After all the early reviews I've seen raving about how adorable this one was, I just had to see for myself! Indeed, that adorable cover's a plus. I should get a physical copy for my collection once it's out, huh?
The story revolves around Heart--whose name I actually like--a girl who planned to go to prom with a group of friends. But then, to her surprise, two very different guys ask her to prom for two very different reasons! I loved the premise (no matter how unlikely it is to happen, at least from what I think) and how cute it was. It was a great opportunity to show the world that even the crappiest days can turn into the happiest ones (you'll find out why when you read it).
Heart herself was a pretty clumsy girl, in a cutesy-funny way, even if sometimes I wanted to smack her across the head for being dense. She considered both sides of the coin (literally) and really wanted to choose which date she thinks will benefit her more. Okay, well, she basically wanted to pick whoever she thought needed her more, which was considerate of her. What was stupid was that she didn't even consider going with her friends anymore! Psh! But all's well that ends well.
My favorite thing about the novel was that the side characters were also given importance and weren't boring at all! Heart's friends really supported our heroine (most of them, anyway) and were very protective of her. Despite her ditching them, they were there by her side throughout all the prom disasters (which was a lot). Chase was my favorite--he was super adorable and was really close with Heart, even giving her nicknames using other internal organs, such as "Pancreas" or "Lung."
Now, I can't talk a lot about the guys without spoiling things, but let me just say this: you guys are in for a surprise. Okay, maybe you do figure out this surprise around 30-40% in, but it's still a surprise! Fine, I'll just say a few things about them. Ryan was really cute and I loved his friendly, chillax relationship with Heart. Troy was a depressed ass, mostly. I didn't like him at all and wanted to throw him out the window.
With a fun, easy to get writing style, hilarious main characters and a funky supporting cast, Ask Again Later's a contemporary that'll stay stuck with me for a while. I would recommend it to fans of Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series....more
Another example of wasted potential, The Jewel could have been the next big thing for many other readers--if not for that shitty, awful rom
Another example of wasted potential, The Jewel could have been the next big thing for many other readers--if not for that shitty, awful romance. That's pretty bad, considering I almost NEVER say something is awful--I call a lot of things shitty, but awful? That is a hundred times worse than shitty in the Language of Aimee.
Oh, and noticed how I said "many other readers"? Yes, because even without said shitty, awful romance, this book is just not for me. It was a bit similar to The Hunger Games (they had rings around the city and the larger rings are for the poorer sectors) and The Selection (the atmosphere and writing), but there were really just some stupid things I couldn't understand about this one. *grabs notes* Let's get started, friends.
"I have absolutely no idea what it must be like to be pregnant."
What. The. Hell? Weren't these girls brought up to be surrogates in the future? Why does it seem like Violet seem to have zero idea about pregnancy? Throughout the novel, she was basically ignorant and constantly confused--just SNAP OUT OF IT AND GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, OKAY?
This novel was also had a billion cliche scenes/lines. I mean, how many times have you read about the girl "in the mirror" as she "transformed"? That's seriously one of the most annoying bookish scenes ever, and I can't help but cringe every time I read about those.
And drama. Drama llamas everywhere, people! The Jewel could totally be turned into the next High School Musical. Really, the characters have already practiced! See:
Her voice is sweet and she sings a traditional Marsh-song, one we all know. [...] Two other girls join in.
And here we go: the romance. Excuse me while I go laugh hysterically, folks! Because this romance gave me a huge migraine. I feel like vomiting just thinking about it. But still, I present to you THE STAGES OF THE ROMANCE IN THE JEWEL!Ìý(Take note that the novel is only about 350 pages long, so these are actually really close to each other.)
1. They meet. They lock eyes. What can Violet say about Ash's eyes? "[T]hey look at me in a way that makes me feel hollow and strangely buzzy." (51% in the eARC) 2. When Violet leaves Ash's room, she thinks of kissing him. (53.8% in the eARC) 3. A few hours after they first met, when they meet again, Violet says, "My whole body feels like it's blushing." (54.3% in the eARC 4. First kiss. (70.7% in the eARC) 5. Second kiss. (73.9% in the eARC) 6. Admission of love. (85.7% in the eARC) 7. They get married, ride off into the sunset and have babies. (Hopefully NEVER.)
Okay, I should get over that. Moving on!
