Book Review: Anything You Want, Geoff Herbach

Title: Anything You Want
Author: Geoff Herbach
Published: 03/05/2016, Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
Format: Ebook
Rating: 2.5/5
Expect a bundle of joy - er, trouble - in this hilarious, heartwarming story from the award-winning author of Stupid Fast Geoff Herbach.

Taco's mom always said, "Today is the best day of your life, and tomorrow will be even better". That was hard to believe the day she died of cancer and when Taco's dad had to move up north for work, but he sure did believe it when Maggie Corrigan agreed to go with him to junior prom. Taco loves Maggie - even more than the tacos that earned him his nickname. And she loves him right back.

Except all that love? It gets Maggies pregnant. Everyone else may be freaking out, but Taco can't wait to have a real family again. He just has to figure out what it means to be a dad and how to pass calculus. And then there's getting Maggie's parents to like him. Because it would be so much easier for them to be together if he didn't have to climb the side of the Corrigans' house to see her...

Anything You Want was not what I expected at all. It's a strange book and I did come close to DNF'ing it, but I'm so glad I didn't. It's a very quick, fun read centred around Taco, a boy who finds out his girlfriend is pregnant and also seems to have no luck at all.

For a good portion of Anything You Want, I just did not get Taco at all. I can't make up my mind whether he is naive, overly optimistic or (excuse my language) just plain fucking stupid! Therefore, I've kind of decided he's all three. He just cannot get his priorities straight whatsoever and this really annoyed me. He does not act his age at all and is actually immensely immature. However, he has been through a lot in the past few years and this has in a way enabled him to get away with so much. But, by the end of the book, he is almost, but not quite, a completely different person. The character development is amazing. He matures so much and really gets his head straight. And I sort of liked him by the end.

I really felt sorry for Taco's brother, Darius. He's been left to look after Taco yet he still has his own problems himself and can't handle everything. Their dad really is awful for leaving them in such a situation that is in effect poverty. I'm glad the story ended the way it did for both boys and they get the support they deserve.

Maggie, Taco's girlfriend, is another character who I just couldn't comprehend. She is just so unpredictable that you never know what she will say or do next. And she is just so immature. Taco and Maggie together are just a recipe for disaster.

Anything You Want is told from Taco's perspective. It's as unpredictable as it could get with Taco's impulsive decisions and the narrative occasionally veering off on a tangent. However, the ending is probably perfect and, although it is bittersweet, I don't think it could have gone any better for Taco. he actually begins to show some logic by the end so perhaps he isn't as stupid as he makes out. Not all plot points are tied up, but it still finishes neatly with the hope that Taco is on the up.

Far from being my favourite book, Anything You Want is an interesting and unique read. I think I'd recommend it to younger teens though as they might appreciate the humorous side of the story more. I'm not sure if I will read more by Geoff Herbach, but never say never.

Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Geoff Herbach / Goodreads / Twitter

Follow me via Goodreads, Twitter, Bloglovin and Pinterest.

Feel free to leave a comment.