I'm not really sure how to review this book! I'll preface by saying that I know the author, fellow-booktuber Christine Riccio, on a superficial level I'm not really sure how to review this book! I'll preface by saying that I know the author, fellow-booktuber Christine Riccio, on a superficial level (as in have met a few times but don't really know her personally) and I AM incredibly impressed with the work she put into making this happen. Writing and publishing a book is hard. Not everyone actually buckles down and does that, so it's worth being acknowledged.
I went into this book with some skepticism and did find myself charmed in more ways than I expected to be. Shane's study abroad is incredibly similar to my own (though my experience was in 2009, a few years earlier than this book is set). I studied in London, taking weekend trips to places like Rome, Paris, and Edinburgh. Sound familiar? It was quite a trip to follow Shane through such similar experience as the ones I had, and because of that, I have to commend Christine's ability to capture the feeling of studying abroad so accurately.
What fell apart for me was the pacing of this book. I'll admit, I love contemporary books with a hint of magic. However, as I didn't know there was magic in this book (it's a VERY tough thing to pull off, when the thing that makes your book interesting is something that would be a massive spoiler to put on the book jacket) and so the first half was a bit of a slog. Nothing happened. Shane meets her band of study abroad friends with insanely distracting names, they live their lives with very few actual plot driving elements for 5 hours of an audiobook, and then SURPRISE! *magic glitter* We're GOING BACK AND DOING IT AGAIN.
I have to say, I burst out laughing when I got to this part in the book. I did not see it coming at all, and after 5 hours of wondering "what is the PLOT of this book?!" it was quite hilarious for the book to take such a wild turn. I remember saying out loud in my car, to myself... "Again, But Better. Touche, Christine."
So it kept my attention, but ultimately, I think the book would have benefited from some side plots. I wish there had been other things going on to keep my attention beyond the will they/wont they of Shane and Pilot. The other friends could have had their own stuff going on. Any of Shane's relatives could have had something going on. There could have been someone going on at Shane's travel magazine. And did they take classes, or was it just internships? There could have been something happening with a teacher, or in their flat building, or SOMETHING. Anything that could have helped drive the plot forward.
So anyway. Shane's voice was delightful and the study abroad elements felt real and genuine. I just wish, in general, the book had more going on.
Edit: ALSO. HOW does frenchwatermelon19.com not go anywhere? Come on, marketing!...more
For the longest time, I was thinking "this is such a sweet book, but what's the plot?"
And then I got to the end. Oh.. oh no.
This was a book that rippFor the longest time, I was thinking "this is such a sweet book, but what's the plot?"
And then I got to the end. Oh.. oh no.
This was a book that ripped my heart out, and I can't believe it was written 20 years ago. It's still so, so relevant today. It's hard to say I "love" a book that's so devastating and sad, but it was really powerful and I'll be thinking about it for a long time....more
This book was alright - the premise spoke to me because it's the kind of book I would write, and it was enjoyable enough. I love a good will-they-wontThis book was alright - the premise spoke to me because it's the kind of book I would write, and it was enjoyable enough. I love a good will-they-wont-they and I'm a sucker for survival stories. The writing and story were a little juvenile at times, but overall I thought it was alright. :)...more
**spoiler alert** This book was... alright. But mostly disappointing.
I read it while I was sick, and when I'm sick all I want to read is light and flu**spoiler alert** This book was... alright. But mostly disappointing.
I read it while I was sick, and when I'm sick all I want to read is light and fluffy contemporary. For awhile, this was giving me exactly what I wanted. Especially as someone currently planning a wedding, it was a delight to read.
And then BAM all of a sudden there's a shoot shooting sub plot? What? Where did that come from? Why was I not emotionally prepared for this in any way? A little touch of #toosoon?
Also halfway through BAM the characters make a shallow bet about dating? Am I reading a fanfiction? Is this a debut author unsure how to add conflict to her story? No... it's Sarah Dessen. An acclaimed author. On her 13th book.
