This book is very good at representing the feeling of being a kid. At the same time, it's very good and represHeartbreaking and cozy at the same time.
This book is very good at representing the feeling of being a kid. At the same time, it's very good and representing what grief feels like. The plot was predictable, but it's a middle grade book so I won't judge it too harshly. The same goes for some questionable elements. In general, this book was fine.
I watched the TV show years ago and I was thoroughly entertained.
Now that I'd forgotten some of the story, it felt like a good time to pick up the firI watched the TV show years ago and I was thoroughly entertained.
Now that I'd forgotten some of the story, it felt like a good time to pick up the first book. And of course: the book is so much better. There are some big changes but I prefer the book. The only thing the TV show got right (except for most of the casting) was aging up the characters. Why are they all around 15 going through all these traumatic experiences? The main character is still useless and insufferable in my opinion but I absolutely adore the side characters. The plot was really good and there were some amazing fights. The writing was okay, a few too many analogies at times.
This book is no masterpiece, but it certainly is entertaining. 4/5...more
I don't think I was the target audience for this book.
The writing is simplistic, as if written for 14-year-olds (which is probably the case). It was lI don't think I was the target audience for this book.
The writing is simplistic, as if written for 14-year-olds (which is probably the case). It was less enjoyable for an adult to read. The characters were fine and the plot was fast and compelling. It kept you reading. There was a big twist near the end, including some questionable decisions by the characters, and the ending was kind of mid. The middle was my favourite part.
3/5. Entertaining, quick read but nothing mind-blowing....more
Let's be kind to one another and let's not put too much importance on outward appearance.
This was a really wholesome little story about a boy with facLet's be kind to one another and let's not put too much importance on outward appearance.
This was a really wholesome little story about a boy with facial anomalies, who is going to school for the first time. It's a story about kindness, courage and friendship. It's simply written, which really fits because it feels like it can be read by someone of the boy's age. It's a lighthearted but important story that makes you want to hug every character.
5/5, I flew through this book and saved a ton of quotes from it....more
This book was so sad and comforting at the same time.
The writing was really good, though it did at times feel like the author picked a random word froThis book was so sad and comforting at the same time.
The writing was really good, though it did at times feel like the author picked a random word from a thesaurus, I thought the time jumps were a great method of keeping the suspense. The characters were amazing, too. They were real, imperfect and human. The relationships between the characters felt realistic and messy and I especially adored Marx. The plot was very engaging, I feel like the blurb doesn't quite do it justice. The beginning and middle of the book were amazing, easy five stars, but the ending was a little disappointing to me. There was one part I didn't really like and a semi-open ending.
The writing is very detached, which fits the main character. But it also makes it hard to care about the cI don’t have a strong opinion on this book.
The writing is very detached, which fits the main character. But it also makes it hard to care about the characters or issues in the book. I got used to the style of writing after a while, but I also never got attached to the characters. I wish the book was a bit more plot-based to distract from this. The book had some good messages and some nice teenage moments, and there were some red flags, such as the insane amounts of drugs. The book contains a lot of issues without addressing them. It mostly was boring.
Overall, I just feel indifferent. 2.5/5, rounded up....more
I didn't like part one of this series very much, but I still decided to pick up the second book. I simply neededWelcome to Juliette's self-pity party.
I didn't like part one of this series very much, but I still decided to pick up the second book. I simply needed to know why everyone was in love with Warner. Was it worth it? I don't know, but I am starting to understand why there is so much hype about this character...
Now, the issues from the first book still remain. I hate the writing style, I hate Juliette's inner monologue, I hate the insta-love romance and Adam is still as bland as ever. The only thing I liked about last book were the characters introduced at the end and the concept. In this book, the newly introduced characters are barely seen. The ones we do see have become annoying somehow.
Overall, the book is easy to read and engaging enough. But it's not good quality. It's like a guilty pleasure, 2/5....more
This book was pretty enjoyable, but also a little bit overrated. The message in it (though repeated often) is great, and I completely understand why iThis book was pretty enjoyable, but also a little bit overrated. The message in it (though repeated often) is great, and I completely understand why it would be a comfort book for some people. I love the representation and I liked the characters too. It was relatable and gave me a small identity crisis, and I think it can be helpful to people struggling with their sexuality. It openly talks about sex without it being an erotic plot point, which should be done more in my opinion.
However, I think the writing is mediocre. Everyone felt really immature despite being university students. They fix all the fights with grand gestures and make a huge deal out of everything instead of properly communicating their feelings. I understand it's a YA novel, but that's not really my thing. These fights were major plot points and it got repetitive, as there was not much else going on.
I hated the first 80% of the book. I thought about DNF'ing, I wanted to give it one star. The writing was bad, the concept was interesting but the ploI hated the first 80% of the book. I thought about DNF'ing, I wanted to give it one star. The writing was bad, the concept was interesting but the plot was not, I hated all the characters, I hated the insta-love romance. All the reasonings were off and the scenerios were absurd even for fantasy.
