Hail Caesar

Hail Caesar

By: Thu-Huong Ha

He's just not that into anyone but himself. Until...

Caesar thinks he can't be touched by anything or anyone. Boys idolize him. Girls lust after him. And he has power over them, because he doesn't care about any of them . . . until the new girl comes along, and turns Caesar's world upside down.

summary from book

My Rating: 3.5/5

I was drawn to this book for many reasons, one of the main reasons being Caesar (John Miller). He seems like the kind of guy you try to avoid through high school and through life. He's the one that cares more about himself than anyone else and will use you to his advantage. I've always wanted to read a book through this kind of perspective. We get a lot of YA books where the protagonist is either an outsider or someone who desperately yearns to be popular and well liked. With Hail Caesar, John is already popular and it was very interesting reading things from his viewpoint. This book offered a kind of inside looking out perspective. I also enjoyed that John is male.

I have to say that even though I'm nothing like Caesar and I disagreed with a lot of the things he did and believed, I still liked him. I really applaud the author for staying true to his character through the books entirety. This is not one of those he's-kind-of-a-jerk-but-not-really-once-you-get-to-know-him-novels. I think he developed well and realistically as the story progressed. Things ended off well also. I felt the conclusion to be highly accurate.

I have to say I wasn't a big fan of Eva, the female lead that shakes up Caesar's world and shifts his perception of things. She was just a little bland for me. I did however greatly enjoy Kelly, Caesar's thirteen year old sister. Their interaction is great (especially in the later chapters.) Even though she was only a minor character, I think she added a lot to this novel.

Also, interesting tidbit of information. The author, Tu-Huong Ha won the PUSH novel contest when she was just fourteen. Isn't that insane? I love reading books by teenage authors. I think it's so incredible what they've managed to accomplish in such a short time.