Why didn't the MC feel like she was dealing with the psychological fallout of her first love dying in a school shooting? Why did it feel like her only struggle was "learning to love again"? Why did every single character end up happily paired off at the end? I personally loved her mother and gay business partner's alternative relationship. What was Jilly's actual purpose in this story? Why did we casually encounter a school shooting and not TALK ABOUT IT?
And please don't act like school shootings are so common place now that we don't need to treat them seriously, even in light fluffy books. This MC didn't seem to have spoken to any kind of counselors, or emotionally dealt with feelings of safety or anything. That's not okay. She would not be this okay without dealing with any of that....more
Meh. Maybe I'm just a tough critic, but I did not enjoy this book very much. Which I found so surprising, because people are RAVING about it.
I thoughtMeh. Maybe I'm just a tough critic, but I did not enjoy this book very much. Which I found so surprising, because people are RAVING about it.
I thought the whole premise of the book was pretty unbelievable. I found Natasha to be pretentious and kind of insufferable. I found Daniel to be annoyingly idealistic and immature.
And everything fit together SO INTRICATELY that it just felt forced. Sorry internet. I had the same problem with Jenny Han books. I'm just not feeling it.
I wanted to love this book, but I just didn't.
3 stars because it was sort of cute I guess. I appreciated the multi-cultural relationship and the #ownvoices POV. But it just didnt work for me beyond that. Childish, needy "love" wrapped up in a romance I didn't really ever get on board with in terms of excitement as a reader.
Huge bummer after how much I loved Everything, Everything....more
I really can't pinpoint EXACTLY what made this book so ridiculous for me, and I can't find a way to explain it without offending 16 year olds everywheI really can't pinpoint EXACTLY what made this book so ridiculous for me, and I can't find a way to explain it without offending 16 year olds everywhere. But basically this book really did capture being 16 quite well, which in turn irritated the hell out of me. I would never be 16 again. While I cherish my own teen years, I wouldn't re-live them because I and all of my friends were ridiculous. We were over dramatic and catty and immature and mean and passive aggressive and naive. And while it's totally normal for 16 year olds to behave that way, I don't particularly enjoy reading about it anymore.
This book was also a bit confused on its morals because while it touted some feminist concepts, it did so by putting tons and tons of slut shaming into the book and then making little comments about how "but that's not good!". But seriously, everyone slut-shamed. Margo did about Ms. Rothchild, that teacher at school did about Lara Jean and "not going down that path" like "other girls", Kris and Stormy did all the time, Lara Jean did about Genevieve.
And the obsession with Genevieve was just sad to watch. I know it was in character for that age, but I just couldn't handle reading about Lara Jean constantly obsessing about Peter's ex when he really wasn't doing much wrong, for a 16 y/o boy.
This book just irked me. There were all sorts of loose ends left open, the entire plot line with John seemed forced and unbelievable, and between Anonybitch, setting their dad up on dates, the assassin's game, getting stuck at the retirement home overnight, the time capsule, the old tree house getting cut down, etc etc -- it felt more like a young fanfic author pulling out all the stops to get her characters in weird situations, not a seasoned writer molding reality. I did not like it.
*I listened to this on audiobook so apologies if I spelled everyone's names wrong....more
Yup, I'm totally on board the "I just want to re-read this book forever" train.
I can't even explain it. I went in to this book with a healthy amount oYup, I'm totally on board the "I just want to re-read this book forever" train.
I can't even explain it. I went in to this book with a healthy amount of skepticism (mostly an attitude like "but why does this book exist?") and I was TOTALLY put in my place. This book is perfect.
It's everything fanfic-loving adolescent Kristina ever wanted out of a book. It's everything that never would have happened in Harry Potter. It's delicious LGBT+ representative romance, it's sassy writing, it's delightful unbelievable and it took me RIGHT back to my fanfic days. And for all its impossible ridiculousness, it also somehow manages to be a surprisingly great book.
