King of the Screwups by K.L. Going

Flap copy from ARC:
Liam Geller is Mr. Popularity. Everybody loves him. He excels at sports; he know exactly what clothes to wear; he always ends up with the most beautiful girls at school. But he's got an uncanny ability to screw up in the ways that piss off his father the most.

When he's finally kicked out of the house, his father's brother- a gay glam-rocker DJ- takes him in. Living in a trailer in upstate New York is not at all what Liam had planned for his senior year, but then he realizes it's his perfect chance. In a new school, he can remake himself into a total nerd and be everything his father wants him to be. But "Aunt" Pete sees him for who he really is, and now Liam has to decide which is better.


Based on the flap copy, I thought this book would be funny and poignant- a great light read. Though it was in fact funny and poignant, it was also a painfully raw look parental mental abuse at its worst. I was shocked and appalled that Liam's mother stood by as his father attempted to crush every spark of life and humanity from his son, pandering to his egotistical need to recreate his son in his own image.

I read this book from start to finish in one evening- it is just that powerful a novel. This book was moving and raw and at times absurd- just like the life of an average teenager. Highly recommended!