Don't Try This at Home!

December 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Although light on substance, even compared to other browsable pop culture titles, this volume on the two YouTube stars will, without a doubt, appeal to their admirers, who sent waves of "ily" (I love you) responses to each tweet promoting the book. Fans will appreciate this quick read for its details about the guys (their childhoods, rise to semi-fame, and lives on tour). The design resembles that of a notebook/yearbook, but the alignment and page breaks are often off and detract from the already slim information present. For the uninitiated, this book will do nothing to clarify why Lawley and Caylen have fans in the first place, much less well over two million followers. Online, their chemistry as friends and their personal charisma are easier to see, albeit through a haze of self-referential bro culture. In print, a sense of entitlement is what mostly comes through, particularly via photos of the pair wearing Afro wigs and short basketball uniforms for laughs. VERDICT Consider only for collections where this YouTube duo is popular.-Miriam DesHarnais, Towson University, MD

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