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Worthy
Once again, Donna Cooner (Skinny, Can't Look Away) taps into the zeitgeist to bring us a searing story about online bullying and superficiality.
An addictive new app is all the rage at Linden Wilson's high school. Worthy ranks couples, determining via votes and user comments if one person is "worthy" of the other. Linden is happily dating Alex Garcia, and can't imagine the app will affect them. Until Alex is labeled "worthy," and Linden "unworthy." Suddenly, everything changes. Linden must struggle under this newfound scrutiny as her relationships—with Alex, with her friends—are put to the ultimate test.
An addictive new app is all the rage at Linden Wilson's high school. Worthy ranks couples, determining via votes and user comments if one person is "worthy" of the other. Linden is happily dating Alex Garcia, and can't imagine the app will affect them. Until Alex is labeled "worthy," and Linden "unworthy." Suddenly, everything changes. Linden must struggle under this newfound scrutiny as her relationships—with Alex, with her friends—are put to the ultimate test.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 28, 2017
31 people are currently reading
575 people want to read
About the author
Donna Cooner
30books325followersDonna Cooner was born and raised in Texas. She is a three time graduate of Texas A&M University. A former teacher and school administrator, she now teaches teachers and principals at Colorado State University where she is the director of the School of Teacher Education and Principal Preparation. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her two labs and a cat named Stu. She’s a big fan of chocolate and laughing (not necessarily in that order).
Donna is the author of two novels for young adults, SKINNY and CAN’T LOOK AWAY. She’s also the author of over twenty picture books and was a founding member of the Brazos Valley Society of Children’s Bookwriters and Illustrators. She has also written children’s television shows for PBS and textbooks for future teachers.
Donna is the author of two novels for young adults, SKINNY and CAN’T LOOK AWAY. She’s also the author of over twenty picture books and was a founding member of the Brazos Valley Society of Children’s Bookwriters and Illustrators. She has also written children’s television shows for PBS and textbooks for future teachers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
August 20, 2017
Going into this book, I was excited, but at the same time a bit skeptical. Writing books like this that centre around special apps can be quite hard to pull off realistically, but even though at first it seemed like a cheesy, cliche romance, I think Donna Cooner did end up doing a pretty good job.
For a brief synopsis, Worthy follows high schooler Linden. At her school, there is an app called Worthy that everyone is downloading, which is used to rate couples and determine whether or not the girl is worthy of the guy. It may have been made to be all fun and games, but pretty soon things get violent and comments get nasty. It starts destroying girls' self-esteem, relationships, and more. Linden tries to avoid it all, but then she finds herself thrown into the mess, and pretty soon the spotlight shines on her.
The characters were okay at first, but I could definitely see development in them by the end of the book. At the start of the story, I found Linden to be a bit annoying and selfish, and she would only follow what others were doing in order to fit in. As the story progressed, though, I noticed that she was becoming more and more like a leader, as well as more confident with herself. Alex, the love interest, was pretty accepting, though a bit bland. The relationship between the two of them was all positive, but it just wasn't memorable, if you get what I mean.
What mostly stood out to me about this book were the AMAZING, FABULOUS morals. Nowadays, we live in a world full of social media, and rather than traditionally interacting face to face, people often tend to text or Snapchat with their friends. Sure, it is all meant to be fun, but too much of it could be unhealthy, which is exactly what this book shows. Also, many people on social media tend to jazz up their profiles in order to gain others' approval, filling their pages with fully edited selfies with friends to breathtaking pictures of themselves on a beach. Basically, many teens' online profiles are replicas of each other, and this book teaches us that just by turning off that phone, we can learn to like ourselves better for who we are, not because we got 100 likes on our latest Instagram selfies. Social media cannot define you in any way- it's your own way of thinking that does.
All in all, the characters weren't 100% amazing, but the message that this book sends out definitely was. To you, this may just look like a typical contemporary romance book about social media, but there is really so much more attached to it. If you are a teen (or even an adult!) who is really into social media, I'd absolutely recommend this book to you, as you will come out of it feeling assured that you are 100000% worthy!
*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review.*
For a brief synopsis, Worthy follows high schooler Linden. At her school, there is an app called Worthy that everyone is downloading, which is used to rate couples and determine whether or not the girl is worthy of the guy. It may have been made to be all fun and games, but pretty soon things get violent and comments get nasty. It starts destroying girls' self-esteem, relationships, and more. Linden tries to avoid it all, but then she finds herself thrown into the mess, and pretty soon the spotlight shines on her.
The characters were okay at first, but I could definitely see development in them by the end of the book. At the start of the story, I found Linden to be a bit annoying and selfish, and she would only follow what others were doing in order to fit in. As the story progressed, though, I noticed that she was becoming more and more like a leader, as well as more confident with herself. Alex, the love interest, was pretty accepting, though a bit bland. The relationship between the two of them was all positive, but it just wasn't memorable, if you get what I mean.
What mostly stood out to me about this book were the AMAZING, FABULOUS morals. Nowadays, we live in a world full of social media, and rather than traditionally interacting face to face, people often tend to text or Snapchat with their friends. Sure, it is all meant to be fun, but too much of it could be unhealthy, which is exactly what this book shows. Also, many people on social media tend to jazz up their profiles in order to gain others' approval, filling their pages with fully edited selfies with friends to breathtaking pictures of themselves on a beach. Basically, many teens' online profiles are replicas of each other, and this book teaches us that just by turning off that phone, we can learn to like ourselves better for who we are, not because we got 100 likes on our latest Instagram selfies. Social media cannot define you in any way- it's your own way of thinking that does.
