Never quite made it through this book, though if I were 17, I may have. Teen angst, desolation and sexual confusion coalesce in weird ways and a young girl finds herself doing Houdini-like trucks under the tutelage of the disenfranchised daughter of her escape artist idol. Fun until it gets heavy into the escape tricks; then I lost my roll and my ARC expired. Sorry, NetGalley.

Everything about this books screams something I would love. Which I did...and I didn't. It had nothing to do with the writing, plot, or even the characters .It was just an okay book that kept me entertained and I hate to say that because it was good! Just not for me.

Thanks NetGalley for the free e-book! This is the first novel that I read from you. So far I've only read poem collections or comics or graphic novels.

I must say that the main reason why I chose this book to read out NetGalley's catalogue was that it was marked as LGBTQIA. I didn't care about the escapology stuff that much, though it sounded interesting. I was here for the gays (as always). <spoiler>I actually thought that the main character was the gay one, fool me, instead of her sidekick <i>which very rarely happens of course</i> and I was kinda disappointed because I wanted gay <b>girls</b>.</spoiler>

Mattie is a teenage girl obsessed with escapology, 1920s jazz records and history. I felt the author tried too hard to make her interesting or special or something worth standing out when she's really not. She tries to hide her obsession with escapology as if it were a matter of life and death instead of just a hobby, an unusual one yes, but nothing to actually be ashamed of in my opinion. It frustrated me how often she would point out how weird and different she was for liking this stuff, as if the world would care.

I get the stage fright when she starts performing in front of strangers, or even friends and family, but that's a whole different thing. She's so aware of what people might say and think that she starts being a bit paranoid and insufferable about the whole thing. Chill out, Mattie.

The LGBTQIA aspect wasn't that big. It's a coming out case. Boring. Overused trop. I get these kind of stories were something new and draw attention some years or even decades ago, but in case you don't know it's 20-GAYTEEN and coming out stories don't have the same impact. We want wlw or mlm stories with up and downs, happy endings or heartbreaking ones, where sexuality is just a detail and not the whole focus of a book, not the main attribute of a character. We are much more than that.

All in all, it was not a bad book but not a good one either. At times it was very difficult for me to engage in the story (no wonder it took me almost 2 months to read it) and even if it sounded interesting at first, the development of the plot wasn't incredible.

I loved aspects of this story so much - escapology is not something I've ever read about before and I loved how it played such a major role in this book. Mattie was not really a character I liked much, but I absolutely loved Will and Miyu, those two were such good characters. I loved the friendship that blossomed between Will and Mattie, and the mentor-mentee relationship between Mattie and Miyu was awesome!
However, there was just something missing from the story... I found the writing very awkward and blocky, rather than something I could easily follow. There seemed to be massive blocks of descriptive text which were unnecessary to the book, the plot and the genre of book. Other than that, I liked it.

While reading the synopsis, I feel very curious. This story is categorized as a romance story for Teens & YA. But in the end, there is the word "friendship". Ok, this is probably not a story that can hold me (because I'm old enough for romance). But in fact, I was detained from the first page to the last page. It's a torment for me as a reader.
All right, I will start with the character. Since reading the synopsis I hope to be tied to Mattie. She is the character of my dreams and is really created to be intelligent. She pursues her dream to become an artist and starts to study with Miyu. Miyu has run away from the past. Mattie idolized Miyu's parents who became talented artists. And from where the story begins. Mattie worked hard to achieve her dreams. She is not easy to cry even though it is actually crybaby. Miyu became one of the closed characters, although she was not quiet. I was a bit worried about her, but everything changed when I found a small note. The note shows the story of Miyu's mother, Akiko Miyake. All written before and after a terrible plane crash. I think this is what makes Miyu's character alive and unreadable as extra characters only.
Then Will's character can’t make me look at her. He's a very impressive character, only I can’t stand with Will. And to be honest, I also do not like the style of speech even though it can make me laugh. Then another thing that keeps this book holding me down is the storyline. At some point, I find it very funny, and the debate of the character goes well. Then I feel a little confused but still can walk straight. I was affected by the thrilling scenes. At that time, I could not drink coffee and just read it. In some shaky narratives, I tried to calm down. And other scenes on some characters have really gained attention only. It seems unlikely that this romance book has no message.
After I finished reading it, I felt like I did not want to be anyone. So Erin Callahan has made a very striking character. But I am aware that each of these characters has a history of departure or to escape. Mattie who wants to escape from the various pressures and find her identity on the run. Then Will wants to get away from involvement with everyone and Miyu who wants to let go of the past. Of course, as a human being, I have also experienced feelings like these characters.
I will be honest, that this book is very worthy. You should read it, regardless of how old you are now. I highly recommend this book because it can be a stunning debut, very detailed, very funny and very lively. Thanks to Erin Callahan and Amberjack Publishing, who have sent this soft copy through NetGalley.

