Uses For Boys

Author: Erica Lorraine Scheid
Published By: St Martin’s Press
Date: January 15th 2013
Genre: Contemporary > Teen
Pages: 240 pages


Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical,  Uses for Boys  is a story of breaking down and growing up.


So I got this book about a week ago. I won it on Goodreads and I was super excited to read this. I started it last Wednesday and I didn't finish until late last night. Of course there were days I couldn't even read because I was super busy. Anyways...don't judge a book by its cover. I thought this would be a book like Before I Fall (not the whole groundhog day theme) but I thought Anna would be some popular girl who turned into a fallout for being slutty. Was I wrong or what...

It starts out quick and the writing is very unique. Its poetic but not in the way Ellen Hopkins writes. I believe the form is first person, for people who get it confused its (I went to the store). The only thing I disliked about this book was the way it was chopped up, like I picked up my laundry, I walked out the door and ran into a guy named Todd :) that's the only way I can describe it. It's all very one worded. I'm not saying at all its a bad book, just not the style I'd prefer to read it in. I tend to like a lot of description.

This ended up as a very sad story of a lonely girl looking for something and not knowing what it is. It hits home to me. I was a outcast all through school for reasons unknown to myself. I wasn't a normal teen. My parents kept me busy with chores and kept me away from boys (my older sister got pregnant at 15). see bio for more. Why did I not fit in? Where do I belong? Who can I trust? Am I good enough?? Questions we all often ask ourselves. I still think about it and I still don't know what my life is ahead of me. What will I become? Anna is lost among the buzzing and sees the world in a way I sometimes do. People just running so busy to appreciate what they have. They worry, they rush. This book holds a lot of things I believe in. Family is precious, Time is limited. Friends come and go.

Anna is a very unique character. Shes a five pointed star, She has no mom, she has no dad, but she has boys. She figures out at a young age boys can fill the gap in her heart, but at what cost? She has a mom but her mother is always gone, and Anna is left in a big empty home. As the story continues Anna is with a guy named Todd for a long time and the buzzing goes away. Then months later it comes back, She realizes this isn't what she wanted either. 

Anna's life suddenly gets turned inside out, Sam has a big family, they all cook dinner together and play games. Its warm and Anna feels like a outcast in a world to far for her to grasp. Shes spiraling down the rabbit hole and Sam catches her and saves her entire life. She finally belongs somewhere. She's finally found her mother, her father and her long lost five pointed stars......

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed the book. I'm not crazy about it but it was very touching to read Anna's story and I will always cherish this book. It's a story every young girl can relate to. I will recommend this to every girl out there. I hope you all enjoy it and keep the lessons that can be learned here to heart :)

~Good Readings~