5 stars, 100%, would read again (and again and again and again). Simon + Baz forever. OTP. <3...more
Okay. I have seriously been looking forward to writing this review. Because I HATED Talon with every fiber of my being and can't even think of ONE redOkay. I have seriously been looking forward to writing this review. Because I HATED Talon with every fiber of my being and can't even think of ONE redeeming quality, aside from perhaps the fact that my roommate and I had a joyous time bonding over our simultaneous hate-reads of this audiobook. Sometimes reading a bad book can be fun, I'll admit it. But other times, it can make you want to drive your car off a cliff as you BEAT YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL BECAUSE EVERYONE IN THE BOOK IS SO STUPID.
To back up - I got this book because it was an Audible daily deal, which meant it was $2. A fun YA romance about dragons pretending to be humans -- sounds at least entertaining, right? Definitely at least worth $2.
WRONG.
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First off, THEY'RE BARELY EVEN DRAGONS. THIS IS JUST A TERRIBLE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE. They only seemed to remember they were dragons when it was convenient. "I don't understand human emotions," Ember says, instantly falling in love with literally the first human boy she meets even though its explicitly stated dragons don't love, all while effortlessly referencing NCIS. "I've been a rogue, living away from everything," Riley says, then proceeds to quote Shrek before insisting they need to "get the hell out of Dodge". "All I know is murder and killing and war," Garret says, insisting he's a hardcore soldier but also instantly falling in love with the girl/dragon he's supposed to kill, forgetting his life-long mission over a girl he like, played video games with once.
This book is about 2 dragons and a solider who are actually the worst 2 dragons and soldier that ever existed. All dragon and solider aspects of this book just get in the way of the messy, forced, unbelievable "romance" that Julie Kagawa has cobbled together and she fights it at every chance she gets, often contradicting parameters she set up earlier in the book about being a dragon. Let me ask you something, Ms. Kagawa. IF YOU JUST WANTED TO WRITE A BAD LOVE TRIANGLE BETWEEN TEENAGERS, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST MAKE THEM HUMAN TEENAGERS. I'M NOT BUYING THIS HALF-ASSED FANTASY STUFF.
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My roommate said he got through the book more easily pretending that these were people with mental disorders who just THOUGHT they were dragons. I tend to agree. That was a vast improvement.
There was so. much. repetitive. writing. If I had decided to drink every time someone ran a hand through their hair, I'd be dead. If I have to hear the phrase "looked up at him through my eyelashes" again, I will rage. And seriously, what does "scrubbing" your hands over something mean? Ember scrubbed her hands over literally everything. Her hair. Her eyes. Her face. Constantly. Why.
It made me so made that Riley kept teasing his ~secrets about Talon~ and I was really hoping for something shocking or bad because his whole schtick was "but I have ~secrets~ about your world" and then in the end it was just like "they're bad lol run away with me!". UGH.
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NOTHING was logical. At all. From the fact that Ember's cunning human disguise was to be a red-headed human whose name LITERALLY TRANSLATES TO FIRE to the fact that the elite order of St. George sent two teenagers to pal around all summer with girls to find the "deadly dragon" rather than I dont know, inventing some sort of way to test it to the fact that Riley suddenly just decided he and Ember were going to be in love and carried this decision out in a super rapey way... ugh. Just ugh.
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I wasn't expecting a good book out of Talon, honestly. I was expecting it to be silly, or at least fun in an eye-rolling sort of way. But this pile of nonsense is so bad I can't even deal with the fact that I listened to the whole thing. And guys... there are MORE in the series. WHY. Why.
So... that was Talon. I am not taking chances on $2 books ever again, unless they have glowing reviews on goodreads. I think reading this book took years off my life, and all I wanted was a fun dragon romp.
It had been a long time since I read a Sarah Dessen novel, but the cover on this one really caught my eye. I know, I know. Judging a book by its coverIt had been a long time since I read a Sarah Dessen novel, but the cover on this one really caught my eye. I know, I know. Judging a book by its cover. But it's so pretty!
I was a bit torn on this book. I enjoyed it, but it was a little slow for me. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and a lot of various different plotlines that I didn't feel added up to a whole. High school can be a tumultuous time even without your brother landing himself in prison, but I often felt like I wasn't sure which plotline to care about the most. Sydney's relationship with her parents? With her old friends from her previous school? Her diminishing relationship with her brother? Her new relationship with the Chathams? The Chatham mom being sick? Layla's shitty boyfriend? The blink-and-you-miss-it issues with Eric's momentary crush on her? The Mariposa girl whose purpose only seemed to be pushing Sydney and Mac closer together? The fact that Ames was so creepy all the time, and Sydney never once tried to tell her parents? Rosi's issues? There was so much.
