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Questions I Want to Ask You
Patrick “Pack” Walsh may not know exactly where he’s going in life, but he’s happy where he is. He’s got a girlfriend who gets him. His single dad is his best friend. After graduation, he has a desk job lined up at the local crossfit gym, maybe he’ll even work his way up to trainer. He can’t see himself ever leaving the small town of Brooksby, MA. And he’s fine with that.
Then, on his eighteenth birthday, a letter from Pack’s mother changes everything.
Pack hits the road, searching for a mother he’s never known and a family he had no idea existed until now. His journey unearths questions about both of his parents that he never saw coming. And by the end of the summer, Pack has a whole different understanding of his past—and most importantly, where he wants his future to lead.
Then, on his eighteenth birthday, a letter from Pack’s mother changes everything.
Pack hits the road, searching for a mother he’s never known and a family he had no idea existed until now. His journey unearths questions about both of his parents that he never saw coming. And by the end of the summer, Pack has a whole different understanding of his past—and most importantly, where he wants his future to lead.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 29, 2018
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2531 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
May 19, 2018
4 stars
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to!
I've checked out Michelle Falkoff's other novel, Playlist for the Dead, three times from the library (and renewed it many many more) yet I never get to reading it. So, I was admittedly a little worried I wouldn't feel encouraged to pick this up.
But somehow, this book just sucked me in.
It started out fine and had a good premise, but as I continued reading, it was like I was holding my breath and my chest just kept getting tighter and tighter as I yearned to learn more--about Pack's mom, about some ~circumstances~, and about how Pack's relationships would turn out in the end.
For some reason, I felt really invested in the story even though I didn't feel a connection with Pack. There was something about how the plot was formed that drew me in and made me want to keep reading, but without making it feel like Falkoff was leading us on and withholding information cruelly, because we learned all the info as Pack did.
I love how important relationships are in this novel--family relationships, relationships with friends, relationships with friends of friends. It's like the big idea: maintaining those relationships and letting some grow and cutting others off.
I think Pack definitely has a lot of flaws. Although on the outside he might seem pretty average, I feel like you learn that there's a lot more to Pack than what meets the eye. Falkoff does a really good job of developing his backstory and some of the past pains Pack has, as well as his current struggles.
I think Pack's problems go a lot deeper, and the one I specifically wanted to talk about was how he viewed body image.
Throughout the novel, Pack is super strict about how he eats and he very rigidly sticks to the Paleo diet and works out a lot.
I disagree with some other reviewers about this because I didn't feel like Pack ever fat-shamed during the novel. This is all my interpretation of the novel and you could definitely feel differently, but to me it was like Pack was a flawed character and what he was doing--never indulging himself--obviously isn't a healthy lifestyle (and is acknowledged as an ED), and in the end of the novel, he learns that this is true and figures out how to indulge.
Good characters are flawed--they have problems. Pack has the problem of learning how to indulge himself from time to time, and I think Falkoff points this out very often throughout the novel--such as when his girlfriend drinks a beer or basically whenever Pack is with other people who eat.
I feel like for a large part of the novel, Pack doesn't understand how others aren't extraordinarily self conscious about their weight. Like when someone eats a donut or pizza or eating anything that isn't in the Paleo diet. And this is a view of his that changes by the end of the novel & he realizes that indulging sometimes isn't a bad thing.
I never got the feeling that Pack translated the message fat = bad. Just because Pack worked out a lot and ate strictly to feel good about himself and feel comfortable in his body doesn't mean he hates fat people.
I think the goal Pack had for doing this was fuzzy because it changed throughout the novel. Initially he's scared of the bullying and the names coming back, but by the end of the novel, I interpreted it as Pack kept his healthy lifestyle to stay healthy & continue with routine, breaking it occasionally for indulging himself, not to "not be fat."
I sped through this pretty quickly and I think things get more and more spicy as you read on, which I definitely enjoyed. There's a lot of mystery that builds, which is really cool.
Plus, I loved how developed the side characters were--they had more layers than I expected, especially Pack's girlfriend. What I didn't like was how Pack's little cousin was never labeled as autistic, which felt kind of like a get-out-of-jail-free card because it was like Falkoff was scared of portraying autism incorrectly and instead just didn't label it so she could keep her character without getting called out.
Of course, this may change in the final version of the novel.
Overall, I did really enjoy the relationships Pack forms in this novel and the ones he strengthens. I think there's a lot of great themes on family and friendship. I would recommend to people looking for a more character-driven contemporary with minimal romance and a healthy dose of mystery.
Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to!
I've checked out Michelle Falkoff's other novel, Playlist for the Dead, three times from the library (and renewed it many many more) yet I never get to reading it. So, I was admittedly a little worried I wouldn't feel encouraged to pick this up.
But somehow, this book just sucked me in.
It started out fine and had a good premise, but as I continued reading, it was like I was holding my breath and my chest just kept getting tighter and tighter as I yearned to learn more--about Pack's mom, about some ~circumstances~, and about how Pack's relationships would turn out in the end.
