In this ultra-hip conspiracy thriller--a 2005 Book Sense Book of the Year nominee--a shadowy group dedicated to the downfall of consumerism draws a...
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reviews
Mar 04, 2011
I enjoyed Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series so I was curious to see how I'd like one of his books that was set in the real world. I thought he did a great job with the characters of Hunters and Jen. They were unique, likable, and memorable. I also loved the historical facts that Westerfeld put in the story.
And like the Uglies series, So Yesterday makes you think about how things work in our society--specifically, how we decide what is cool and what isn't. It seems like such a sill More...
And like the Uglies series, So Yesterday makes you think about how things work in our society--specifically, how we decide what is cool and what isn't. It seems like such a sill More...
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Nov 09, 2009
Mason
rated it: 
This is my favorite book of all time. Seventeen year old Hunter Braque works for a company in New York that specializes in 'cool tasting'. They watch advertisements for shoe companies and decide if it's cool or not.
He meets a girl named Jen, an Innovator (explained in the book), and she has some pretty cool lace designs on her shoes. He brings her to the tasting, and she speaks up on the commercial.
His boss, Mandy, and everyone else liked what she said. Mandy calls Hunter More...
He meets a girl named Jen, an Innovator (explained in the book), and she has some pretty cool lace designs on her shoes. He brings her to the tasting, and she speaks up on the commercial.
His boss, Mandy, and everyone else liked what she said. Mandy calls Hunter More...
Nov 08, 2010
Jennifer
rated it: 
This is one of Westerfeld's earlier YA novels. That shows in the writing. So Yesterday lacks the fast pace, engaging characters and tight plot typical of the author's later YA books.
The too aptly named Hunter is a self-professed "cool hunter" - someone who seeks out the latest trends before they're trends. Hunter is employed by large corporations to pass on his finds and take part in focus groups so that those expensive marketing campaigns that keep the mega-corporations a More...
The too aptly named Hunter is a self-professed "cool hunter" - someone who seeks out the latest trends before they're trends. Hunter is employed by large corporations to pass on his finds and take part in focus groups so that those expensive marketing campaigns that keep the mega-corporations a More...
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Mar 10, 2009
Preeti
rated it:
Let's talk about the cool pyramid.
At the zenith, we have the Innovators. These are the first ones to do something new - rock a backwards baseball cap, get two piercings in one ear, wear boots on the outside of their pants. "When you meet them, most Innovators don't look that cool, not in the sense of fashionable, anyway. There's always something off about them. Like they're uncomfortable with the world."
At the next level reside the Trendsetters. They are the sec More...
At the zenith, we have the Innovators. These are the first ones to do something new - rock a backwards baseball cap, get two piercings in one ear, wear boots on the outside of their pants. "When you meet them, most Innovators don't look that cool, not in the sense of fashionable, anyway. There's always something off about them. Like they're uncomfortable with the world."
At the next level reside the Trendsetters. They are the sec More...
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Jun 25, 2010
Angela
rated it:
Update: After a rereading and think of this novel non-stop I've change it from a 4 star to a 5 star. Yep, that happened! ;)
I loved this novel!!! Witty, fast-paced, and unique it had me hooked the whole time, I just couldn't put it down, nor could I figure it out.
Seventeen year old Hunter is a Trendsetter a person who looks for Innovators and their latest new-to-the-world never-been-done-before fashions. He meets Jen (an Innovator & Logo Exile ) and finds himself compelled More...
I loved this novel!!! Witty, fast-paced, and unique it had me hooked the whole time, I just couldn't put it down, nor could I figure it out.
Seventeen year old Hunter is a Trendsetter a person who looks for Innovators and their latest new-to-the-world never-been-done-before fashions. He meets Jen (an Innovator & Logo Exile ) and finds himself compelled More...
