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174th out of 502 books
—
153 voters
Flat-Out Love (Flat-Out Love #1)
by
Jessica Park
To college freshman Julie Seagle the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family of Boston add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Only the funny, gorgeous, smart oldest brother Finn is emotionally available--but only online? Not until Julie forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the frag...more
Paperback, 391 pages
Published
April 10th 2012
by Createspace
(first published April 2011)
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Aug 25, 2011
Maja
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Maja by:
Flannery
The first review I wrote consisted almost entirely of incoherent gushing. This one is pretty much like that, but I did manage to include some useful info. Don’t expect much, though. I can’t remember the last time I felt this way about a book.
As a dedicated reader, I don't think I've ever connected to a story quite this much. There are so many books that are close to my heart for some reason or other, but there was never one so achingly familiar and mine. And it wasn’t just one character that I...more
As a dedicated reader, I don't think I've ever connected to a story quite this much. There are so many books that are close to my heart for some reason or other, but there was never one so achingly familiar and mine. And it wasn’t just one character that I...more
Dec 30, 2012
Karla
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Karla by:
Elizabeth
Only .99 on Amazon 12/31/12, and if you haven't read it...it's definitely worth checking out!
5 HUGE STARS! Incredible book, from an incredible talent...I LOVED it!
Nothing flat about this book at all, it’s bursting at the seams with delightful characters, raw emotion, terrific dialogue, humor and heartache. This is a beautifully written unconventional love story. It’s hard to put into words how much this book touched me. Jessica Park is one of those extraordinary writers that draws you in and ha...more
5 HUGE STARS! Incredible book, from an incredible talent...I LOVED it!
Nothing flat about this book at all, it’s bursting at the seams with delightful characters, raw emotion, terrific dialogue, humor and heartache. This is a beautifully written unconventional love story. It’s hard to put into words how much this book touched me. Jessica Park is one of those extraordinary writers that draws you in and ha...more
I don't want this to end. I don't want to land and reach the real world, because I like our world up here better.”
this book,is one of those many fabulous books that tend to stick with u for a life time..with both unique plot and such damaged characters.... the author (Jessica park) actually manages to keep you captivated and intrusive to the very end.
even with all their tortured past and bizarred habits,the characters still managed fun and quirky,if nothing...and seriously i loved them for tha...more
this book,is one of those many fabulous books that tend to stick with u for a life time..with both unique plot and such damaged characters.... the author (Jessica park) actually manages to keep you captivated and intrusive to the very end.
even with all their tortured past and bizarred habits,the characters still managed fun and quirky,if nothing...and seriously i loved them for tha...more
May 31, 2012
Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~*
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE!
Recommended to Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* by:
Karla
Shelves:
young-adult,
ebook
(This is an Adult-who-enjoys-reliving-the-stirrings-of-first-love-and-self-discovery-during-the-teen-years-through-YA books review ^_^)
5 + Stars!
Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den
WOW. I FLAT-OUT LOVE this book by self-published author, Jessica Park!!!
This quote sums up how this book made me feel, how it inspired me through my journey with it, and even after I reluctantly closed its pages...
I’ve been struggling with my reading lately and I wanted a story that would really captivate me...more
5 + Stars!
Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den
WOW. I FLAT-OUT LOVE this book by self-published author, Jessica Park!!!
This quote sums up how this book made me feel, how it inspired me through my journey with it, and even after I reluctantly closed its pages...
I’ve been struggling with my reading lately and I wanted a story that would really captivate me...more
Jun 27, 2012
Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
new-adult-college
*Update 06/12* My thoughts have changed about the book and have been noted in the comments section.
*Original Review 10/11*
Flat-Out Love definitely falls more on the "girly" side, but I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss.
The story follows a girl named Julie who is swindled out of her money when she gets to Boston and finds out that the college apartment she had reserved does not exist. An old friend of her mom's living nearby steps in and invites her to live with the...more
*Original Review 10/11*
Flat-Out Love definitely falls more on the "girly" side, but I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss.
The story follows a girl named Julie who is swindled out of her money when she gets to Boston and finds out that the college apartment she had reserved does not exist. An old friend of her mom's living nearby steps in and invites her to live with the...more
Never, in a million years, will I read this book.
Feb 23, 2013
kristina
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to kristina by:
La-Lionne
Shelves:
contemporary
The truth is that when I started reading this I expected a romance story.
