806 by Cynthia Weil | Rating: ★★★☆☆

As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

This book wasn't my cup of tea, exactly, but 806 is one of those rare instances of books about teenagers where they actually feel and sound like they are teenagers. It's refreshing and this year has incredibly been filled with releases in the genre that explore the teenage mind a lot more realistically. 806 is one of those novels that accurately portrays coming of age.

And to judge that, and base your review on the so-called childish antics would be both absurd and an injustice to the story that Weil is trying to tell.

Let's refresh. You don't pick up a book about a vampire and then complain that there is too much gore, so why pick up a book about young adults and scold them for being childish? It's weird and I'm never, ever, EVER going to get that trend. That being said, 806 is a solid release amongst contemporary YA fiction that will surely connect with its intended audience--it's fun, sprinkles of humor make it so that it's enjoyable for the reader and I definitely appreciate that. Weil seems to have found a good balance between humor and seriousness and you have to respect that, above all else.

While far too many coming of age novels offer very little growth in terms of the characters we meet and see develop, 806 is quite the opposite. You're not always going to like the character but you're going to like the raw aspect that they are trying to find their own balance in life. Which is, of course, the absolute definition of youth--figuring out who you are and growing.

If you are a fan of contemporary coming of age stories which feature REAL characters and road trips, you're going to love 806. But you have to remember, if you are an adult: this book is about kids. It's going to be rough around the edges and that's just a fact of life.

I enjoyed 806 but it's not something I see myself reaching for again in the future. Still, it was an enjoyable and easy read that took little to no time at all to finish.