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Feb 17, 2009
Raina
rated it: 
This may be my favorite Scott Westerfeld book. I enjoyed Uglies, Pretties, etc. but lost interest in the series about half way through. I really liked Westerfeld's unique take on vampires in Peeps. But this. This is Westerfeld taking on Culture Jammers, Fad, Fashion, Trends, Conformity, and Modern Consumerism. It's an romance/mystery/social commentary/adventure set on the streets of Manhattan, following one weekend in the life of a "cool-hunter" - a teen who earns money spotting n
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Aug 04, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
(4.5 Stars)
This book is commercialism on steroids! The characters are almost like superhero sales-people! What a weird concept. Hunter Braque is a Trendsetter or “cool hunter.” He goes out looking for the people who come up with new ideas on their own (known as Innovators). Then, he takes their ideas and brings them to a client (currently, he’s consulting for a 4-letter swooshy shoe brand which is only referred to by asides like this), who then market the new cool trend. When he meets More...
This book is commercialism on steroids! The characters are almost like superhero sales-people! What a weird concept. Hunter Braque is a Trendsetter or “cool hunter.” He goes out looking for the people who come up with new ideas on their own (known as Innovators). Then, he takes their ideas and brings them to a client (currently, he’s consulting for a 4-letter swooshy shoe brand which is only referred to by asides like this), who then market the new cool trend. When he meets More...
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Aug 27, 2008
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it:
My first thought on reading this was: this is a novelization of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, with cool teen characters, and an over-the-top mystery involving super cool shoes and purple-dye sabotage!
Hunter is on the hunt for coolness and innovations, so when he sees Jen, with her skater style and her shoelaces woven in a way he's never seen before, he knows he's got an Innovator in his sites.
Hunter works for an agency that advises advertisers and companies on trends, recog More...
Hunter is on the hunt for coolness and innovations, so when he sees Jen, with her skater style and her shoelaces woven in a way he's never seen before, he knows he's got an Innovator in his sites.
Hunter works for an agency that advises advertisers and companies on trends, recog More...
Dec 16, 2009
Trin
rated it: 
Huh. This book has almost exactly the same plot as PopCo, which is odd, because I didn’t pick up either book because I was interested in the subject—secret societies banding together to sabotage large corporations and dilute the evil brainwashing of marketing campaigns—I was curious about the authors. Anyway, So Yesterday focuses on teenagers in New York as opposed to twentysomethings in England, and it’s about shoes (specifically Nike, although it’s always referred to as ‘The Client’) rather
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Mar 01, 2009
Kelly
rated it:
Summary: 17-year-old Hunter Braque is a cool hunter who gets the find of his life when he meets a trend-setter named Jen. But then Hunter’s boss disappears, and the world of hunting cool doesn’t seem quite so cool anymore.
Review: This book reminded me a lot of Feed, which is an all-time YA favorite of mine. I prefer Feed—it explores these consumerist culture themes at their outer limits. But this book was still a great read.
The blend of internal and external conflict made More...
Review: This book reminded me a lot of Feed, which is an all-time YA favorite of mine. I prefer Feed—it explores these consumerist culture themes at their outer limits. But this book was still a great read.
The blend of internal and external conflict made More...
Dec 08, 2008
Mara
rated it:
Why did it have to be about shoes? Really, the whole shoe thing is just not one I ever understood (not that I understand much about trends and fashion). But this is a great book that creates an interesting (and probably fairly accurate) scenario about how trends get started, how they spread, and why they seem to come and go so quickly.
But what if there's a group that's trying to undo the work of all the marketers and trendsetters (these would clearly be my people)? Are they the anti- More...
But what if there's a group that's trying to undo the work of all the marketers and trendsetters (these would clearly be my people)? Are they the anti- More...
Nov 29, 2011
Khadija
rated it:
Hunter is a “cool-hunter” (appropriate pun on the author’s part), someone whose job is to search for potential trends and then make them all the rage. His adventure starts when he encounters Jen, an Innovator (initiator of trends) with trend-worthy shoelaces.
I was wary of checking this book out of the library; I have read Pretties by Westerfeld and hated every page of it. I checked it out, only because the librarian mentioned it was about marketing and how it works inside. That More...
I was wary of checking this book out of the library; I have read Pretties by Westerfeld and hated every page of it. I checked it out, only because the librarian mentioned it was about marketing and how it works inside. That More...