In the last 80%, the focus shifted away from the romance and new characters were introduced. And I really liked the new characters, as well as the plot. Even the writing didn't seem as bad anymore. It should have been like that from the beginning.
I'm a big fan of slow-burn romance, stares across the room, wholesome moments of affection and winning each oThis should have been a stand-alone book.
I'm a big fan of slow-burn romance, stares across the room, wholesome moments of affection and winning each other over with grand gestures. This was definitely not that. The two main characters don't actually have much chemistry, but what they do have is an insane amount of lust for each other. Seriously, whoever said this was a romance lied to me. I don't really like spicy scenes either, but there weren't that many. I was told that there were more in the following books, which is discouraging to me. I also feel a love triangle coming on. Don't like those very much either...
Anyway, the characters were bland. The main character being quite inconsistent and the hot guy being forgettable. Also, I could not imagine the masks and claws in sexy settings. Or any settings, claws especially. Reading how he gently stroked the claw across her cheek always took me straight out of the story (Cardan's tail was bad enough, please). The only person I somewhat liked was Lucien, he was cool. A lot of the characters had red flag moments, however. From being drugged, to tears being licked off faces, to being forcibly publicly humiliated, to being... bitten?! Many scenes had me cringing with disgust. Was the non-consensual biting supposed to be sexy? The villain was also a bit underwhelming, I wanted the consequences to be greater.
It's a short book, typical YA writing. For YA, the writing was good (as expected of John Green).
However, I haI thought this was paper towns at first.
It's a short book, typical YA writing. For YA, the writing was good (as expected of John Green).
However, I hated all of the characters. Didn't care about a single one. I thought the peer pressure and objectifying was gross. The amount of times Miles objectified Alaska, who had a boyfriend, was unsettling. Though I suppose they're at that horny teen boy age. The pranks and school rules (no rats) were just stupid in my opinion, and our main character was constantly forced into everything.
The plot was extremely predictable, especially with the countdown. The first half of the book (the "before") had a forgettable plot. Building friendships, getting pressured into drinking and smoking, blabla. The second half of the book was slightly better (mystery of the after), but still not good. The only thing that kept me reading was the fact that it was so short.
The first book was better, in my opinion. If only for the fact that it had more banter. I loved the banter in the first book, but we had so few wholesThe first book was better, in my opinion. If only for the fact that it had more banter. I loved the banter in the first book, but we had so few wholesome moments in this one, it was quite disheartening. The authors writing is the same, bad, and the characters have gotten worse. America was an absolute asshole in this one, honestly. And then the plot just goes around in circles. We have one impactful event, about 1/3 of the way in. I really enjoyed this part. But after that nothing really changes. I'd still give it a second star for that one part, the fact that it's somehow still somewhat entertaining and because I am still interested in the caste system.
"Someone is having a panic attack, therefore they must have a mental illness." A harmful statement at best.
The writing in this book was mediocre, at t"Someone is having a panic attack, therefore they must have a mental illness." A harmful statement at best.
The writing in this book was mediocre, at times it reminded me of fanfics or an adult trying to cater to 13-year-olds. Once we got past the introduction, the writing improved a little.
I liked the characters. Even though they started out as stereotypes, they became more three dimensional throughout the book. I really liked one of the main narrators, Jimmy, and some of the side characters (Lister and Bliss). I also felt meh about some other characters, so it was kind of hit or miss. The dialogue and relationships between the characters, however, was mediocre at best. The diversity is nice but it feels a bit forced.
The plot was probably the best thing about this book. It was good, really good. It showed me that storylines like these (fan meets band member) do not need to be romantic to be entertaining. It portrayed different sides of fame and fandoms. It created an interesting contrast with the two narrators. It provided a decent portrayal of anxiety disorders (aside from the above statement, that is). It was just really entertaining and this is the kind of book you want to stay up late reading. However, a lot of the situations were incredibly unrealistic.
The book also wanted to have "a deeper meaning". Something that could have worked if it were developed better, but in this case it felt like an afterthought. The somewhat open ending made it feel unfinished. I'm not a big fan of open endings in general, but it can work if done right. This was one of those endings where we pretend everything is tied up, but it leaves a lot unanswered. I also just disliked the ending in general, so much unnecessary drama that wasn't properly addressed and unsatisfying conclusions to the things that were addressed. I think this book was perhaps trying to do too many things at once.
I'm going to need some time to form a cohesive opinion on this book, as it was both entertaining and problematic. 3/5 for now....more
I'm angry at this book and I want more at the same time.
This book started off like garbage, and I read through the first part slowly. The writing wasI'm angry at this book and I want more at the same time.
This book started off like garbage, and I read through the first part slowly. The writing was especially bad, overexplaining everything about the world which made the worldbuilding really unenjoyable. There is zero diversity or inclusivity in this book, the names in this book are horrifying and most (if not all) characters are quite shallow. Aspen, America's secret love, is sexist and really annoying. I feel like the plot in the beginning was really underwhelming. But the premise of the selection, whilst not the most creative, was intruiging and it was especially the caste system that kept me reading.