All in all, the characters weren't 100% amazing, but the message that this book sends out definitely was. To you, this may just look like a typical contemporary romance book about social media, but there is really so much more attached to it. If you are a teen (or even an adult!) who is really into social media, I'd absolutely recommend this book to you, as you will come out of it feeling assured that you are 100000% worthy!
*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review.*
February 2, 2020
This book was so cute--and it also brought up some pretty important questions about the responsibility we all have on social media and how social media promotes stereotypes, especially for women.
All of Donna Cooner's books are the perfect balance between light-hearted realistic fiction and everyday moral dilemmas. Love it!
All of Donna Cooner's books are the perfect balance between light-hearted realistic fiction and everyday moral dilemmas. Love it!
February 3, 2021
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD:
Have you ever read that book that you just don't know what you think. It was good, but not too good. It was not normal, but still predictable. It was interesting, but still boring. I just don't know what this book was to me.
This has never happened in my history.
The app was annoying tbh. I mean, even though the whole story was about it, couldn't the app be run by someone closer to her than Max?
I did love Linden's name though. And it isn't very often you find me liking a name. Normally books are very similar names. Don't get me wrong. I am fine with that. It's just nice to have a change right?
Anyways here is the AGE RECOMMENDATION: 100% clean! Could be a first romance book in my opinion. 12 and older for the fact that they are in highschool and there is swearing in this book.
I hope you enjoyed my review! Follow me for more like this. Happy Reading! -Ruby Rose
Have you ever read that book that you just don't know what you think. It was good, but not too good. It was not normal, but still predictable. It was interesting, but still boring. I just don't know what this book was to me.
This has never happened in my history.
The app was annoying tbh. I mean, even though the whole story was about it, couldn't the app be run by someone closer to her than Max?
I did love Linden's name though. And it isn't very often you find me liking a name. Normally books are very similar names. Don't get me wrong. I am fine with that. It's just nice to have a change right?
Anyways here is the AGE RECOMMENDATION: 100% clean! Could be a first romance book in my opinion. 12 and older for the fact that they are in highschool and there is swearing in this book.
I hope you enjoyed my review! Follow me for more like this. Happy Reading! -Ruby Rose
January 3, 2017
This book was enjoyable to read, and I was lucky enough to get a ARC of it. Linden, the main character, reminded me of a younger version of myself. She's witty, interesting, perceptive, shy at times, and independent. I love how she grows throughout the course of the novel. The storyline was predictable, and the pacing of Linden and Alex's relationship seemed rather fast, even for teenagers. However, I think the book made important points about internet culture, online apps, communication, and the dating world. The big social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) did not exist when I was in high school, so it was interesting for me to see how they affect teenagers and youth culture. Overall, I think the book is age appropriate and a worthwhile read for adolescents. The narrator's voice was particularly strong. I really want to read Skinny, a novel by the same author, as I've heard that is her best work so far in terms of teen literature.
February 27, 2018
Это первая книга, которую я за последние полгода прочитала для себя, а не «по работе».
К моему удивлению, это оказался спин-офф книги, которую я сама переводила у этого автора � Skinny («Худышка»). Здесь повествование от лица сестры Рета.
Книга коротенькая, как и ее предшественница. Наверное, «Худышка» мне все-таки понравилась чуть больше (возможно, потому что я столько сил в нее вложила), но эта тоже ничего.
Как всегда, у Донны чуть ли не до последнего непонятно, кто же главный герой, и он же возлюбленный героини в книге. Для милых романов такое непривычно, мне нравится.
Читается легко, я прочла за вечер. И мне совсем не жалко, что я впервые за полгода потратила время именно на эту книгу «для себя».
К моему удивлению, это оказался спин-офф книги, которую я сама переводила у этого автора � Skinny («Худышка»). Здесь повествование от лица сестры Рета.
Книга коротенькая, как и ее предшественница. Наверное, «Худышка» мне все-таки понравилась чуть больше (возможно, потому что я столько сил в нее вложила), но эта тоже ничего.
Как всегда, у Донны чуть ли не до последнего непонятно, кто же главный герой, и он же возлюбленный героини в книге. Для милых романов такое непривычно, мне нравится.
Читается легко, я прочла за вечер. И мне совсем не жалко, что я впервые за полгода потратила время именно на эту книгу «для себя».
February 16, 2022
Having read so many great books this year, this is just disappointing. Is anyone tired of the “I am an average girl with blond hair and pale skin. But no one likes me.� Because I am.
I think the major problem is like I don’t really care for all the drama. Like if the application is projecting so much hate into your life, just delete that thing! If this is a YA romance novel, and I don’t like the romance, why bother? Alex (the love interest) honestly deserves better when the MC is just boring. Even the reason for rejection is because the main character is so petty and rash. The friendship is also one of the worst I have ever seen.
It touched on major topics like body shaming and social media. But by touching on, I mean like removing your hands immediately after touching a hot stove. Everything serious was solved in a few paragraphs of dialogue (not even good ones).
�1 Star�
I think the major problem is like I don’t really care for all the drama. Like if the application is projecting so much hate into your life, just delete that thing! If this is a YA romance novel, and I don’t like the romance, why bother? Alex (the love interest) honestly deserves better when the MC is just boring. Even the reason for rejection is because the main character is so petty and rash. The friendship is also one of the worst I have ever seen.