Nov 24, 2011
Robert
rated it:
This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This book was ok. This b
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Jul 20, 2011
Holly
rated it:
I really liked Westerfeld's take on "cool" in this book--how there is a "cool hierarchy" and how we get to explore that throughout the book as we follow the characters on their adventures and how it's something that really could exist without most of us being aware. I thought that was really innovative and interesting. I actually really liked the book and the character journey, but I was disappointed by the ending. It was sort of leading up to an Atlas Shrugged sort of story,
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Jul 09, 2011
Chris
rated it:
Reading like the current work of William Gibson, but for a young adult audience, Westerfeld creates a cast that is slightly eclectic but ultra-hip. The book starts with the main character being smitten by a girl his age as he is going about his job of spotting the next trend. Like most guys that want to impress the girl he just met, he chooses to include her in a high level focus group in an attemt to show off what he does. After making an impression, she is asked along the next day to have a lo
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Mar 13, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
So Scott Westerfeld is usually kind of hit-or-miss with me (I adored Leviathan to bits and pieces, but couldn't get past the first books in either his Midnighters or Uglies series), but So Yesterday was definitely a hit in my book. The narrator starts off a bit ambiguous at first, since it's first person, but you soon learn the main character is a boy named Hunter, about 17 years old, who has long face-veiling bangs and a chip on his shoulder from the time years back when he moved from middle-of
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Jan 19, 2011
Lindsey
rated it:
Somehow Scott Westerfeld always gets me right where I live. I think that it has a lot to do with his "Uglies" series. They are these great young adult lit dystopians and once I trust an author they have a great fan in me :) This book has a slightly different premise. It takes you into the life of one of the "Cool hunters." He is a boy who gets paid for his opinions on everything cool and it talks about his power and influence in the backstage workings of the world of marketin
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Jan 06, 2011
Michelle.
rated it:
This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This book was OK.This bo
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Dec 10, 2010
Arlene
rated it: 
Oh sweet painful hell! I give up on this book. So Yesterday is my first novel by Scott Westerfeld, and I heard such great things about him. But if the best he can do is slap me in the face with constant simple sentences and a mildly creative concept wrapped around a lackluster plot, no thanks.
It started off somewhat okay, the concept was as I said creative, but that’s where it ends. The main character Hunter Braque, a trendsetter, comes across dumber than dirt and this girl Jen J More...
It started off somewhat okay, the concept was as I said creative, but that’s where it ends. The main character Hunter Braque, a trendsetter, comes across dumber than dirt and this girl Jen J More...
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Jul 17, 2010
Shally
rated it:
In a world where "cool" means everything and fashion and outward appearance was all you needed to know about a person, is the world of Hunter Barque a 17-year-old cool hunter. This world is very similar to some people especially teenagers. Hunter Barque's job is to find what is considered cool by the best innovators. He does this for his clients so they can come up with the best products. While cool hunting he finds one of the most unique innovators yet, Jen. As they both become quick
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Jul 10, 2010
Laura
rated it:
This is my first Westerfeld novel and I know that a lot of people love his books, particularly The Uglies. I generally liked So Yesterday</> but there are a few general things that don't work well. This piece is going to feel very dated very quickly. Cell phones that take pictures! Holy cow, that's cutting edge. Westerfeld, does, however, do an excellent job of explaining the history of clothing, Japanese anime, and shoes.
The pacing was fast, the romantic interests were More...
The pacing was fast, the romantic interests were More...
Jun 18, 2009
Mrs. Foley
rated it:
From Destiny Library record, "Hunter Braque, a New York City teenager who is paid by corporations to spot what is 'cool,' combines his analytical skills with girlfriend Jen's creative talents to find a missing person and thwart a conspiracy directed at the heart of consumer culture."
Scott Westerfeld is a very clever author. Here he is making a strong statement about teenage consumerism in a very entertaining book. Although this isn't one of my favorite books by him, anyth More...
Scott Westerfeld is a very clever author. Here he is making a strong statement about teenage consumerism in a very entertaining book. Although this isn't one of my favorite books by him, anyth More...
