If a book hasn’t hooked me in the first three chapters—or if I found myself flipping ahead to see how much longer until I was done the chapter, then I don’t want to read the book. Simple logic: I’m not going to spend a week forcing myself through a book that’s okay when I could be reading one that I can’t put down.

Undoubtedly, When I Was Joe has readers out there—there are people who would really enjoy it. But I’ve got to file it under Not For Me.

That’s a risk of trying new things: You may not like them. But if you believe that it’s not worth the risk, then you miss out on a lot of life.

Earlier this year, I was sent an ARC of a book called Sorta Like A Rock Star by Matthew Quick. It came in a box from Little Brown and it sounded interesting, but it wasn’t the kind of book I normally read. I set it aside. But I kept thinking about it and wondering if it was any good, because it sounded quirkily awesome but it was almost guaranteed to be upsetting. Books about loss always are.

But I took a risk on it, and it was totally worth the tears.

Sorta Like A Rock Star is about Amber Appleton, a 17-year-old self-proclaimed Princess of Hope living in a yellow bus that her mother drives for the school division. Amber’s a hope-spreader, brightening the lives of everyone from her autistic best friend Ricky and his mother, Father Chee and the Korean Divas for Christ (an ESL choir), to a haiku-writing Vietnam War vet. But midway through the book Amber suffers a near insurmountable personal loss that costs her that previously unshakeable optimism and faith.

An immensely powerful book about grief and overcoming loss, Sorta Like A Rock Star has more quirky characters than an indie film. It’s both hilarious and heartbreaking. It also has haikus—and everyone knows haikus are awesome. True? True.

If you know someone who loves quirky mainstream fiction—or you just want to read an amazing novel that with make you laugh out loud and cry shamelessly on an airplane—then you should definitely check out Sorta Like A Rock Star.

What about everyone else? How did your Take A Chance read go? If you have recommendations, tells us in the comments or send us a tweet!