Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan is so fun! One of the biggest things that stood out to me was how much I enjoyed the slow-building of their friend group. I pick up so many books that have been recommended for the friend group and most of them don't live up to the hype for me. This friend group made me so envious! They were dynamic and kind. They were realistic in their awkwardness and eagerness to have each other. It's rare when I find one that reads realistically and with enough development so I was very glad to see that this book accomplished that for me. There were a lot of fun moving parts of this story and although it's clear that we're following high school students I love that it mostly wasn't set at school. I felt that the story of Mattie coming out of her shell and doing escapology let us focus more on her whole self and imagine her future, not just the bits and pieces of a character we might see in a high school setting. I feel like most people just breezed by high school. I at least was definitely like Mattie, wanting to figure out who I was so I could show other people and stop being so afraid. I never did succeed in that, and watching Mattie do it in a way that incorporated the atmosphere of a 40's & 50's underground nightlife scene was so unexpected and weirdly a setting I had been picking up a lot. Miku is a quintessential character and I feel like ever since I've read this book I've seen her in even more places. All of the things she can represent; generational trauma, pent-up anger, fear and love, and whatever else has become very important to me. I'm recognizing that I've been drawn to these characters a lot over the past two years. Additionally, Miku has agoraphobia, which I also deal with. So that checks off another box of hitting close to home in the relatability department. The last thing I'll talk about is how Callahan handled Will's coming out. I am so happy to see an upswing of wholesome and happy queer stories being told and especially with the friend group we see forming it reminds me of the kind of welcoming supportive peers we see in works like Heartstopper. Full transparency I wouldn't categorize this as a queer story. In the Art Of Escaping Will is a gay character and his new friends are supportive of him. What's comparable to Heartstopper is that this new friendship is allowing him to feel more authentic which is so beautiful. But one of my favorite things in any queer coming of age story is a little dash of realism as much as I love the wholesome true support, just that little dash of realism makes the sweet stuff sweeter for me because I can FEEL it man lol. Wills mom for example is such a perfect "nail on the head" of a real-life example of something I have seen. It's just a personal preference that every once in a while there are people who don't get it but still try and idk I guess I like shaking my head at them because sometimes it can be too hard to do in real life.

Final Summations:
I loved this book. I love Miku. I love escapology. I love coming of age stories because I feel like I've never had one and I'm 26 now. Jesus.

It was an interesting reading altogether
The best part was the finale in my opinion, because the beginning was too slow for my taste

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan.

Mattie is obsessed with escapology, so much that she seeks out the daughter of one of the greatest escape artists ever. But Mattie isn't anxious to share it with the world, or even her family for that matter. How will everyone react?

Enter Will, who is handsome, popular, has a beautiful girlfriend, but is also keeping secrets of his own. And when he sees Mattie he just knows that he has found someone that he can confide in.

This was cute enough I guess. The spin with escapology was definitely a fun addition, but I can't say that any of it necessarily blew my mind. But for a sweet summer escape, this would do the trick.

Added a star for my love of escapism.

I loved this book! Did not expect it from the cover, which did not feel reflective of the text at all. And was happy to read a book that has friendship at its core, not romance.

I love the idea of the book but I was really distracted with the writing style, I don't feel it at all. BUT THE TITLE IS PERFECT, you'll noticed it first.

This is such a sweet and tender story of learning to love yourself. I liked the pot and the characters and how everything twisted together. I really enjoyed seeing Houdini in the story and liked the dual perspectives.

Funny and fascinating, with well-drawn characters and an interesting premise and backstory. Some of the escapology material is quite edge of your seat.

Sweet and mysterious. A lovely YA contemporary. Loved the emphasis on friendship--need more of that in YA.

This plot had promise. I loved how the author has explored the themes of friendship, creating an identity, finding your passions, the concept of fitting in, and how to be honest and true to yourself. But my biggest problem was its execution. I didn't enjoy the writing and also the characters were not my favorite. It was one of those books which had potential but wasn't executed well.

The escape in this book is both literal and figurative and you'll be captivated by the lengths Mattie goes to in order to perfect her craft.

