Ehh, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t like one character, not even the main one, Illyas or his narrative. He wasn’t bad, but I didn’t care about him too much.

Illyas was a bit of a sad sack, getting bullied by his “friends, disappointing his dad, and trying to follow his dreams. But he was soft-hearted and creative. His sister, Shaista, seemed so mean and vapid. I guess from a younger brother’s eyes that might be how he would sum her up. Kelly wasn’t that interesting, but I like how she and Illyas got along. In this type of story, usually both parents are unreasonable, but the mother was fine and understanding.

I think what I liked most was the struggling friendship between Illyas and Daevon. Daevon had changed for the worse but his remnants of kindness were always there.

This book shows how insidious toxic masculinity can be, and I think it’s relatable with the decent kid following behind the popular, troublemaker who makes his friend group feel like dirt. Kick the Moon is full of pop-culture references and slang to season the narrative.

Overall, this was not a bad read, but it was not personally enjoyable for me. Once I started it, I wanted to see where it ended though.

Imran didn’t get this gross overnight. He’s compensating for something, trying to fit in, or internalizing the nastiest ills of society for sure. I wanted someone to pop him in the mouth so badly. His head nearly splitting open didn’t humble him. ( )

Better than your average Brit YA novel although I still was stumped by some of the gangsta expressions and what they mean...should have come with a glossary for us readers who are in different countries and don't speak "street". It will be interesting to see what the boys at my Australian secondary school think of this book.
Ilyas is 15 and has joined up with Imran ( the #1 boy at school who everyone likes) and his tough mates to stay protected in a difficult environment. He is a very talented artist but the gang only see him as an expert "tagger" and are holding him back. When he scores very highly on a Maths test, he is suddenly moved up a couple of levels to the top maths class, away from his loser buddies. In this class, he comes across Kelly, who , together with the teacher and other classmates, see in him potential to shine.
Ilyas has unfortunately entered into a terrible bet with the gang ( who can film a girl doing a lap dance on them) which he can't seem to wrangle out of and when he tries to stand up to the bully Imran, his nemesis ends up in hospital in a coma. Ilyas finds himself suspended and on after school detention with Kelly who has punched a girl in the face!
Interesting book in that Ilyas and Kelly aren't romantically involved - they just become really good friends - until Kelly is duped by Imran and the video shown all over school.

I also liked the background to Ilyas ' life - and how religious he actually is - he hates the objectification of women and it is Imran talking about his mother that forces Ilyas to let fly. I liked that the math teacher was so cool despite dressing in a hijab and how she inspires Ilyas bid in a comic competition.

One for older readers due to language and themes but also one for the nerds. ( )