For some reason, I felt really invested in the story even though I didn't feel a connection with Pack. There was something about how the plot was formed that drew me in and made me want to keep reading, but without making it feel like Falkoff was leading us on and withholding information cruelly, because we learned all the info as Pack did.
I love how important relationships are in this novel--family relationships, relationships with friends, relationships with friends of friends. It's like the big idea: maintaining those relationships and letting some grow and cutting others off.
I think Pack definitely has a lot of flaws. Although on the outside he might seem pretty average, I feel like you learn that there's a lot more to Pack than what meets the eye. Falkoff does a really good job of developing his backstory and some of the past pains Pack has, as well as his current struggles.
I think Pack's problems go a lot deeper, and the one I specifically wanted to talk about was how he viewed body image.
Throughout the novel, Pack is super strict about how he eats and he very rigidly sticks to the Paleo diet and works out a lot.
I disagree with some other reviewers about this because I didn't feel like Pack ever fat-shamed during the novel. This is all my interpretation of the novel and you could definitely feel differently, but to me it was like Pack was a flawed character and what he was doing--never indulging himself--obviously isn't a healthy lifestyle (and is acknowledged as an ED), and in the end of the novel, he learns that this is true and figures out how to indulge.
Good characters are flawed--they have problems. Pack has the problem of learning how to indulge himself from time to time, and I think Falkoff points this out very often throughout the novel--such as when his girlfriend drinks a beer or basically whenever Pack is with other people who eat.
I feel like for a large part of the novel, Pack doesn't understand how others aren't extraordinarily self conscious about their weight. Like when someone eats a donut or pizza or eating anything that isn't in the Paleo diet. And this is a view of his that changes by the end of the novel & he realizes that indulging sometimes isn't a bad thing.
I never got the feeling that Pack translated the message fat = bad. Just because Pack worked out a lot and ate strictly to feel good about himself and feel comfortable in his body doesn't mean he hates fat people.
I think the goal Pack had for doing this was fuzzy because it changed throughout the novel. Initially he's scared of the bullying and the names coming back, but by the end of the novel, I interpreted it as Pack kept his healthy lifestyle to stay healthy & continue with routine, breaking it occasionally for indulging himself, not to "not be fat."
I sped through this pretty quickly and I think things get more and more spicy as you read on, which I definitely enjoyed. There's a lot of mystery that builds, which is really cool.
Plus, I loved how developed the side characters were--they had more layers than I expected, especially Pack's girlfriend. What I didn't like was how Pack's little cousin was never labeled as autistic, which felt kind of like a get-out-of-jail-free card because it was like Falkoff was scared of portraying autism incorrectly and instead just didn't label it so she could keep her character without getting called out.
Of course, this may change in the final version of the novel.
Overall, I did really enjoy the relationships Pack forms in this novel and the ones he strengthens. I think there's a lot of great themes on family and friendship. I would recommend to people looking for a more character-driven contemporary with minimal romance and a healthy dose of mystery.
Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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May 28, 2018
DNF @ 36%
I received a copy of the book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
"To figure out where you're going, you need to know where you've been."So I wasn't feeling this book at all. I really wanted to love it, because you know me - I'm a sucker for a family story and I thought Pack finding out more about his mom, his family, and himself would be a great story. Unfortunately I just couldn't connect with Pack to save my life. He wasn't a bad character, we just didn't mesh and I couldn't bring myself to care about what he was doing, what he was thinking, or what he was going through. When I'm feeling like DNFing a book, I'll usually skim the last few chapters to see if I think it's worth continuing and I have to say the ending didn't grab me at all. Questions I Want to Ask You just isn't a story for me - I didn't connect with the characters and I was not drawn into the story, but I do still think that others will like it. So make sure you check out other reviews before you write it off.
I received a copy of the book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2022
Y'all I didn't even make it 3 chapters. This was toxic and stupid, and the characters made no sense. I'm not going to be reading Michelle Falkoff's other books.
dnf
May 24, 2018DNF at 20%
It kills me to have to do this to an ARC, but if I see the word 'CrossFit' one more time, I'm going to throw my phone out the window.
So far, everything that I've read looks like something from a fitness junkie's blog. Every few lines, CrossFit is mentioned, the benefits of CrossFit, different workouts in CrossFit, yadda yadda yadda. Oh, and don't forget the diet! The narrator just won't shut up about Paleo and the stuff he substitutes carbs for. I normally wouldn't mind when characters are passionate about the things they do, but this took up so much of the story that the actual storyline was lost on me. Sorry, but if I wanted to learn about fitness, I'd scour the internet or get a fitness self-help book.
The narration was also painfully boring. Sentences were flat and dry. And some of them contradict themselves, like this one:
So what is it? More? Or less???
I'm sorry, I just couldn't bring myself to continue. Other books deserve my time.