It touched on major topics like body shaming and social media. But by touching on, I mean like removing your hands immediately after touching a hot stove. Everything serious was solved in a few paragraphs of dialogue (not even good ones).
�1 Star�
March 23, 2017
Check out this and other reviews on my young adult book blog,
***Actual Rating - 3.5 Stars***
Worthy is a cute little contemporary that shows what can happen when an app is developed and targets the girls at an ordinary high school, causing them to be rated by their peers as to whether or not they are "worthy" of the guy they are currently dating.
Linden and her best friend Nikki never really let people get to them - they were who they were and they were happy. Guys, popular girls, and other kids at their school didn't have the chance to judge them or make them question their worth. Linden is an in between kind of girl - she isn't popular, but she isn't quite on the lowest of the social ranks at her school, either. Nikki is more on the popular side, and despite being a curvier girl than many of the other popular girls, pretty much has an assortment of friends, and she's happy with who she is. She's even dating Jake, one of the most popular guys at school, even though Linden seems to think that maybe Jake isn't good for her, because Nikki seems to act like someone else whenever he's around.
One day, Linden downloads an app called Worthy. The app chooses a random couple and posts a picture, with the caption of "Is she worthy?" along with two buttons: a heart to vote for yes, and an X to vote for no.
At first, Linden doesn't want to get caught up in this, but after a while, she finds herself voting along with the rest of her class, watching as her female classmates' self-esteem plummets as they begin seeing what others think of them. Even though it's anonymous, Linden can't help but feel bad, especially when Nikki gets chosen to be featured on the app.
Meanwhile, a relationship is slowly forming between Linden and baseball star Alex. The two of them start to get closer, sharing a first date, and then a first kiss, as well as family dinners and the small things that others don't know about them that makes them tick. Linden is also trying to bring some publicity for the upcoming prom by being the publicity director for social media.
When Linden and Alex's picture pops up on Worthy, Linden isn't sure how to handle it. When Alex decides he wants no part of the destructive app, Linden gets upset - after all, she's reading some of the comments others are posting, and she is genuinely hurt by what her classmates have to say. Even though Linden doesn't like to think that she lets social media and other people run her life, she finds herself letting the comments and voting get to her. She wishes she could be more like Nikki, who doesn't let these types of things change who she is or what she feels about herself.
Worthy is a relevant book for today's teens (and adults, too), as so many of them suffer from social media addiction and allow themselves to be judged by others on social media. It definitely hits home in many areas, such as how we allow ourselves to be judged online and how we react to that type of judgement. Since teenagers today live in a world where they are surrounded by social media and smartphones, I think this book is an incredibly important read to remind them to keep in touch with who they are, and not what others might think.
While I really enjoyed this book and managed to read through it in a short time, I felt like maybe it could have been a little bit longer so that we got to know Linden's character a little bit better. She kind of seemed like a typical YA contemporary character to be honest - although she did have a few things about her that I thought were pretty awesome, such as her desire to write and a good portion of the book talking about how she wrote stories. She even planned on writing one to win a scholarship to a writing workshop for teenagers. She also worked in a library, and mentioned her love of books a lot throughout the novel.
Nikki's character seemed to have a lot more personality than Linden's however, and I honestly loved how she stayed true to herself no matter what.
The family aspect of the book is interesting, for both Linden and Alex. Alex's family is busy planning an elaborate quinceañera for Alex's sister, and you can tell the family has a really tight bond, which I thought was amazing. Linden's mom quit her job as a teacher to take up her lifelong dream of being a firefighter, and I loved how her parents made it work, even though her mom was away a lot. That really stuck out, because so many YA books have family drama, but there wasn't any of that here. It was a nice change.
The relationship between Alex and Linden feels kind of forced, which was a bummer. I was more or less hoping it would feel like one of those romances that you find yourself really hoping that the couple makes it, but unfortunately I didn't care much either way. I also didn't think there was enough emphasis on the actual Worthy app for the first half of the book - it kind of mentioned it here and there, but I guess I expected the whole book to focus on it more than it did.
It was interesting to see who came up with the idea for the Worthy app in the book though - I definitely didn't see that one coming. That was well done and definitely makes the book tie up nicely!
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Scholastic!
***Actual Rating - 3.5 Stars***
Worthy is a cute little contemporary that shows what can happen when an app is developed and targets the girls at an ordinary high school, causing them to be rated by their peers as to whether or not they are "worthy" of the guy they are currently dating.
Linden and her best friend Nikki never really let people get to them - they were who they were and they were happy. Guys, popular girls, and other kids at their school didn't have the chance to judge them or make them question their worth. Linden is an in between kind of girl - she isn't popular, but she isn't quite on the lowest of the social ranks at her school, either. Nikki is more on the popular side, and despite being a curvier girl than many of the other popular girls, pretty much has an assortment of friends, and she's happy with who she is. She's even dating Jake, one of the most popular guys at school, even though Linden seems to think that maybe Jake isn't good for her, because Nikki seems to act like someone else whenever he's around.
One day, Linden downloads an app called Worthy. The app chooses a random couple and posts a picture, with the caption of "Is she worthy?" along with two buttons: a heart to vote for yes, and an X to vote for no.
