Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
Publication Date: October 21, 2016
Plot: Misha: I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me. In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed. It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…and that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us. Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am. We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it? Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances? F*ck it. I need to meet her. I just don’t expect to hate what I find.
Ryen: He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch. Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should've gotten his number or picture or something. He could be gone forever. Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.
MY THOUGHTS:
This book was a ROLLERCOASTER. 🎢 I honestly didn’t know how I’d feel about this book before I started — I’d seen lots of reviews from people who absolutely loved it to people who hated it. I will say that it had me hooked. I read the whole thing in two days, BUT there are bits of the story that were very violent + that didn’t sit too well with me.
Ryen + Misha were…challenging characters to love at times. But I really did enjoy the character development of Ryen throughout the course of the book, and it was so lovely to see her truly grow into accepting herself for who she is. I loved the fact that they started as pen pals — Misha knowing Ryen for who she really was deep down gave their story so much more meaning.
I really don't like the whole bully trope going on throughout the story, though. And I really don’t like the fact that violence and bullying were romanticized. ⚠️ Major trigger warnings for this one. But there were moments reading that I really was laughing out loud too! Punk 57 honestly does take your emotions on a rollercoaster, so be prepared.
☆ Rating: 3.5/5 stars
