Manga Maniac Cafe

3 stars

Abi was just a little too immature for my liking, and some of the decisions she made - ouch. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but her behavior in the middle tried my patience. I did like that she finally stop blaming everyone but herself for her woes, and that she finally found a sense of self-empowerment.

Full Review:

I decided to read Will the Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up? because Abi’s a kickboxer, and the movie set setting sounded interesting. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, but Abi’s lack of common sense derailed some of my enjoyment later on. The ending was satisfying, but the middle stretch did test my resolve. The story would have worked better for me if Abi had been 16 instead of 18, because she acted so immature. Part of that is because of her speech impediment, which made her family and her friends want to take the lead and help her over life’s little hurdles. It quickly got annoying when she continually craved their help and feedback, or when she blamed everyone but herself for the messes she found herself in.

With speech therapy, time, and practice, Abi has overcome her embarrassing stutter. Bullied because of it when she was younger, her parents enrolled her in kickboxing lessons to help build her self esteem. Discovering that she was good at it, Abi has become a champion kickboxer. When her instructor suggests she audition as a stunt double for an indie movie that his friend is working on, she’s reluctant to step outside of her comfort zone. Her friends Matt and Liv convince her to give it a shot, but Abi still has her reservations. She’s never wanted to be in the limelight, and even though the job is to be star Tilly Watson’s stunt double, she’s scared she’ll have trouble interacting with a new group of people.

The audition is almost a complete disaster; her stutter returns with a vengeance, and she’s so nervous she can barely think. When it’s time to show off her martial arts skills, however, she’s immediately calmed and is able to nail the job. Once on the set, she starts to think that she’s made a horrible mistake. Tilly is mean and taunts her about her speech impediment, and the director is a stern task master. Just when she’s beginning to regret taking the position, Tilly’s boyfriend shows up on the set. Mistaking Abi for Tilly, he greets her with a kiss – and Abi is smitten with the young actor.

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