At first, Linden doesn't want to get caught up in this, but after a while, she finds herself voting along with the rest of her class, watching as her female classmates' self-esteem plummets as they begin seeing what others think of them. Even though it's anonymous, Linden can't help but feel bad, especially when Nikki gets chosen to be featured on the app.
Meanwhile, a relationship is slowly forming between Linden and baseball star Alex. The two of them start to get closer, sharing a first date, and then a first kiss, as well as family dinners and the small things that others don't know about them that makes them tick. Linden is also trying to bring some publicity for the upcoming prom by being the publicity director for social media.
When Linden and Alex's picture pops up on Worthy, Linden isn't sure how to handle it. When Alex decides he wants no part of the destructive app, Linden gets upset - after all, she's reading some of the comments others are posting, and she is genuinely hurt by what her classmates have to say. Even though Linden doesn't like to think that she lets social media and other people run her life, she finds herself letting the comments and voting get to her. She wishes she could be more like Nikki, who doesn't let these types of things change who she is or what she feels about herself.
Worthy is a relevant book for today's teens (and adults, too), as so many of them suffer from social media addiction and allow themselves to be judged by others on social media. It definitely hits home in many areas, such as how we allow ourselves to be judged online and how we react to that type of judgement. Since teenagers today live in a world where they are surrounded by social media and smartphones, I think this book is an incredibly important read to remind them to keep in touch with who they are, and not what others might think.
While I really enjoyed this book and managed to read through it in a short time, I felt like maybe it could have been a little bit longer so that we got to know Linden's character a little bit better. She kind of seemed like a typical YA contemporary character to be honest - although she did have a few things about her that I thought were pretty awesome, such as her desire to write and a good portion of the book talking about how she wrote stories. She even planned on writing one to win a scholarship to a writing workshop for teenagers. She also worked in a library, and mentioned her love of books a lot throughout the novel.
Nikki's character seemed to have a lot more personality than Linden's however, and I honestly loved how she stayed true to herself no matter what.
The family aspect of the book is interesting, for both Linden and Alex. Alex's family is busy planning an elaborate quinceañera for Alex's sister, and you can tell the family has a really tight bond, which I thought was amazing. Linden's mom quit her job as a teacher to take up her lifelong dream of being a firefighter, and I loved how her parents made it work, even though her mom was away a lot. That really stuck out, because so many YA books have family drama, but there wasn't any of that here. It was a nice change.
The relationship between Alex and Linden feels kind of forced, which was a bummer. I was more or less hoping it would feel like one of those romances that you find yourself really hoping that the couple makes it, but unfortunately I didn't care much either way. I also didn't think there was enough emphasis on the actual Worthy app for the first half of the book - it kind of mentioned it here and there, but I guess I expected the whole book to focus on it more than it did.
It was interesting to see who came up with the idea for the Worthy app in the book though - I definitely didn't see that one coming. That was well done and definitely makes the book tie up nicely!
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Scholastic!
April 26, 2020
I really liked this book. I think that it taught a good lesson about how cyberbullying can affect people. I am not going to spoil but this book had a few good twists about how you think it is gonna go then it doesn't go that way. I would hope that this book would teach people a lesson about how cyberbullying can affect people. But you can also not let it affect you and just let it go because you know that it is not true. I would really recommend this book to people who like romance. I also think that if you like baseball or softball then you should also read this book, because one of the main characters, Alex, plays baseball.
May 10, 2017
The vote is in and Cooner’s book is: WORTHY� of your time, that is. It’s different and fun and has a great message for girls of all ages, which Cooner deftly delivers without preaching or lecturing.
If you’re a parent of a younger teen, you can feel comfortable letting her read Worthy. It’s sweet and clean. It’s absolutely something I’ll let my twin “tween-aged� daughters read!
I picked up Worthy on a whim. I'd never read Ms. Cooner's work before. But I thought the cover was cute and the jacket copy sounded fun and different, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but I know I didn’t expect what I got, which was an awesome story with an even better message.
I highly recommend Worthy. One of my top three favorites of 2017 so far!
December 22, 2017
It was a pretty good book that talked about the ugly side of social media with a romance hidden behind it.
October 28, 2019
Could see this really happening, an opportunity for teenagers to anonymously savage their peers online. They were given the chance to vote on whether certain girls were 'worthy' of the guys they were dating and then make whatever snarky comments they wanted. The opposite wasn't true; no one questioned whether the guys 'deserved' the girls they were dating. And it definitely impacted relationships as a result.
But I just found it a little clunky; it's hard for me to rate a novel highly if I don't really care about the characters. The protagonist was a twit who was a willing participant on the app, damaging her relationship with her best friend as a result, and throwing a hissy fit at her new boyfriend and blaming it on the app instead of acting like a calm, rational person and listening to him instead of flouncing off wailing that she's never going to find love because she's undeserving of it.
And the logic behind the creation of the app was pretty thin; it was like 'oops we're at the end of the story and we need to come up with the guilty party.' However, I'll admit that the bottom of the final page was a creative ending, although it is highly unlikely the administration would ever allow the notice to happen given the drama with 'Worthy.'
But I just found it a little clunky; it's hard for me to rate a novel highly if I don't really care about the characters. The protagonist was a twit who was a willing participant on the app, damaging her relationship with her best friend as a result, and throwing a hissy fit at her new boyfriend and blaming it on the app instead of acting like a calm, rational person and listening to him instead of flouncing off wailing that she's never going to find love because she's undeserving of it.