This book also had some fantasy elements mixed in. I did appreciate that, since fantasy is my favorite genre, but I still have many unanswered questions in my mind about the magic and sorcery in this book. Well, I had questions about ALMOST EVERYTHING, actually. Why were there surrogates? How come only magic-wielding girls can be surrogates? I also felt like the fantasy aspect of the novel was just forced into it--it didn't really seem to fit with the mood of the story, but maybe that's just me.
One last thing: STEREOTYPING. Women were portrayed as either too helpless and idiotic (Violet) or vicious and bitchy (basically all of the women who bought surrogates). Men were portrayed as handsome and always drunk (Garnet--the only character I could tolerate) or kind gentlemen (Ash--*pukes*). Where are the normal, average, REALISTIC people?
The only positive thing I can say about the book is that I did enjoy Ewing's writing. It was easy to read and I just flew through the pages without much reading-related problems.
Well, this review turned out a lot longer than I planned. Anyway, I'm off to bleach my brain after re-thinking about this novel....more
But then the guy betrays the girl! And all hell breaks loose.
“How can you interpret the behavior of others when you're a mystery to yourself?�
Like I said, the novel was initially kind of common and boring. What I didn't mention was how the novel seemed to get better and better as it went on, and soon became an addictive and fun read with interesting characters that I'd love to meet in real life.
Darcy Jones's our main character. She was pretty awesome throughout most of the novel, but there were some times where I wanted to talk some sense into her. A few times she seemed like a sheep who just follows whatever orders were given to her. But fine. A few times is alright. She was generally a likable character. She tried to fix her mistakes and right whatever wrongs or messes she caused.
Then we have the main (yes, there are others) love interest, Conn McCrea. I pretty much loathed him in the first half of the book, but then he grew on me and I absolutely loved him. From his initial hot-and-cold attitude, he became sweet, charming and very supportive. Kind and helpful, even. He eventually won my heart.
Just like almost all of the other parts of the novel, I didn't like the romance in the beginning, but again, I loved it after a while. But I still would've liked a bit more development in this aspect.
The supporting characters were also well-developed, especially Darcy's friends: Jims and Raphael. Jims was my favorite. He was the comic relief in this one, and I absolutely loved his humor. Raphael was simply adorable. Now, Darcy also has this other friend, Lily, who I didn't really connect with. I was kind of irritated with her, but I couldn't really tell why.
And of course, the alternate universe Rutkoski created was fantastic and really interesting. I loved learning about the things in this world that didn't happen but possibly could have--such as Austen having another book, things that didn't run on just gas or electricity, etc. She also gave this world the gift of Shades. Lol, kidding. Shades are actually sort of murderers, see. They destroy, kill and do evil deeds for fun. They can also walk through walls and become invisible--totally awesome, I know.
The pacing and writing style were also really good. Everything was easy to follow and the writing wasn't boring at all. Okay, maybe there were some times when the pacing was a bit too fast (like in the case of the romance), but overall it was just right.
I would recommend this to people who're looking for a lighter paranormal novel with excellent writing and a unique prose....more
Let's be honest here. When I first read the blurb, the first question that popped into my head was: How will Paula Stokes incorporate The A
Let's be honest here. When I first read the blurb, the first question that popped into my head was: How will Paula Stokes incorporate The Art of War into the story without making it tacky and unrealistic? That's right--I wasn't very curious about the romance. I was curious about The Art of War.
Now that leads to my first problem. The girls' usage of The Art of War to win back Lainey's ex felt really forced to me. It was just as if her friend came up to her saying, "Hey! Let's use this ancient book with totally usable tips to win back your ex!" Um, okay then. I get that her friend had a reason to use it, but it didn't feel realistic at all.
Now that I finally got that off my chest, let's talk about Lainey. While I did find it easy to connect with Lainey, it took me a while to actually like her. She was kind of petty and a bit of a brat at first. A bit shallow, even. By the end of the book, her character did grow, and it's always great to see some character development throughout the book.
But of course, Lainey did have some redeeming qualities. For example, she admitted to things that most of us wouldn't, but we all know are true. If you don't get what I mean, take this quote as an example:
"But the reality is that everyone cares about what some people think."
Let's get into the love interest, which I know you're all pretty curious about. The love interest in this one is Micah, who I found to be totally different from most of the other heroes we encounter in YA. For one thing, Micah smokes. And he has a mohawk. Now, while I did love how unique Micah's character was, I found him to be just a tad bit boring. He was sweet sometimes, sure, but I wasn't sold on his character.
