Review of The M&M Boys

[Okafor Prosper]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The M&M Boys" by Lara Reznik.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The M&M Boys by Lara Reznik is a fiction story of unlikely friendships, which includes true-life events. The story revolves around 11-year-old Marshall Elliot, who always strives to get his father's attention and approval. A horrible day at the plate in a little league baseball game for his school would see him bear the brunt of his father's harsh remarks. He was hurt not just by his father distancing himself from him but also by his continuous abuse of his mother. Around the same period, two popular baseball players for the Yankees, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, who were Marshall's heroes and both competing to break Babe Ruth's home run record that season, secretly moved into the neighborhood to get away from all the negative press. Fortuitously, they would live next door to Marshall, who would find out and be tasked with protecting their secret, which kicked off the start of a friendship that would see them impact each other's lives in different ways.

Set in the 1960s, the author has explored an intriguing period in history while touching on themes that readers will undoubtedly connect with, including friendship, love, determination, and growth. The story is told from the first-person perspective that switches between four characters, Marshall, Roger, Mickey, and Big Julie, aka Jules, who worked as a fixer for the Yankees and also had an important role to play in the story. The author expertly executes this perspective, for the most part, as sections of the chapters are dedicated to a single character, helping readers to peek into the minds of each of these characters and understand the significance of their friendship. However, there are a couple of occasions when there was a mix-up, as I found Jules suddenly taking the reins in Roger's part of the story. This was the first thing I did not like about the book.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of aspects to like about this novel. The first and my favorite is the execution of the characters. Each of them brings something unique and relatable to the story, from Marshall, who desperately wanted his father's love and approval but couldn't get it, and Mickey, who lived recklessly due to the losses he suffered in his family, to the homesick, honorable, and talented Roger and the smart Jules who made things work. I thoroughly enjoyed the growth of each of these characters, which was brilliantly captured by the author here. I would say that Roger was my favorite of them all, as I liked how he was a sort of father figure to Marshall, and I strongly related to his love of family.

Furthermore, the author does well in incorporating elements of baseball into the story. Her excellent recreation of the suspense at the games was engaging, as I followed Roger and Mickey's race towards surpassing the target of 60 home runs. Despite being each other's competition in the team, their unlikely friendship was admirable and inspiring. I did find a few minor errors while reading the book as well, but none of them affected my reading flow. Therefore, I would say that the book was professionally edited.

Overall, this was an entertaining read that I would recommend to baseball lovers and fans of historical fiction. There is also the element of romance for readers to look forward to, as Marshall explores his crush on Laila. I rate The M&M Boys three out of four stars. The issue I mentioned above, which I encountered towards the end of the story, made the book less than perfect.

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The M&M Boys
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[Reading_Jack]

It has an interesting storyline. The book seems to have an excellent characterization, which shows how well of a writer the author is. Thanks for a well-written review.

[Chijindu Ifedigbo]

This is an entertaining book, i learnt alot from the story of Marshall Elliot that keeping unlikely friends can affect us in our life. Anyone we call our friend must influence us positively.

[Umesh Bhatt]

Base ball lovers would like this book but the review suggests that there are other elements in the story which would enchant the general readers also. Thanks for the nice review.

[Aisha Yakub]

Proper character development is always exciting to read. Seems like a great storyline. Thank you for the review.

[Blessing Odii]

The storyline was good. Sounds like an interesting book.

[Kehinde Hussein]

Parents should learn to appreciate their children's efforts especially at making them proud. I feel for Marshall. Your review is awesome too.

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

This is an interesting historical fiction novel highlighting friendship, determination growth, trust, secrecy, and four unique first person POVs. The book is temporarily discounted on Amazon Kindle and has an inciteful OnlineBookClub review. Congrats on the BOTD selection.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

I don't care much for baseball, but I enjoy reading about life in the 60s, especially with great characters. And a little bit of romance is always welcome.
Thank you!

[Julius J James]

The theme of the story has attracted my attention. There's a lot about friendship and love. Congrats on BOTD!

[Summer Henrietta]

The execution of the characters is very commendable as it helped with the progression of the story. I also liked the suspense incorporated in during the games and also a little bit of romance is always a deal. A historical fiction is one boom I'd definitely read.

[Oluwabiyi Oluwasesan]

The story teaches us how to appreciate whatever you have...value them all because some are looking for something like that....son...daughter..

[Phooko Tebogo PC]

Character development is always the key to get the reader's attention if not affection, as you have mentioned that the author killed it in the book, it could be worth my energy.

[Astral Magi]

I believe that this is a great opportunity to learn more about baseball through historical fiction. Thank you for a great review.

[Victoryanthony4]

The novel M & M Boys by Lara Rezik talks about marshal Elliot who was affected at the beginning by his father's harsh remarks towards him of which he desperately needs his glfathers love but where to no avail. It talks about sport(base ball) which may interest base ball lovers and this brings alot of suspense in the course of the story.The fiction tends to also unify friendship,love,growth and romance in the life of different characters.I highly recommend this book to novel lovers.I will rate it 4 in 4