Book Review: The Art of Escaping

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

 Seventeen-year-old Mattie is hiding her obsession with Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich from everyone, including her best friend Stella. When Stella takes off to boarding school for the summer, all of Mattie’s anxieties bubble to the surface, leaving her feeling adrift. To distract herself, she seeks out Miyu, the reclusive daughter of a world-renowned escape artist whose life and career was snuffed out by a tragic plane crash.

With Miyu’s help, Mattie secretly transforms herself into a burgeoning escapologist and performance artist. Away from the curious eyes of her peers, she thrives in her new world of lock picking, straitjackets, and aquarium escapes. But when Will, a popular varsity athlete from her high school, discovers her act at an underground venue, she fears that her double life is about to be exposed. But instead of outing her, Will tells Mattie something he’s never told anyone before and the two of them find out that not all secrets can remain secret forever.

Told through the perspectives of the witty main characters, this funny and fresh debut explores the power of stage personas and secret spaces, and speaks to the uncanny ways in which friendships transform us.

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                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

"There’s something romantic about a young girl sneaking out in the middle of the night to fulfill a lifelong dream. Unless you’re the girl. Then it’s just a giant, anxiety-provoking pain in the ass that turns you into a lying liar-face."

This is a really upbeat exploration of teenage friendship. I loved this book so much. 

Our main character Mattie stalks Miyu, who is a 30-year-old agoraphobic. The reason being that hse is the daughter of the famous escape artist and has a secret that might help Mattie reach her dreams. After a series of brutal challenges, she teaches Mattie how to escape from restraints that are tied underwater, which is one of the biggest tricks of all time. 

Mattie is a great main character. This is because she is super relatable and reliable. She is your average teenager, she has anxiety and is self-conscious, loving, and has pretty nifty passions. She has a best friend and that is about it. She isn't the popular girl and she isn't an overwritten character. 

This book made me feel so many different things. It made me feel like life was right, like good wins in the end, it felt like I was really in the story. Like I was dreaming at times. It made me motivated to find something I love doing, and then actually start doing it. It made me interested in escapology which isn't a subject I had ever thought I would think about, let alone love! 

There are some LGBTQ themes in this book and they are complex and honesty. I can't say if they are true or own voices but I liked them. I enjoyed the structure of them and the dual point of view made the book interesting. 

As a whole I really enjoyed this super vibrant novel, it was so unique. I loved all the metaphors the author used and I loved the writing style immensely. The atmosphere of the high school felt real and not overly cliche or dramatic. Great book!

Recommended for: Fans of escapology, Houdini,  fantasy fans, contemporary, people that love stories with a bit of magic, those looking for LGBT+ representation, anyone interested in stories set in a high school setting. 

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions are my own and are not reflective of that.