One-Sentence Summary:
Team bonding and fake dating unite in a novel inspired by the FENCE Comics.
My Review:
First of all, I want to say that this book had a really distinct feel. I love this and the comics, but they felt so different, which I actually thought was really good. The comics bring me a lot of joy, but I will always prefer a regular book over a graphic novel (sorry). Despite being written by a different author and in a different format, Striking Distance encompassed each of the four main characters perfectly from what I knew about them. I laughed, I almost cried, and most importantly, I loved it.
Now to the… less professional portion. Friends. I prepared myself for the angst of fake dating, this isn’t my first rodeo. But the angst here????? Insane. I’m lucky to be physically alive after that. I told my friend a few weeks ago that I thought this might be more stressful than school for me as a joke, but I am not joking now.
Now let’s talk about the characters:
Nicholas: Personally, I’ve never liked Nicholas very much. Despite this, I really enjoyed his chapters in Striking Distance. While all of the point of views were important, Nicholas seemed to send a message a lot, being that the way you treat other people dictates whether or not you’re a “loser,” not your past. I really loved it!
Seiji: Precious Seiji. Seiji’s one track mind is so endearing and I just wanted to give him a big hug (which he clearly would’ve hated). Seiji grew so much in Striking Distance and I loved seeing him learn new things and become a good teammate.
Harvard: I love Harvard, but seriously? Learning what I did from his point of view and Aiden’s he’s got to be one of the most oblivious people ever. He’s just a big pile of fluff and him getting a life was really cute, but his obliviousness irritated me so much. Nonetheless, I love him too much not to still try to forgive him.
Aiden: Learning about Aiden’s life hurt me so, so much. I probably would’ve cried a few times if I ever hydrated properly. Aiden is the best ever and I also just want to give him a hug! I don’t even know how to talk about him because he also changed so much, clearly for the better, and the ending hurt him even more than me.
Would I recommend this book? That depends. You must ask yourself the true depth of the angst and denial you can handle because there is a lot. Despite my frustration, though, Striking Distance is an amazing book that will satisfy any and all fans of the FENCE graphic novels.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fiction Feature 