But I wasnt disappointed , because this was awesome!
How would you feel if your apartment deal fell through ?
That would be bad...
Fortunatelly Julie's mother contacts with an old college friend , so Julie is moving at their home.
The Watkins seem to be a weird family with many secrets that Julie discovers during the book.However the oddest thing of all is Celeste , the youngest member of this family.
She wasn't crazy , she was...more
But I wasnt disappointed , because this was awesome!
How would you feel if your apartment deal fell through ?
That would be bad...
Fortunatelly Julie's mother contacts with an old college friend , so Julie is moving at their home.
The Watkins seem to be a weird family with many secrets that Julie discovers during the book.However the oddest thing of all is Celeste , the youngest member of this family.
She wasn't crazy , she was...more
Have you ever...
-got a crush on a penfriend you never or barely met?
-pined a whole year - or more - for your summer crush?
-fallen in love with the idea of someone, idolizing him/her and thus making him/her perfect?
In other words:
Have you ever fallen in love with LOVE?
If you've recognized yourself in any of these questions, then this is the book for you.
Julie is from Ohio but she's starting college in Boston. When she arrives to find the apartment she thought she rented to be a total scam, her l...more
-got a crush on a penfriend you never or barely met?
-pined a whole year - or more - for your summer crush?
-fallen in love with the idea of someone, idolizing him/her and thus making him/her perfect?
In other words:
Have you ever fallen in love with LOVE?
If you've recognized yourself in any of these questions, then this is the book for you.
Julie is from Ohio but she's starting college in Boston. When she arrives to find the apartment she thought she rented to be a total scam, her l...more
Are you kidding me? Bitch, please.
WOW!! I cannot even begin to tell you how much I was captivated and enthralled by this story! The writing flowed realistically throughout with brilliant character development and the, OMG, knock-you-to-your-knees lovestory was undeniable!
When Julie realizes her "Craig's-List" apartment is really a burrito stand, she's desperate and as luck would have it, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, fortunately invites her to move in. It's close the her college and would be free! (What's not...more
When Julie realizes her "Craig's-List" apartment is really a burrito stand, she's desperate and as luck would have it, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, fortunately invites her to move in. It's close the her college and would be free! (What's not...more
Wait for me while i catch my breath..
(minutes passing, hours passing, days passing...)
Ok, here we go, but I don't promise that my review will make much sense to you.
So I'll start by saying that I really need to read this book again!
My Thoughts:
This book took me completely by surprise.
It seemed like a really light read, but in fact it is the complete opposite. I guess that these days I'm really easy to trick, but I love surprises, and I love how this story turned out.
Think about it this way:
Imag...more
(minutes passing, hours passing, days passing...)
Ok, here we go, but I don't promise that my review will make much sense to you.
So I'll start by saying that I really need to read this book again!
My Thoughts:
This book took me completely by surprise.
It seemed like a really light read, but in fact it is the complete opposite. I guess that these days I'm really easy to trick, but I love surprises, and I love how this story turned out.
Think about it this way:
Imag...more
Goodreads asks me, 'What did you think?'. How in the world do I appropriately, adequately, answer that question with regard to Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park?! I'm certainly no author; I'm not even a 'real' reviewer. So, how do I put into words just how much I love this story and admire the talent and sheer genius of Jessica Park?
I don't do plot summaries, as should be more than evident by now. It's easy enough to read the summary and decide for yourself if this sounds like something that might i...more
I don't do plot summaries, as should be more than evident by now. It's easy enough to read the summary and decide for yourself if this sounds like something that might i...more
Ugh. Could not bring myself to finish this book. Julie, the lead character, started to annoy me from Chapter 2 onwards. But this got a lot of high ratings so I gave it a shot and soldiered on, but even after 100+ pages in, I still could not see why it's supposed to be good. Julie is the kind of person who will never be my friend if she existed in real life.
Almost each chapter began with a Facebook status of each of the three leads, but more often than not these didn't even have anything to do wi...more
Almost each chapter began with a Facebook status of each of the three leads, but more often than not these didn't even have anything to do wi...more
I didn't enjoy this book at all, and skimmed large parts (again! I should really stop buying self-published books, because I seem to end up skimming them most of the time. Geez!) It seemed to me that the author tried too hard to be funny.