The actual romance was pretty cute and had a slow build up which I really appreciated. Lainey and Micah were both so shippable (don't judge my poor wording) with their adorable banter and interactions.
The best part of the book would have to be the friendship between Lainey and her best friend, Bianca. Really, this is how best friends should act. No matter how many stupid choices Lainey made, Bianca stood by her and even helped her accomplish her stupid plans. There was so much love and support between them that I was surprised neither of them have exploded with support overdose or something. Â I mean, look at this:
"Any crisis of mine is a crisis of hers, and vice versa. That's just how we roll."
Paula Stokes also had this very easy to get into writing style that made the book flow smoothly for me. But if we're being honest, I didn't really get a lot of feels from this book.
So basically, if you're up for a cute read and wouldn't mind how badly The Art of War was incorporated into the story (from my viewpoint, at least), you should give this one a shot. Seriously, it was fluff overload....more
“They said every year was a gift, not a guarantee, and ought to be celebrated accordingly.�
I’ve never heard of Kill Me Softly before my fri
“They said every year was a gift, not a guarantee, and ought to be celebrated accordingly.�
I’ve never heard of Kill Me Softly before my friend Rebecca posted a five-star review on it. Of course, since she and I had sort-of similar tastes, I was immediately intrigued and picked up a copy when I found it at our local bookstore. I must say, the cover is very unappealing (at least to me) and wouldn’t have given it a second glance if it weren’t for Rebecca.
The summary definitely drew me in. I absolutely adore retellings, and this one was of Brothers Grimm stories! I could not say no. This part of the novel (the retellings) was really, really good and exceptionally done. I loved the twists Sarah Cross put into each of the tales and how the characters dealt with them.
The actual characters, though? I wasn’t all that into them. I was in love with each of their stories, but their personalities� not so much. Each character was stuck with their own curses, which were all interesting and graphically written, but they didn’t seem to be funny, interesting or lovable. Mira was an okay heroine, but sometimes I just wanted to grab her legs and haul her out of the book. Most likely because she couldn’t seem to control her feelings with the boys.
Speaking of the boys, I was no fan of the romance. There was a lot of insta-love and not enough development between Mira and any of the boys–yes, there is a love triangle and an underdeveloped one at that. She and Felix were so stiff and annoying; I hated their scenes together. She and Blue were more bearable, but I felt like Blue was just her second option sometimes.
The overall book was captivating and lovely, but the characters could have used more work and development. If they had been more interesting people, the book would’ve been an amazing one! It was good though, and I would recommend it to a few other readers....more
This is one of those books that I picked up as a spur of the moment kind of thiCheck out this review and others over at
2.5, really.
This is one of those books that I picked up as a spur of the moment kind of thing. I saw the spine, recognized the novel from one of my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ searches and bought myself a copy. I guess I could say that it was well worth it, although I would better recommend you borrow this at the library rather than buy it if you're interested, since it wasn't an amazing read.
The first thing that made me want to read it was the gorgeous cover. (I even mentioned it in a discussion post .) I wanted to know the connection between the test tube and the island. It's definitely intriguing, no? As was the synopsis of the novel.
The story stars of immediately at a fast pace. Unlike some other authors, Jessica Khoury doesn't spend time beating around the bush with boring scenes of the heroine's ordinary life, she instantly gives us the problem the heroine needs to solve. I mean it--the story begins with Sophie, our heroine, trying to find a plane to take her to the infamous--dangerous, they say--Skin Island. And no one wants to take her, until her childhood friend Jim Julien gives her a hand. And a series of new events take place.
Sophie was an okay heroine. There were times when I wanted to give her a pat on the shoulder for her determination, but sometimes I wanted to smash a test tube to her skull. It's clear that all she wants to do is to save her mother, but then she does such irrational things that make her come off as stupid. I mean, she wants to leave the island without telling her father. If you're desperate to do something, you need help, not secrecy.
Jim Julien was also just okay. To be honest, none of the characters gave me any feels--neither did the "romance." (I honestly didn't feel that there was a romance aspect in the novel.)Â Everything was just so blandly written for me, in terms of characters and relationships. None of them piqued my interest to anything more than, "Huh, interesting."