The escapology pulled me in right away. The characters were great as a squad but I couldn't really grow close to any of them. The diverse representation seemed good and the humor made it so much better. But somewhere, somehow, I couldn't love it as much as I would've wanted to. Can't really pinpoint what exactly went wrong or what exactly I couldn't relate to or like but the story didn't feel like something I would keep with myself for long.

I loved the blurb of this book and was really excited to read it. Unfortunately, it archived before I could read it.

Tale of a girl who love escapism and Harry Houdini but would be horrified if anyone found out about her obsession. This is a face paced, exciting YA novel.

This was a pretty enjoyable read. It ended up being about friendships than anything else. Maggie and Will were a cool pair to read about. Also, I'm all for an open-ended story, but I am sad we didn't get more resolution.

I'm going to give this 3.5 stars

There were some things I LOVED in this book, but I also have a couple of things holding me back from giving it a 4.

Once I reached the end of the book, I was loving it. I loved the characters, how far they had come, and basically the entire arc the story took. I skimmed a couple of reviews directly after finishing, and I remembered all the grievances I had at the beginning of the novel and had to knock it down half a star.

Things I loved:
How passionate everyone is about the things they love
Dissecting of high school culture and tropes
the very ~cool~ parents and authority figures/mentors
the friendships

Things that could have been better:
The timeline and switch in perspective, especially at the front half of the book
Some weird statements by a few of the characters that were unnecessary/didn't add anything to the book

I kind of hated Will at the beginning of the book. The way he was talking about people and his weird affliction for 20s slang really rubbed me the wrong way. Only until I realized he wasn't actually an asshole, did I come around to liking his character. (view spoiler) Sometimes it is hard for me to distinguish between bad characters or just stupid teen behavior, and I think in his case he just is a dumb teen sometimes.

I was a big fan of Mattie all the way from the start to the finish. I especially loved her relationship with Miyu. It was so heartwarming, and they really both helped each other grow in their own way. Ugh this book is going to make me want to get into lock picking. It's just so freaking COOL! I didn't think I would nerd out over escapology as much as I am, but I am now a total fan. I loved how passionate she was about it and how she let it change her life. Most of her performances had me freaking the fuck out. I was so tense, but also SO ENGAGED with the story. My heart was beating so fast every freaking time. Those are my favorite scenes I read in the whole book. I wish I could find a speakeasy with regular hecklers that will buy me free drinks every Friday night.

I was completely confused about what the hell was going on with the timeline in the beginning. It smoothed out at the second half of the book because it was more linear (if I'm remembering correctly), but the front half was jumping around like nobody's business. Don't get me wrong, I love a complicated timeline if it serves a purpose. I don't really know what we gained by being confused about when certain events took place? This is usually a better fit for a mystery or thriller novel, but in this case, I really could have used some dates or clues as to when certain chapters were happening.

One of the reviews I read pointed out Mattie turning down joining the gay-straight alliance at her school because she's "apolitical" which seemed really weird and unnecessary? I don't really understand 1. what it has to do with being apolitical and 2. why it was included in the book at all? It just really stood out to me as being something that did not need to be there.

I really wish I could give this a higher score because there were SO MANY things I loved about it, but there were a couple of shortcomings that I really can't ignore if I'm going to give it an honest review.

An uncommon premise that sways away from the typical, this book was a refreshing young adult read. It has so much emotion which makes it very interesting and good.

This book was such a light and exciting read. I loved the characters and the story that unfolded between Mattie and Miyu. Their relationship was a special one and not to compare with anything else I've read before.

The Art of Escaping is the kind of book that has a resounding theme of the importance of friendship, acceptance and loving one's self. There's a lot of coming of age books right there, but this made it to my favorites. I enjoyed reading this and I'm looking forward to Erin Callahan's other titles.

A teen girl obsessed with escapology and Houdini is the premise for this wild ride of a "not your average girl next door" story. Mattie and her unintended friend Will test the power of secrets, hidden talents, and loyalties. A great choice for both edgy and reticent teens, and both males and females given the alternating viewpoints of the characters.