And I was so looking forward to this one! It sounded really imaginative. I guess imaginative doesn't have to be synonymous with well-written. This sounds pretty darn sappy.

Well, maybe if you skip all the flashbacks? The other part really was interesting.

I had the same response to the "But Mel -- we just CAN'T!" scene. For godsake, it's supposedly an adult book ... and STILL we get no action?

Exactly! And if it's an adult book, why does she have to be seventeen? I actually was reading Melanie as much older (mid-thirties?) until I got to that part, but maybe there was just a really long time between the flashbacks and the present..?
I admit I didn't read any further than that, but it seemed like a very high-school view of relationships.

There were 3 years between the flashbacks and present time. So Mel was a whopping 20 years old and maybe (maybe?) her older boyfriend had finally "allowed" (HA!) her to have sex with him. (??) Gah! I can't help but wonder this: If Stephanie Meyer wasn't Mormon, would her characters get more action?

No doubt!

I hope he finally, er, relented. :)

I am shocked you actually gave it two stars! You have gone soft on Meyer! ;-)

You didn't finish... and you apparently don't plan to... so I don't mind spoiling the ending -- they end up being able to remove "Wanderer" from Mel, but they end up re-implanting her into a human... a girl who's been implanted with ANOTHER "soul", her whole life, and thus has no mind of her own to supplant. Though, this host? 16. And "Wanderer" lies about the hosts age, in order to be able to get physical with the guy she fell in love with, when she was in Mel's body.

I hear Meyers loves the love triangle angle, but, here, she has a love square. All the worse because not only does the first guy lack personality, he sort of becomes an asshole, over the course of the story.

Clearly, you needed a big, strong, man to save you from this book... ?

Here's where I run and hide.

Though, first, I'll point out that I read the whole thing in one day, when I was down with a bad back. That's the only reason I finished it, at all. Moving, to get a different book, was worse than the book, itself. Barely.

HA! Testify, sister!

Aaaawesome! Exactly.

Wow, that's amazing... I hate Jared, but I really did like the book... except for the stupid flashbacks. And the whole internal struggle with "I love Jared, but I can't love Jared because Mel loves Jared, and I don't want to hurt Ian because he has a crush on me and oh, I guess I'll go off and try to kill myself over and over again until I succeed! But now I'll lie about my age so I can have sex with Ian!"

I have to admit, I had a really hard time getting into this book, but I persevered I'd say it got better about halfway through the book. I think you should go back. Oh, and I hated Jared. Through the ENTIRE book. That doesn't get better.

I totally agree. My friend has been trying to read it for a few months and she's almost to the part where Kyle tries to kill her, which is around where it picks up.
What was with the whole Jared kissing Wanda at the end? And I love you with all my heart? That part made me so freaking ticked.

Jenne, thank you for such a funny review. It was more entertaining to read than the novel itself. I laughed so hard. I liked none of the characters in The Host except maybe Mel. The entire book was extremely predictable, from the very beginning..It dragged on and on...There were NO suprises for me. Would not read it again.

Hahaha! Nice review. It gave me a good laugh. I only got about 50 pages into the book and could not go any further, and have no desire to try and read it again.

Since you didn't finish it....I'll add to the spoiler and say that there is a TINY bit of action.

I know a lot of people take issue with the way she writes her love stories, and I can see your points. She certainly doesn't write about mature love. But she manages to capture the obsessive, anxious, explosive feeling of first love better than any other author I've read. No wonder her female characters are so young. If that's the sort of relationship she likes to explore, then more power to her - she's great at it.

And man, can she tell a great story. I have a ton of time on my hands, so I read this one in two days...but it definitely kept me turning pages. I don't know if I would have felt differently only having 20-30 minutes at a time for reading each day. Plus, I thought that the central predicament of the story was pretty cool.

But yeah, when I got to that part about his "old-fashioned" values, I definitely rolled my eyes. For a second I was thinking she was about to get preachy...but I was pleasantly surprised.

Ok Did some of you get past the FIRST 70 PAGES?? If not, then CONTINUE YOUR READING! Stephenie Meyer did one thing wrong, she bored the crap out of me and it took me an entire month to get thru the first 70 pages. Once I did, her writing style and the story completely changed and once I gave in, I got hooked. GIVE IT ANOTHER TRY.

did Wanda and Ian have sex? if they did was it when she was in Mel? i havn't read this in a while.... i dont think they did... do u think they ever will? =/ i loved this book! it made me cry, i love books that make me cry or make me feel what the main character is feeling and i dont think it was at all sappy.

i liked the book except that part it was stupid, the same I LOVE YOU I NEED TO DO IT WITH YOU!!! blah blah blah, but the rest of it was pretty good i wont read it agian anytime soon but i might never think of reading it soon

I am just going to say ONE thing. Miss Meyer's sex life has to SUCK.

