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Dating Down
When a good girl falls for a bad boy
She thought she loved him. She thought she could change him. She thought if she just believed in him enough, his cheating and his drugs and his lying would stop, and she'd be his and he'd be hers and they'd love each other forever.
But for Samantha Henderson, X-the boy she will not name-is trouble. He's older, edgier, bohemian . . . and when he starts paying attention to Sam, she can't resist him. Samantha's family and friends try to warn her, but still she stays with him, risking her future and everything that really matters.
As moody and vivid as it is captivating, Dating Down is told in scenes and bursts of poetry that create a story filled with hurt, healing, and hope.
She thought she loved him. She thought she could change him. She thought if she just believed in him enough, his cheating and his drugs and his lying would stop, and she'd be his and he'd be hers and they'd love each other forever.
But for Samantha Henderson, X-the boy she will not name-is trouble. He's older, edgier, bohemian . . . and when he starts paying attention to Sam, she can't resist him. Samantha's family and friends try to warn her, but still she stays with him, risking her future and everything that really matters.
As moody and vivid as it is captivating, Dating Down is told in scenes and bursts of poetry that create a story filled with hurt, healing, and hope.
312 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 9, 2015
You can also read my review HERE.
Do you have an EX? I have. [sorry you didn't know mom :(] Anyway, if you have.. why did you bro– I mean, you will relate to this book ;) If you don’t have, CONGRATS PLS FIND THE RIGHT GUY AND READ THIS TO FIND OUT ALL ABOUT EX.
Samantha Henderson thought it is love already with this guy she met in a coffee shop. Let’s call him X. X is the guy she thought she ever want in a guy. She started falling in love even though friends started saying he’s trouble. See, X is a bad boy. But Samantha is falling in love so she refuses to see it. But when Samantha started losing things and people that really matter, she must re-think if Love is what she’s really feeling.
Okay, let’s get to the point– the main character is stupid. She is. It’s not Insta-love, Smanatha already liked this guy befoooore and then he started noticing her and she started losing brain cells. Honestly, I don’t know what to feel because it was so stupid and naive of her.. but weren’t we in that position before? Like, haven’t you ever thought ‘oh, this is love. this is it’ even though you’re the only one who actually thinks that? Hmmm? Hmm?
I guess Dating Down worked for me because even thought it was written in verse (which I am a fan of) it was relatable. I found myself feeling for Samantha. I kept up with her struggles, her confusion and I was glad that she sought everything out before it was too late. Dating Down isn’t just about a girl liking a boy, it’s also about friendship, family and self realizations.
I mentioned that Dating Down is written in verse and it was amazing. Lyon’s verses is not that hard to understand, on point and yet intricately written. I really recommend this for people who love poetry, but even though you’re not, I still think that you will enjoy Samantha’s story.
Dating Down is for people who understands how to become a teenager, for people who has been confused about love and still figuring it out.
“I will call him X.
X
for the reasons I crossed him out of my life.
X
for the number of times I plunged into self destruction.
X
because his name would only give him a place in your mind that he does not deserve.”
Do you have an EX? I have. [sorry you didn't know mom :(] Anyway, if you have.. why did you bro– I mean, you will relate to this book ;) If you don’t have, CONGRATS PLS FIND THE RIGHT GUY AND READ THIS TO FIND OUT ALL ABOUT EX.
Samantha Henderson thought it is love already with this guy she met in a coffee shop. Let’s call him X. X is the guy she thought she ever want in a guy. She started falling in love even though friends started saying he’s trouble. See, X is a bad boy. But Samantha is falling in love so she refuses to see it. But when Samantha started losing things and people that really matter, she must re-think if Love is what she’s really feeling.
Okay, let’s get to the point– the main character is stupid. She is. It’s not Insta-love, Smanatha already liked this guy befoooore and then he started noticing her and she started losing brain cells. Honestly, I don’t know what to feel because it was so stupid and naive of her.. but weren’t we in that position before? Like, haven’t you ever thought ‘oh, this is love. this is it’ even though you’re the only one who actually thinks that? Hmmm? Hmm?