I was sent an ARC upon request via Edelweiss in exchange for a review. Special thanks to Edelweiss, HarperTeen and Michelle Falkoff. This is my honest review.
It kills me to have to do this to an ARC, but if I see the word 'CrossFit' one more time, I'm going to throw my phone out the window.
So far, everything that I've read looks like something from a fitness junkie's blog. Every few lines, CrossFit is mentioned, the benefits of CrossFit, different workouts in CrossFit, yadda yadda yadda. Oh, and don't forget the diet! The narrator just won't shut up about Paleo and the stuff he substitutes carbs for. I normally wouldn't mind when characters are passionate about the things they do, but this took up so much of the story that the actual storyline was lost on me. Sorry, but if I wanted to learn about fitness, I'd scour the internet or get a fitness self-help book.
The narration was also painfully boring. Sentences were flat and dry. And some of them contradict themselves, like this one:
"...kids got more (and less) creative."
So what is it? More? Or less???
I'm sorry, I just couldn't bring myself to continue. Other books deserve my time.
I was sent an ARC upon request via Edelweiss in exchange for a review. Special thanks to Edelweiss, HarperTeen and Michelle Falkoff. This is my honest review.
September 21, 2021
I wish I could give this a 0.5/5 stars but I can't so 1 star will have to do.
While the story has a good basis to it and I like the idea of what it was trying to say, the writing wasn't amazing and Pack is a dick with a capital D. There's a fair amount of lowkey fat shaming in this book that as a woman who struggles with her size and weight made me uncomfy. I managed to finish the book but it's definitely going to go into my never ever read or recommend to anyone ever pile.
While the story has a good basis to it and I like the idea of what it was trying to say, the writing wasn't amazing and Pack is a dick with a capital D. There's a fair amount of lowkey fat shaming in this book that as a woman who struggles with her size and weight made me uncomfy. I managed to finish the book but it's definitely going to go into my never ever read or recommend to anyone ever pile.
December 24, 2021
I was very much anticipating reading this book, so I was highly disappointed when it wasn't half as good as advertised.
The premise is that Patrick "Pack" Walsh receives a letter from his mother, who he has long believed to be dead. He then embarks on a journey to discover her and her side of the family, uncovering secrets along the way. I was looking forward to a quirky road trip novel, but this was nothing of the sort. Instead, it was sort of an unstructured mystery, seeming as if the writer had no real idea where she was going.
Questions I Want to Ask You had almost no development before it jumped into a middle that stretched on too long, and then concluded with a very rushed ending. At 50 pages before the end, Pack still didn't know how anything was going to get resolved, and after that, the mystery kind of unraveled.
I'm not going to go into too many details because of spoilers, but there's a lot of aspects that characters throughout the novel just readily agreed with, despite little to no investigation. So much of the story line didn't make much sense, and some of the characters even less so.
I do understand that I received this book as an advance readers' copy, and I hope that some of these issues have been modified slightly in the release on May 29, 2018.
Disclaimer:
The premise is that Patrick "Pack" Walsh receives a letter from his mother, who he has long believed to be dead. He then embarks on a journey to discover her and her side of the family, uncovering secrets along the way. I was looking forward to a quirky road trip novel, but this was nothing of the sort. Instead, it was sort of an unstructured mystery, seeming as if the writer had no real idea where she was going.
Questions I Want to Ask You had almost no development before it jumped into a middle that stretched on too long, and then concluded with a very rushed ending. At 50 pages before the end, Pack still didn't know how anything was going to get resolved, and after that, the mystery kind of unraveled.
I'm not going to go into too many details because of spoilers, but there's a lot of aspects that characters throughout the novel just readily agreed with, despite little to no investigation. So much of the story line didn't make much sense, and some of the characters even less so.
I do understand that I received this book as an advance readers' copy, and I hope that some of these issues have been modified slightly in the release on May 29, 2018.
Disclaimer:
July 25, 2019
Third book for the reading rush done✓
Maya giving a contemporary ya book five stars? Unheard of.
Verjetno se nekaterim zdi ta knjiga beksik in generic in bi se v nekaterih pogledih lahko strinjala ampak je story ful engaging, zdi se mi ful dobra knjiga za poletje se posebi ker je taka lahkotna. Ful sm surprised v dobrem smislu ker od te knjige nism prevec pricakovala
Maya giving a contemporary ya book five stars? Unheard of.
Verjetno se nekaterim zdi ta knjiga beksik in generic in bi se v nekaterih pogledih lahko strinjala ampak je story ful engaging, zdi se mi ful dobra knjiga za poletje se posebi ker je taka lahkotna. Ful sm surprised v dobrem smislu ker od te knjige nism prevec pricakovala
September 14, 2020
4 Stars
- The begining of the story is very "tell and now "show." The author explicitly tells the reader about Pack's personality.
- I didn't feel like there was a good enough backstory between Pack and Maddie. I felt like the author could have added more details.
- There was too much information about health and fitness. The book isn't about health and fitness, and it kind of distracts the reader from the main point of the story.
