Be More Chill

Be More Chill is recommended at the end of Ned Vizzini’s other book called It’s Kind of a Funny Story. As at the end of Be More Chill; It’s Kind of a Funny Story is recommended. Those books were published by Ned Vizzini himself, but they were republished after his death in 2013. There is also another book that is in the same theme of Be More Chill and It’s Kind of a Funny Story. It is called Teen Angst? Naaah... and they all have the same overall theme of being an awkward teen. Be More Chill is a science fiction, young adult book about Jeremy Heere and his way up the social hierarchy with the help of a mini computer in his brain: a squip. He does this in the interests of Christine, but it came with downfalls. Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini illustrates the social structure that happens in an environment and how it isn’t necessarily a good thing.  

Jeremy Heere is an average high-school teen that takes embarrassment to heart. Christine is his crush, he likes her a lot. This whole story kicks off because he doesn’t want to be seen as dorky. So his friend Micheal tells him about a mini computer that you swallow and it somehow makes you better at everything. So Jeremy on his quest to be “cooler” sets out to find this said computer and he does. It is called a squip. Jeremy becomes more distant towards his friend Micheal, mainly because the squip sees him as a loser. “I look back for Michael, but he’s gone. That was quick. Guess I’ll sort things out with him later” (Vizzini 117).  This leads to Jeremy finding out how to talk to girls and it isn’t the best thing. He starts to analyze how they look and he starts getting into trouble with a girl who has a boyfriend while he is tripping on ecstasy. But the central idea in this book is how being more noticable and being “cooler”, as the character would say, is not always the best thing because you can get into a lot of bad things. 

I genuinely like this book which is saying a lot because I normally don’t like sci-fi books, I find them a little cheesy at times. It was nice that it wasn’t mainly focused on sci-fi it was just a kid who happened upon something that could make him “better”. It also ties in the awkwardness of being a dorky teen which I really like. I would say this book is mainly targeted at kids at highschool age or people who just entered adulthood. I would say it’s also for people who like the main theme of young adult books, which is an awkward teen becoming more than just an awkward teen. Everyone should go out and read Be More Chill. It is honestly an amazing book that takes a look into a teens mind and how he doesn’t want to be seen as the dorky kid.

Book Review by Korryn C.