Would you read this book

redfernsydney · 13/01/2021 08:29

It depends.....what's the vote for?

badpuma · 13/01/2021 08:30

Probably not on that description.

Original poster

CardoMondo · 13/01/2021 08:31

I didn’t mean to add voting but

YABU to expect adults to be interested in a teenager as a protagonist

YANBU, I’d give it a go

OP posts:

senua · 13/01/2021 08:32

A book about 2 teenage girls. One is autistic, the other is a master manipulator.
It needs a bit more plot than that!

YABU to expect adults to be interested in a teenager as a protagonist
You've heard of Lord of the Flies?

steppemum · 13/01/2021 08:33

It sounds like a Young Adult book to me.

I think I would need more to persuade me

Original poster

CardoMondo · 13/01/2021 08:34

😂 it has a much deeper plot than that, I’m at work but will describe properly when I get home.

OP posts:

JustanAunt · 13/01/2021 08:36

It’s sad to think that people shouldn’t be interested in a story around an age demographic that they aren’t in. Stories are wonderful because they give us a portal to a life we do not have, to see things in a different perspective. If I only read books about women in their mid thirties I think they would make my reading experience pretty limited.

Any story is worth telling, the quality of the writing is what makes a good book, not the specific plot (at least for me)

steppemum · 13/01/2021 08:45

@JustanAunt

It’s sad to think that people shouldn’t be interested in a story around an age demographic that they aren’t in. Stories are wonderful because they give us a portal to a life we do not have, to see things in a different perspective. If I only read books about women in their mid thirties I think they would make my reading experience pretty limited.

Any story is worth telling, the quality of the writing is what makes a good book, not the specific plot (at least for me)

I agree in principle.

But if I saw that description, without anything else, I would assume it was aimed at young adults.
I have read a lot of young adult fiction, as I have teenagers, and it is written differently, for a different audience, and I enjoy it less than things written for an adult audience.

So, it would need more in the description for me to be sure it was for an adult audience.

It isn't really the subject matter, rather the audience for which it is written, in the same way that completely excellent children's books are not something I read for myself.

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 13/01/2021 08:51

Is it something you've written OP?

Is it actually aimed at adults, YA or teens?

MinnieJackson · 13/01/2021 08:52

I'd give it a go

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 13/01/2021 08:52

Can’t possibly tell from that description.

If I picked it up in a bookshop or library I’d read the blurb, then the first couple of pages, and depending on whether or not I liked the style/tone, and whether it had begun to grab me, I’d either borrow or buy it, or put it back.

notangelinajolie · 13/01/2021 08:54

Who is your target audience?

Original poster

CardoMondo · 13/01/2021 08:58

I’ve briefly started it. Target audience I’m not quite sure about. It’s going to be a little too dark for teens so I wanted to aim it at adults but this has got me thinking I need to work out a target audience before I go any further.

If you have seen “the end of the fucking world” I’d say it would be aimed at the same audience

OP posts:

Porcupineintherough · 13/01/2021 09:01

Depends on the storyline and how the characters are portrayed tbh A teenager as the protagonist wouldnt necessarily put me off but pages of teenage angst about looks and boyfriends would.

Affor · 13/01/2021 09:03

Honestly, no. I'm fed up of the 'teenage girls as master manipulators' rhetoric!

Stellaroses · 13/01/2021 09:09

In theory, yes. Whether I read a book (and whether it becomes a bestseller) doesn’t depend on the premise but on how it’s written. There are loads of books about young people/teens that are read by adults. Catcher in the Rye, Little Women, Oranges are not the only fruit...

Calmandmeasured1 · 13/01/2021 09:10

No. Nothing in your very brief description appeals to me. I like spy novels, crime thrillers, medical horrors and some autobiographies.

BornIn78 · 13/01/2021 09:10

No.

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 13/01/2021 09:11

No, I am not really interested in reading YA fiction; did a lot of it when I was a YA.

MedusaElectronica · 13/01/2021 09:11

@senua

A book about 2 teenage girls. One is autistic, the other is a master manipulator. It needs a bit more plot than that!

YABU to expect adults to be interested in a teenager as a protagonist
You've heard of Lord of the Flies?

And Curious Incident?

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 13/01/2021 09:18

Also, as someone said above, the 'teenage girl as arch manipulator' thing is a bit done. Teenage girls tend to be more 'hot mess' than 'cold blooded mastermind'.

recklessruby · 13/01/2021 09:22

I m 52 and I would read it. I read a lot of YA fiction for work and for fun.
I m currently reading a lot of (adult) plague and apocalypse fiction and my dd works with autistic young people so I d be interested.
I think the plot sounds good

Meowchickameowmeow · 13/01/2021 09:25

If it's master manipulator gets autistic girl to carry out heinous crime then masterfully manipulates everyone to believe she had nothing to do with it then no. It's a bit of a tired old trope really.

Terracottasaur · 13/01/2021 09:26

Honestly, no. I'm fed up of the 'teenage girls as master manipulators' rhetoric!

Me too

Witchend · 13/01/2021 09:28

Wouldn't expect to, but it isn't a subject that would appeal to me.
I don't have any issues with reading books with different age protagonists to me at all; it isn't that that I would reject it on.

It does sound like a young adult book to me, but whether it would work would depend on the writing. In skilled hands it could be a very interesting character study, in the wrong hands it could be a pair of stereotypes either not doing a lot or just being plain nasty.