I guess Dating Down worked for me because even thought it was written in verse (which I am a fan of) it was relatable. I found myself feeling for Samantha. I kept up with her struggles, her confusion and I was glad that she sought everything out before it was too late. Dating Down isn’t just about a girl liking a boy, it’s also about friendship, family and self realizations.
I mentioned that Dating Down is written in verse and it was amazing. Lyon’s verses is not that hard to understand, on point and yet intricately written. I really recommend this for people who love poetry, but even though you’re not, I still think that you will enjoy Samantha’s story.
Dating Down is for people who understands how to become a teenager, for people who has been confused about love and still figuring it out.
June 8, 2015
Okay so I'm putting this book down at 15% because I just don't think that this one is going to work out for me. It's told completely in verse, and while I normally never have any qualms when reading verse, this one is just not keeping my attention. I'm sure this one will work for many of you, but this just isn't my cup of tea because I feel like I'm read randomly broken up sentences (which is just plain annoying) that contain no emotion.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
February 16, 2022
the love interest was a piece of shit and a very big red flag. but im ok with the end at least she broke up w him. poems were ok tho, writing was fine (i was forced to write this)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2014
I did not enjoy this book.
Maybe a teenager would enjoy this book but to me it was just a string of non-sensical phrases. I think the description of the book was more descriptive than the actual book in terms of the story.
Okay, so I get it is supposed to read like poetry or something like text-messaging exchanges, but it literally made my head hurt to try to piece this together. I spent so much time trying to figure out what was going on with this book that I have no clue what was actually going on.
I'm giving it two stars to be generous. I'm not even counting this on my yearly read list.
Maybe a teenager would enjoy this book but to me it was just a string of non-sensical phrases. I think the description of the book was more descriptive than the actual book in terms of the story.
Okay, so I get it is supposed to read like poetry or something like text-messaging exchanges, but it literally made my head hurt to try to piece this together. I spent so much time trying to figure out what was going on with this book that I have no clue what was actually going on.
I'm giving it two stars to be generous. I'm not even counting this on my yearly read list.
February 17, 2016
I feel like I would've liked Dating Down if the character development were much stronger. But alas. I just didn't feel connected to the MC or the story. Some of the poetry was good but the rest just lacked emotional impact. I usually enjoy verse novels but I'm lukewarm about this one.
January 5, 2015
This book suprised me and I actually liked it a lot. I can see it will be a style that people either love or hate. I quite like verse novels (The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick is in my mind perfect) - the author went from some passages of straight text into free form stream of consciousness writing at times - but I felt carried away with the story. The plotting is not perfect and the situation with her step-mother seemed a little contrived but all in all it was an engaging read and I think Stefanie Lyons has a compelling way with words.
Received with thanks from NetGalley.
Received with thanks from NetGalley.
July 21, 2015
I received Dating Down by Stefanie Lyons through Goodreads First Reads Giveaways. Dating Down is the story of smart, artistic, high school student Samantha Henderson and her new, older boyfriend X. This Young Adult novel is told completely in verse. I loved it!
July 18, 2015
3.5 stars
March 23, 2021
If this book teaches anything it’s that you shouldn’t invest your time in toxic relationships and that you will always have support from others. It was a nice read and I enjoyed the outcome of this story. Wasn’t yet again another book where the protagonist just looks past the abuse and manipulation.
April 28, 2015
*Also posted at Oops! I Read A Book Again*
Thank you to Flux Books and NetGalley for the review copy! Having received one did not affect my views of the novel.
It's not surprising for a poetry lover like me to seek out and love verse novels as well. Heck, I even seek out poetry-like elements in the prose novels I read because I'm all for lyrical and poetic prose. I didn't know that Dating Down was a verse novel. In fact, I skipped on it when I saw it on Netgalley but when I saw Krystianna of Downright Dystopian give it four stars, I decided to give it a whirl and requested it. I then started reading it one night that I couldn't sleep because it was short. So when I discovered that it's actually a verse novel, I knew I was in for a treat. Treat me and spoil me was exactly what Dating Down did.