And the logic behind the creation of the app was pretty thin; it was like 'oops we're at the end of the story and we need to come up with the guilty party.' However, I'll admit that the bottom of the final page was a creative ending, although it is highly unlikely the administration would ever allow the notice to happen given the drama with 'Worthy.'
December 20, 2017
“The beauty bar is set high, and it is always moving higher. Better outfit. Curlier hair. Straighter hair. Short skirt. Long skirt. Bare skin. Tanned skin. High heels. Too high.�
I hope this book can help many young people understand how other people’s thoughts of us don’t matter. However that is almost impossible in the world we live in, especially for middle and high schoolers. I thought the concept of the app that centered around the story was intriguing and believable; I thought Linden getting sucked into it was believable. I thought her relationship with Alex was cute. Again, I hope young people reading this can take a bit away from the fact that it’s so important to just be yourself.
I hope this book can help many young people understand how other people’s thoughts of us don’t matter. However that is almost impossible in the world we live in, especially for middle and high schoolers. I thought the concept of the app that centered around the story was intriguing and believable; I thought Linden getting sucked into it was believable. I thought her relationship with Alex was cute. Again, I hope young people reading this can take a bit away from the fact that it’s so important to just be yourself.
February 6, 2017
A cautionary tale on the choices you make and the feelings that can be hurt when commenting anonymously on social media. Nice YA quick read.
It would be a great conversation starter for kids.
It would be a great conversation starter for kids.
April 28, 2017
Cute and offers good commentary on social media validation.
RTC
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September 12, 2017My review is posted on the Hub:
May 26, 2023
I KNOW THE COVER IS CRINGY I JUST GOT IT AT THE LIBRARY LEAVE ME ALONE. anyway, it was slow then picked up at the end. i didn’t like the main character. she was kinda annoying. like only two major things happen in the book idk
January 11, 2018
It probably wasn't one of my favorite books. It was pretty good though, but definitely not one I would read again.
May 29, 2019
I love this book! It is about an app made by someone that goes to the main character's school and it is a way to anonymously answer the question, Is the girl worthy of the guy she is dating? It is a book I found hard to put down. I love the romance and love and heartbreak. This book is great if you need a book to make you happy while still having tragic parts. I recommend this to people who like realistic fiction.
October 19, 2020
The book “Worthy'' is full of teenage drama, dating, and standing up for yourself. So if you do not like highschool love drama, then you will not want to read it. The overall plot of the story is, a young teenage girl named Linden who is quiet and reserved to herself is bestfriends with the bigger-se, confident, outgoing teen named Nikki. Throughout the story there is a new popular app going around their school called Worthy. This app shows you a couple and you get to vote on if you think that the girl is worthy of the guy or not. About halfway through the story, a boy named Alex comes into the library looking for Linden. He is a popular baseball player that she never thought would know who she was. They end up dating and ten they get put onto the app and it breaks them up because she overthinks it. The story just shows how much technology can affect someone and how much people can mature from one incident. The setting is mainly at the school, and some of it goes on at Linden, Nikki, and Alexś house.
This book was very interesting and my favorite part was when Linden was going to ask Alex to prom after his baseball game, it just kept me on the edge of my seat and it was very engaging and interesting. The book moves pretty quickly and you have to really be engaged at some places to understand, but overall it was a really good book and I would rate it � stars!
This book was very interesting and my favorite part was when Linden was going to ask Alex to prom after his baseball game, it just kept me on the edge of my seat and it was very engaging and interesting. The book moves pretty quickly and you have to really be engaged at some places to understand, but overall it was a really good book and I would rate it � stars!
March 25, 2020
I'm not really interested in this kind of book; just trying to read something different.
March 3, 2022
lowkey alex deserved someone better than linden 🤣
April 24, 2017
I think this book had some good messages for teens - but was a little too much about teen romance for my personal enjoyment!
March 4, 2017
Okay...this started at a solid 4 stars and then crept downward as the love drama got more predictable and whiney. I was really intrigued by the characters in the beginning but then Linden kind of lost her fizz. Alex will be dreamy enough to keep my students interested because he is a lovable and romantic guy, but darn it. Nikki was so darn captivating at first...the way she describes her entering that prom meeting and then blah...such a side role.
A pop without its fizz. Kids will probably still like it, though. I much preferred Can't Look Away.
A pop without its fizz. Kids will probably still like it, though. I much preferred Can't Look Away.
February 22, 2017
Scholastic has this book featured on their spring highlights video, so I thought I should check it out since social media/drama books are a big hit with my middle school girls. I think this is a great read for them! It's very eye-opening and suspenseful-written from a first-person point of view with snippets of social media posts dispersed throughout. There's romance, but it's very innocent (nothing steamy or inappropriate) making it perfect for middle school girls that like to read the genre.
March 13, 2017
Cooner, Donna Worthy, 275 pgs. Point (Scholastic Inc.), 2017. Language � PG (11 swears, 0 “f�), Sexual Content � PG; Violence � PG;
High school hierarchies are always built upon drama and gossip, but a new app is taking it too far. “Worthy� is available for download from the school webpage—an app that asks students to vote on relationships: is the girl worthy to be dating her boyfriend? This app is becoming just another forum for hurtful comments, another subject of school-wide gossip. At first Linden doesn’t think that voting makes a difference, but then it starts getting personal.
