Slanted and Disenchanted

A really funny and lighthearted read that I could not stop reading. I did not expect it to be as good as it was . A great book

I loved this book! I really felt like i was back in the early 2000s! I loved how it pressed on current issues but looked at them from the lens of the early 2000s, i loved how the main characters came together through music and i loved seeing their connection deepen as they discovered more about the music scene together. I think the author dealt with abuse in an honest and hard way, although i do think some people may benefit from having content warnings added at the start of the book for some of the more difficult to read scenes.

Overall i really enjoyed the story and the writing and i can’t wait to read more from this author.

I really enjoyed Slanted and Disenchanted it was such a quick read. Once I started it I just couldn't put it down. Carla and Pete were two great characters and I liked how the book switched to each of their POVs. I found the music/band aspect was very interesting and you just couldn't help but root for these two. GREAT BOOK!

90’s Nostalgia , enthralling, coming of age, music galore, road trip.

I was blown away by this book. It’s set in 2000-2001 and being about 5 years younger than the main characters I was all over the nostalgic vibes of pre-smartphone, having both tapes and CDs and using a landline to get a hold of people, era. Our two MC’s Carla and Pete, both have a POV in each chapter turning are 21 and trying to come to terms with what it means to grow up and “be an adult” while finding and accepting who they are. Fate throws them together and they start up a band, decide to hit the road and tour to the Pacific all while trying to sort out their shit.

There are so, so many music references and name drops, some I knew just because you’d have to live under a rock not to know names like “Nirvana” and “Britney Spears.” However, a lot was either super-obscure (thanks Pete) or very indie punk-grunge/Riot Grrrl (alright Carla!). I found myself flagging bands and names to look up later as I didn’t want to lose the flow of the story and though I didn’t know exactly what they were saying when they got deep into the melomanism it didn’t detract from the story, it made it stronger.

Pete and Carla were magnetic and I could hardly put this book down. When I did I was constantly thinking about the story. There are some big, complex issues and events that come up including 9/11. I was coincidentally reading this part on Sept 11th and as I read how the characters and country reacted to the events I re-visited where I was and how I felt when I watched the tragedy 20 years ago (AP BIO on a TV my teacher wheeled in, even being Canadian the events were heavy and heartbreaking). I know I’m not alone in this and anyone able to remember the event will be doing the same, only adding to the evocative draw to the story and characters.

I loved both Carla and Pete for very different reasons. My heart went out to Carla as I we see her struggle with really rough emotional abuse from her alcoholic mother (and I’m hella upset with her family for just letting it happen). Seeing Carla evolve and come to terms with this and the damage it has caused her made my heartache yet I was proud of her as she started to find herself and her way. Pete, was AH-dorable, however, at times I just wanted to shake some sense into him. I did find his big secret or obstacle to make peace with came a bit out of the blue, and I wish we had learned a few of his end of book revelations a bit earlier (like a hint to the importance of his relationship with Allison). Despite this, I was still invested in his journey and was happy when all was revealed.

The ending was fantastic but I selfishly wanted so much more. I need to know where they go from there. I thought maybe another chapter or an epilogue but no I need more. I need another freaking book! Please, please give us another book, I need more Carla and Pete (and Tony because he was fan-freaking-tastic). This book was a captivating, nostalgic read that I’ll defiantly be re-visiting and gifting.

Special thank you to NetGalley and Barre Chord Press for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

#NetGalley #SlantedAndDisenchanted

3.5 stars

I don't know if I would market this as a young adult, it feels too mature for teens. This hits the new adult, trying to figure out life and who you are post structured school perfectly. The setting took a while for me to understand that we were in 2000 and 2001 which is an interesting choice for a coming of ago story.

As for the characters I preferred reading from Pete's POV, but both were lyrical and unique.

The ending didn't wrap up everything in a bow, which in this case did not leave me feeling satisfied. It was very one-sided and I don't feel like one character shared their secret.

Overall, has vibes of early-2000s hipsters Normal People by Sally Rooney, with loads of musical references that I did not get.