Dating Down is told from the perspective of Sam Henderson, a shy high school senior who paints. And the daughter of a state senatorial candidate. The book starts with Sam telling us that this is about a boy, who won't be named, and who we'll call only with X. Dating Down chronicles her crush on X, the hipster-boho college-aged barista on the coffee shop she frequents, and their imminent relationship. It all started out cute and sweet and sure, I was actually swooning because X is definitely smooth. But he was too smooth and too good to be true. We later learn that X is actually a drug dealer. Sam is affronted by this but she eventually comes around to it and even starts using herself.
Sam has been dealing with her mom's death, her father's eventual second marriage, the changes in her father and his lack of time for her, expectations, and quite possibly the one that nags her the most -- not living. She feels like she's not living life to the fullest and she sees X as her getaway to do exactly this. X changed it all.
While Sam gets lost in X's world, she's been ditching her friends April and Gavin, her sister duties to Melanie, her painting for her application for art school, and her father's campaign. She becomes so engrossed in X's world that she blows off her responsibilities and every other person in her life.
It was evident that everything will come crashing down soon enough and while everything was expected, I give props to Stefanie Lyons to keeping up the ante and making us feel for Sam. All I want too is for her to live her life but I don't want her to do it with X. But then, I can't even fault her for finding X the edgy and shiny thing that he is because he definitely is. For someone who's been bottling it up, falling in love with X is the most freeing thing she has ever done. And if she's trying so hard not to lose him, I can definitely understand.
Shit, I'm not doing this book any justice. Even though the plot's been done before, this book triumphs in its words. This is a verse novel done right. Full of imagery and certain passages can knock you out of your breath. I can't remember how many times I just marveled at the words and how many times I just wanted to stop reading and let the beauty wash me.
Lastly, the cover. SO ON POINT. Sam's a painter, a Vespa is pertinent to the story, the title DATING DOWN plays a role in the novel.
Thank you to Flux Books and NetGalley for the review copy! Having received one did not affect my views of the novel.
It's not surprising for a poetry lover like me to seek out and love verse novels as well. Heck, I even seek out poetry-like elements in the prose novels I read because I'm all for lyrical and poetic prose. I didn't know that Dating Down was a verse novel. In fact, I skipped on it when I saw it on Netgalley but when I saw Krystianna of Downright Dystopian give it four stars, I decided to give it a whirl and requested it. I then started reading it one night that I couldn't sleep because it was short. So when I discovered that it's actually a verse novel, I knew I was in for a treat. Treat me and spoil me was exactly what Dating Down did.
Dating Down is told from the perspective of Sam Henderson, a shy high school senior who paints. And the daughter of a state senatorial candidate. The book starts with Sam telling us that this is about a boy, who won't be named, and who we'll call only with X. Dating Down chronicles her crush on X, the hipster-boho college-aged barista on the coffee shop she frequents, and their imminent relationship. It all started out cute and sweet and sure, I was actually swooning because X is definitely smooth. But he was too smooth and too good to be true. We later learn that X is actually a drug dealer. Sam is affronted by this but she eventually comes around to it and even starts using herself.
Sam has been dealing with her mom's death, her father's eventual second marriage, the changes in her father and his lack of time for her, expectations, and quite possibly the one that nags her the most -- not living. She feels like she's not living life to the fullest and she sees X as her getaway to do exactly this. X changed it all.
While Sam gets lost in X's world, she's been ditching her friends April and Gavin, her sister duties to Melanie, her painting for her application for art school, and her father's campaign. She becomes so engrossed in X's world that she blows off her responsibilities and every other person in her life.
It was evident that everything will come crashing down soon enough and while everything was expected, I give props to Stefanie Lyons to keeping up the ante and making us feel for Sam. All I want too is for her to live her life but I don't want her to do it with X. But then, I can't even fault her for finding X the edgy and shiny thing that he is because he definitely is. For someone who's been bottling it up, falling in love with X is the most freeing thing she has ever done. And if she's trying so hard not to lose him, I can definitely understand.
