I have mixed feelings about this one. I picked it up in a store called Octavia's Bookshelf and was incredibly excited for it, but I don't feel like it quite hit the mark for me. To start off with the good stuff: this book has such a creative, playful story with so much fun mixed media stuff (quizzes, menus, charts, equations, etc), wordplay, and the most fantastical and amazing characters! I genuinely loved all of the weird concepts and was really excited about the mixed media stuff I mentioned that made this feel so unique. The storytelling is odd and intriguing, and I enjoyed the movement between characters and ideas. It was never stagnant or boring, and I really do applaud the cleverness and creativity in Ross's work.

That said, I had a really hard time caring about anything or anyone in the book on an emotional or, really, genuine at all level. The characters felt too out of reach, I would say. Christine is a fun and witty main character, but I never once got a glimpse of any actual emotional reaction from her aside from annoyance or condescension. I wanted to feel with her, and it's almost like the book wouldn't let me in. Jimmie C. was probably my favorite written character for that reason-- he's (if I remember correctly) just about the only character we see have genuine difficult reactions and emotional responses. The writing itself felt the same way. The same mix of weird wordplay, odd ideas and characters, and mixed media that I loved (plus a lot of unexplained cultural references, though I honestly respect and appreciate those even if I couldn't understand them) made it way harder to connect with any aspect of this story.

Oreo was like a little brain game-- a literary puzzle that was definitely a wonder to read. It didn't engage me emotionally, and I do think that's a fault of the book in some ways, but I also think I didn't need it from Oreo. I can't quite say I enjoyed reading it all of the time, but it was certainly fulfilling and stimulating. If that sounds like something you want, I absolutely recommend picking it up. I don't think you'll regret it.