The grand theme of my summer holiday 2021 was historic fiction but this third novel is a little controversial. The blurb told me it was set in the 90s which could count as 'historic' but in reality, Lisa Czarina Michaud's Slanted and Disenchanted was set between 1999 and 2001. Does an era that is only 20 years past count as historic? Given that I lived (and loved) during this time (our 20th wedding anniversary is coming up), I'm going to class this one as 'nostalgic fiction' instead. That makes sense anyway because the pandemic has been a huge driver of our current fixation with nostalgia.

I'm going to dive right in and talk about when this novel was set and what it means for today's readers. Slanted and Disenchanted is definitely a New Adult novel and is set around the time of 9/11. With the 20th anniversary commemorations of that dark day taking place last week, it was really interesting reading this novel and noticing the similarities to the world today. Twenty years ago, the world changed overnight and those entering adulthood were suddenly faced with a completely alien and unwelcoming world where tensions were high and suspicions rife. Sound familiar?

It's safe to say that Michaud absolutely succeeds in transporting the reader back to that time because I basically lived the early 00s and the Generation X experience for the four days it took me to read the novel.

Slanted and Disenchanted is about Carla and Pete and how they form a band and take a road trip across America in the months after 9/11. It's about music and deciding what to do when college isn't for you; about finding yourself and accepting parts of your identity that others might not accept. Mostly, it's about taking ownership of your destiny in a crazy, uncertain world.

There is so much to unpack in this novel and I didn't realise that I suffered from GenX trauma until it began spilling out on the page. I was more a latchkey, too-much-freedom kind of GenXer but I absolutely recognised Carla's mother in many of my friends' parents.

Note: given the time period, our protagonists could strictly be called Millennials but given the number of phone boxes in the book plus Carla's mother and Pete's distrust of electronic communication, I'm going to go with Generation X.

It's always difficult to review a book that takes you through every emotion possible but I enjoyed this road trip novel across the States during an incredible difficult period in history. We like to say times were simpler before but they certainly haven't been that way this millennium.

For the music and the open road, for a time before smart phones and the end of Generation X, I give Slanted and Disenchanted an excellent four out of five stars.

I really enjoy this book, mostly because i really get to know and love the characthers: they have a great chemistry between them that is so amaizing; they are also pretty human, with struggles that we all can have and relate to, i think that's another thing that make me love the characthers so much.

The main thing in the book i think it's the music and it was so great: the magic of playing instruments and listen music with close people to you is so well plasmed and i enjoy so much reading it.

The author also explores some important topics that i enjoy reading a lot: Carla's mom is alcoholic so it brings a lot of problems and situacions that felt so real; Pete's relationship with his girlfriend is also a really intetisting topic, that frustrated me a lot, but was a good adition to the story, it cause drama but i think it also leave us a couple of lessons.

At some point of the book, i felt some scenes a little tedious, but the fact that i love the characthers made me enjoy it anyways; and other thing that didn’t convince me was the end, but now i'm aware that there will be sequels i'll leave my opinion about the whole story on hold, so for now this is a book that i do recommend so you can meet Carla & Pete and feel the music.

I was looking forward to this book because of the description. I love music, I was in a band in high school and thought this would bring back all the great memories. The beginning felt like it was going a little bit slow, but I kept reading to give it a chance. (I will say, there is a part where our main characters, Pete and Carla, are discussing their favorites, starting with the question of what was their favorite Beatles album and it convinced me to keep going because I thought it was a nice touch.) I will say that the ending felt sudden, but I can see if it were supposed to be something the characters will work on as their lives continue even after the story ends. Other than that, it was a nice story, coming to terms and figuring out how to navigate problems in one's life.

Given that I am roughly the same age these characters are, this novel hit my nostalgic sweet spot. I loved spending time with Carla and Pete, even when they didn't enjoy spending time with one another. I did feel like some of the issues each of the characters had felt added on and largely unaddressed (or under-addressed), and came as a surprise when they were mentioned. Overall, though, a lovely bildungsroman.