Shit, I'm not doing this book any justice. Even though the plot's been done before, this book triumphs in its words. This is a verse novel done right. Full of imagery and certain passages can knock you out of your breath. I can't remember how many times I just marveled at the words and how many times I just wanted to stop reading and let the beauty wash me.
Lastly, the cover. SO ON POINT. Sam's a painter, a Vespa is pertinent to the story, the title DATING DOWN plays a role in the novel.
I'll live you with my favorite passage/chapter of this book, and quite possibly, the most powerful.
I am greater than a shoe size. I am more interesting than a label.
I am deeper than an opinion. I am more than a politician's daughter.
I am smarter than a test score. I am more valuable than diamond
earrings. I am larger than a fashion trend. I am stronger than a drug.
I am a cut above
priority mail
my own masterpiece
executive platinum
finer than bone china
blue ribbon-worthy
senior level
VIP
leading lady material
I am all that and a sister-daughter-friend bag of chips... ... and
I am ready to love.
February 23, 2015
Short and Sweet:
I'm developing a huge weakness for books told in poetic form, and this one goes right on my list of ones to recommend for that! It's a wonderful and emotional story that reads super quickly.
To Elaborate...
Samantha, "Sam", Henderson is exhausted with keeping up good girl appearances for her father's politicial campaign. She just wants to relax and be herself, a girl who loves art. When she meets X, she can't stay away from him, an older, college-aged guy who seems to know everyone and has an irresistable bad boy edge...and a drug problem. She will try to change him, but she may just be pulled down with him.
More than just her name, I relate to Samantha a lot. Growing up, I was very much seen as the good girl with the unrealistic dream (ok, so I'm still sometimes seen as that haha). It's exhausting having people try to force you onto a pedestal that you have no place being on, nor do you want to be there. Granted, no one in my family was running for office, so there wasn't nearly as much pressure than what Sam faces in this book. I even had a similar-feeling relationship to an "X" that she does, minus the drugs and partying. I think a lot of people have a relationship at some point in their lives with someone who can't/won't/refuses to change or grow when it comes to a serious problem (like drugs or excessive cheating), and you just have to find a way to deal, whether that means cutting ties and moving on or staying with them and hoping for the best.
What I really like about the story is that Sam isn't the only one facing an issue of "Dating Down". For me, I don't really consider dating anyone, regardless of status, dating down in terms of the actual person, but I do think we sometimes settle for a relationship that doesn't legitimately meet our needs or isn't truly healthy for us (hence the Perks of Being a Wallflower "You accept the love you think you deserve"). Sam's two close friends are also facing that, and I love how the author parallels them when at first glance, the issues are so different. Her closest girl friend is dating a guy who seems to only want her around when he wants something/treats her like a dog basically, and her closest guy friend is having a series of heartaches over a long distance relationship. All of them are unhappy, but they all deal with it differently.
The reason I gave this 4 hearts instead of 5 in the rhyming scheme. I really love how the author mixes it up (and some of it is free verse), and most of it is wonderful, but there are times of just ABAB schemes, and those weirdly and irrationally bother me. It's such a weird and completely me-specific issue to have, so I don't see this bothering most people, but I had to mention it. Overall, I think a lot of people will like this! It's like a wonderful mash up of Meg Cabot's All American Girl and Ellen Hopkin's Crank.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2...
I'm developing a huge weakness for books told in poetic form, and this one goes right on my list of ones to recommend for that! It's a wonderful and emotional story that reads super quickly.
To Elaborate...
Samantha, "Sam", Henderson is exhausted with keeping up good girl appearances for her father's politicial campaign. She just wants to relax and be herself, a girl who loves art. When she meets X, she can't stay away from him, an older, college-aged guy who seems to know everyone and has an irresistable bad boy edge...and a drug problem. She will try to change him, but she may just be pulled down with him.
