with the Magical Realism parts and Astrid's current obsession with philosophy. I did like Astrid's deep thoughts, or really that she actually thought about stuff at all, but at times it did kind of take over and distract me. I was having flashbacks to Philosophy 100 at the community college. Also, the slightly magical parts were distracting. I thought it was a cute idea that the passengers could feel or hear Astrid's love or frustrations, but I didn't really like getting their mini stories. I wanted to get back to Astrid!

Ask the Passengers is different and it's really good. I really loved how Astrid's sexuality and relationship (with her girlfriend, friends, and family) were handled. It just felt long and slow in places due to all of the extras.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 3 June, 2015: Finished reading
  • 3 June, 2015: Reviewed