Actual Rating: 2.5

I received an advanced reader's copy from First Reads in return for an honest review.

The Tragic Age is an interesting read. If I had to describe it, I would say it is part The Bling Ring, part Dwight from The Office, and part Catcher in the Rye. Although I found the writing itself to be very cohesive, smooth, and easy to read, I did not care so much for the story nor characters.

Billy is a maladjusted teenager, suffering from insomnia and probably a host of other problem. He befriends Twom, the school's new kid, who is a dyslexic outsider with a shady past, as well as a few other unique personalities. I never felt a connection between Billy and all of the characters, and maybe that was the point, but the apathy I felt towards them made it hard to appreciate the story. I also didn't see any real growth or change in Billy; things always seemed to hover, a little bit of good, a little bit of bad.

I enjoyed the random facts, side notes, footnotes, etc. They truly did remind me of Dwight and I found them entertaining and informative (presuming that they're real).

In truth, I did not see the point of this book, but again, maybe that is on purpose. However, if you liked Catcher in the Rye then I would recommend this book to you.

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You could call this an educational novel, as well as a disturbing trip into teenage psychosis. We are given the word "fact" followed by a factual snippet related to a statement that was just made... they are quite illuminating. To call this story depressing would be a fair conclusion, but don't discard it as a valid reading choice... it's really a good read. ( )

I won this book in a goodreads.com giveaway...thank you.
This book was excellent...it is a riveting coming of age debut novel. That's all I'm going to say because it's only fair that you experience this brilliant novel without any other information. You will be blown away as I was. Enjoy!!! ( )

Billy Kinsey is floating through his senior year in high school, pretty much a genius but preferring to maintain a "C" average in order to not bring attention to himself, not really thinking too much about his future until two people come into his life and interest him in different ways. Billy's family won the lottery when he was younger and now live very unhappily in an affluent neighborhood where nobody feels anything. His parents fight relentlessly, his dad always drinking, his mom somewhat self-absorbed, and Billy just wants to sleep, which he hasn't been able to do since his twin sister Dorie died of complications from leukemia when they were 11 years old. When Dorie's best friend Gretchen comes back into Billy's life after several years away, Billy realizes there is more to life than just flying under the radar. And to top it all off a new bad-boy joins Billy's grade a school and the way he refuses to be bullied by the class @sshole attracts Billy all the more. The adventures these kids get into make their senior year much more fun, but it's a dangerous kind of fun that can't possibly last forever. The story is a very quick read, narrated by a teenage boy who is slowly losing perspective as he falls deeper into insomnia. The ending is somewhat confusing in the manner it's presented since Billy likes to give a scenario the way he wishes things would go, then corrects himself with what actually happened, and towards the end the story gets more wild and more difficult to tell what is real and what is Billy hypothesizing, but I think that gives more insight into how deeply he just needs peace and sleep. Thank you for the First Reads copy. ( )