I've seen many highly positive reviews, but I just could not connect with this story or the writing style. It's possible that this author just isn't for me.

This book took my breath away. It is a grungy realistically painful read and I finished it in one day. Leonard peacock is not a great character, he has flaws, is broken, depressed, angry, suicidal and murderous. But he is beautiful in his pain and it really made me think.

Matthew Quick, author of the New York Times Bestseller Silver Linings Playbook, introduces readers to an unforgettable protagonist in Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock.

Today is Leonard’s birthday. Today also happens to be the day that Leonard will kill himself with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol. But first, Leonard needs to give presents to the four people who matter most to him. Then, he’ll shoot his former best friend before he kills himself. As the day progresses, Leonard slowly reveals how he has reached rock bottom in Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick.

My initial reaction when I started reading Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock was: Oh my God, this main character is such a jerk. I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a depressing, pessimistic teenager. Clearly, Leonard suffers from a myriad of psychological issues from depression to abandonment issues. He’s at the end of his rope, and he doesn’t think there’s anything worth living for in the future.

But Matthew Quick is such a talented writer. I didn’t even realize just how much I got attached to Leonard until I was halfway through the book and I found myself yelling at Leonard not to shoot himself. I was glued to the pages, eager to find out what would happen.

As it turns out, Leonard had a pretty messed up childhood. He’s not just some teenager acting up for attention, and his actions are truly a cry for help. Towards the end of the book, there’s nothing more that I wanted to do than hug Leonard.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is a relatively short read, but it packs a lot of punch. Leonard is an unforgettable main character. He has an abrasive personality, but before you know it, Leonard Peacock will worm his way into your heart.

This book was added to my shelf five years ago. I was initially interested in reading it with 9-year old son as I thought it would be a fun book to read together, but we never got around to it. I discovered reading print books together was what he preferred. I am therefore no longer interested in reading it and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

This book has been in my Netgalley que for a long time, and it was one of those books that I really wanted to read but every time I tried to I couldn't get into it. I finally finished it after getting the audiobook version from my local library and so here, finally, is my review.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is a book about a teen who is about to commit suicide. It is his birthday and no one remembers or knows and that is really the least of his troubles. Leonard Peacock is an outcast who decides that he is going to do it right - say goodbye to the important people in his life, kill a kid that made him miserable, and then take his own life. So this is his day, the lead up.

Overall this was an emotional book, there were a lot of triggers in it and the main character, Leonard, is not ok. I think that the reason that I had so much trouble getting into a groove with this book was because I knew the ending going into it - I read a review that didn't have a spoiler notice and sadly I knew the outcome as I was reading it... I just needed the pieces while reading and I felt like I could predict them the whole time so I found it hard to get invested in the book.

The book is very well done, it was an emotional rollercoaster of laughing and crying and surprise. I think that it is a great contemporary read, if not for the tale at the very least so younger audiences learn the signs of someone in this situation. I found it to be a good book and I liked it, but since it was spoiled I was missing some of the elements first readers got. If you are looking for an emotional book, or one about psychology, this book fits that bill.