This novel had such an interesting synopsis, and I was immediately pulled in by the bizarre nature of the story. Unfortunately, it was a little too bizarre for me. At first, I thought maybe somehow it would all make sense in the end, but it honestly just seemed a little too far fetched. Also, it was extremely sad. I generally like happy go lucky books, so this one was just wasn't for me.

All in all, I think this novel talked about some serious topics and attempted to bring an interesting twist to contemporary YA, but it was just a little too strange and sad for me. There were pretty mixed reviews on this novel so it's still worth checking out! Thank you to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 2/5

Squirrels falling from the sky, a ten year old stalker, problems with parents, and a friendship torn apart over a girl - these are some of the elements of the YA novel All That I Can Fix by Chrystal Chan. Yes, the Chrystal Chan who has adapted many old time favorites for the Manga Classics series.

Chan tackles numerous social issues such as drug addiction, mental illness, alcoholism, child abuse, runaways, suicide, racism, gun control, all wrapped up with the normal teen angst thrown into the mix. To push things up a notch, there is a group of dangerous wild animals on the loose (ones you normally only get to see in the zoo or on a safari) who are actually attacking and killing the local citizens.

This is Ronny’s story, told from his point of view and it’s full of anger. Furious at his dad who is suffering from chronic depression and anxiety, Ronny yearns for the days when he had a real father who actually participated in the family. Suffering the results of a gun shot wound from a suicide gone bad, Ronny watches his pop, the one person he used to admire, shuffle around in his bathrobe doing nothing except sleep and watch TV. With a mom who has to work long hours to pay the bills coming home spent and using medication to erase the reality which is now her life, Ronny has to pick up the mantle of adulthood and taken on the responsibility of the household. A fifteen year old still in high school, he does the home repairs which they can’t afford, watches out for his younger sister Mina, and, in his limited spare time, hangs out with George, the girl he worships from afar, and his best friend Jello, a photography buff. On occasion he even attends school. Oh, let’s throw into the mix the factor that Ronny is mixed race and has to deal with those who object to the shade of his skin. This is one bitter boy.

I can see this book as one of those after school specials for kids. There’s a lot going on and the melodrama would lend itself to a visualized format. From the reader’s perspective, it was difficult to empathize with such a rude, nasty teen who has a bone to pick with the world and doesn’t pull back the punches (at times quite literally). Yes, he has it rough, and yes, he does show some redeeming characteristics when dealing with the troubles of his sister’s friend Sam, but overall he’s a jerk (I had another word in mind but I’ll keep it PG). Since Ronnie is the person telling the story, his attitude tempers the entire piece, forcing the reader to experience his cruel attitude towards life, ultimately directed at his father. Not my cup of tea. As a minor annoyance, the “little” sister Mina, supposedly a genius, is actually ten, but treated more like a six or seven year old. I was actually glad when she ditched the orange ensemble and started dressing more appropriately.

This one showed potential, but it definitely needed some pruning of the subplots, an upgrade to the attitude of the protagonist, and additional depth added to the characterizations.

2 1/2 stars and a thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review also appears Goodreads.

The protagonist deeply flawed and deeply human. In his desperation, here lashes out, becoming the thing he hates the most. However, he also shows great compassion for some people, making him complex and realistic. The ending felt a little contrived, but it tied up the loose ends well.

After Ronney’s father failed to commit suicide, Ronney has had to pick up his slack around the house. His father is suffering from severe depression and won’t even get dressed, so Ronney fixes the house and helps with the bills. Ronney has serious anger as a result of this and spews vial words at everyone in his life. When a local person frees various exotic animals and kills themselves, the town is being terrorized by lions, tigers and hyenas. If that wasn’t weird enough, a random little kid starts following Ronney demanding his pants and help finding his brother.

This was a strange read. I never really clicked with any of the characters and felt terrible for all of the animals.

Sad, harsh, funny and enlightening all at the same time!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review All That I Can Fix by Crystal Chan. After reading the synopsis, I thought the story would be harsh and depressing. It’s both of those with a bit of humor added into the mix. It’s almost a desperation humor and a way for the main character, Ronney to deal with his rough life. He’s fifteen and pretty much like a parent to his younger sister Mina, who’s extremely smart. Their mother holds a job and brings home a paycheck but she’s deeply depressed. Their father flubbed a suicide attempt and only has use of one of his arms. He’s depressed and mostly hangs out in his bedroom. Ronney helps with home repairs and his little sister’s homework. He’s in love with his best friend but she’s dating his other best friend, Jello. Ronney’s life is full of complications and he’s barely dealing. The zoo animals are set loose and Jello wants to safari and do a photo shoot with all of the loose animals he can find. This adds comic relief to the story and also danger. The story is sad, harsh, enlightening and funny all at the same time, 4 stars!

This is my favorite opening line so far this year. I was instantly drawn in by it and had to find out was going on here. As I read the next few pages I was amazed at how quickly I got into Ronney’s head and completly understood him. Due to the circumstances in his life he had to grow up fast and basically become the responsible adult of his family, and he is only 15.

Ronny was an incredible character. He is smart, sarcastic, angry at life but he is always there for his little sister and his friends. He has had a rough few years, having to deal with his father’s depression and his mother’s anxiety. As the adult’s in his life simply struggle to make it through the day, Ronney is fixing the house and taking care of his sister. He carries a lot of responsibility and a lot of anger especially at his dad. Ronny has some quirks too, like Thursdays are always bad days, if someone asks him to do something they have to ask 3 times before he agrees to do it. School is not important to him right now, but he does try when he is able to get there. Being a kid of mixed race also comes up a few times in the book, especially when a friend of his sister’s disappears. But through it all Ronny manages to mostly keep it together.

Ronny’s relationship with his sister is so very wonderful. He helps her with her homework, he soothes her fears about the wild and dangerous animals roaming their town and tries to help her understand their parents health issues. His relationship with his father is strained, but through flashbacks we see that things were at one point good between them. Ronny often lashes out at his father and does not really help him, but I think some of his comments do get through to his father.

The plot and feel of the book is dark, but humorous. Some of Ronny’s comments made me smile, but his life is crap and and getting crappier as the loose animals start attacking and killing people, the gun rights and gun control people take over the town and then some animal rights people also join in the fight. All of this is going on in the background as Ronny deals with his sister’s anxiety around the animals, helps Sam find his missing brother, is betrayed by his two best friends and still has to deal with fixing the roof and the wall of his home. There is a lot of issues brought up in this book, and some are dealt with better than others, but overall there is a feeling of hopefulness and heart.

There is a lot going on in this book, maybe too much. Some issues were a little bit washed out because of this. The overall feel of the book was good though and Ronny’s voice felt honest and true for a kid in his situation. The ending was a little bit on the sunny side compared to the rest of the book, but I liked that because it gave you hope that maybe things would get better for Ronny and his family.

This book sounded so interesting. When I started reading it I felt more confused than intrigued as the story went on. Overall, I think the message and plot were important but unfortunately the way the author wove them into the story felt a bit misaligned.

A great concept that had the opportunity to delve deeper into a topic that is incredibly relevant in today's culture but failed to do so and, instead, focused on a convoluted romance and an unlikely friendship that could have used more development.