Finn? I guess he is supposed to come across as charming and appealing, but I didn't like his character at all. I guess I'm just not into blonde, sexy guys who travel the world.
(view spoiler)...more
Finn? I guess he is supposed to come across as charming and appealing, but I didn't like his character at all. I guess I'm just not into blonde, sexy guys who travel the world.
(view spoiler)...more
Jun 28, 2012
Taryn at My Secret Romance
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Taryn at My Secret Romance by:
Elizabeth
This review was posted at My Secret Romance
I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. When I first read the blurb, I thought, ok, this sounds kind of cute. I added it to my must-read-list. I didn't think twice of it until a friend messaged me on here and told me she had it to lend, via Kindle. After just reading Beautiful Disaster, I needed something wildly different. And boy oh boy was this different, but in such a wonderful way.
For me, this book was strangely entertaining to the point whe...more
Wow! I absolutely FLAT-OUT LOVED this book!!!
"...that's what love does to you. Gut-wrenching, overpowering, crushing, fulfilling, complex, bring-you-to-your-knees love."
It was beautiful!! It kept me hooked right from the beginning. It was amazing, heart warming and a little heart wrenching, with light and funny moments, as well as deeply emotional ones. The dialogue was clever and witty and had me laughing out so many times. But this book was not a fluff read - it was deep, touching, and bit...more
"...that's what love does to you. Gut-wrenching, overpowering, crushing, fulfilling, complex, bring-you-to-your-knees love."
It was beautiful!! It kept me hooked right from the beginning. It was amazing, heart warming and a little heart wrenching, with light and funny moments, as well as deeply emotional ones. The dialogue was clever and witty and had me laughing out so many times. But this book was not a fluff read - it was deep, touching, and bit...more
I loved this book! I loved it so much that I had to tweet about it after finishing it. I loved it so much that I’m already considering how long I should wait before re-reading it. Yes, I loved it that much. There was just a really special feel about this book. It totally gripped me in this really interesting way, and I hope that my descriptions can do it justice.
What I really loved about this book is that it is the perfect mix of family issues and love and romance. It is filled with impecible ch...more
What I really loved about this book is that it is the perfect mix of family issues and love and romance. It is filled with impecible ch...more
WIN! WIN! WIN!
I am positively in love with every single one of the characters in FLAT OUT LOVE. Brace, yourselves! I feel an onslaught of gushing coming! About to start a new stage in her life, Julie is quite shocked when her apartment falls through. From the very first page, I knew I was going to like her story. That phone call to her mother alone had me laughing! So when her mother reconnects with a college buddy to set things straight, the future seemed to be looking up for our girl. Only, sh...more
I am positively in love with every single one of the characters in FLAT OUT LOVE. Brace, yourselves! I feel an onslaught of gushing coming! About to start a new stage in her life, Julie is quite shocked when her apartment falls through. From the very first page, I knew I was going to like her story. That phone call to her mother alone had me laughing! So when her mother reconnects with a college buddy to set things straight, the future seemed to be looking up for our girl. Only, sh...more
Sep 26, 2012
♠ Sharon is an emotional book junkie ♠
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2012
4/23/13 ETA: Don't miss out on reading Flat-Out Matt along with this. There's more information in my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
**3.5-4 stars**
Julie wants to get away from her hometown and be somewhere where she can be her true textbook loving self. She moves to Boston to go to college but unfortunately, she rented a nonexistent apartment on Craigslist. Luckily, her Mom's college roommate lives in town and comes to the rescue.
Julie moves in with the Watkins family and it's...more
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
**3.5-4 stars**
Julie wants to get away from her hometown and be somewhere where she can be her true textbook loving self. She moves to Boston to go to college but unfortunately, she rented a nonexistent apartment on Craigslist. Luckily, her Mom's college roommate lives in town and comes to the rescue.
Julie moves in with the Watkins family and it's...more
Dec 17, 2012
KarenH
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
definitely-worth-your-while,
feisty-heroine,
friends-to-lovers,
great-dialogue,
heart-wrenching,
heroine-with-issues,
keep-the-kleenex-close-by,
keepers,
kindle-books-5-stars-plus,
pg-rating,
sweetest-hea,
the-big-misunderstanding,
top-30ish-favorites,
unusual-storyline,
young-adult,
college-age
Why didn't I know about this book? I mean, I've seen it on occasion when searching through the Kindle books at Amazon, but I don't recall seeing a review here on GR nor have I noticed it being discussed in a thread. O M G why not??!?
