Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong | Prudence Shen | Book Review

Why’d I Read This Book:

I had previously read and loved Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks, I felt the art was great and the storyline was wonderful. When I saw Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong up on Netgalley with Faith Erin Hicks’ name attached to it, I just knew I had to read it. You see, I love graphic novels of all kinds, but the ones that are set in high school have a special place in my heart. I also think that these sorts of graphic novels can be gateway books for YA fans to check out and fall in love with comic books. And yes, I totally do use graphic novels and comic books interchangeably, I am not a snob.So, anyways, I thought this would be a great book to read and recommend to fellow young adult fans. Turns out, my instincts were dead-on balls accurate and Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks did a fabulous job with Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen | Good Books And Good Wine

What’s The Story Here:

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong is basically about high school politics. It’s about cliques. It’s about working together. It’s about unlikely friendships. It’s about having an unhappy home life. It’s about robots. It’s about cheerleaders. It’s about student body president elections. So, I gather that I am making it sound like the book is about WAY TOO MUCH, but that is not the case. Really, all of the elements weave together quite nicely in the plot. So, Charlie is the captain of the basketball team. He’s kind of popular and a totally chill guy. His best friend is his next door neighbor Nate, who is in the robotics club and is totally intense. Anyways, Charlie’s ex-girlfriend, Natalie who is a cheerleader, decides to make Charlie run for student body president so that he can give the cheerleaders money for new uniforms. The only problem is that Nate is running for election too, so that he can give the robot team funding. I won’t tell you who wins, but will just say that there is an epic robot battle.

Whose Side Was I On For Student Body President:

Clearly, I was on Charlie’s side. I love laid back people and think that they typically tend to think things through. I say that as someone who is much more intense and passionate, I am not at all level headed, thus I would probably make a terrible student body president. I really just liked Charlie and thought he was a good guy and admirable. He wanted to run honorably without a smear campaign or anything, which well, again no spoilers here. I also liked that he was a jock, but not the stereotypical sort. Nate, on the other hand, came across as kind of annoying for a lot of Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. This is probably because he is socially awkward, a bit mean, and really comes on strong. He was such a jerk toward Charlie. That stated, I loved how things played out in the book.

Let’s Discuss The Robots And The Cheerleaders:

Of course, Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong features a nerd clique versus a popular clique. I thought it really could have gone done a cliche route, but didn’t. I mean, yeah I have seen these tropes before, but I liked how it was written and how it went down. I am so glad that the robot group included a girl who was very, very good at working the robot controller. I loved that the girl had some technical and scientific skills, instead of a boy doing all the work, ya know? As for the cheerleaders, I thought it was funny that they were evil, but in the end we see just how efficient and organized they are. Girls really get things done. I just, I loved that there were pretty well-rounded portrayals of females by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks even though neither of the main characters were female. Plus, the book kind of pokes fun at the various cliques.

How’s The Art:

I think I am really coming to be a fan of Faith Erin Hicks’ illustrations and art. I like how rounded the characters are. I like how they sort of remind me of manga, but at the same time feel American, if that makes sense. Her comics are easy to follow and I was never like, let me examine this picture for 40 minutes trying to figure out WTF is going on here. If you like graphic novels that are ‘pretty’ or visually appealing and not quite traditional with boxes and such, you’ll probably really like Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Faith Erin Hicks and Prudence Shen.

Sum It Up With A GIF:

Aw, here it goes GIF | Good Books And Good Wine

Basically my feelings after the resolution.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other reviews of Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen:

Guys Lit Wire – “a clever satire on school social politics
The Hollow Cupboards – “laugh-out-loud moments, lovable characters and an awesome plot
Nerdophiles – “Get your geek on, people!

Books by Faith Erin Hicks
Friends With Boys

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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. Dude, I need to read this! I love graphic novels so much, and I haven’t read one in a scary amount of time. I need my manga and graphic novel fix. Unfortunately, my local library has a limited collection, which I’ve mostly read already. *pouts*

  2. This sounds like such a fun graphic novel! I do think the illustrations (if they’re anything like the cover) will be really great. Plus, I love that it totally plays on a typical trope, with the author making it her own. Will definitely have to check this one out!

  3. So glad you loved this. I got a copy for review, and I have to be honest and day I have never read a graphic novel before. But it sounded cute and every now and then I want to try different things, so yeah. I am really looking forward to it coming up in my review pile! I need lighthearted stories every now and then!

  4. KENAN & KEL GIF FTW!! I really liked this one. I’ve only read Faith Erin Hicks’ graphic novels, but I love them so much. I will definitely read more. Also, how cute was Charlie?? 🙂

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