A genre-defying novel about life, death, and toxic masculinity.
Thank you so much to The Write Reads and Penguin for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary eARC and media kit!
About the Author
James lives in Surrey with his wife and newborn son.
He took up writing three years ago. A mechanic by day, much of his work has been written at an oil stained workbench whilst ignoring a queue of broken cars in need of his attention.
James is also a keen musician, regularly gigging as a rhythm & blues pianist.
James’ debut YA novel, Last Lesson, tackling teen mental illness and toxic masculinity, was published in spring 2020 by Penguin Random House Children’s.
Review
Book CWs
For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.
Premise
A man stands. A man fights. A man bleeds.
These are the first lessons you learn in a town where girls are objects, words are weak and fists do the talking.
Will’s more at home in the classroom than the gym, and the most important woman in his life is his gran. So how can a boy who’s always backed away from a fight become the hero who saves the day?
Because a disaster is coming. One that Will can prevent. But only if he learns the most important lesson of all: sometimes to step up, you have to man down.
A searingly powerful exploration of toxic masculinity, perfect for fans of Juno Dawson or They Both Die at the End.
Review (No Spoilers)
Welcome back to my blog! Today I have the pleasure of talking about the genre-defying young adult novel that is Man Down.
I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into when I started reading this book. It is written like a thriller, but also has elements of magical realism and even science fiction. My experience reading Man Down reminded me a lot of how I felt reading Fight Club. It was this strange sense of foreboding mixed with outright confusion about what exactly was going on.
A good portion of the novel is social commentary, particularly about toxic masculinity and sexism. Our main character, Will Parks, is by all means not a “manly” man. He has social anxiety, cries and apologizes constantly, and doesn’t quite know how to fight or stand up for himself and others. Throughout the novel, Will is is forced to confront the sexist and misogynistic world that we live in, whether it be the way men put on macho facades when around other people, or the way society victim blames and slut-shames women for crimes committed against them.
Man Down is an incredibly thought-provoking novel that is sure to illicit emotional reactions from its readers. Definitely heed the trigger and content warnings listed above if you’re interested in trying this one out.
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Jenjenreviews 
Fantastic review, Jenny! xx
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