Set in Rhode Island, I thoroughly enjoyed this YA book about friendship and finding who you really are.

Mattie loves all things history, Star Trek and her best friend Stella. Will is a basketball star, has a perfect girlfriend and a big secret.

When Mattie's friend Stella goes away to camp for the summer before their senior year. Mattie does what any other girl in her situation would do...she finds the reclusive daughter of an escape artist and starts to train. And then perform!! Mattie and Will's world collide when he's invited by his parents to an off the beaten path night club and he sees one of Mattie's performances.

The main issue I had was one character's vocabulary. If I had to read muskrat asses or posi-lute-ly one more time ...

We see a lot of performers in fiction but this has got to be the first time I've seen an escapologist. It's very hipster. I liked that while she learns and excells at escapology she doesn't treat it as a career path. Exploring a passion acts as a kickstart, forcing her to confront the future and finally make some decisions. In fact, somehow, following this passion serves as a kickstart for several characters. THat's what didn't particularly track for me.

This is such an amazing story to read. There is a different story than what you expected. That cover and title is so great. Story is well written. I love the friendship. Sometimes you can find friendship in different places. The only part that i don't like is switching different pov's. But it is really amazing book to read.

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan is a captivating and actually super stressful story about a teenage girl who's obsessed with escapology. Bring out references to Houdini! It's actually a topic I've never read about in YA before, so I was extra keen to try this one out and loved how it wove in everyday highschool angst, friendship group complications, secret keeping, and (of course) a hobby that requires you to be straightjacketed and handcuffed and thrown in a pool.

Lovely hobby.

I did love the strong emphasis on friendship here! The two main characters aren't a couple and while they both crush on other people irregularly through the book, it's such a small part of the story. So nearly romance-free. It also ends up with an epic friendship group of a bunch of misfits from Mattie (who literally nearly drowns in chains and lockpicks for fun) and Will (closeted and anxious and lying to his girlfriend and unsure how to fix the messes he's made) and Stella (super nerd girl who's an ex-homeschooler) and Frankie (child genius who skipped two grades and literally no one talks to him). They were a great and dynamic group! Plus there were plenty of secondary characters who all felt fleshed out and interesting.

I confess it did fall apart for me a little because of a few reasons though. Including: (a) Mattie is really mean but yet everyone wants to be her friend apparently (?!?) and (b) it uses the "whined" dialogue tag so. freaking. much and I hate whining, I hate whiners, I hate being TOLD a character is whining like every chapter, and (c) I do just wish we'd seen a bit more of the characters feelings?

(Also it had a few...things...I'm not really sure about concerning the lgbtqia element: like it refers to being gay as a "political decision" at one stage, and gives a throw-away comment about if you're friends with gay people it makes you a better person?! i don't even know where to start with that, whether it's saying it's a gay person's duty to educate you [no] or you get cookies for being friends with them [no]. There are mere lines, but I think they could've been handled better.)

The scenes where Mattie's learning how to pick locks are definitely amazing. There's a twist on the "old cranky mentor" trope, with it being a young cranky (possibly agoraphobic) Japanese mentor, whose mother was the famous escape artist, but died in an unrelated accident many years ago. She unwillingly trains Mattie, but I did love their friendship, with the banter and insults flung around. I did not learn how to pick a lock though. Sad for me.

The story itself isn't long, so the pace is pretty great! We follow Mattie (and the few chapters narrated by Will) as they manage school and college applications and also try to figure out how to keep their messy secrets from their families.

The Art of Escaping is definitely one to look out for! It really focuses on finding your passion and interests in life, trusting your friends, and picking death-defying careers because what's a little adrenaline rush now and then, hmm?

A well done story is definitely something worth praising and The Art of Escaping definitely falls under that category. This book is definitely something I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys reading LGBT+ related novels. It's definitely worth reading.

When I first started reading this book, I was feeling unwell and suffering a book slump after finishing another really great book. For me, this book came across as a slow starter, but now that I've finished it, I loved it so much that I honestly don't know whether it was me or the book that came across as slow and difficult to get into.