Cooner addresses lots of universal challenges through Linden’s story. The cyberbullying on social media, which includes anonymity as a problem because it makes people feel that they don’t have to be accountable for their comments and actions. There is lots of peer pressure from Linden’s fellow students to download and use the app, which makes the decision more difficult for those like Linden who can’t decide whether it is consistent with her values. I applaud Cooner’s success in confronting these issues, but the one that struck me the most is seen through Linden’s inner conflict. Linden struggles with insecurity, self-doubt, and self-perception. It is difficult to see yourself as you are, and as you can become, while ignoring others—no matter how much we want to. While I have not yet experienced the victory of overcoming these struggles within myself, Lindon’s story encourages me and gives me the hope that you and I will look passed the doubts presented to us by ourselves and others. As we conquer these doubts, we will shine brighter as the wonderful people we are. Be confident in your own strengths, and let that define who you are.
HS � ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
High school hierarchies are always built upon drama and gossip, but a new app is taking it too far. “Worthy� is available for download from the school webpage—an app that asks students to vote on relationships: is the girl worthy to be dating her boyfriend? This app is becoming just another forum for hurtful comments, another subject of school-wide gossip. At first Linden doesn’t think that voting makes a difference, but then it starts getting personal.
Cooner addresses lots of universal challenges through Linden’s story. The cyberbullying on social media, which includes anonymity as a problem because it makes people feel that they don’t have to be accountable for their comments and actions. There is lots of peer pressure from Linden’s fellow students to download and use the app, which makes the decision more difficult for those like Linden who can’t decide whether it is consistent with her values. I applaud Cooner’s success in confronting these issues, but the one that struck me the most is seen through Linden’s inner conflict. Linden struggles with insecurity, self-doubt, and self-perception. It is difficult to see yourself as you are, and as you can become, while ignoring others—no matter how much we want to. While I have not yet experienced the victory of overcoming these struggles within myself, Lindon’s story encourages me and gives me the hope that you and I will look passed the doubts presented to us by ourselves and others. As we conquer these doubts, we will shine brighter as the wonderful people we are. Be confident in your own strengths, and let that define who you are.
HS � ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
March 1, 2017
Worthy is a book written by Donna Cooner. When I read the title of this book. I questioned the meaning of the word plastered right in the middle, “WORTHY�. However, the subtitle says, “An app that asks: Are you good enough?� I think this idea is really unfair. Why does a person have to live up to an expectation saying that you can date this person if you follow these guidelines� I also asked myself, “Why does this plot seem so cliche to the point that it’s terrible?� I started to read the book and I was incredibly bored in the first chapter. I did NOT want to keep reading this book. The setting is set up in a high school that created its own app that determines if the girl is worthy for the guy. In all honesty, why do girls have to be worthy of a man? Why can’t they date and see where it goes? It truly boggles my mind that someone would go along with this app that degrades women into wanting to be good enough of a man that probably doesn’t want you. However, the main protagonist goes along with this idea and date a guy. Their relationship is so cliche I wanted to stop reading right then and there. First, they kept blushing at each other’s little moments like hand holding, hugging, going on dates. I see these kinds of things in every single romance book and movie ever written. It is so overdone that I can figure out the ending in a matter of time. Also, the high school is getting ready for prom. HOW TYPICAL! I cringed when reading the whole book and it pained me to keep reading it. If you want a romance novel that you would like to immerse yourself in the plot, this isn’t a good book for you. I truly despise the book and the way the author wrote it. I am disappointed and I never want to see the book again.
June 8, 2017
Is this book worthy of your time? The short answer? No. The long answer? Hell to the no.
Okay, so aside from that stupidity, there's also the fact that the characters are so flat and I want to smack every one of them. There were also some continuity issues, but whatever that pales in comparison to the annoyance of everything else. The book, kind of, has a nice message, I think it just does a horrible job of getting to that point. Anyways, avoid this book if you can, there are so many more better things to do with your time.
Okay, so aside from that stupidity, there's also the fact that the characters are so flat and I want to smack every one of them. There were also some continuity issues, but whatever that pales in comparison to the annoyance of everything else. The book, kind of, has a nice message, I think it just does a horrible job of getting to that point. Anyways, avoid this book if you can, there are so many more better things to do with your time.
August 28, 2021
Wow. This book was amazing! Not at all superficial like the premise might imply. Emotionally exhausting up to the end. Good lesson for teen girls and how much bullying can hurt.
#scholasticemployee. Review is a collection of my thoughts and does not represent the company for which I work.
#scholasticemployee. Review is a collection of my thoughts and does not represent the company for which I work.
May 13, 2017
My rating is either 3 stars or 3.5. Honestly, this book did manage to make me cry.
Worthy; An app that asks: Are you good enough? By Donna Cooner. The main character is Linden Wilson, a shy girl who struggles with confidence. Prom is coming up, but a new app is released called Worthy. Worthy is an app where a couple's picture is displayed, and the question "Is she worthy?" is asked with two simple answers--an X for no, or a heart for yes--and a comment section for each couple (which naturally invites harmful comments or otherwise praise).
When I began reading Worthy, I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes so forcefully to the point of turning into a blue hedgehog and flying into space. The whole 'average' spiel felt so cliche to me, and it just seemed a bit over the top when there was an entire paragraph on how average Linden was--aaand all the comparisons between her and her friend Nikki or anyone else who happened to stroll into the scene. Thankfully, there did seem to be at least some sort of personality to Linden with some decent development; despite this, I still feel as if she was made more as a mold for readers to fit into, to place themselves in the story in her place.