Moving on to the plot--I enjoyed learning about the secrets of Skin Island as well as navigating around it. Descriptions were done well, things were planned out and laid straight for us readers. Things were mostly explained well enough. I liked the antagonist (from the island), as well, but there was something off about him (aside from, well--you'll know when you read it).
Again, the pacing was fast. There was a decent amount of action, suspense and a bit of drama thrown here and there. I didn't have problems keeping up, and the simple writing made it easier to go with the flow of the story.
All in all, it was an okay read. If you're into science fiction and action, this'll probably be a good fit for you. I might recommend it to fans of Taken by Erin Bowman, only if you're okay with the lack of romance ('cause Taken had a looooot of romance)....more
If we're being honest, I actually wanted to read this based on pure intrigue. I never ac
If we're being honest, I actually wanted to read this based on pure intrigue. I never actually expected to like this one, but I did. I'll warn you potential readers, though: The synopsis could be very misleading. It gives us the impression that the book is solely Thea's story, when it's actually more of her friend, Nan's. It wsan't a very bad thing, but I would've liked to expect the multiple POVs when going into the book.
"I've always felt fairy tales are as true as anything that really happened."
If you want to read about a fresh new take on zombies--Dark Metropolis is your book. The zombies were creepy--I swear I could feel my skin crawl when I read about their lust for blood. It wasn't your typical I-rose-from-the-dead-give-me-your-blood type of zombie. Well, it was, but there was so much more to how the zombies came to be, and it was a fascinating (and highly disturbing) process.
Dark Metropolis had a cast of interesting characters with different backgrounds. We have Thea, whose mother's going insane from the death of her father, Nan, who was color-blind and couldn't hear music properly, Freddy, who has been living a lie, and Sigi, who is not in the synopsis but plays an important role in the story.
While the individual characters had interesting backgrounds, I felt like their personalities were kind of flat. The characters felt a bit like cardboard cutouts. The constant change in POV also made it a bit hard for me to connect to the characters, since I felt like their stories were always cut short.
I couldn't care less for the romance. We had two major romances: one between a boy and a girl, and another one between two girls. Neither made me root for them--I didn't really care whether or not either couple would end up together. The romance was just kind of there. I didn't get any feels from it. Okay, well, I support them, but it didn't matter if they got together or not. Am I making any sense?
What did give me feels was the awesome mother/father/daughter relationship between Thea and her parents. She cared for them both and she did everything she could to show that. Her parents loved each other so much and scenes between them made me shed a tear or two.
Dark Metropolis was a dark and gritty book with a diverse set of characters and a snooze-worthy romance for anyone looking for a decent, new zombie book....more
I have read and appreciated (although not really liked) Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, as well as itYou can find this review and more at .
I have read and appreciated (although not really liked) Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, as well as its sequel. The main reason I didn’t enjoy those books was because of the flat writing style. The premise was quite unique and intriguing, though, which is why I tried Panic out.
The author’s writing style did improve, thank goodness. I remember falling asleep once while reading one of her previous books, and amazingly, that didn’t happen while I was reading Panic. The writing style kept me from putting the book down despite all of the problems I had with it.
One of these problems included the fact that the main characters were infuriating. The summary’s very misleading. Going into the story, I assumed that Heather and Dodge would get together and live a happily ever after, when in fact, there were actually four main characters in this story. We have Heather, her best friends Natalie and Bishop, and Dodge. Heather and Natalie pissed me off in the last, I don’t know, 90% of the book? They were too whiny and too emotional–I just wanted to pick a rock up from outside our house and fling it at them. Bishop and Dodge weren’t any better. Actually, I really loved Bishop in the first half of the book, but then he started getting weird, predictable things happened, then bam! I was irritated at him, too. Dodge was overall an okay character, but there were some times that he pushed my buttons.
I also really disliked the romance(s). This might be a spoiler, but not really since it was pretty obvious. Dodge has had a crush on Natalie for a while. At first, I thought it was really cute and realistic. When they started the actual kissing and all that jazz, I couldn’t stand it! I think if it were with a different character that wasn’t as annoying and bitchy as Natalie, I would have liked it. The other relationship involved Bishop and Heather. This one was equally as annoying since it was very cliche. It wasn’t even cute! Normally, I would love romances between best friends, but their relationship was so odd and they did not have chemistry.
