Author: Eric Walters
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 192
Source: Copy provided by publisher
Overall: 3 Stars
Summary:
A funny, heartfelt novel about one high school boy’s quest for a prom date, perfectly time for the surge in realistic YA.
Sam is not exactly what you’d call a regular guy: while his IQ is stratospheric, his social skills don’t quite rank as high, and his dating history: well, there’s no history to speak of…yet. But Sam has set out to finally fit in. He’s resolved to get some answers wrong in class; to stop getting perfect marks on his assignments; to get to know some people other than Ian and Brooke, his two closest (okay, only) friends—and find himself a prom date. And the prom is on everyone’s mind: Sam’s school has become swept up by promposals—in other words, very elaborate, very public scenes in which someone is asked to the prom. Sam thinks he might have found the inspiration he needs to ask the girl dreams out for a perfect night at the prom—as well as the unforgettable way to do it.
My Thoughts:
With prom season approaching, Eric Walters' Say You Will is the latest YA contemporary novel to get you excited about everything related to prom! I've come to expect Eric Walters' books to be more focused on generating interest in heavier social issues, so I was pleasantly surprised that his new novel was about a lighter subject. Say You Will definitely encourages you to get into the prom spirit!
Sam is the smartest student in his grade, but he can be totally socially awkward. Sometimes he just doesn't know the right words to say in a conversation, especially when his vast knowledge of random facts and trivia make him stand out amongst his peers. So now he's resolved to fit in better his junior year by dressing more casually and making a few mistakes in class instead of scoring the perfect marks that he normally easily achieves.
When a football player asks one of the most popular girls in school to be his prom date, Sam's school is swept into promposal fever. Who will be asked next to prom? And how much personal effort will they put into their promposal? As the promposals become more and more elaborate, Sam becomes determined to make one of his own to the girl of his dreams, and he'll need the help of his two best friends, Ian and Brooke, to make it possible.
While I don't remember any promposals during my own high school days ever having the potential to go viral online, it made Say You Will all the more amusing and entertaining to read. There's a mix of nervousness and anticipation in asking anyone out on a date, and always a chance of feeling embarrassed or humiliated if their response is negative, especially if it's done in a very public way. Sam hopes his promposal will be a success, but he's not all too confident that the girl he likes will agree to be his date. He only knows he'll regret it if he doesn't at least try, and the amount of thought he puts into his promposal is just so sweet!
I wish Say You Will was a little longer though, because at just under 200 pages, the novel is on the short side for a fast reader like me. I really did enjoy Say You Will, but I think it needed some more drama and conflict to make me fall in love with the book. I was never really worried or doubtful that Sam wouldn't win over his dream girl since he never seemed to face any setbacks, but I did remain ever curious to know what form his promposal would take!
Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Canada for sending this review copy!