More than just her name, I relate to Samantha a lot. Growing up, I was very much seen as the good girl with the unrealistic dream (ok, so I'm still sometimes seen as that haha). It's exhausting having people try to force you onto a pedestal that you have no place being on, nor do you want to be there. Granted, no one in my family was running for office, so there wasn't nearly as much pressure than what Sam faces in this book. I even had a similar-feeling relationship to an "X" that she does, minus the drugs and partying. I think a lot of people have a relationship at some point in their lives with someone who can't/won't/refuses to change or grow when it comes to a serious problem (like drugs or excessive cheating), and you just have to find a way to deal, whether that means cutting ties and moving on or staying with them and hoping for the best.
What I really like about the story is that Sam isn't the only one facing an issue of "Dating Down". For me, I don't really consider dating anyone, regardless of status, dating down in terms of the actual person, but I do think we sometimes settle for a relationship that doesn't legitimately meet our needs or isn't truly healthy for us (hence the Perks of Being a Wallflower "You accept the love you think you deserve"). Sam's two close friends are also facing that, and I love how the author parallels them when at first glance, the issues are so different. Her closest girl friend is dating a guy who seems to only want her around when he wants something/treats her like a dog basically, and her closest guy friend is having a series of heartaches over a long distance relationship. All of them are unhappy, but they all deal with it differently.
The reason I gave this 4 hearts instead of 5 in the rhyming scheme. I really love how the author mixes it up (and some of it is free verse), and most of it is wonderful, but there are times of just ABAB schemes, and those weirdly and irrationally bother me. It's such a weird and completely me-specific issue to have, so I don't see this bothering most people, but I had to mention it. Overall, I think a lot of people will like this! It's like a wonderful mash up of Meg Cabot's All American Girl and Ellen Hopkin's Crank.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2...
February 16, 2015
When I saw this title on Netgalley I was so excited to see a novel in verse! Ever since I found Ellen Hopkins, I've been obsessed with novels in verse. I also totally loved this colors in this cover. The coral, pinks, and purples work so well together and the cute scooter on the front drew me in. With that said, though, I was hoping for one thing, and totally got another. I wanted so badly to like this book since novels in verse don't get the credit they deserve sometime, but I wasn't excited about this one. It took a lot for me to get through it.
First of all, the characters were very predictable. I've read so many novels about girls with dad's in the spotlight and not feeling good enough. It's fine to have that in your plot, but this one just didn't fit. Also the good girl and bad boy thing has been done before and didn't feel very fresh. Samantha's friends and little sister ended up being my favorite characters.
I'm such a huge fan of novels in verse, but this one was really difficult to follow. Was it because I was reading it on a Kindle and not a hard copy? I don't know. The formatting wasn't very helpful on the Kindle, but even the wording was difficult and it sounded like a bunch of words strung together. I get that this was a teenager talking to her friends through text and short conversations, but I just couldn't follow it.
Maybe my middle school students would be able to read it and follow the craziness, but I just couldn't do it. Which makes me sad...because I love novels in verse... - Laura
First of all, the characters were very predictable. I've read so many novels about girls with dad's in the spotlight and not feeling good enough. It's fine to have that in your plot, but this one just didn't fit. Also the good girl and bad boy thing has been done before and didn't feel very fresh. Samantha's friends and little sister ended up being my favorite characters.
I'm such a huge fan of novels in verse, but this one was really difficult to follow. Was it because I was reading it on a Kindle and not a hard copy? I don't know. The formatting wasn't very helpful on the Kindle, but even the wording was difficult and it sounded like a bunch of words strung together. I get that this was a teenager talking to her friends through text and short conversations, but I just couldn't follow it.
Maybe my middle school students would be able to read it and follow the craziness, but I just couldn't do it. Which makes me sad...because I love novels in verse... - Laura
November 5, 2014
Wow! What a gorgeous book! I Loved it from page one to the last word. It is a powerful and beautiful coming of age story told in stream of consciousness verse equal to Sonya Sones' books. Fans of books written in 1st person verse will not be disappointed! I loved the narrator, her friends, her ups and downs and her struggles to grow up in spite of it all. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of Sonya Sones or free form verse narrations. If you've never read a verse book before, check it out! It's wonderful.