Julie Seagle has just moved from Ohio to Boston to begin her freshman year at Whitney College, only to find the "apartment" she had procured online (and paid 1st and last months rent) was a burrito stand! Fortunately, Julie's homeless situation was short-lived, as h...more
Julie Seagle has just moved from Ohio to Boston to begin her freshman year at Whitney College, only to find the "apartment" she had procured online (and paid 1st and last months rent) was a burrito stand! Fortunately, Julie's homeless situation was short-lived, as h...more
Update 5/3/13: I'm giving away a copy of Flat-Out Love and Flat-Out Matt on the blog. Stop by for a chance to win!
I can’t say enough good things about this story! It was amazing! It has witty, intelligent humor, quirky, lovable characters, a very swoon worthy romance, and a mystery!
Julie Seagle has just moved to Boston as a freshman starting college but the apartment she rented in advance turns out to be a sham and Julie has nowhere to go. Julie’s mom calls in a favor from an old college friend,...more
I can’t say enough good things about this story! It was amazing! It has witty, intelligent humor, quirky, lovable characters, a very swoon worthy romance, and a mystery!
Julie Seagle has just moved to Boston as a freshman starting college but the apartment she rented in advance turns out to be a sham and Julie has nowhere to go. Julie’s mom calls in a favor from an old college friend,...more
**spoiler free review**
HOLY CRAP I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I did not expect for this book to so thoroughly blow my mind. Mind officially blown.
I feel like this review should be very witty because the book is so smartly written. It really took me by surprise. I've read so many insipid YA books that to read one that is written so carefully and so thoughtfully is like a shock to my system.
A quick plot summery: A girl (Julie) starts college in Boston but finds herself without a place to live, and ends up...more
HOLY CRAP I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I did not expect for this book to so thoroughly blow my mind. Mind officially blown.
I feel like this review should be very witty because the book is so smartly written. It really took me by surprise. I've read so many insipid YA books that to read one that is written so carefully and so thoughtfully is like a shock to my system.
A quick plot summery: A girl (Julie) starts college in Boston but finds herself without a place to live, and ends up...more
Aug 28, 2012
(¯`·..·♥Anna♥·..·´¯)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya,
top-10-hero
Read more of my reviews at Anna Reads Romance
"It's not what you know- or when you see- that matters. It's about the journey."
Flat-out love is an amazing book that deals not only with finding the right person but with finding your own way in the world after sorrow and hurt. It has great depth without it being too much, mainly because it has some awesome funny moments courtesy of Julie.
Julie is a funny, intelligent, caring 18 year old girl that's about to start college in Boston. When she finds he...more
4.5 Stars!
This is a very special and beautiful book. It touches all the major emotions. You feel for each of the characters and what they are going through.
I loved Julie! She was funny and full of wonderful sarcasm. She is a “fixer”, through and through. She wants to mend the Watkins family and she sets out to do just that. The more Julie connects with and begins to love this family as if they were her own, the more she becomes determined to “fix” them. However, things are not always black and...more
This is a very special and beautiful book. It touches all the major emotions. You feel for each of the characters and what they are going through.
I loved Julie! She was funny and full of wonderful sarcasm. She is a “fixer”, through and through. She wants to mend the Watkins family and she sets out to do just that. The more Julie connects with and begins to love this family as if they were her own, the more she becomes determined to “fix” them. However, things are not always black and...more
Jun 27, 2012
Leea
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Leea by:
Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity
Updated June 20th 2012
I can no longer look past Jessica Parks bad behavior when it comes to negative reviews. This seems to be a theme among authors now days. It's wrong, readers have the right to review books in the manner they choose. I review books here on Goodreads for myself and to help my friends make educated book selections.
I feel like i'm being forced to downgrade my rating of Flat-Out Love because of this bad behavior and it's very frustrating. My hope is that Ms. Park can change her...more
I can no longer look past Jessica Parks bad behavior when it comes to negative reviews. This seems to be a theme among authors now days. It's wrong, readers have the right to review books in the manner they choose. I review books here on Goodreads for myself and to help my friends make educated book selections.