The actual plot was interesting, though. I liked learning about Panic, the judges and the contestants. I liked the idea of the game, the initiation and most of the challenges. They were intense, engaging and mind blowing scenes. Each character also had individual challenges which were based on their fears. I loved how fear was expressed, but I wished that the characters would’ve developed better or got stronger after their challenges. That would’ve made the individual challenges have an actual purpose in the book. Despite having no real twists (I’m saying this because there was one, but it was so predictable), the general plot was good and done well in an interesting manner.
I also liked the relationships that weren’t between the main characters, mainly, relationships with their siblings. Dodge was very sweet to his sister, Dayna, who was limp and couldn’t walk. I mean, he joined Panic for her–to get revenge on the one who hurt her. Heather was also very kind and caring to her sister. These relationships made me wish that I’d be kinder to my brother.
Overall, I still think that the hate I feel for the characters overruled my like of the plot. I do wish to read more from Lauren Oliver in the future, though. The next time around, I hope her character development would improve as much as her writing style did....more
I always feel really sad whenever I DNF a buddy read. Luckily, my buddy Dyan agreed that we both should mark this one as a DNF read. It was that borinI always feel really sad whenever I DNF a buddy read. Luckily, my buddy Dyan agreed that we both should mark this one as a DNF read. It was that boring.
I read until 38% before finally giving up. You can find our joint mini review . The gist is that we both:
- disliked the heroine, Corinthe, for acting much too desperate and annoying - thought the plot was unique, but other factors overruled it - liked her hero, Luc, at first, but realized our disdain for him...more
It's pretty obvious why this one was a must-read for me, right? A Wizard of Oz retelling where Dorothy is evil... I had to read it. No ques
It's pretty obvious why this one was a must-read for me, right? A Wizard of Oz retelling where Dorothy is evil... I had to read it. No questions asked. And then I finished it... and was utterly disappointed. Remember my review of Hexed? I kind of felt that the writing in both books were similar, so if you enjoyed one you'll maybe enjoy the other.
So the story's told from Amy Gumm's perspective. Ah, Amy. The first word that comes to mind when I think of her is shallow. She can't listen to any sort of advice or tips to survive, that girl. She just has to do the exact OPPOSITE of what other people told her to. Oh, and, there was this DYING girl--but she doesn't give a shit. She only cares that the guy she likes is tending to said dying girl.
Character development? Where!? All of the characters felt dry and one-dimensional. If they were developed to the slightest bit, they died and we didn't get more from them.
I did enjoy Dorothy Must Die's concept. It's brilliant, right? I loved picturing the graphic descriptions regarding the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow... Oz is a creepy place and I would not want to live there. Despite the amazing potential the setting and plot had, I think the execution was kind of flat. Although there were the right amount of descriptions, I couldn't get a grasp of how Oz felt like. I didn't get the sense of a magical world with rich characters--rather, I felt like I was reading about a dry desert with a girl who lived alone. Everything just lacked substance for me.
What else--oh, yes. I didn't particularly feel like Dorothy was "evil" at all. She was just like some deranged attention-seeking bitch. And I definitely DO NOT appreciate how her character was portrayed as sort of a slut (a lot of cleavage was mentioned). Nope. Not how I picture an evil Dorothy at all.
"For the Crime of Sass, This Monkey Is Hereby Sentenced to Official Attitude Adjustment. Do Not Tamper. By Royal Order of Princess Dorothy."
Does that sound evil to you? No? Deranged bitch is more like it, right?
Wondering about the romance? HA. Insta-attraction, insta-jealousy--I can't even begin to describe how much this aspect bothered me. This is one of those books that do not need romance to make it interesting, okay? Nox, the love interest, was so boring and predictable. It was obvious that he would be the brooding love interest and that he would eventually like her back--a typical male lead. Nothing special at all.
This book did have those little details that I appreciated, hence my non-DNF rating for the book. For example:
> Characters were realistic and betrayed one another to save themselves. We would probably do that to, if we're being honest.
> Amy didn't magically turn into super-girl during tough situations. She was initially weak and admitted that a life-or-death situation wouldn't suddenly give her super strength.
> There was a good amount of descriptions for me to picture the creepy and disturbing things the people of Oz have become. There was some action and gore as well.
Dorothy Must Die was a waste of potential, if you ask me. So much could have been done with the book, but ultimately it lacked the flair I'm looking for in retellings of my favorite childhood stories.