February 19, 2015
I don't know how I missed this, but this book is written in verse, and its done well. I can't stand when books use verse and it doesn't seem to have a purpose, this one fulfills its purpose strongly! I can't say that I personally loved the storyline, but its a good, strong title. It has a bit of the feel of My Book Of Life By Angel in a different context. Overall, awesome, just not 100% for me and therefore, maybe not for everyone.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ARC to read and review :)
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ARC to read and review :)
March 8, 2015
3.5 Stars
Reviews soon.
Reviews soon.
February 6, 2018
I think I would have liked this book better had I read it before Crank by Ellen Hopkins, but as far as a story about a good girl who dates a meth addict goes, Crank had much higher stakes and more drama.
This novel doesn't deal with the issues of addiction--Sam does drugs for weeks and then quits cold turkey and doesn't care. I liked the novel but had I known it was going to be another one about drugs I probably wouldn't have picked it up. I thought her bad boyfriend was going to be a different brand of bad, when reading the synopsis.
Even so, it's a fast read and the story is pretty decent. Some messages in here about family and moving on from toxic pepe in your life. It's a more suitable YA read for younger audiences than Crank was, that's for sure.
This novel doesn't deal with the issues of addiction--Sam does drugs for weeks and then quits cold turkey and doesn't care. I liked the novel but had I known it was going to be another one about drugs I probably wouldn't have picked it up. I thought her bad boyfriend was going to be a different brand of bad, when reading the synopsis.
Even so, it's a fast read and the story is pretty decent. Some messages in here about family and moving on from toxic pepe in your life. It's a more suitable YA read for younger audiences than Crank was, that's for sure.
January 11, 2021
Dating Down by Stefanie Lyons is a novel-in-verse that details a relationship about a “good girl” dating the “bad older guy” and doing things out of character to fit in. Samantha goes down the rabbit hole of dating an older guy who is also a drug dealer and in the process she starts to lose her friendships and relationships that matter to her. She reevaluates what love really means and recognizes her self-destructive ways.
I really love the poetry, the fast paced, and the description of the feelings that main character goes through. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a novel-in-verse and this novel reminded me how much I love them! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I really love the poetry, the fast paced, and the description of the feelings that main character goes through. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a novel-in-verse and this novel reminded me how much I love them! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
April 17, 2018
(Trigger warning for drug use.)
This book was...rough. Relatable on some levels, but it mostly read a whole lot like a shorter version of Crank. Crank and Ellen Hopkins's other books were good to me when I read them years and years ago. Now, not so much. I wouldn't be surprised if this had been written by her, except that it's shorter and not as good.
"Dating Down" is told completely in verse, which I really don't have a problem with, these books usually go by a lot faster and are just shorter. In this case, it really wasn't helpful. This book was trying to do something that really couldn't be done in verse. I feel like the story would've had more of an impact if it were told in a normal way instead.
Sam is an artist and the daughter of a politician and X is a boy who works at her local coffee shop. When X takes an interest in her, Sam follows along, and the ride she ends up on are more than she really bargained for.
The characters are okay. That's really is. Sam is your classic YA, "not a good girl but not a bad girl either" type of girl, and X is that classic bad boy. The characters don't really stand out that much.
The plot was really quick and really just...not good. This really has to do with the fact that the story is told in verse, like I mentioned before. It's just a story of a girl and this boy, and how he screws her over again and again. Nothing really worth while here.
In short, this book was okay. It was short and had a bittersweet ending but there really wasn't anything special to it. It's a good book for those who are just starting out reading books in verse, though I would recommend the Crank series before this.
This book was...rough. Relatable on some levels, but it mostly read a whole lot like a shorter version of Crank. Crank and Ellen Hopkins's other books were good to me when I read them years and years ago. Now, not so much. I wouldn't be surprised if this had been written by her, except that it's shorter and not as good.
"Dating Down" is told completely in verse, which I really don't have a problem with, these books usually go by a lot faster and are just shorter. In this case, it really wasn't helpful. This book was trying to do something that really couldn't be done in verse. I feel like the story would've had more of an impact if it were told in a normal way instead.