I really did like the discussion of guilt and loneliness in this book, and thought both were executed quite well, but sometimes it just felt like there were too many plot lines to really focus on any one with significance. It felt like it was trying too hard to hit all the bases, when that just detracted from doing any of them justice.
Especially the whole symbolic saint thing. I actually really did like the concept of "Saint Anything", but Mac's necklace and the resulting yearning Syndey felt for wanting her own saint unfortunately felt very shoehorned in. I also wish the carousel had been in more than one scene, because it was cool, and that cover made me want to read this book in the first place.... and the fact that there's an ABANDONED CAROUSEL in the woods is deserving of more than one little midnight jaunt in the woods.
Also I was constantly hungry while reading this book, and craved nothing but pizza and french fries for the duration of my reading of it. I think it lost a star simply for that. :P
Anyway, I appreciated the important topics discussed in this book, but I wish she'd picked a couple and focused on them more. I think the Ames storyline could have used its own book. Same with Layla's boyfriend, and Sydney's obsession with David Ibarra. I just wanted more. :)...more
Where do I even begin? As I am writing this, I am still much too fresh from having turned the final page, from feeling my heart ripped from THIS BOOK.
Where do I even begin? As I am writing this, I am still much too fresh from having turned the final page, from feeling my heart ripped from my chest, from feeling the dull ache of knowing it'll be at least a year until we find out if the third book will EVER give us a moment's peace - as this book sure didn't.
I am broken, a million pieces on the floor. I wanted this book so badly, looked forward to it, ran to the bookstore to get my hands on it as soon as I could. And while it was wonderful; beautifully crafted, poetic even, at times... it was just one heartache after another. A hammer of sadness being pounded down over our heads, over and over until you're begging it to stop. It was not what I expected. My insides were clenched the whole time. I never stopped holding my breath between chapters. I suffered through every minute of it.
But despite all that... I thought it was gorgeous. 5/5 stars. Devastating, stomach-churningly graphic and frustrating beyond belief... but I still loved it. My heart hurts for Arin and Kestrel. And Jess. And those we lost. And those who don't realize what they've lost. Ugh. Everything hurts. This book is masterful.
I don't even know what to say. I struggled through just about every minute of this book and really can't believe I made it through. It was fine, I gueI don't even know what to say. I struggled through just about every minute of this book and really can't believe I made it through. It was fine, I guess. A LOT of elements that really bothered me - lazy writing, predictable stories, the pointless need for every character to be paired away into relatively contrived relationships... how great would it be if one of these girls was singularly focused on something other than a cute boy? I was so irritated when our first glimpse of Winter was "omg but where's that cute boy I love? Is he okay? His eyes are so dreamy" ugh. So irritated with basically everyone in this book. Also, really tired of the style of writing the author uses which is "reveal things to the audience then irritatingly wait for the characters in the book to work it out on their own" - it just got so tedious! These fairy tales aren't new, she's not doing very unique things with them, and no one is surprised that everyone just falls in love at the end. SIGH. I'm just baffled these books are so popular. I get that there are some aspects that are fun, but they're just sort of objectively poorly written and bland.
I will be shocked if I pick up Winter when it comes out. Maybe I'll sparknotes that one. :P...more
I'm just not sure how to boil my thoughts on this book down into a single, non spoilery review. I struggled with this one. I enjoyed Cinder well enougI'm just not sure how to boil my thoughts on this book down into a single, non spoilery review. I struggled with this one. I enjoyed Cinder well enough, but Scarlet was a step down for me, mostly because I couldn't stand Scarlet herself. So close-minded, so singularly focused on her own selfish wants -- but has NO trouble screaming at other people for being selfish or not doing the things they should for the greater good. Ugh. Such an unappealing, boring, frustrating character. Her "romance" with Wolf was irritating and trite, and I always just wanted to hear more about Cinder and Thorn (whose relationship I simply loved - how often do you get a powerful guy/girl dynamic with no romance involved at all? Refreshing!)
