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 https://renellayslingsbookblog.blogsp... 
 Hellllooooo everyone! 
 I am very pleased with my decision to start reading contemporary books -- first Eleanor & Park, then the pure wonderfulness that is Kathryn Ormsbee's Lucky Few, and now... 
 I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil, which I decided to read because I MIGHT BE ABLE TO MEET HER BY THE END OF THE MONTH. 
 *party!* 
 The message in this book was wonderful and the relationships in this novel were very complex and intriguing, but McNeil somehow was able to wrap every thread up smoothly at the end of the novel. The ending was not mind blowing, but it worked perfectly for the story. 
 Actually, no. I take that back. The last sentence will blow your mind. 
 (I need to ask Gretchen McNeil for clarification on the ending because I think my brain melted when Beatrice said what she did at the very end. #tryingtonotspoilanything) 
 Here are reasons why you should should read this book! 
 -The main character is half-Filipino, which is awesome. I love reading about mixed-raced characters in contemporaries because I can relate to them, especially if they're half-Asian. Though I couldn't relate to Beatrice in that aspect, I remember loving Eleanor & Park for the realistic family dynamics and culture aspects Rainbow Rowell painted for Park, who is half-Caucasian and half-Korean. 
 -It's clear in the novel that though Beatrice thinks she's the main character -- which she is -- Gretchen McNeil makes sure every single one of the secondary characters act like they're living their life to the fullest in their own story. I guess that goes well with the theme that no one in this world is a manic pixie girl or boy -- no one is a secondary character in their life, and no one should be a secondary character in their own life. 
 -Beatrice learns a lot in this book. It felt like I was being enlightened throughout the entire novel along with Beatrice as she found her way out of the chaos she threw herself in. 
 -Beatrice's parents have a really intriguing story that weaves itself perfectly with Beatrice's story. 
 -Beatrice is not only super smart, but she created a formula that could be applied to her life to help her succeed in the goal she had in mind. She gave me inspiration to be better in math. 
 -Also, if you didn't catch this earlier, the last sentence of this book is pretty awesome and may or may not turn your brain into pudding. 
 I have a lot to say about the story, so let's go ahead and talk about the 
 SPOILERY THOUGHTS! 
 Spencer was my favorite character since the very beginning, when he first began talking. 
 "Spencer leaned back against the sink, sipping his Perrier. 'A piece of me just died inside'" (44). 
 I did think it was pretty clear that Spencer and Beatrice had a thing for each other at the beginning -- Beatrice just didn't know it. Can I just say, though, there were so many clues that McNeil dropped to hint that Gabe knew about Spencer's crush on Beatrice? 
 "Spencer glanced up at me. 'I like the glasses.' 
 ''Where can I find a woman like that?'' Gabe sang. 
 'I'm going to kill you,' Spencer said through gritted teeth" (63). 
 Before reading this novel, I had heard of the term "manic pixie dream girl," but for some reason, I guess I never thought to look the definition up online to confirm what it meant. This book taught me the precise definition of "manic pixie dream girl," and when Spencer and Gabe gave out the definition to Beatrice, all the poems and references I've read containing that term rushed back to me -- and everything clicked together. 
 It was a very satisfying moment. 
 "Her entire existence in the framework of a fictional plot is to improve the male character. She makes him better so he can make the world better" (97). 
 AND OMG GAAAAAH the red plastic thumb drive??? I had completely forgot it even existed until Beatrice remembered about it at the very end of the novel. I reread the scene on page 100 when Spencer gave Beatrice the thumb drive, and he was so disappointed when Beatrice just brushed it off. And I think because Beatrice forgot about it, I forgot about it, too. 
 I mean, I read this book in one day, because I couldn't do anything else without knowing what would happen in the end, so I guess it makes sense I forgot about the thumb drive along with Beatrice? 
 Another reason why this book was so enjoyable was the humor. The part of the book where I actually snorted was when Beatrice went to get a manic pixie dream girl haircut. Armand, the hairdresser, in response to Beatrice requested a haircut, said, "Armand does not cut. He transforms" (113). 
 Armand refers to himself in third person -- and he sounds like a vampire, because I'm positive Anne Rice has a vampire character named Armand. 
 Now, I couldn't really relate to Beatrice's utter passion of math, but I did like how she was a smart character who made herself seem not-so-smart by using the Formula, which only a very smart person could create. See how complicated this story is? Also, at the end of the novel, it was pretty clear that though Beatrice had her academic smarts down as near perfect, she still needed to learn a lot about interacting with and understanding the people around her in her life. 
 Also, Beatrice loves pop quizzes. We can all learn to have that positive attitude in school. 
 As the story went on, I actually thought Michael Torres had invented his own manic pixie dream dream formula and was using it as an experiment for Toile to get the scholarship that Beatrice also wanted -- and I was so excited to think that FOR ONCE I PREDICTED SOMETHING THAT IS SIGNIFICANT IN THE STORY. Yes! But then it turned out that Toile was just acting like a manic pixie dream girl by herself, and Michael just had a crush on Toile. 
 Oh well. I tried. 
 At the end of the novel, when Toile and Beatrice realized what the other was trying to accomplish and became friends... that was a lovely display of female friendship, and most definitely deserves a round of applause and some fireworks and confetti. 
 "'Are you going to be okay?' [Toile] asked. 
 'No,' I said, for perhaps the first time in my life. 
 She guided me down the stairs. 'Come on. I'll take you home'" (314). 
 BUT RIGHT WHEN YOU THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS OVER AND FINE, NOPE. The ending was shocking and completely unexpected -- well, not the ending. More like literally the last sentence. Beatrice had said, "It means the Formula worked" (343), but does that mean the entire time her formula was not meant to get Jesse back as her boyfriend again, but to get Spencer to admit his love for her? 
 In that case, wow, Beatrice was smarter than I thought! 
 I shall ask Gretchen McNeil for clarification when I meet her and report back here!!! I hope McNeil will be willing to tell me what the ending means... or maybe it's just one of those endings where it's meant to be mysterious and interpreted in many different ways. 
 Thanks for reading this book chat, and I will cya next time! 
 ~Renell Aysling