This story is about escapology, a magician's trick that I honestly didn't know much--or anything--about until now. So I learned a lot in the course of reading this novel.

At the same time, I got to know Mattie, and Will-with-two-Ls, as well as Stella and Frankie who were introduced much later. I kinda wish that Will had been introduced earlier because the budding friendship between Mattie and Will was when the book really started for me.

Ultimately, this small group of misfits and the way they came together was what made this book work for me.

The main character, Mattie, has an obsession with Harry Houdini. This is unique as in most magicians are male. I love that there is an agoraphobic character as well. It was interesting to see how Mattie developed during the book.

The story was interesting but the author's writing style was a little hard for me to follow at times. I think that teens, especially those who feel lonely or have ever wanted to disappear will identify with this book. The quirky characters saved the story for me.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan is a book that Roberta first introduced to me in sometime in a year far ago and honestly? Well, let’s find out.

A Few Things About The Art of Escaping
Erin Callahan’s latest novel is about escapology, and maybe the title explains what escapology is, but there’s probably multiple layers of meaning with the title aside from literally. (I approve of this approach.)

But here: I almost DNFed this one. But I wanted to know the end, so curiosity got better of me.

Multiple POVs was meh but okay.
The Art of Escaping is told in two views: Mattie and Will. Three, if you count diary entries as an intermission between chapters. I’m not against multiple views and maybe I was tired, but I struggled sometimes with this one.

There were times where it felt like the story was being told right now as it is happening, and then there were times where it felt the story was being told by a future version of the characters. And then there were times the story kind of repeated itself, then went onwards. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Occasionally I liked a line or two. Or three.
There are some great one-liners in here, but a lot of the writing I glossed over. To be honest, sometimes I was bored and maybe it was just me in a very bad time (I felt like doing nothing for the past few weeks if my lack of posts say anything).

But I was also reading another book, and it was more interesting? Lack of motivation did nothing there. So maybe I’m not the only one who felt meh about the writing.

There is NO romance.
Well, not exactly. There are snippets here and there, but it’s not a part of the storyline, which is 11/10 okay with me because every book and its sequel has a romance somehow these days. (Am I complaining? Not really. I like books with no romance sometimes.) But the main point is, it’s not a huge plot bunny.

Friendship and sibling dynamics.
Okay, so I can live for the friendship and sibling dynamics because they were developed quite well, or at least, in the few months timeframe. The brother/sister relationship isn’t much, but the friendship is a huge part of the book for both new and old relationships. It was lovely seeing Will and Mattie grow a friendship over escapology and then bringing the other characters in.

Miyu is a precious bean.
Early on in The Art of Escaping, Callahan introduces readers to Miyu, who ends up being Mattie’s mentor who is Crabby™. Honestly though, I absolutely love Miyu – she’s a crab, but deep down, she’s a soft cookie filled with chocolate chips. Plus 95% of the best sentences in the book come from Miyu, so there is never a boring moment with her on the page.

Honestly I was hoping The Art of Escaping would be good, but there were a few things missing to make it to that level. It wasn’t a mess, but maybe a few sweeps needed.

The Art of Escaping is a story about friendship. But it’s also about finding our inner strength and exploring our relationships with our family members. It deals with that turbulent time when you aren’t sure about college and that moment where we all feel a little lost. We’re scared to embark on a path. The fear keeps us rooted to that very spot. To the status quo. And sometimes we need a little push.

From the synopsis, it can seem simpler than it really is. Not only is the plot more complex – including mentor/mentee relationships, multiple fraught relationships with mothers, and betrayal – but there are sections of Callahan’s writing which just stop you. There are little glimmers of writing which just shines through. They are so genuine, so real, sentences that just reach out and grab you by a sliver of the darkness, the fear, the dread in your soul. The Art of Escaping deals with the situations, the relationships you want to escape from, and the knowledge that sometimes you have to face your fears, sometimes you have to embrace that one moment before you walk away.

DNF at 20%.

I just can't deal with this book anymore. The escapology part was cool, but literally everything else is just...not for me. Not even remotely. I was drowning in "not like other girls" vibes, and "everything old is automatically better than everything new" vibes, and I'm really not here for either of those. Plus, here are some choice quotes (note: these are from the ARC, and may not be final) from the 20% I did read that really closed the deal for me.

"I can only say for certain that I got more jazzed about the art of escapology than anything else I could remember - even the first time I read The Diary of a Young Girl, after which I refused to leave my room for a week, claiming - like a misguided and pretentious ten-year-old - that I was trying to experience some level of solidarity with poor Anne."