Cooner has a very simplistic writing style, at least in this book (admittedly the only one I read as of right now). There's little to no purple prose--the kind that you could choke on because it's so thick and flowery; there's none of that in this story. My favorite line is a simple one, in fact; "I am a very sad clown." There were many moments I feel could have been empowered by a little more description, however. Unfortunately, the lack of emotional description (or implication) was replaced instead by useless descriptions.
Going through the book, there seemed to be very many pointless details--times where Cooner would put in far too much detail that at least distracted me from the story. What are Lucchese boots? What exactly are boyfriend jeans or twirlers or skater dresses? What is a BB dakota dress? A lace bolero? Humvee? Sophia Webster butterfly flats? Cami tulle? I had to stop quite often to google a lot of the things I was seeing because I didn't know any of the things I was seeing (and sometimes feared missing something important), and I skipped over some other things like her oddly specific lip gloss or her oddly specific bowling ball.
Occasionally, there were even entire paragraphs of description that made me wonder to myself, "What's the point?". There's one tip I remember receiving; it says that if the thing you're describing isn't important to the story, then don't go into detail. Cooner mentioned all of those details, and it wasted some precious time she could have spent fleshing out other things. There were even entire scenes that I felt like the story could definitely go without, and it wouldn't really have changed anything at all.
In fact, many characters were named that didn't really have a role in the story either. A character was named, and I would think, "They're going to be important later. Maybe they're the ones behind this app." Nope. Mentioned once, gone--or mentioned once and reappearing at the end of the story to say a few words (Hi, Heather #2). Ex: Mia, Mr. Hooper, Maria Lucero, Mrs. Worthingham, Perla, Leo, and more.
Sometimes I asked myself about the plot, and then I thought, "What plot?" The plot can be summarized by: Girl meets cute guy before prom and as a couple-judging app is released. By the way, quinceañera. In the first half of the book, the plot was scattered very sparsely throughout to the point where it could easily be missed.
Maybe it was just me, but the romance between Alex and Linden felt a little...forced. I was waiting for the moment when Alex would pop up and go "Haha, pranked! My friends and I made a bet that I couldn't get a girlfriend before prom." or "Sorry, I'm a giant jerk and just wanted to toy with you, Linden. I was bored!" Alex just seemed suspiciously nice and sweet. My eyebrows were definitely raised.
Based on what you've gone through or what you may be going through, this book could very easily make you cry--maybe from Linden's "leather Michael Kors mini crossbody" or Nikki's "Laura Ashley comforter". For me, I clicked with the constant scrutiny, the question, "Are you/Am I good enough?" that accompanied these wonderful feelings for this equally wonderful-seeming guy. In the beginning, however, I didn't feel a thing; I didn't even click with the main character. It was only until the question really started to surface did my feelings really kick in. Some people will find this book dreadful; others may find it alright; others will nod along because they know all about it too.
Thankfully, despite all the low points, there was a message in this book, and the author managed to get that message across. This is what's important; if a book is to have a message, then the author has to make sure the readers see that and understand it.
In short;
The writing was sub-par. The romance was suspiciously sweet. I don't feel as if I'll remember this book in two weeks.
Worthy; An app that asks: Are you good enough? By Donna Cooner. The main character is Linden Wilson, a shy girl who struggles with confidence. Prom is coming up, but a new app is released called Worthy. Worthy is an app where a couple's picture is displayed, and the question "Is she worthy?" is asked with two simple answers--an X for no, or a heart for yes--and a comment section for each couple (which naturally invites harmful comments or otherwise praise).
When I began reading Worthy, I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes so forcefully to the point of turning into a blue hedgehog and flying into space. The whole 'average' spiel felt so cliche to me, and it just seemed a bit over the top when there was an entire paragraph on how average Linden was--aaand all the comparisons between her and her friend Nikki or anyone else who happened to stroll into the scene. Thankfully, there did seem to be at least some sort of personality to Linden with some decent development; despite this, I still feel as if she was made more as a mold for readers to fit into, to place themselves in the story in her place.
Cooner has a very simplistic writing style, at least in this book (admittedly the only one I read as of right now). There's little to no purple prose--the kind that you could choke on because it's so thick and flowery; there's none of that in this story. My favorite line is a simple one, in fact; "I am a very sad clown." There were many moments I feel could have been empowered by a little more description, however. Unfortunately, the lack of emotional description (or implication) was replaced instead by useless descriptions.
Going through the book, there seemed to be very many pointless details--times where Cooner would put in far too much detail that at least distracted me from the story. What are Lucchese boots? What exactly are boyfriend jeans or twirlers or skater dresses? What is a BB dakota dress? A lace bolero? Humvee? Sophia Webster butterfly flats? Cami tulle? I had to stop quite often to google a lot of the things I was seeing because I didn't know any of the things I was seeing (and sometimes feared missing something important), and I skipped over some other things like her oddly specific lip gloss or her oddly specific bowling ball.
Occasionally, there were even entire paragraphs of description that made me wonder to myself, "What's the point?". There's one tip I remember receiving; it says that if the thing you're describing isn't important to the story, then don't go into detail. Cooner mentioned all of those details, and it wasted some precious time she could have spent fleshing out other things. There were even entire scenes that I felt like the story could definitely go without, and it wouldn't really have changed anything at all.
