As of 12/31/19: I still loved this book and I did get my own copy so I can read it again and again! 5/5!!




Original Review: I can relate to this book so much!! [a:Leanne Lieberman|1461378|Leanne Lieberman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361030246p2/1461378.jpg] knows how to make a YA relateable book! I also love the cover! I wish I had my own copy, but I would love to read again!! ( )

Sydney lives in a "fog": a fear of: being touched, talking to others, and people, in general . She'd prefer to hide in her closet. Her parents are loving (yay!), her sister is out-going (to a fault at times) and she has a special relationship with her grandfather Zeyda. When her lab partner, Paul, begins to pay attention to her it raises feelings inside of her that frighten her. This is sexual awakening "light"... a useful, personal look at burgeoning adolescent sexuality. It misses the mark, in his reviewer's opinion, by not being graphic enough (show, don't tell, feelings!) and by a serious lack of plot. The side story about her sister's staging of The Vagina Monologues seems discordant. ( )

First off, I want to say that I am definitely not the target audience for The Most Dangerous Thing. While I read many YA novels, they are usually geared more toward the upper age range. With The Most Dangerous Thing, I felt that the novel was directed toward the younger grouping, around 12 or 13 because of the manner in which the prose is written and the topics considered. So please appreciate that my rating reflects a reading by someone who is not the target audience.

I enjoyed the relationship between Syd and her zeyda (grandfather). I liked the way they spoke to each other. Their relationship seemed very real, warm, and caring. Likewise, the other relationships felt real as well.

The discussion of being Jewish and preparation for Passover was interesting and could certainly appeal to individuals who weren't familiar as well as those who are.

The reason why I gave this an average rating is because it felt a little slow and meandering. I attributed a lot of this to the fact that the prose seems directed toward a twelve or thirteen year old. To me, this felt like a character study and that perhaps the resolutions were far too subtle while perhaps for a younger person they might seem monumental. So I again think this could be a matter of perception and target audience.

I won an ARC through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Pros:
-I honestly learned a lot about Jewish culture
-Mental illness was a big part of Sydney's life
-Her relationship with her grandpa
-Abby. Everything about Abby.
-Sydney's dad's reasoning for volunteering

Cons:
-It really seemed like one of those "I just need a boy" stories
-There wasn't really a resolution

My Thoughts: I'm sort of neutral about this book. I didn't love it. But I didn't hate it either. Mostly I just didn't like that it seemed like all of Sydney's problems were solved by a boy - which is not how mental health works. But her description of The Fog was spot on, and the fact that she went to therapy and was a writer, and all these other little things, really added up to a great mentally ill character. Just a flawed presentation of one. I would recommend this book I think. ( )

I liked this book. I thought it was a good read with tough sometimes awkward issues. I'll probably save this book for when my daughter is a teen. A quick fun read for mothers and daughters to enjoy. ( )