---
In a nutshell:
Looking for a story to ruin your childhood and turn all you've ever known into something dark? Give this a shot. It's a book you'll either love or hate, though....more
So, it's been a while since I read this one. I actually read it last year, since I was excited when I got the eARC and just dived right int
So, it's been a while since I read this one. I actually read it last year, since I was excited when I got the eARC and just dived right into it without considering the fact that the publish date was nine months later--so please do forgive me if I make a few fact-related errors in my review.
Dissonance had a very powerful concept. I was so intrigued by the world Erica created and wanted to keep learning about it. Clearly a lot of research went into the world and its technicalities.
That being said, the world was interesting and all, but there were a lot of technical terms that could be confusing for some. These terms are explained, but the explanations used deep words and messy thought constructions that I had trouble really getting a good grasp on what was what in Delancy's world. Why yes, there were a ton of info-dumps concerning all the terminologies related to the parallel universes.
Now, I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters. It could have been the only-okay writing, but I didn't feel what the characters felt, nor did I want to. I was kind of just... detached to all the characters. I appreciated Del's kind of confident attitude and how she has this rebellious teen thing going on. We just didn't "click", sadly. And there were times when her confidence exploded and turned into arrogance.
Simon was pretty boring. I really didn't care for him, or the insta-love he and Del shared. This is one of those books where the romance kind of ruins its potential. Well, not really ruins, per se. It just lessened the book's credibility in my eyes. I think I would have liked the novel a bit more without the romance.
Another thing I had issues with was how the events leading up to Simon & Del's relationship were all so convenient and rushed. Everywhere Del would go, Simon would be there. This is one of the things that I notice a lot in YA romances that make me roll my eyes the most. Doesn't it get on your nerves?
Let's not forget that this book is humongous. At almost 500 pages, I'll admit that I did skip some paragraphs while reading. A lot of scenes felt like fillers and could have been cut out, really. This story could've been squeezed into around 400 pages or so. I would've been more into it if I didn't keep thinking that I still had a lot more pages with a lot more info dumps to go, thank you very much....more
Upon a few minutes after reading this, I immediately gave it five stars. I mean, why not? It was a quick, short story with a relatable hero
Upon a few minutes after reading this, I immediately gave it five stars. I mean, why not? It was a quick, short story with a relatable heroine, an adorable love interest, and family was present! After giving it some thought, I realized that I quickly forgot the story after just a couple of days. A read that isn't memorable shouldn't be given five stars, I guess.
"Sometimes we expect more than people are capable of giving at the moment."
Anyway, Kasie West does not disappoint. As of the moment I have read all of the novels she has published and enjoyed each and every one of them, even if I don't really consider them to be major favorites. She just has this easy to follow, fun writing style. There is never a dull moment with West's humor. I think it's a writing style that teens can easily get into.
The writing, plus the just right pacing, will make the story one that's easy to follow. I mean, I normally think a book is either moving on too fast or too slowly, but somehow On the Fence had perfect pacing! There was proper development, enough time for all the characters to do significant things and for things to be realized.
Charlie was an easygoing character that I easily sympathized with. She struggled to find her true identity, which a lot of teens do have a problem with. She had three older brothers who she loved and who loved her. They were all adorably protective of their sister, which I loved seeing. I've always wanted an older brother. I'm glad family plays a big role in this story.
On the Fence had a pretty generic plot: Charlie's "one of the boys", and suddenly she thinks she should become girly, and she starts crushing on one of her brother figures on top of that. Although I couldn't say this is a unique story, it was still enjoyable and a lot of readers will have fun following Charlie on her journey to find herself.
Now we have this cutesy romance with Braden, one of the guys she always hangs out with. They chat from the opposite sides of the fence that separates their houses, and I found their talks to be really endearing. Braden was a guy who anyone can easily fall for: caring, kind, sweet, charming. Can I have him, please? But he and Charlie just had such good chemistry--I wouldn't want to come between them! They were hilarious and really cute as a couple and as friends....more
05/21/2015 The more I think about this book, the less I seem to like it. I'm completely bummed about that since The Fill-in Boyfriend was one of my05/21/2015 The more I think about this book, the less I seem to like it. I'm completely bummed about that since The Fill-in Boyfriend was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015. You can't see me, but I'm pouting right now.