In fact, many characters were named that didn't really have a role in the story either. A character was named, and I would think, "They're going to be important later. Maybe they're the ones behind this app." Nope. Mentioned once, gone--or mentioned once and reappearing at the end of the story to say a few words (Hi, Heather #2). Ex: Mia, Mr. Hooper, Maria Lucero, Mrs. Worthingham, Perla, Leo, and more.
Sometimes I asked myself about the plot, and then I thought, "What plot?" The plot can be summarized by: Girl meets cute guy before prom and as a couple-judging app is released. By the way, quinceañera. In the first half of the book, the plot was scattered very sparsely throughout to the point where it could easily be missed.
Maybe it was just me, but the romance between Alex and Linden felt a little...forced. I was waiting for the moment when Alex would pop up and go "Haha, pranked! My friends and I made a bet that I couldn't get a girlfriend before prom." or "Sorry, I'm a giant jerk and just wanted to toy with you, Linden. I was bored!" Alex just seemed suspiciously nice and sweet. My eyebrows were definitely raised.
Based on what you've gone through or what you may be going through, this book could very easily make you cry--maybe from Linden's "leather Michael Kors mini crossbody" or Nikki's "Laura Ashley comforter". For me, I clicked with the constant scrutiny, the question, "Are you/Am I good enough?" that accompanied these wonderful feelings for this equally wonderful-seeming guy. In the beginning, however, I didn't feel a thing; I didn't even click with the main character. It was only until the question really started to surface did my feelings really kick in. Some people will find this book dreadful; others may find it alright; others will nod along because they know all about it too.
Thankfully, despite all the low points, there was a message in this book, and the author managed to get that message across. This is what's important; if a book is to have a message, then the author has to make sure the readers see that and understand it.
In short;
The writing was sub-par. The romance was suspiciously sweet. I don't feel as if I'll remember this book in two weeks.
May 29, 2017
I remember how I once thought of Worthy as a magnifying glass, lighting the student body on fire. And I am right in the middle of the blaze, with no hope of escape.
High school student Linden Wilson exists in between, she's not popular, but she's not nonexistent, either. When a new app called Worthy, which is just for her high school, shows up, Linden is initially not interested. But the more she sees of the app - which offers a photo of a couple in the school, and asks users to vote on whether the girl is worthy of the guy - she falls into the crowd, voting along with everyone else. But then she's on Worthy, with her brand-new boyfriend, rising baseball star Alex Rivera, and her already shaky self-confidence begins to diminish.
Books about apps and social media are, unsurprisingly, becoming more and more common in new YA contemporary. Worthy is one of those books that catch your attention mostly because it's so relevant to today: people searching for outside validation via the web.
Our MC and narrator, Linden, is relatable, but a bit bland. I guess what I'm trying to say is that she's so normal. She's average in looks, in popularity, in grades, and so on. But I also found her a character that I could relate to, mostly because she's usually comfortable in being slightly invisible - like her acknowledgement of her multiple social media accounts, in which she usually just sees what everyone else is up to without posting much of anything herself - and because she's a reader who dreams of being a writer, but is a little uneasy of showing anyone her work. I guess she feels like me. (I guess this makes me a little bland, but whatever.)
But Linden is also dynamic, because the Linden from the beginning of the book feels different from the Linden at the end. At the beginning she's a little low in self-esteem, unwilling to stand out in a crowd, like her best friend Nikki. She takes a chance in becoming the new, somewhat reluctant, publicity chair for the upcoming junior/senior prom committee, which makes more people take notice of her. And then there's Alex, who she finds attractive, and when their new relationship is put under the microscope she fears seeing what people really think about her. By the end, I felt that she had grown up a little bit, grown into herself, which I really liked.
Her supporting cast, in comparison, didn't really feel very multifaceted. Her best friend, Nikki, is confident in everything she does, which is something that Linden is jealous of. Nikki is also a curvier girl who undergoes her own issues with how she sees herself. Linden's love interest, Alex, is a nice enough guy, but he's not really a focal point of the story.
I wouldn't necessarily call this a romance despite the fact that Linden's relationship with Alex is important in the synopsis. Like I mentioned, Alex is just the beginning of a character. He's a good guy, a good older brother, and decent at sports, but other than that the reader doesn't learn much about him. And while his new relationship with Linden is in the spotlight, the story isn't really about him. The relationship between Linden and Alex isn't memorable.
What is memorable, though, is the message the book brings to the masses. In the book, an app brings ruin to girls' self-esteem, relationships, and more. There were two parts to the message, the first being the complete void that the internet can be. Too much social media isn't good for anyone, yet it draws people into its grasp, including those who initially have no intention of taking part.
I close out of the Hornet and click over to Worthy. It's become a habit. Not necessarily a good one.
Worthy, in particular, attacks the way that people look towards outside validation for who they are. What everyone thinks of them becomes the most important thing. How many likes they garner, how many comments they earn, lends these girls to feeling whether or not they're enough.
The other half of the message focuses a little more demurely on the fact that the only people tested are the girls. Are they worthy of the guys they are dating? No matter the outcome, the girls feel belittled and bullied, though some less than others.
"Girls are trained for this kind of scrutiny from the time we are little. People tell us if we're pretty... or thin... or smart."
"And they tell us if we're not any of those things," I say, because I've already read some of the comments under Raylene and Ross's picture.
A short book with a positive message about accepting yourself, Worthy is not to be overlooked. It's a fantastic addition to YA, especially for the younger teens that are still learning what it means to accept yourself and others for who and what they are.
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