- The mystery part of the novel was pretty good. It kept me engaged and I wanted to keep on reading.
- I loved how the end of the story ended with the title of the book. I know it's a common thing, but I still really love it.
January 5, 2022
The concept was really interesting but the execution fell short.
The first 2/3 of the book was boring. I didn’t care for any of the characters all that much. The beginning felt like it was a book about paleo and CrossFit than a ‘mystery’ novel.
The narration and writing was not for me. I found it to be uninteresting and unrealistic.
I understand that people look through things with rose colored classes but I felt that it became somewhat obvious that Tom was responsible when the book mentioned that his town was suddenly fairly drug-free while all the other towns suffered greatly with drug issues.
I liked the idea and I think that this book had great potential, but it was lacking in many aspects.
The first 2/3 of the book was boring. I didn’t care for any of the characters all that much. The beginning felt like it was a book about paleo and CrossFit than a ‘mystery’ novel.
The narration and writing was not for me. I found it to be uninteresting and unrealistic.
I understand that people look through things with rose colored classes but I felt that it became somewhat obvious that Tom was responsible when the book mentioned that his town was suddenly fairly drug-free while all the other towns suffered greatly with drug issues.
I liked the idea and I think that this book had great potential, but it was lacking in many aspects.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2023
This one had a really promising premise, but it fell flat in a lot of ways. There was just so much extra filler and fluff and it dragged the story out and in directions that it didn't need to go.
I would've DNFed this one half way through, but I needed it to finish my alphabet reading challenge this year.
I would've DNFed this one half way through, but I needed it to finish my alphabet reading challenge this year.
January 20, 2024
This has to be the worst book I have ever read. I could have easily finished this book in a day since it was only about 300 pages but I found it extremely hard. This was super slow going and I would not recommend.
May 9, 2023
⭐️⭐️
𝘼 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.
📍 Read if you like:
• Family Stories
• Coming-Of-Age
• Friendships
• Flawed Characters
I picked this book up on a whim as I had bought it years ago and needed to read a book that started with “Q”. Unfortunately, this YA coming-of-age story was not for me.
I wanted to love it as the premise had me intrigued. I love when there’s a strong family story. However, I really did not connect with or enjoy Pack’s character. He was super flawed and I found him to be disrespectful at times
I did love his family from his mom’s side. The cousins were interesting characters, but the whole plot of the story felt dull and pointless.
I didn’t connect with the story and I wish I would’ve loved it more. It may be for other readers, but it didn’t work for me.
𝘼 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.
📍 Read if you like:
• Family Stories
• Coming-Of-Age
• Friendships
• Flawed Characters
I picked this book up on a whim as I had bought it years ago and needed to read a book that started with “Q”. Unfortunately, this YA coming-of-age story was not for me.
I wanted to love it as the premise had me intrigued. I love when there’s a strong family story. However, I really did not connect with or enjoy Pack’s character. He was super flawed and I found him to be disrespectful at times
I did love his family from his mom’s side. The cousins were interesting characters, but the whole plot of the story felt dull and pointless.
I didn’t connect with the story and I wish I would’ve loved it more. It may be for other readers, but it didn’t work for me.
May 18, 2021
While the premise of the novel wasn’t terrible, the ending felt rushed and was poorly done in my opinion. There’s a big difference between a cliffhanger and 300 pages of build up for nothing! The discussion of Pack’s relationship with food was hugely overdone. Relatedly, the way that his fit lifestyle was described was cringeworthy and annoying, whether you’re familiar with it or not. Unfortunately, the writing/narration was nothing special either and added nothing to the story.
I did like the discussion of familial relationships and friendships. I was also really glad to see sexual consent play a role in the YA romance and thought that that was very well done!
I did like the discussion of familial relationships and friendships. I was also really glad to see sexual consent play a role in the YA romance and thought that that was very well done!
May 25, 2018
Full review on my blog.
Really disappointed, the annotation seemed so promising! Way too much talk about exercise and diet choices, the first 1/3 of the book was basically spent talking about that and not moving the plot forward much. The last 10%, however, were really rushed. Narration was boring at times. Almost DNFed.
Really disappointed, the annotation seemed so promising! Way too much talk about exercise and diet choices, the first 1/3 of the book was basically spent talking about that and not moving the plot forward much. The last 10%, however, were really rushed. Narration was boring at times. Almost DNFed.
June 30, 2024
Oh, this was a really great story, these were really great characters and I loved following alongside them!
July 31, 2018
A tiny, miniscule part of me keeps saying this is not the worst book I ever read, but 2 stars on goodreads means that the book was ok, and this book was no okay. This book was frustrating, and it made me crave junk food just to balance out the psychotic amount of Paleo and CrossFit in this book. I'm still not convinced this book wasn't an infomercial, and yes, I did finish it.
The good: Part of the second half of this book moved along okay, once things started to happen. Also, the main character did have quite a few revelations and changed some of his outlook on life, which I was glad for. As he was for the first 2/3rds of the book you would have had to pay me to sit down and visit with him.
