Book Title: Ninety Degrees: A Precursor to Small Circles (Stories from Foster & Allen #.5)
Author: Megan Duke
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Number of pages: 206
Genre: young adult, contemporary
Release date: May 20th 2014
Favorite Quotes:
“He’d completely erased the line, releasing Charleigh from her prison. He’d melted her, and if she didn’t leave now, she would wash away.”
“He was drawn to her because of who she was.”
“…But no matter how much she wanted it, she would never allow herself to need it, and that was why she had to stay strong.”
“According to him, people chose to see what they want in the world.”
“Thanks for our moment.”
“He shook his head in dissatisfaction. “When I first met you, I thought, ‘there’s a girl who has no clue what she’s capable of.’ I wanted to make sure you knew how amazing you are.””
“Seeing his two best friends come to terms with what made them happy sent a rush of warmth to his heart… Silas made a promise to himself. One day, he would find someone who needed him as much as they needed eachother. But he would stop looking. If he’d learned anything from the past year, things happen in their own time. Fate couldn’t be forced.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
Ninety Degrees is the story behind Silas McFuller’s senior year at Chattanooga Prep. He and his best friend, Charleigh McAfee, have never cared about grades or ACT scores. Their drive stems from creativity and pushing the boundaries when it comes to the arts and the world around them. They’ve got one year left of high school, and they want to make it count. For Charleigh, that means crossing into dangerous territory alongside a rebel with a southern drawl. For Silas, it means letting go of reasoning and finally letting his true self shine. Readers of the Small Circles books know better than any that life is short, and within that small spanse of time, it’s okay to be happy.
My Review:
5/5 stars
I would suggest reading Three-Sixty first (even though this is a precursor to the Small Circles and Three-Sixty story) because it provides a little backstory into one of the main characters from Ninety-Degrees.
I really can’t say enough things about this book. Right away you are thrown into the lives of the students during their senior year at Chattanooga Prep School. There was no hesitation at introducing the main characters and be provided with a general idea of who the characters are. Unlike other books, this story is not divided by “chapters”, but rather by seasons during their senior year. Yes, I am repeating myself, but I love that the author decided to write the book in this manner. I have read books where I end up pausing to see how much I have left in the chapter, rather than focusing on the story. Writing the story this way allows readers to become even more lost in the story. I really can’t put into words how much I love Megan Duke’s writing. She truly understands her characters and she makes you believe that you are reading a story about real people.
I loved each character and how they developed throughout the book. The main character Silas McFuller tries to come to terms with his sexuality and being okay with who he is. We originally see Silas as a minor character in Three-Sixty, so I was very excited to learn about his character and to see what he was like in the beginning. Of course, I absolutely loved Charleigh’s character. I always enjoy reading about female characters who walk to the beat of their own drum. She isn’t the typical “petite skinny girl” and comes off as knowing who she is, but she really has yet to fully accept and understand who she is. There is also Logan Brown, who is best friends with both Silas and Charleigh. You don’t get the full story behind who Logan is, but he plays a major role in another character’s life (shh, I won’t say who!). Another character that we meet is Tucker Watson, a transfer from Foster and Allen (this school may be familiar to you if you read Small Circles!!). Tucker is the new student who is a mystery to those he now goes to school with. You aren’t originally given a back story to Tucker’s character, but as you read you find out more about his character. I loved this, because it parallel’s Charleigh relationship with Tucker in how their relationship slowly develops.
And BTW, you may or may not read about some of our favorite characters from Small Circles– nothing major, but it made me smile.. and then not so much.. (if you’ve read Small Circles, you’ll know why).
These characters go through so many ups and downs in such a short amount of time. They learn what it means to truly understand who they are, how much you can impact another person’s life, and of course to know that it’s okay to be happy (thanks Megan!).
This was such a profound coming of age story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading the story. I’m serious, I sat staring at the book for ten minutes tearing up (happy tears), because of how beautiful this story is.
Happy Reading!!
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