I was also irritated by Kai, though his part in this one was small. I really hope we get more insight to his decisions, rather than what we have now, which is noble naivety.
I will read Cress, but it better step it up in a big way. This book was a let down....more
This was such a bizarre book. I enjoyed it, basically the whole time - but I often had to put it down and take breaks because it was just SO WEIRD. I This was such a bizarre book. I enjoyed it, basically the whole time - but I often had to put it down and take breaks because it was just SO WEIRD. I was desperate to find out what happened though, so it was ultimately a fairly quick read. I appreciated how unafraid this book was to get really in-your-face with the graphic descriptions of relatively horrifying things, however, since other aspects of the book felt very light and 'high-school'.
I enjoyed this foray into faerie lore (I generally steer sort of clear of genre fiction) and while I also enjoyed some of the romantic elements, I found Ben's romantic situation to be extremely dull and unbelievable. Which is a shame, because it had the potential to be so much more interesting than it was.
Overall, a very fun book. Strange. Made me seriously say "wtf" out loud a few times. ...more
Edit: Re-read in 2020: This book was a little more dramatic/self-indulgent/depressing than I remembered upon re-reading it, but I could also just be iEdit: Re-read in 2020: This book was a little more dramatic/self-indulgent/depressing than I remembered upon re-reading it, but I could also just be in a different headspace due to reading this during a pandemic. This book has a lot more inner pain and self-reflection than I was maybe looking for, but it’s still such a rich story with real characters and a world that just sweeps you away. Excited to use this re-read to finally get to the next books in this series.
Original read-through in 2014:
This one is gonna leave a mark.
I went into this book not knowing much about it at all - just that it was an emotional roller coaster. That assessment was true true... 24 hours later and I am still reeling from the completion of this book. I loved the writing, I loved the intensity, and I am dying to know more about the mysterious planet they were on, what the whispers are, etc. I was a little sad to find out the sequel is about 2 entirely different people, but I'm still pumped for it anyway....more
This is a 3.5 for me. These kinds of contemporary romances tend to be addictive, so I did read it quickly, -- but I did not enjoy the story very much.This is a 3.5 for me. These kinds of contemporary romances tend to be addictive, so I did read it quickly, -- but I did not enjoy the story very much. I found Lara Jean to be immature and childish (referring to her parents as 'Mommy' and "Daddy' at 16 was so irritating and her innocent views of the world made her often seem younger than Kitty) and I found I disliked almost every character in the book.
Neither Peter nor Josh seemed like someone I wanted to root for. When your choices are "the guy who seems kind of douchey" or "her sister's exboyfriend" - I was kind of left feeling a little icky. And I hated the way Josh treated Lara Jean - he was constantly telling her what she was like and what she should do, and I honestly thought it made him worse than Peter. Also, what kind of guy gets dumped by a girl and immediately moves on to her sister, letter or no? Were we supposed to believe he really loved Margo but moved on to try to mend his broken heart? Yuck. Or were we supposed to believe he always loved Lara Jean? Double yuck! It was a very confusing situation.
I did appreciate the "growth" of Lara Jean and Peter's relationship, but on the other hand, it was also childish and so very high school and if they'd ever just TALKED about anything, most of the problems wouldn't have happened. I realize this is inherently high-school behavior, but maybe I can't really get much out of that anymore. I have a hard time relating to high school seeming problems and that makes a book hard to care about for me, because I am so removed from that part of my life.
I was also disappointed by how little the letters actually had to do with the story. I thought this was going be more about Lara Jean solving the mystery of why they got sent out, but she sort of had an attitude like "OMG WHO DID THIS oh well guess that's that" and that bothered me.
Anyway. I'm getting really tired of books whose main conflict is "the characters don't talk to each other about things" and because of that, I couldn't really love this book. I know many many people were so charmed by this book, but I think Jenny Han just doesn't do it for me. Sorry!...more
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