What's so cool about nice guys?
Everyone at Tess's new school warns her that Micah is bad news—a heartbreaker. But she can't ignore her attracti...
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reviews
Jan 14, 2012
Donna
rated it: 
Here is what the press release that came with the book had to say about this title:
Despite pop culture's obsession with brooding, supernatural antiheroes like Edward Cullen, one of the most common critiques of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series is the unhealthy relationship between Bella and Edward - that Edward is a bully and Bella is a doormat. Yet teen girls thrive on this unbalanced relationship dynamic. Perhaps this is because they so rarely find an alternative in the literatur More...
Despite pop culture's obsession with brooding, supernatural antiheroes like Edward Cullen, one of the most common critiques of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series is the unhealthy relationship between Bella and Edward - that Edward is a bully and Bella is a doormat. Yet teen girls thrive on this unbalanced relationship dynamic. Perhaps this is because they so rarely find an alternative in the literatur More...
Feb 10, 2012
I finished this book in one day, and it would have been one sitting if life didn't interfere. I connected automatically with Tess. I guess I have a depression that I can't really shake and some of her words really struck a cord with me. I feel like I've lost some of the people I'm closest with, whether from death, moving away, or just drifting apart.
...I felt like I drifted through the day without ever actually connecting with anyone, like I was a ghost of myself?
There was More...
...I felt like I drifted through the day without ever actually connecting with anyone, like I was a ghost of myself?
There was More...
Dec 14, 2011
Liyana
rated it: 
Look there. What do you see? A boy in a leather jacket, sitting all alone in the cafeteria. An ~*aura*~ of mystery surrounds him. And a sense of foreboding too, but you ignore that thought, because trouble with that boy would be good, so good. No one talks to him, and he? He's not bothered at all. In fact, he seems to prefer the solitude, minding his own business. Hey! The most popular girl is talking to him and OH MY GOD he brushed her off without a glance! You giggle. He looks up at you, and y
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Nov 15, 2011
Tanna Ray
rated it:
A book about a girl named Tess; her parents had a messy split and Tess was tossed around without any thought of her feelings. Tess now had a new life, a new school, new surroundings, and new boys to meet and friends to make.Tess was lurred in by a a bad boy named Micah. He was known as the heartbreaker through the grapevine, but Tess didn't take anyones advice. He first obsticle was to get Micah away from a girl named Daisy who acted like Micah was her own property. Though Tess didn't let this g
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Nov 02, 2010
Suzanne
rated it:
After reading a review of this, I requested it for the Peach Committee, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I felt compelled to finish the story in just a couple of my coffee-fueled morning reads. I think most teen girls, maybe some boys, will identify with the painful crush depicted here and may even discover tools to fight weak and insidious people who get off on hurting and undermining others.
Tess and her mother leave Chicago and a husband-father who ran their family, not with an More...
Tess and her mother leave Chicago and a husband-father who ran their family, not with an More...
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Jun 03, 2010
Sonja
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 02, 2010
Jeanna
rated it:
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Jun 03, 2010
Erika
rated it:
Plot: 3/5
Creativity: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Impact: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
I love a good love story. I love reading books that make me feel tingly and warm. But those kinds of romances are only one kind- there's a much darker kind of relationships, the kind that can destroy people. Albatross is one of those.
Tess moves to a new town- the aftermath of her parents' divorce. She isn't angry, though. After years of watching her father treat her and More...
Creativity: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Impact: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
I love a good love story. I love reading books that make me feel tingly and warm. But those kinds of romances are only one kind- there's a much darker kind of relationships, the kind that can destroy people. Albatross is one of those.
Tess moves to a new town- the aftermath of her parents' divorce. She isn't angry, though. After years of watching her father treat her and More...
Mar 20, 2010
Heather
rated it:
This book really put destructive relationships into the forefront and how damaging they can be. This reminded me a lot of the destructive relationship in Twilight between Bella and Edward. That's one of the things I didn't like about the Twilight series. I felt their relationship was very destructive and not healthy at all. And a lot of young girls may believe that's what they want....
This book shows the appeal of guys like Edward, dark and brooding and controlling, but how that is r More...
This book shows the appeal of guys like Edward, dark and brooding and controlling, but how that is r More...
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Mar 05, 2011
Bookworm1858
rated it:
Summary: Tess has just moved to a new town with her mother, leaving behind her abusive dad. She feels lost and alone at school until she meets Micah, the brilliant and gorgeous guy who soon comes to consume her thoughts.
*Spoilers ahead*
Thoughts: I had seen several positive reviews of this throughout the blogosphere so when I noticed it at my library, I snatched it up and read it fairly quickly. It is not my usual type of book as it deals with relationship abuse; Tess's dad an More...
*Spoilers ahead*
Thoughts: I had seen several positive reviews of this throughout the blogosphere so when I noticed it at my library, I snatched it up and read it fairly quickly. It is not my usual type of book as it deals with relationship abuse; Tess's dad an More...
Mar 07, 2010
Lisa (A Life Bound By Books)
rated it:
WOW....
4 Stars - It took me awhile to write this review after reading this book, because the story affected me so much. I still don't think this review does it justice. I think you'll need to read it to understand what I mean.
What's scary about this book? That there's people out there like this.... it gave me shivers and really made me think about how there are some cruel people out there, come big or small, old or young.
When Tess moves with her mother to a n More...