I mean...at least she said it was misguided?

A conversation about high school extracurriculars:

'Gay-Straight Alliance?'
'I'm apolitical.'

That's not really a political issue. Or shouldn't be.

I'm really disappointed, because the idea of escapology in a book was really intriguing, and the first 4% or so of the book was really good. The rest of it was just very much not for me.

Mattie is a teenager who has skated by her whole life--doing enough but never really excelling. Why bother? At the end of her junior year, with her best friend gone for the summer, she decides to make a change and pursue one of the few interests that have ever had a hold on her: escapism. Interspersed with excerpts from a diary written about an famous escape artist and short chapters of a schoolmate who turns into a friend, Mattie learns how to escape from locks, chains, straightjackets, and more. The book was an intriguing look behind the curtain at mythology that is part of the american fabric. Mattie will appeal to many teen readers because she is different--a grouchy, uninspired kid who decides to follow her dreams by working hard and does it. The cast of characters that surround her are equally appealing. Engaging, fun, and moving--a winner for sure!

The writing style is a bit disorienting, jumping back between the two characters but I quite enjoyed the excerpts from Akiko. There was a lot of girl hate in the beginning that rubbed me the wrong way but it simmered down a bit as the story progressed. I loved the escapology parts of the book and seeing Mattie learn and grow but ultimately had a hard time understanding why she needed to keep it a secret and she took a little too long for me to realize that Wil's secret was much bigger than her own. But to be honest, that is very realistic writing of teens, I know I was definitely selfish as a teen, so props for that because not everyone can pull that off.

The Art of Escaping is trying to be a good book and that’s the best I can say about it, to be honest. It’s trying out a lot of things to catch the reader’s attention, sadly forgetting the most important one: actually good writing.

So we have two narrators instead of one, the second one being a minor character and only getting every fourth or fifth chapter. We have fragments of diaries of the main character’s hero before each chapter. And I can’t stop thinking we have all those things, to keep us distracted from the fact the book as a whole? Isn’t really that interesting.

I had a number of issues with The Art of Escaping, though I think some of them won’t be a problem for other readers - everything is a matter of taste, after all. But personally? I found Mattie, the main character, extremely unlikable, which made reading a torturous experience. Now this is something people might disagree with me on, sure, but let me tell you more about Mattie, so you can decide for yourself. When asked if she would like to join the Gay-Straight Alliance at her school, she replied “she’s apolitical”. Good to know my existence is still considered political… She also manages to give off very strong “not like other girls” vibes, which I can’t believe I had to witness in 2018. But the Thing that made me most angry? The one single thing? Oh boy.

Mattie is into escapology. That’s like, the whole premise of the book. Mattie also keeps that interest a secret from all her friends and her family, sneaks around to practice and keeps lying to cover her tracks. All out of fear of? Well I’m not entirely sure, but it seems she thinks she would get hated for being interested in escapology? That’s not even my point, though! Because there’s a scene where Mattie really compares keeping an interest in escapology a secret to keeping being gay a secret… Yeah, you read that right. She really, genuinely thinks those are similar in any way and that repercussions of those secrets getting revealed would be in any way on the same level.

I don’t care if she changes her mind near the end of the book. I had to read a story about a character making light of the oppression LGBT people still experience every single day and I am not happy about that.

Couple that with mediocre writing and a kind of pointless premise and what do you get? A book I wish I didn’t spend my time reading. Life is just too short, guys.

I was so delighted with this book and pretty impressed, actually. I thought the characters were amazingly well-thought-out, especially Frankie and Kyle's friends. The plot was really good, magical and simplistic at the same time. What I didn't like about the novel is a problem I have with a lot of books in which families appear. Mattie's family isn't that well built, and I don't see great family dynamics here. Another thing I disliked was Will's POV, I think it wasn't necessary. The last thing I disliked about the novel is the fact that Mattie didn't tell her parents about her secret, and the college essay was never brought up or anything. But overall, I think this is an amazing book which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone looking for a light, simple read.

Escapology = the art of escaping. This book is about Matti, who's 'secret' hobby is escape acts and illusions. As the book goes on, we see a theme of not just literal escapism through Matti and her friend Miyu's tricks, but also personal escapism. We all have something we want to escape from right? Our sexuality, our pasts, etc. The Art of Escaping added this other level theme to the story and made it a clever and comic tale of friendship and adventure.