I feel like i'm being forced to downgrade my rating of Flat-Out Love because of this bad behavior and it's very frustrating. My hope is that Ms. Park can change her...more
After having this on hold for several months, I think I can now safely say I will never finish it. I simply cannot sympathise with a heroine who thinks so lowly of others because of their style of clothing, especially if they are so very nice to her. As a lot of my friends loved this book, though, I always wanted to get back to it and try again.
But franky speaking, I am not inclined to give an author who posts stuff like this on the internet a second chance.
But franky speaking, I am not inclined to give an author who posts stuff like this on the internet a second chance.
Sigh. I'm in love. In a few days I might be able to be more coherent. For now, I'm just super, duper in love.
UPDATE, aka, my actual review: It's rare that a book can have a cast of entirely likable (nay--lovable) characters and *also* have tension, conflict, and growth, without feeling contrived. There's no villain, but there are complicated people with real problems who sometimes do unlikable things. And yet, like Tom Hanks in...well, any role, you simply can't help but love them.
The plot is c...more
UPDATE, aka, my actual review: It's rare that a book can have a cast of entirely likable (nay--lovable) characters and *also* have tension, conflict, and growth, without feeling contrived. There's no villain, but there are complicated people with real problems who sometimes do unlikable things. And yet, like Tom Hanks in...well, any role, you simply can't help but love them.
The plot is c...more
This was just the pick-me-up I needed. Dysfunctional families, drama and a weird romance.
Julie has moved to Boston from Ohio to begin college, and start life anew. Just one problem, the apartment she was supposed to move into turned out to be a burrito shop! And so, Julie moves in with a family friend instead. They turn out to be quite dysfunctional indeed, parents who are never around, their eldest son travelling around the world for some time and hasn't come home, a genius for their second son...more
Julie has moved to Boston from Ohio to begin college, and start life anew. Just one problem, the apartment she was supposed to move into turned out to be a burrito shop! And so, Julie moves in with a family friend instead. They turn out to be quite dysfunctional indeed, parents who are never around, their eldest son travelling around the world for some time and hasn't come home, a genius for their second son...more
This review can also be found on my blog, Cait's Corner
Wow. Before I start this review, I'm going to do a little fan-girl gushing: this book was soooo amazing and wonderful and flat-out (haha I'm punny as a fan-girl) stupendous that if you don't have this book on your to-read list, put it on there now.........
Hahahahah I'm just kidding
But seriously.
Let me start off this review with the characters, because they are so incredibly real to me. I feel like I could walk out of my house and th...more
Wow. Before I start this review, I'm going to do a little fan-girl gushing: this book was soooo amazing and wonderful and flat-out (haha I'm punny as a fan-girl) stupendous that if you don't have this book on your to-read list, put it on there now.........
Hahahahah I'm just kidding
But seriously.
Let me start off this review with the characters, because they are so incredibly real to me. I feel like I could walk out of my house and th...more
I loved, loved this book! Books like Flat-Out Love are why I read- I want a book that draws me in from the first page and makes me stay up all night because I can't bring myself to put it down. I want a book that allows me get lost in the lives of other people, and I want a book that puts me through an emotional ringer, laughing one minute and crying the next. Flat-Out Love definitely is that book.
Flat-Out Love is fantastic, emotional, mysterious with an "oh I didn't see that coming" moment, da...more
Flat-Out Love is fantastic, emotional, mysterious with an "oh I didn't see that coming" moment, da...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt or Finn? **spoiler** | 78 | 321 | May 15, 2013 08:45pm | |
| Flat Out Matt - Snipets | 32 | 228 | Apr 23, 2013 06:51am | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park Start date-->April 15, 2013 | 27 | 27 | Apr 22, 2013 10:20am | |
| Young Adult Conte...: #18: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park (Jan 21-27) | 35 | 103 | Mar 21, 2013 01:46pm | |
| Books like this? | 7 | 155 | Feb 26, 2013 04:52pm |
Jessica Park is the author of the young adult novels FLAT-OUT LOVE and RELATIVELY FAMOUS; five Gourmet Girl mysteries (written as Jessica Conant-Park); and the e-shorts FACEBOOKING RICK SPRINGFIELD and WHAT THE KID SAYS (Parts 1 & 2).
Jessica grew up in the Boston area and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. After spending four years in the frigid north, including suffering thro...more
More about Jessica Park...
Jessica grew up in the Boston area and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. After spending four years in the frigid north, including suffering thro...more
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