The bad: So much. The extremely long opening where nothing is happening because a teenager can't just talk to his dad. The fact that the main character is so absolutely dull that you just don't even like him. Being promised a mystery and then going through 100 pages of almost nothing. The overdependence of a teenage relationship.
The ugly: Where do I even start. Let's go with CrossFit. So much of the CrossFit wasn't necessary. Now, I didn't mind the scenes at the gym, because it's part of his life. But I also didn't need to know about every single one of his workouts. There's also a lot of inconsistencies. Rants about workouts being nicknamed after women but then casually using those terms throughout the book. The constant references back to CrossFit. It was the same with Paleo. From the moment the author detailed out that his high school girlfriend carried lettuce to the beach so they could eat a burger I was just wondering what I'd done to myself. When he started giving said girlfriend a hard time for having a drink because it was against their diet, I was pretty done with him. But it does provide for some glorious gems, such as:
"I haven’t actually eaten Chinese food in years that I didn’t make myself. I use liquid aminos instead of soy sauce, since soy is a legume and therefore not part of the Paleo plan….Lots of colorful vegetables, chicken, tofu, and brown rice. I can skip the tofu and the rice and keep the sauce minimal and it won’t kill me, I figure."
I almost wish it had killed him, so I wouldn't have had to read so much about Paleo. I desperately crammed Cheez-its into my mouth at some point because I just couldn't anymore. I got it. The boy's saviors were Paleo and CrossFit, I didn't need it every three pages. Then there was the whole ending. Here we have a mystery, working to figure it out. Some suspicions. Then from suspicions to solved within two pages and the book is basically over. The actual evidence and such is so glossed over it was basically non-existent.
The best thing about this book was finishing it, because I never have to read it again.
The good: Part of the second half of this book moved along okay, once things started to happen. Also, the main character did have quite a few revelations and changed some of his outlook on life, which I was glad for. As he was for the first 2/3rds of the book you would have had to pay me to sit down and visit with him.
The bad: So much. The extremely long opening where nothing is happening because a teenager can't just talk to his dad. The fact that the main character is so absolutely dull that you just don't even like him. Being promised a mystery and then going through 100 pages of almost nothing. The overdependence of a teenage relationship.
The ugly: Where do I even start. Let's go with CrossFit. So much of the CrossFit wasn't necessary. Now, I didn't mind the scenes at the gym, because it's part of his life. But I also didn't need to know about every single one of his workouts. There's also a lot of inconsistencies. Rants about workouts being nicknamed after women but then casually using those terms throughout the book. The constant references back to CrossFit. It was the same with Paleo. From the moment the author detailed out that his high school girlfriend carried lettuce to the beach so they could eat a burger I was just wondering what I'd done to myself. When he started giving said girlfriend a hard time for having a drink because it was against their diet, I was pretty done with him. But it does provide for some glorious gems, such as:
"I haven’t actually eaten Chinese food in years that I didn’t make myself. I use liquid aminos instead of soy sauce, since soy is a legume and therefore not part of the Paleo plan….Lots of colorful vegetables, chicken, tofu, and brown rice. I can skip the tofu and the rice and keep the sauce minimal and it won’t kill me, I figure."
I almost wish it had killed him, so I wouldn't have had to read so much about Paleo. I desperately crammed Cheez-its into my mouth at some point because I just couldn't anymore. I got it. The boy's saviors were Paleo and CrossFit, I didn't need it every three pages. Then there was the whole ending. Here we have a mystery, working to figure it out. Some suspicions. Then from suspicions to solved within two pages and the book is basically over. The actual evidence and such is so glossed over it was basically non-existent.
The best thing about this book was finishing it, because I never have to read it again.
December 28, 2022
I have a habit of buying books after reading half the tagline.
I expected this story to be about this kid finding his mother and getting answers from her. Spoiler alert, but its the very cliffhanger of the book. I was very interested in the story and him breaking out of his comfort zone and becoming more curious, but really wanted to meet the mother herself.
I liked the mystery and all the character dynamics, but the big reveal leaves a lot to be desired.
Firstly, I knew it was Tom so early, so the big reveal was unsatisfying and just really obvious. Just as much as I knew he should be a cop and then detective but he takes his sweet ass time realizing the obvious lol. Secondly, if the story is that Tom blackmailed the mother and framed her with drugs, and Manny even told her her husband wasn't involved, why wouldn't she tell him. For 16+ years she doesn't even try to reach out? And if this is all illegal blackmail, her waiting until he turned 18 means nothing??? It's not like the blackmail terminates when the kid is old enough to vote. I find the mother's motive to be very sporadic. As well as the father. He knows this kid has a whole family and they've insisted they had no idea the mom had intentions to run off with the baby. SO basically 95% of the conflict and estrangement in this family could have been solved in a single living room meeting. So the dad one-ups the mom by cutting off Patrick from his whole family. And then they live in a depressing, messy bachelor pad with no family? How could the dad think yea that's enough for him. No wonder he's so codependent on his girlfriend Maddie. There's nothing wrong with having a small group of important people in your life, but the dad deliberately erased a whole side of his family based on a massive miscommunication. Every family has a version of this, true, but oof can't I still be annoyed at it lol.
