Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Title: Girl Parts

Author: John M. Cusick
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Acquired: Borrowed
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 86% or B
Buy It: Amazon

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot designed to encourage healthy bonds and treat his “dissociative disorder,” he can’t get enough of luscious redheaded Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Parted from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal “companion” is about to become her own best friend. In a stunning and hilarious debut, John Cusick takes rollicking aim at internet culture and our craving for meaningful connection in an uberconnected world.

My Thoughts:
My friend bought this book almost a year ago and ever since it has been in the back of my mind waiting to be borrowed. Fortunately, for our yearly reading competition she chose it for me to read, so I didn't have to ask for it, and had a very good reason to read it.

The two main characters in this novel were so very different. Not only with their lifestyle and activities, but with their beliefs. Seeing how different they are also makes us realize how similar their problems are. Neither of them can connect themselves with other people, and that's what the novel is showing. A solution to our increasingly unconnected world. I loved both of these characters for extremely different reasons, and they both turned out very differently than I expected in the end.

The whole concept of this book was really interesting and original. I love reading books that are taking place in the future because the smallest details to the largest details can be completely made up and not be explained. It also gives the author a chance to "invent" some new things that they'd love to exist. So even the slower parts of the novel were interesting because it was full of new technology and talked about a world that doesn't exist to me.

Overall I think Girl Parts inserted good characters into an interesting world with a great storyline. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves books about the future or just likes to read about a love triangle...even if the girl isn't "real".