Everybody Sees the Ants by AS King

YA Contemporary, 2011 by Little Brown, 279 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

The ants were weird, right? Sometimes I would think it was working and sometimes I would be completely confused why they were there. I did like that it was explained but, at that point, I’d already sort of made my decision that it was weird.
The dream jumps didn’t always work. They can be confusing and they added a sort of fantasy element I wasn’t sure we needed.
The focus on the Aunt’s weight and eating habits was a bit heavy handed and bordered on offensive. You can eat frozen food that’s not terrible for you. I didn’t like the focus on this being an important part of her character. It felt very fatphobic.
I do feel like the suicidal thoughts discussion needed a better resolution and better handling. There are characters who have suicidal thoughts in this one and it is not dealt with head on in a way that worked, in my opinion. It felt like too many characters were judgemental about the thoughts and that is not a positive way to view any of this.

Delicate handling of some seriously heavy topics. From treatment of soldiers during war to bullying and cheating spouses, this book took a hard look at a lot of things. I appreciated the way most of it was handled honestly.
Lucky is a GREAT main character. He’s honest and relatable. He’s not perfect but he’s trying. Overall, he’s a good kid and I adored his story.
I actually LOVE the ending. I can see how some people who like all the answers and pretty bows on their storylines might not, but I did. It gave me satisfaction and resolved a major question.

Well done contemporary. Steer clear if you can’t handle books with suicidal thoughts or fat phobic content.