Blog Tour: Down and Across ARC Review
Hello and welcome to my stop on the Down and Across blog tour! I'm super excited to share this book with y'all as well as my personal thoughts on it! How about we start with the basics?
About the Book
Discover the secret to success in this incisively funny debut, for fans of John Corey Whaley, David Arnold, and Ned Vizzini!
"Quirky and charming, wise and unpredictable." --Khaled Hosseini, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kite Runner
"Quirky and charming, wise and unpredictable." --Khaled Hosseini, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kite Runner
Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of quitting. Writing the Great American Novel? Three chapters. His summer internship? One week. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can't commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion. With college applications looming, Scott's parents pressure him to get serious about a career path like engineering or medicine. Desperate for help, he sneaks off to Washington, DC, to seek guidance from a famous professor who specializes in grit, the psychology of success.
He never expects an adventure to unfold out of what was supposed to be a one-day visit. But that's what Scott gets when he meets Fiora Buchanan, a ballsy college student whose life ambition is to write crossword puzzles. When the bicycle she lends him gets Scott into a high-speed chase, he knows he's in for the ride of his life. Soon, Scott finds himself sneaking into bars, attempting to pick up girls at the National Zoo, and even giving the crossword thing a try--all while opening his eyes to fundamental truths about who he is and who he wants to be.
He never expects an adventure to unfold out of what was supposed to be a one-day visit. But that's what Scott gets when he meets Fiora Buchanan, a ballsy college student whose life ambition is to write crossword puzzles. When the bicycle she lends him gets Scott into a high-speed chase, he knows he's in for the ride of his life. Soon, Scott finds himself sneaking into bars, attempting to pick up girls at the National Zoo, and even giving the crossword thing a try--all while opening his eyes to fundamental truths about who he is and who he wants to be.
About the Author
Arvin Ahmadi was born and raised in Northern Virginia. He graduated from Columbia University and lives in Brooklyn. Down and Across is his first novel.
Tour Schedule
Week One2/5 – Serial Bibliophile – Bookstagram Post and Social Media Post
2/6 – The Desert Bibliophile – Review
2/7 – Thousand Unread Pages – Review
2/8 – Bookfoolery – Review
Week Two
2/12 – Book Princess – Author Guest Post
2/13 – SaniyaWalu – Creative Video
2/14 – Lost in a Story – Review
2/15 – A Bronx Latina Reads – Review
Week Three
2/19 – Gabriella M Reads – Review
2/20 – Book Review Temple – Review
2/21 – Pen and Parchment – Review
2/22 – Reading with Wrin – Review
The Review
Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi
4 Stars
Where do I even start here? I suppose I will go with my thanks. Thank you to Friya Bankwalla for including me in this blog tour and to both her and Penguin for sending me a physical ARC to support my work schedule and allow me to write this review. Y'all are the best.
For those of you who have know idea what Down and Across is about, let me fill you in. Our main character Scott is your average teenage boy struggling with the inability to commit to anything. He finds himself utterly lacking passion until one day he decides to go to Washington D.C. to confront a professor he believes can help him. Adventure ensues.
I found Scott to be a pretty likable character. I can relate to his habit of quitting projects. It was nice to know that I, at age 23, was not alone in my undetermined future. I was rooting for him the whole time despite being unsure of how some of his choices would play out. As for side characters, I really liked Trent. He appeared to be a sweet and helpful guy even when helping could hurt him. On the other hand, Fiora was familiar to me. She seemed like she belonged in a John Green novel if you know what I mean. Which isn't bad since I enjoy John Green. She just didn't seem entirely unique in that sense. I did enjoy her antics and I understand what she brought to the table and her purpose. The way Arvin wove these characters relationships, lives, personalities, adventures etc together really worked for me. I found it to be flawless in that respect.
I did take my time reading this one because at times it appeared to be slow and that is why I personally knocked it down a star along with my feelings about Fiora. I still recommend it. It's a cute read and it focuses more on one's personal journey and I love that. I almost wish I could run away and do something spontaneous to help me find the answers I'm looking for. I also want to acknowledge the inclusion of small minded people living among our more open minded ones. We cannot ignore the issues within society and while these bits are small, I am glad that they are there. I highly suggest you give this book a chance. Go ahead and grab a copy. Find out for yourself why crosswords play a part in the story. Maybe find a piece of yourself within. I would love to hear you thoughts. As always, happy reading!
Xoxo,
Gabriella
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