Anyways, its a sweet enough story about family, finding oneself, and the growing pains of entering the world after school.
I expected this story to be about this kid finding his mother and getting answers from her. Spoiler alert, but its the very cliffhanger of the book. I was very interested in the story and him breaking out of his comfort zone and becoming more curious, but really wanted to meet the mother herself.
I liked the mystery and all the character dynamics, but the big reveal leaves a lot to be desired.
Firstly, I knew it was Tom so early, so the big reveal was unsatisfying and just really obvious. Just as much as I knew he should be a cop and then detective but he takes his sweet ass time realizing the obvious lol. Secondly, if the story is that Tom blackmailed the mother and framed her with drugs, and Manny even told her her husband wasn't involved, why wouldn't she tell him. For 16+ years she doesn't even try to reach out? And if this is all illegal blackmail, her waiting until he turned 18 means nothing??? It's not like the blackmail terminates when the kid is old enough to vote. I find the mother's motive to be very sporadic. As well as the father. He knows this kid has a whole family and they've insisted they had no idea the mom had intentions to run off with the baby. SO basically 95% of the conflict and estrangement in this family could have been solved in a single living room meeting. So the dad one-ups the mom by cutting off Patrick from his whole family. And then they live in a depressing, messy bachelor pad with no family? How could the dad think yea that's enough for him. No wonder he's so codependent on his girlfriend Maddie. There's nothing wrong with having a small group of important people in your life, but the dad deliberately erased a whole side of his family based on a massive miscommunication. Every family has a version of this, true, but oof can't I still be annoyed at it lol.
Anyways, its a sweet enough story about family, finding oneself, and the growing pains of entering the world after school.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2022
I was really looking forward to reading this but saying it fell short wouldn't do justice to how much it fell short.
It feels like an advertisement for CrossFit and Paleo and the underlining fat-shaming is not something I'm here for. The MC underwent years of diet and hard exercise because he was made to feel less as a fat kid. It reached an extent where he couldn't get off it fearing he'd go back to being his fat self which he made to look like was the end of his world. Sure he made himself to love his body now and liked working out and loved his diet but to judge the rest of the world on the basis of their food habit interlined with their physical appearance didn't sit well. If I wasn't more than halfway through the book at the point, I'd have DNF-ed it.
Another trigger point for me was calling a character special but never mentioning Autism even though it was clear from the way the situation and the character was described. Can we call a spade a spade people?? Just because you don't address it, doesn't mean it'll go away!
And for the mystery if the missing Mom, any and every reader probably knew who was responsible for what by the time Pack spoke to Jen and then it's a 100 page long slow burn to wait for him to figure it out.
All in all, it was not gripping as a mystery, it wasn't entertaining as a romcom and it wasn't inclusive as a YA.
It feels like an advertisement for CrossFit and Paleo and the underlining fat-shaming is not something I'm here for. The MC underwent years of diet and hard exercise because he was made to feel less as a fat kid. It reached an extent where he couldn't get off it fearing he'd go back to being his fat self which he made to look like was the end of his world. Sure he made himself to love his body now and liked working out and loved his diet but to judge the rest of the world on the basis of their food habit interlined with their physical appearance didn't sit well. If I wasn't more than halfway through the book at the point, I'd have DNF-ed it.
Another trigger point for me was calling a character special but never mentioning Autism even though it was clear from the way the situation and the character was described. Can we call a spade a spade people?? Just because you don't address it, doesn't mean it'll go away!
And for the mystery if the missing Mom, any and every reader probably knew who was responsible for what by the time Pack spoke to Jen and then it's a 100 page long slow burn to wait for him to figure it out.
All in all, it was not gripping as a mystery, it wasn't entertaining as a romcom and it wasn't inclusive as a YA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2025
Favorite Quotes -
"Sometimes the answers we want aren't the ones we're ready to hear."
"To understand where you're going, you have to know where you came from."
"The past shapes us, but it doesn't define us - it's what we do next that matters."
Review Notes -
PLOT - Patrick 'Pack' Walsh is a high school senior with a seemingly perfect life, but everything changes when he receives a letter from his biological mother - who passed away years ago. The letter sends him on a journey to uncover the truth about his past and how it connects to his present
CHARACTERS -
- Pack Walsh - a relatable protagonist grappling with identity, grief, and self-discovery
- Pack's Friends - provide emotional support and reflect the challenges of growing up
- Biological Mother (through letters) - her voice drives the narrative and Pack's search for understanding
THEMES - identity and self-discovery, family - both chosen and biological, grief and the complexities of moving forward, how secrets can shape relationships and trust
I Would Ask the Author...