The first issue I had with the book came in just within the first couple of pages. I know that we're thrust into the book knowing that Fake Bradley will agree to the terms of being Gia's fake boyfriend, but the way it was executed in the actual book made no sense. It was completely random and unconvincing.
And then, ta-da! The heroine is suddenly obsessed with seeing this boy again. Of course she is. She thinks about him 24/7, even going as far as to stalk his little sister. She even admits that what she's doing is stalking, and she's okay with it.
Stalking aside, Gia's character was just generally petty and shallow. I could not connect to her at all. I know the feeling of a certain friend wanting to get you out of the picture. Really, I do. But please, handle your problems in a mature manner. I'm fifteen, and I talk things out with my friends if I feel like they're doing something wrong. I don't keep it a secret and lie to them.
There are other fish in the sea. It's a big ocean. Sometimes we need to catch and release a few before we find the keeper. Just keep swimming.
Other than that one piece of brilliant advice, Gia's parents are also mostly just... there. They don't have a strong, supportive presence. In fact, they were just like cardboard cut outs. They had no personality and were basically useless to the entire story, which is a shame since Kasie's other books have amazing family dynamics.
Speaking of cardboard cut-outs, we also have Gia's friends. They did have more prominent roles in the story compared to Gia's parents, but their personalities were incredibly stereotypical. No one really stood out to me.
Let's talk about Fake Bradley and the romance. With a heavy heart, I'm saying that The Fill-in Boyfriend did not give me any feels. At all. There was a lot of drama between these two by the last half of the book, and despite being a fan of angst, I just flinched instead. No flutters. No gigglesnorts. No swoons.
The only reason I'm not giving this book one star is because I appreciated how Gia's problems with her friends were realistic. Like I said, I've experienced them myself. I just wished that they'd been handled better, and more maturely. And also because I really liked Bec, Fake Bradley's sister, who was the hard-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside kind of girl.
Overall, this book had potential to be one of those extremely relatable and realistic books, but it unfortunately fell flat on both of those aspects.
10/26/2013
Kasie West can't write a bad book, folks. Look at all the feels she gave us:
This book definitely had its fair share of flaws, but despite all of these, I gave the book 4 stars because I enjoyed it.
I was not a fan of
This book definitely had its fair share of flaws, but despite all of these, I gave the book 4 stars because I enjoyed it.
I was not a fan of Lauren DeStefano's Chemical Garden trilogy. In fact, I only read the first book, Wither, so it surprised me that I loved Perfect Ruin.
This book explored various concepts, like an island floating in the sky, some religious beliefs, and many others. While it was a sweet, romantic dystopian, this novel could also be considered a murder mystery of some sort. Am I catching your attention? Romance, dystopian concepts and mysteries all in one--sounds great, huh? Well, I wouldn't say that DeStefano wrote the book flawlessly or smoothly--definitely not. There were a lot of bumpy, messy parts in the book, but it was an enjoyable read overall.
Morgan, while slightly unemotional and naive at times, was a respectable character overall. She had a shitload of problems but tried her best to either avoid or solve them. She was prim and proper, but nowhere near annoying as most YA main characters come off as. She was loving, sweet and she didn't question her betrothed unlike so many other YA dystopian heroines do.
Like I said, she had a shitload of problems. One of them was her brother, Lex, being a Jumper. A Jumper is someone who has attempted to jump from the Edge of the Internment (the floating island). What I loved about the book was that each character had a significant role in the story. Usually, the main character's siblings are just there for display. In this one, Lex played a big part of the story, as did most of the other characters.
Another thing that Perfect Ruin explored (but not really in depth) was that each of them had a betrothed (basically an arranged marriage). Although it may be considered cliche, I didn't have a problem with it since Morgan didn't have a problem with hit. Her betrothed, Basil, was such a sweetheart. He wasn't a sassy jerk like most love interests in YA novels are. I seriously wish that there are more love interests like him in the future.
Now, there are still a ton of questions floating around in my head, like, How the hell can an island float in the sky?, that I hope could be answered in the future books. A lot of things were left unexplained, some issues still unsolved even as the book came to an end. I guess it's okay, since the author's probably trying to build up some suspense for the next in the series, but I wish that DeStefano could've went into more detail on the topics that revolved around the city itself.