Have a good day everybody.

Two things lack in this book: 1) VERY slow first 70 pages. 2) Romance but no sex

SO, if you can get past both, this book rocks more than Twilight. Give it a try!

okay haha i re-read it. i liked it. umm when my best friend told me to read this book, i forgot to write down the name of it so i looked up steph on google/wikipedia. i got the names of all the books she wrote (twilight saga and the host). but i scrolled down and it said that she would continue with this story with two sequels. the soul and then the seeker. so there will a possibility for a sex life for ian and wanda... :)

Mel82 wrote: "I am just going to say ONE thing. Miss Meyer's sex life has to SUCK.

Have a good day everybody."

xD LOL

If you want to read a book just about sex, go to the romance isle.

I agree with everyone that Meyer's sex life by the book isn't that great,but what if she's just being mindful of the young teens that might read it?It was Sappy as for the love complex...host loving human in a human's body who happens to like another guy.The guy wants to but doesn't because of the constant reminder of a host in his lover's body.The book was played out well.What about the ending?Am I the only one who thinks it shouldn't have ended like it did...or do you think she's planning a sequel???O.o

yes, shes gonna make a sequel. she said that IF (and she did) she finishes the host, she will make two sequels. the soul then the seeker. XD

Omg!!!XD I'm buyin' it!!Thanx for the info.

yw but i have no idea if shes workin on it now or later with all this twilight touring stuff shes doing (at least im pretty sure shes doing) lol.

lol,Twilight is getting old...

haha yeaa

Thank you. I felt the same way about Twilight. I took that one off my list to read.

*nods*I understand the phase has almost past,the second movie has everyone hanging on to the tips of their books,so It might just,almost be over.lol,plusEdward in the movie isn't so hot compared to the description in the book.

oh yeah! ^^^ thats exactly what i thought. i dont think everyone is on love with robert pattinson, its edward, the character in the book.

I know right!!Some of my friends went crazy during the movie,but of course there was an after affect of "Edward wasn't as I exoected him to be" or "The sparkle wasn't there..." By the wasy,VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE. O.o,LOL

haha

I think you judge this book by looking at those few pages that make you feel uncomfortable. The review is about a couple of pages and not the book.

i rly loved this book. i loved it so much i re-read it twice. and ill read it more but my aunt is borrowing it. i liked that few pages. i mean when in a relationship, you'll talk about sex eventually. and i think that um hello - its a sex convo! aren't they all uncomfortable? i thought the book was amazing!

The book was good,is good,but we were talking about what stood out,what we thought was appropiate and what wasn't

yeah. i was too..... i was talking about that few pages... AND i gave my overall thought on the book.

I know...

oh i thought u were talking to me. lol!

Sorry,I was talking about what Megan posted,lol

Anyone else notice how Meyer books spawn some of the funniest reviews ever? Even if I didn't like the books I'd love the woman for giving me some serious laughs. :)
Okay, so The Host is largely clichéd and cheesy, but who cares really? It's enjoyable, especially the last half. I think it's pretty remarkable how a woman who writes books about vampires who sparkle and aliens called Wanda that look like squids is now uber rich and famous :L
Her books, when you strip them down, have way too many flaws and are often kinda stupid, but they're fun, in a mindless way. An Meyer is a Mormon, so her books were never going to consist of vamp & alien orgies, however funny that may have been. :L

You didn't finish this book, did you? Well, if you did, you would know that that was the only reference to sappiness in the whole freakin' book and it is so much better than Twilight, because the thing about Bella and Edward wishing the other would hate each other rather than say I Love you like a hundred times a paragraph, in kissing, mental, and verbal form, has just like gotten on my nerves!!!

Meg wrote: "I think you judge this book by looking at those few pages that make you feel uncomfortable. The review is about a couple of pages and not the book. "

Uh, exactly! Sheesh! You don't read the back-summary or the first few chapters of any book and think you know it all!

I personally really enjoyed The Host!! A fun read, a little confusing at first and all but other than that it was amazing!! Yeah it was a little sappy and a little stupid in the beginning but it made the book and if she is making a sequel, than I'll definetely be one of the first to buy it

i personally adored this book, i really enjoyed it, yes the beginning is slow and confusing, but after that, wow its amazing :) you just have to be patient with writers like stephenie meyer lol :) x

You got this book on the head. Why, oh, why does Stephany Meyer write such emotionally weak female characters?

I loved the book but still found your review funny, thanks for the laugh :)

Your review made me laugh. xD But it's so true. Good job!