Were any aspects of the story influenced by your personal experiences or observations?
"Sometimes the answers we want aren't the ones we're ready to hear."
"To understand where you're going, you have to know where you came from."
"The past shapes us, but it doesn't define us - it's what we do next that matters."
Review Notes -
PLOT - Patrick 'Pack' Walsh is a high school senior with a seemingly perfect life, but everything changes when he receives a letter from his biological mother - who passed away years ago. The letter sends him on a journey to uncover the truth about his past and how it connects to his present
CHARACTERS -
- Pack Walsh - a relatable protagonist grappling with identity, grief, and self-discovery
- Pack's Friends - provide emotional support and reflect the challenges of growing up
- Biological Mother (through letters) - her voice drives the narrative and Pack's search for understanding
THEMES - identity and self-discovery, family - both chosen and biological, grief and the complexities of moving forward, how secrets can shape relationships and trust
I Would Ask the Author...
Were any aspects of the story influenced by your personal experiences or observations?
September 10, 2018
I gave this a 3 instead of a two for a few reasons, 1-in a female heavy genre, this novel featured a male protagonist, 2-I found the exercise stuff kinda interesting and different and 3-it represented a middle class/lower middle class lifestyle versus the "aspirational" lifestyles in many Teen novels.
That being said, it wasn't that great. Set in a Boston suburb, Patrick or "Pack", is a graduating senior already at loose ends, a break up looming and no college or career plans, when he receives a letter from his mother, long believed dead. In his quest to uncover the truth, he bonds with his mother's family, discovers a conspiracy and questions his father's version of his own history.
I didn't find the the fitness and Crossfit references annoying nor the fact that he and his girlfriend were fitness freaks as they loosen up through the novel. It just wasn't that compelling and was a bit tedious to read.
That being said, it wasn't that great. Set in a Boston suburb, Patrick or "Pack", is a graduating senior already at loose ends, a break up looming and no college or career plans, when he receives a letter from his mother, long believed dead. In his quest to uncover the truth, he bonds with his mother's family, discovers a conspiracy and questions his father's version of his own history.
I didn't find the the fitness and Crossfit references annoying nor the fact that he and his girlfriend were fitness freaks as they loosen up through the novel. It just wasn't that compelling and was a bit tedious to read.
September 3, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the theme about getting out of your comfort zone and discovering a live you would have never know otherwise. I loved Pack as a character because I went through a similar lifestyle change as him, and although I wasn't as strict as him, there was a good piece between Pack and Matt about food being an experience, food as fuel, but not trying to be a control freak when it comes to your diet.
However, this book had an issue, not a catastrophic one, but it impacted the quality of the story. The pacing for the end of the book and Tom getting arrested was really quick. I think that this may have been do to limited number of pages to work with or something(?). I guess it was a good thing in a way, why draw it out after all the mystery, but it just felt rushed to me. I also would have liked to see more about Pack's ideas for his future; it was touched on a bit, but not enough in my opinion, especially since that was a central theme of the book.
However, this book had an issue, not a catastrophic one, but it impacted the quality of the story. The pacing for the end of the book and Tom getting arrested was really quick. I think that this may have been do to limited number of pages to work with or something(?). I guess it was a good thing in a way, why draw it out after all the mystery, but it just felt rushed to me. I also would have liked to see more about Pack's ideas for his future; it was touched on a bit, but not enough in my opinion, especially since that was a central theme of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2018
This story reminds me of Picture us in the light, both of which were about a journey to find out the truth about a missing family member and self-discovery. At first, I thought it was a cliché and predictable story of a teenaged boy on a normal path of discovery, but as the story goes, everything turned better towards the end. I loved how the ending was left open and matched with the title of the book: Questions I want to ask you.
Pack is a normal guy who sets in his ways and thinks his entire life has been planned out. One day, he accidentally received a letter from his mom, whom he thought was dead since he was a little kid. During the journey to find her and reveal the truth, he gradually knew the meaning of family, trust and even himself. The journey is also a process of maturing, although it's somtimes painful and vague, it is necessary reality for his growth.
Pack is a normal guy who sets in his ways and thinks his entire life has been planned out. One day, he accidentally received a letter from his mom, whom he thought was dead since he was a little kid. During the journey to find her and reveal the truth, he gradually knew the meaning of family, trust and even himself. The journey is also a process of maturing, although it's somtimes painful and vague, it is necessary reality for his growth.
June 25, 2021
How would you feel when you receive a letter from your dead mother on your 18th birthday? Not so great? Or very creeped out? Or take it as a prank? That’s how Patrick ‘Pack’ Walsh felt when he received a letter from his so-called ‘dead’ mom. Everything was perfect in Pack's life. A great girlfriend. A job lined up after graduation. The comfort of the small town. But everything changed after the arrival of the letter. The mysteries he loved were unpacking in real-life.
