Official Review: What Theatre Means to Me by DJ Foley

[Rachaelamb1]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "What Theatre Means to Me" by DJ Foley.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Don’t judge DJ Foley’s What Theatre Means to Me by its cover. This book is a humorous coming-of-age story with a message that many people can relate to.

When Drew Pierce visits his hometown 10 years after graduating, he relives the hardest and best years of his life; high school. Going through grade school known as “Diaper Drew”, high school is his chance to start fresh, make friends, and become popular. It isn’t quite as easy as he hoped to achieve his dream. Every time he does something well, there is always someone else doing better. Every time he messes up, there are plenty of people around to witness it. Drew haphazardly joins theater, which does nothing to help his reputation, but much to help his life. It is in theater that he makes friends, finds a place where he belongs, and learns valuable life lessons.

I love the author’s writing style; it is humorous though not overly comedic. It has a sort of dry humor that I appreciate. Actually it was seeing the writing style from the short sample on Amazon that made me choose this book. I knew from the first page that I would enjoy it.

This book is definitely character driven and the author does a tremendous job capturing the personalities of his characters. They are each realistic and interesting. Drew is a lovable character even though he does not have the best outlook on life. It is easy to see how he grows and matures as the book goes through his high school years.

I am a little confused about the time period for this novel. No dates are mentioned. For some reason I originally assumed that it was taking place in the 90’s and was taken aback by the modern-day references. Some of these references are new topics that teens would be talking about right now. This confuses me because Drew is supposed to be narrating about 10 years ago. I wish the time period was clarified at the beginning of the book because it was hard to change my perception to the modern day feel after reading a few chapters thinking it was in the past.

Unfortunately, there are occasional typographical and grammatical errors. They seemed to increase as the book progressed and more than once I had to reread a sentence. I also felt like the book could be trimmed down a little because there were some things that started to feel repetitive. It is really not anything major, just my two cents.

My rating for What Theatre Means to Me is 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed it and think anyone who has ever felt awkward, lonely, or like they just can’t get out on top will find something to relate to in this story. There is a bit of language, sexual innuendos, and drug references so I would only recommend this book to a mature audience. I think with a bit more polish, I would be willing to give it a full rating.

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What Theatre Means to Me
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Like Rachaelamb1's review? Post a comment saying so!

[MotherTheresa]

I enjoy a good coming if age story. Thanks for the review!

[Rachaelamb1]

I enjoy a good coming if age story. Thanks for the review!

You're welcome!

[Heidi M Simone]

I enjoyed reading your review! I love when a group helps someone feel accepted. What's better than theater? So much fun!

[Rachaelamb1]

I enjoyed reading your review! I love when a group helps someone feel accepted. What's better than theater? So much fun!

It is fun! I never did theater but I was a part of a drama team once. I loved it even though I am shy and hate being on stage. The best part was just the group of people and memories that were built. This book reminded me of that.

[Heidi M Simone]

I enjoyed reading your review! I love when a group helps someone feel accepted. What's better than theater? So much fun!

It is fun! I never did theater but I was a part of a drama team once. I loved it even though I am shy and hate being on stage. The best part was just the group of people and memories that were built. This book reminded me of that.

That's awesome! I was in a couple of plays in high school and those were such fun times! Glad you enjoyed the read!

[Rachaelamb1]

I enjoyed reading your review! I love when a group helps someone feel accepted. What's better than theater? So much fun!

It is fun! I never did theater but I was a part of a drama team once. I loved it even though I am shy and hate being on stage. The best part was just the group of people and memories that were built. This book reminded me of that.

That's awesome! I was in a couple of plays in high school and those were such fun times! Glad you enjoyed the read!

Thanks!

[kimmyschemy06]

I like the premise. I would love to read about the theater, it seems like fun. Too bad, though, about the errors. Great job on the review.

[Rachaelamb1]

I like the premise. I would love to read about the theater, it seems like fun. Too bad, though, about the errors. Great job on the review.

Thank you. The errors were not horrible so please don't let that deter you! I remember it was only occasionally that I would come across a typo.

[bookowlie]

I enjoyed reading your thoughtful review. The book looks like something I might like. Like you, I will often choose a book based on liking the writing style in the sample.

[Vermont Reviews]

Excellent Review

Vermont Reviews

[Rachaelamb1]

I enjoyed reading your thoughtful review. The book looks like something I might like. Like you, I will often choose a book based on liking the writing style in the sample.

I love interesting and unique writing styles