Then the second half of the book hit and I couldn't put it down. Though most other characters in the selection were forgettable at best, the chemistry between the main leads was supreme. It was so good, it had me smiling, it had me reading at 1am, I loved it. Besides, I love the maids and the banter. More of that, please.
BUT THEN THE ENDING CAME. My god, I have never despised America more. Absolutely loathed it. I'm starting to think I might just dislike love triangles in general.
Luckily, I was promised America would get her shit together. Besides, with fewer girls in the selection hopefully they become less forgettable and less stereotypical. With less worldbuilding needed, the writing shouldn't be as bad either. And most of all, I'm hungry for more dates and late night conversations that make me giggle. On to the next book, I guess....more
I liked this more than I expected to. I wasn't going to pick it up, but then I saw it in the bookstore and I just couldn't resist. This book is a quicI liked this more than I expected to. I wasn't going to pick it up, but then I saw it in the bookstore and I just couldn't resist. This book is a quick read, a bunch of short stories. I usually don't like short stories, and since the original trilogy thrived on its story and characters, short stories felt like a mistake. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The stories all kind of come together and it feels like the writing has improved a bit. This book was a nice reminder that I'm still somewhat emotionally attached to Cardan. I very much enjoyed seeing his POV and getting some more backstory. The drawings are also cute. But there is not that much of a plot, and the stories weren't great, a bit repetitive at times. And like I said, short stories aren't really my thing.
This book wasn't good in the literal sense. There were a lot of inconsistencies, people talking with hands over their mouths or never getting their stThis book wasn't good in the literal sense. There were a lot of inconsistencies, people talking with hands over their mouths or never getting their stuff back. Unexplained things, or things that weren't explained well. The characters weren't fleshed out, they were immature or even plain stupid. But they were lovable and relatable enough to keep me going. The writing was simple, typical YA, and very repetitive. The author constantly over-explains concepts or repeats phrases. Additionally, there was so much foreshadowing that I could predict exactly where the story was going.
But even though I knew what was going to happen, I smiled when it did. I rooted for the characters, immature and stupid as they were. I let myself be swept away by the foreshadowing, and I was surprised by the little things I didn't see coming. Above all else, this book was a pageturner. It was exciting, it was thrilling, it was entertaining.
So even though it wasn't good, I will read the sequel (Update: I got to page 200 in the sequel and DNF'd it because I hated the storyline. Oh well)....more
Somehow the afterword was both written better and more emotional than the entire book.
The first half of the story was A bad book with a good message.
Somehow the afterword was both written better and more emotional than the entire book.
The first half of the story was not my thing, at all. There were so many red flags in the relationship that we were supposed to encourage. Behavior that was thought of as sexy included: begging for sex after being told no, practically stalking someone and being emo on a rooftop while kicking a chair, etc. And there were many sex scenes, which I personally don't enjoy reading about. On top of that, I did not like the writing. The characters were somewhat interesting though, and I especially liked Atlas.
The second half of the story was better, more interesting. We got to explore some really important and heavy topics such as domestic abuse. The book makes some good points and I really liked the message behind it. However, there was so much repetition. Every time he would make the saddest face she'd ever seen, we'd be reminded of her love of scrubs, etc. It took me out of the flow. The title was clever and I liked that.
Overall, the bad outweighs the good. Not for me....more
The writing was the same as in the other two books, a bit childish but not bad. I'm very emotionally attachedThis was my favourite book of the series.
The writing was the same as in the other two books, a bit childish but not bad. I'm very emotionally attached to the characters, particularily Cardan. Even though it was a bit predictable, the plot was much clearer than in the previous books. It was interesting and, unlike the first two books, there was just enough buildup for it to be understandable and entertaining.
My expectations were high and this book did not deliver.
In the first book, the first half had a lot of build up but the second half was really entertMy expectations were high and this book did not deliver.
In the first book, the first half had a lot of build up but the second half was really entertaining: so I rated it 3/5. I figured that since this was the second book, there would be less buildup and the entire book would be entertaining.
I figured wrong.
While there was, in fact, less worldbuilding; this book still started with a good chunk of build up. Not as much as the first one, which is nice, but the story afterwards wasn't quite as entertaining either. The twists and turns were less surprising, there was less banter and overall I was just less interested?
It was still a good book, partially because I'm already emotionally invested in the characters and because the story was mildly engaging. I also think the writing was better in this book, or maybe I just got used to the YA style.
I don't even have words for this. I don't think I have loved a book this much since I was a little kid. I have dreamed about this book, forced myself I don't even have words for this. I don't think I have loved a book this much since I was a little kid. I have dreamed about this book, forced myself to slow down reading so I could savor it for longer, yet stayed up late reading.
Objectively, this book is not perfect. But at this point I'm too emotionally attached to the characters to care. The pacing is fine, the worldbuilding is amazing, the writing is good, but it's the characters that made this book. Their emotions bled through the pages so strongly I felt like I was right alongside them for all of it. I couldn't pick a favourite even if I wanted to. They each felt real, human. And I'm so sad that I finished reading.
This book isn't for everyone, but it's amazing in my eyes....more
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