What do you think he will do? Ignore the letter and move on with his perfect life? or divulge into an opportunity to seek out a family? This heartfelt mystery novel will leave you amazed and dwell deep into the interests at heart. I recommend this to everyone with a yearning for adventure and exploring sense of mind.
What do you think he will do? Ignore the letter and move on with his perfect life? or divulge into an opportunity to seek out a family? This heartfelt mystery novel will leave you amazed and dwell deep into the interests at heart. I recommend this to everyone with a yearning for adventure and exploring sense of mind.
January 8, 2022
Yikes, the first part is quite great and interesting. However, as the novel progressed, it became quite boring and problematic in terms of the eating habits of the protagonist. It was quite triggering to be honest? And the most problematic part is how it wasn't even acknowledged as a problem, even up until the end of the movie. However, other than that, the storyline was boring and uninteresting. Even after the facts and the "plot twists" have been shown, one would want to drink 3 cups of espresso to read through it. I have read some works of this author when I was younger, expecting that author atleast improved a little bit, turns out, not really. Always a good premise, but fucks it up in the middle with a least interesting ending. Oh well, moving on to another novel i guess.
October 19, 2019
I actually liked this book and contemplating on giving it a 3 or 4 because it felt like a 3.5 stars out of 5. But then again, it was not as great as books that came close to a 4 and I rarely give out 5 these days. I wished meeting the other side of the family would have been more dramatic. Everything just seemed to fall into place. I wish the climax could have been more pronounced. It was the kind of book where it just kept you reading but it will not keep you thinking or pause to take all that information and analyze things over. It spoonfeeds you the information. Pretty anti-climatic for a book with a mystery aspect.
January 18, 2022
DNF at 27%
This is the kind of book that made me visibly cringe too much for me to keep reading. Oh yeah, and it was really boring. I got over 70 pages in and yeah, it just wasn't for me. The narration felt really awkward and unnatural and it just felt like a "I'm not like other kids" kinda book for some reason.
This is a book that is not going to age well in the future, especially since even reading it now I just couldn't stop waiting for SOMETHING to happen in between reading cringe worthy dialogue. 😅
I know some people have enjoyed this book so if you're into that kinda thing, go for it. But this book is not my cup of tea.
This is the kind of book that made me visibly cringe too much for me to keep reading. Oh yeah, and it was really boring. I got over 70 pages in and yeah, it just wasn't for me. The narration felt really awkward and unnatural and it just felt like a "I'm not like other kids" kinda book for some reason.
This is a book that is not going to age well in the future, especially since even reading it now I just couldn't stop waiting for SOMETHING to happen in between reading cringe worthy dialogue. 😅
I know some people have enjoyed this book so if you're into that kinda thing, go for it. But this book is not my cup of tea.
August 25, 2024
It is a mystery novel that starts off slow, making it a bit challenging to get into. The pacing picks up towards the end but wraps up rather abruptly, leaving some readers unsatisfied. Although it's a quick read, the story lacks the tension and excitement one might expect from a mystery novel. The plot is fairly predictable, and the mystery itself isn't particularly engaging, making it feel more like a standard narrative than a true whodunit. While it might appeal to those looking for a light read, it doesn't quite deliver on the intrigue that mystery lovers typically seek. Felt to dnf a lot of time but pushed through
May 21, 2020
This was so good! I was so worried I wasn’t going to like it because I didn’t like Playlist for the Dead that this author wrote, but this book is way better than that one. I cried so much during this book, which is sometimes hard for me to do when reading, but the emotion was so well written in this. I love Pack. I want to give him a hug. Maddie made me kind of mad throughout the whole book, but it’s fine, I guess. This was really good though. I want more books like this. This writing style was so nice and smooth and I just loved everything about this. I want more of it.
June 11, 2021
The very generalized summary is: A graduating senior (Patrick) tries to find the truth about his (who he had thought for a long time to be dead) mother.
An original yet predictable plot with somewhat boring characters. Patrick's character development is sorta bland, but the characters he meets are more interesting. The mystery part of the adventure is mostly easy to figure out and because of this, and the plain persona of Patrick, it's difficult to continue reading it all at once; I unfortunately didn't find it as engaging or enticing as I had hoped for it to be.
An original yet predictable plot with somewhat boring characters. Patrick's character development is sorta bland, but the characters he meets are more interesting. The mystery part of the adventure is mostly easy to figure out and because of this, and the plain persona of Patrick, it's difficult to continue reading it all at once; I unfortunately didn't find it as engaging or enticing as I had hoped for it to be.
November 8, 2018
I liked this book for the most part until about the middle, then I got bored. Plus, the main character is so judgmental..... for someone who used to get bullied about being heavy, he sure is quick to judge someone who eats differently/doesn't exercise like him. So, I wasn't SUPER into that at all... But, the ending was pretty good, so that's an alright redeeming quality, I suppose..
Honestly, 5/10, might read again if I'm bored and have nothing else to read.
Honestly, 5/10, might read again if I'm bored and have nothing else to read.
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