May 02, 2009
Ningerbil
rated it:
Had actually checked this out in anticipation of having a doodle/chat session with my best friend, but she was busy last weekend and I was busy this weekend. Got this on CD. OK, still love the Uglies books, but Westerfeld's fans who have not read this one will not be disappointed. This is a lot lighter, more fun, although there are still some pointed digs at commercialism. The story centers on Hunter, a Trendsetter paid to find and observe what is in and what is out in the world of conspicuous c
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Sep 17, 2010
Sakura
rated it:
So I decided to read this book because I'm a big fan of the uglies series but to be honest I was a little disappointed it just didn't have the addictive qualities uglies had.Summary:It's about a 17-year-old Hunter Braque who's a trendsetter(second level of the pyramid) I'll explain the pyramid later, anyways his job is to find the newest,coolest thing for the retail market.But when he meets Jen James an innovator (top of the pyramid) mysterious things start to happen.First Jen goes with hunter t
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Mar 16, 2009
Sella
rated it:
Wow! This was amazingly good. I think it may even be the best book Scott Westerfeld has written. I'm not sure why I think so...Maybe because it was so different than all the other books he's written. First of all, it's a stand-alone novel, which felt kind of nice. Secondly, it's not fantasy or science fiction, like all the other books of his I've read- unlike the others, it's realistic fiction. I liked that it wasn't science fiction or fantasy, actually, even though I usually don't like realisti
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Jun 15, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
There is a pyramid when it comes to trends. Innovators are at the top, next is the Trendsetters. They track the innovators moves and get the latest fads out to the "clients" to get out to the public at large. Below the Trendsetters are Early Adopters - they get all the latest stuff yesterday. Below them, the Laggards - those who have to see 10 commercial ads and tons of mall displays before they buy and when they do - it's already out of style.
All these terms are defined ea More...
All these terms are defined ea More...
Jun 20, 2009
Lavanya
rated it:
I am not going to provide a summary as the one provided on the back of the book is quite adequate; I'll just skip over to my review.
This book was certainly very different from other books I've read in the past. Hunter, the main character, is an excellent narrator and provides an original insight on teenager life. I found it really weird that the book made a connection to Dennō Senshi Porygon, which obviously got me interested (and to be honest, freaked out!!!) about the real inciden More...
This book was certainly very different from other books I've read in the past. Hunter, the main character, is an excellent narrator and provides an original insight on teenager life. I found it really weird that the book made a connection to Dennō Senshi Porygon, which obviously got me interested (and to be honest, freaked out!!!) about the real inciden More...
Mar 03, 2010
Georgie
rated it:
I bought this book because I love Scott Westerfeld. I own almost ever book he's ever written. Westerfeld likes to write random books.
This book is about consumerism....mixed with a small love story and a little bit of adventure. It takes place over a 4 day time period and it kind of seemed pointless to me. I liked the characters--even though I didn't get to know them very well--and I like Westerfeld's writing style. He writes like real people talk. He also has a really cool way of inp More...
This book is about consumerism....mixed with a small love story and a little bit of adventure. It takes place over a 4 day time period and it kind of seemed pointless to me. I liked the characters--even though I didn't get to know them very well--and I like Westerfeld's writing style. He writes like real people talk. He also has a really cool way of inp More...
Nov 28, 2011
Elias
rated it:
This book was one of my favourite books I have ever read. It’s a unique mystery adventure about shoes, the protagonist hunter is a “hunter” looking for the latest trend and being one of the coolest kids in school because he keeps up with all the trends out there. He finds a new friend right off the bat in the book, an “innovator” Jen. The fact that he is the one that decides what are the next shoes that are going to be popular is cool enough, but he has to be on a journey to find what else is
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Nov 05, 2010
Kayla
rated it:
love Scott Westerfeld! His books are so unique and well thought out. I haven’t been disappointed yet, and this was no exception. I’ve been waiting for a while to pick this book up, and it’s weird that I learned about “cool hunting” in school last week, right about the same time I started to read this.
Hunter is paid to research what is “cool” for teenagers. He discovers trends before they even happen, taking pictures of a person’s clothes, shoes, or even hairstyle-whatever can be mad More...
Hunter is paid to research what is “cool” for teenagers. He discovers trends before they even happen, taking pictures of a person’s clothes, shoes, or even hairstyle-whatever can be mad More...