4 Stars - It took me awhile to write this review after reading this book, because the story affected me so much. I still don't think this review does it justice. I think you'll need to read it to understand what I mean.
What's scary about this book? That there's people out there like this.... it gave me shivers and really made me think about how there are some cruel people out there, come big or small, old or young.
When Tess moves with her mother to a n More...
Mar 05, 2010
Katie
rated it:
I really had no idea what to expect when I started Albatross. I hadn't read any reviews and the summary didn't give much away. I kind of liked not knowing what was coming and in the end I really liked the book.
Tess is new in town. After a rough divorce she moves to a new town in Michigan with her mom, one where she knows no one and doesn't really care. All that changes when she meets Micah. He is unlike anyone Tess has ever known and she is immediately drawn to him. Despite everyone More...
Tess is new in town. After a rough divorce she moves to a new town in Michigan with her mom, one where she knows no one and doesn't really care. All that changes when she meets Micah. He is unlike anyone Tess has ever known and she is immediately drawn to him. Despite everyone More...
Dec 16, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
Tess was trying to make it work in her new town of Grand River, Michigan. She never wanted to move from Chicago, where her old life, boyfriend, and best friend remained. However, it was best for her mom after the divorce from her father.
Part of making it work, which in turn makes her mother happy, meant doing things that Tess would normally do if she was back in Chicago, like participating in t More...
Tess was trying to make it work in her new town of Grand River, Michigan. She never wanted to move from Chicago, where her old life, boyfriend, and best friend remained. However, it was best for her mom after the divorce from her father.
Part of making it work, which in turn makes her mother happy, meant doing things that Tess would normally do if she was back in Chicago, like participating in t More...
Mar 10, 2010
Alissa
rated it: 
Not all abusive relationships are physical. Some are all about head games. Albatross is a detailed look at one such relationship. New girl in town and all-around good-girl Tess falls hard for loner Micah...and she stays around even when he ignores her, insults her, guilt trips her, and hurts her feelings. Disturbing, in a way. I just can't understand why Tess, who is obviously smart, put up with Micah for nearly 200 pages when she should have kicked him to the curb after the first 10.
Feb 05, 2010
Suzanne
rated it:
Interestingly, this is the first book I've read in which Facebook is a plot point. Bloss totally nails the potential angst in "friending" and IMing, as well as in high school relationships in general. I found the characters 100% unique and believable, and the sustained tension kept me reading. I finished this book in 24 hours. This woman can write!
Feb 10, 2010
laaaaames
rated it:
Ag, closing it and putting it away at the end of my lunch hour was brutal.
Really liked this one, even though reading it was horrifying at times. It's rough seeing someone make bad choices, tougher sometimes when you see how you could have been led to make the same one.
(read: 13)
Really liked this one, even though reading it was horrifying at times. It's rough seeing someone make bad choices, tougher sometimes when you see how you could have been led to make the same one.
(read: 13)
Jul 09, 2010
Stacie
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 13, 2012
Caterina
rated it:
Mysterious, exotic, peculiar, enticing, intense, attractive, geeky, Micah is just that. Tess views Micah as an irresistible enigma, that some great force, greater than herself, is pulling her towards. Although Albatross is a relatively thin novel there is much more to it than many larger novels. Josie Bloss discusses many teen insecurities, problems, and the darker side of relationships. In the beginning Micah starts out as the seemingly perfect boyfriend, but as the relationship grows so does T
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Mar 10, 2010
Amy
rated it:
[Won in a contest from Daphne Unfeasible (aka Kate Schafer Testerman of KT Literary):]
This was definitely not what I was expecting at first! I was imagining some kind of omg-he's-so-hot-and-perfect story. Really, it's about the twisted way people can make you feel and how you need to find your own strength to survive without them.
A book for anyone who has ever been in a bad relationship.
This was definitely not what I was expecting at first! I was imagining some kind of omg-he's-so-hot-and-perfect story. Really, it's about the twisted way people can make you feel and how you need to find your own strength to survive without them.
A book for anyone who has ever been in a bad relationship.
Apr 29, 2010
At times I felt claustrophobic reading this book, but that just means Bloss did an amazing job telling the story.
Mar 26, 2010
Karin
rated it: 
Blech. This author is just not for me. At least the ending was satisfying.
Sep 22, 2011
Ceylan Pelin
rated it:
The author mentioned some good points about repressive, dominant and in the meantime possessive fathers and boyfriends. Another point was that Tess was attracted to a boyfriend (which is actually not a boyfriend) who bears some characteristic resemblances with his father. The author has analyzed well these factors with flashbacks to the relationship between Tess and his father. Maybe the book could be a little bit longer and detailed but that’s fine. It was a short and nice reading.
Jul 13, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
I felt such empathy for the main character and her mom. Suppressing your true thoughts because you're afraid someone will ditch you is so painfully true to high school that it was tough to take sometimes. Especially in boy/girl dynamics. Realistic and satisfying, easy to relate to, and I also felt such relief that I haven't been around any albatrosses of my own or others' making in many years!!
Feb 07, 2011
I totally dislike this book. The main character is manipulated by a freak guy and her father is such an urggh.. I can't say it here for respect of the author and readers.
Jun 12, 2011
Stephanie
rated it:
I'll leave a better review after I have a day or two to digest this book. It hit a little close to home for me. The ending, as some others have mentioned was a bit rushed and a little too clean, but this was a powerful and important book. Loved it.
Feb 12, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
Jan 29, 2012