In conclusion, Perfect Ruin had a set of interesting characters that played important roles, a unique premise with alright execution, and an adorable romance subplot....more
I've been on a streak of good books lately. Thank you, Alice in Zombieland, for ruining it.
I shouldn't have judged the book by its cover. Rather, I shI've been on a streak of good books lately. Thank you, Alice in Zombieland, for ruining it.
I shouldn't have judged the book by its cover. Rather, I should have judged it by the characters' names: Frosty, Bronx, Poppy... need I go on?
When I first laid my eyes on this *gorgeous* cover, of course, I immediately looked for some equally awesome story with a kick ass heroine and some hot but really nice love interest.
And thus began my journey into Zombieland. About halfway through my voyage: [image] [image]
(view spoiler)[The visions she shared with Cole? WTF are they? What's up with the journal and her being some kind of Christmas tree with her annoying light? (hide spoiler)]
And the romance... [image]
Ah, insta-lovelust, we meet again. Been a long time, my friend. Even as the story progressed, there still wasn't any chemistry or love between the characters, IMO. Alice and Cole were just so dull... oh come on! Even Frosty and Kat were more interesting than they were, and they were even broken up!
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Not really in the mood to rant any more. Might add more to this some day, though.
Overall, the book wasn't worth it. I still might read the sequel, though, for Frosty's sake....more
Despite only having read from Jennifer Echols once in the past, I did enjoy her writing and was eager to read more of her works. Then when
Despite only having read from Jennifer Echols once in the past, I did enjoy her writing and was eager to read more of her works. Then when I saw the absolutely adorable cover for Biggest Flirts and fell for the fluffy-sounding synopsis, of course I had to read it next.
Our heroine is Tia, and she's a girl you'll either love or hate. She's a bit of a wild girl and isn't afraid to admit that she enjoys fooling around with boys. Personally, I thought her character was really unique--a lot of the heroines we come across are a bit too nice, right? The best part about her character was that she really seemed like a teen. We've all seen complaints about main characters seeming like old ladies or children--I didn't experience that with Biggest Flirts.
Now, just because I liked Tia doesn't mean everyone will. She was one of those heroines who didn't want serious relationships and caused a lot of drama because of that. She had no contact with her sisters. She might be a bitch for some, even. It's all up to how the readers interpret Tia's character.
Like I said earlier, Tia had no contact with her sisters. This really saddened me a bit, since it does happen to people in real life. So family didn't play a huge role in Tia's story, but by the end of the book that had changed (a bit)Â and I was thankful for it. Aside from family, friends also did play a small role in the book. Tia had some friends who were supportive of her, but I wish there were more interactions with them.
The romance, of course, played the biggest part of the book. Will is the love interest, who was a bit immature at first, but then he grew into his own skin and I really liked his character by the end of the book. Again, I thought his character was a realistic teen, too--pretty bipolar and tends to make unwise choices. He and Tia were both so similar yet so different--I guess that explains their undeniable chemistry, despite their quick-paced romance (but hey, that's teen love for you)!
Biggest Flirts is a book you'll either love or hate. Best go into it with an open mind.
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A quickie overview:
Read this if: You want something cute and genuinely funny. You like YA narrators who actually sound like real teens.
Don't read this if: Quick-developing romances make you cringe. You don't like high school drama (kind of) and on-and-off relationships....more
Fangirl (n.) - A fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something.
I didn't originally plan tFangirl (n.) - A fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something.
I didn't originally plan to read this, but the cover was just so adorable and I couldn't resist! I definitely didn't regret it, though. This book was well worth it.
Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park was also a lovely read, but if you're looking for something lighter and characters that you can easily relate to, Fangirl's definitely your book.
Admit it or not, a lot of us have gotten used to stereotypical characters and don't even bother looking for characters that we can love with all our hearts--but Ms. Rowell has such a way with characters! The characters in Fangirl were so realistic! I could easily picture myself acting like these characters.
Plot-wise, I guess Fangirl could be considered a bit plain. But come on, we all know that as long as the book manages to make us smile, laugh, or look like a complete idiot while reading it, it's a good book. Trust me, there'll be a hundred and one moments like that while reading this book. Levi (the loooove interest) was such an entertaining character, as was Regan (Cath's hilarious, slightly bitch-y roommate).
Overall, this is a must read for new adult contemporary fans looking for a fresh, fun read....more
aimee (aimeecanread)
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