Review: Struck by Lightning by Chris Colfer

Summary: Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips, who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker. At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school. At a time when bullying torments so many young people today, this unique and important novel sheds light with humor and wit on an issue that deeply resonates with countless teens and readers.

Kim's Review: “...because a life without meaning, without drive or focus, without dreams or goals, isn't a life worth living.” 
“You don’t get to pick where you’re from, but you always have control of where you’re going.” 

I tried my best to be unbiased while reading this book, because I love Chris Colfer. However, I'm definitely not as "obsessed" with him as I was a year ago, so I did realize that his writing could certainly be better. There were some great quotes from this book (see above), but it seemed unnatural sometimes, like he was trying too hard to be poetic.

I watched the movie a few months ago and cried like a baby when it was over. The book was a fast read; I finished it in a few hours, but I liked the movie better. You can sort of tell that it was a movie first. It was scary how much I could relate to Carson though. We both want to go to Northwestern and be journalists, and also hate the majority of people in our high schools. His family situation and what his mother did towards the end (I won't spoil it) hit pretty close to home.

For those who know a lot about Colfer, it may seem obvious that the book is semi-autobiographical; there are quite a few "Easter eggs," if you will. It did seem a little redundant after a while, but didn't affect the overall quality of the book, and if you don't know much about the author you won't notice them at all.

Overall, I liked this book. The story and characters were great, but the writing did sort of fall flat. No harm in giving it a chance, though, because it's a really quick read.