Sam is an artist and the daughter of a politician and X is a boy who works at her local coffee shop. When X takes an interest in her, Sam follows along, and the ride she ends up on are more than she really bargained for.
The characters are okay. That's really is. Sam is your classic YA, "not a good girl but not a bad girl either" type of girl, and X is that classic bad boy. The characters don't really stand out that much.
The plot was really quick and really just...not good. This really has to do with the fact that the story is told in verse, like I mentioned before. It's just a story of a girl and this boy, and how he screws her over again and again. Nothing really worth while here.
In short, this book was okay. It was short and had a bittersweet ending but there really wasn't anything special to it. It's a good book for those who are just starting out reading books in verse, though I would recommend the Crank series before this.
August 7, 2021
This book was a great book, but I had to give it 3 stars because the book was VERY fast-paced and it felt kind of rushed.
The book had a great story line to it and I enjoyed reading it! The waves of poetry were really a good addition to the story and I loved the style!
Overall, I give it 3 stars because the story was great and it kept the reader interested. But it was very rushed and sometimes with was hard to understand when it would switch to a new problem or topic. So these are the reasons I gave Dating Down 3 stars.
The book had a great story line to it and I enjoyed reading it! The waves of poetry were really a good addition to the story and I loved the style!
Overall, I give it 3 stars because the story was great and it kept the reader interested. But it was very rushed and sometimes with was hard to understand when it would switch to a new problem or topic. So these are the reasons I gave Dating Down 3 stars.
January 21, 2019
Too many pages and not enough happening.
Occasionally there's be a good poem/piece of prose, but only occasionally. Quick and light. Would've liked it to be heavier and dive deeper into some of the topics it skimmed on. The use of verse meant that didn't happen.
Occasionally there's be a good poem/piece of prose, but only occasionally. Quick and light. Would've liked it to be heavier and dive deeper into some of the topics it skimmed on. The use of verse meant that didn't happen.
May 16, 2020
Love this book! It is a truly romance story. It captures what being in love as a teenager and going through a heartbreak and bouncing back. I truly love how its written in verse that makes it so much better. If you are looking for a quick read totally try this one.
August 9, 2023
Good girl meets bad boy and enters the seedy Chicago underbelly. Maybe not the most diverse book ever protagonist-wise, but it’s got a few good messages up its sleeve and a relatively broad side cast. Tolerable, if predictable--and if the reader can get past the writing, that is.
June 26, 2024
I thought there wasn’t going to be too much in this book because it’s shorter, but I was so wrong at the end of this I felt so attached to her. I luckily haven’t been through what she had to go thought but if I did I just know that this book would have hit 10000 times more.
April 20, 2018
Pretty decent actually. Lacked a bit of detail but still pretty good.
August 11, 2022
Go to book for a breakup. Written in poetry which is annoying at first but you get used to it.
November 30, 2014
Finally. I have been looking for a young adult book to read. So I searched titles in NetGalley. I request this book because it seemed interesting. One word: verse.
So this is the story of Samantha Henderson. A girl who falls in love for a bad boy. Samantha is just like any other girl. She goes to school, she tries to get good grades, she enjoys spending time with her friends. She likes the art. Samantha's family is well-known. Her father, a politician, is very important to her. Sam lives with her father, Jane and Melanie.
Her best friends are April and Gavin. Everything normal. But of course, there is X.
I will call him X
X
For the reasons I crossed him out of my life
X
For the number of times I plunged into self-destruction
X
because his name would only give him a place in your mind
that he does not deserve.
Samantha met X in a coffee shop. He is older than her, a "bohemian". He likes her. But X is very different to her. She is a nice girl, who loves her family and friends. X is just a boy who goes to parties. He has a lot of friends. He drinks and smoke. And Sam is artistic and smart.
You might think that X would never look at Sam or that he would never date her, wrong. Sam and X end up together.
And then the things start getting difficult. A little messy.
I liked how you can feel related to the characters easily. Sam is only a girl, not a superhero with misterious powers. She is naive, she trusted in X. April is the kind of friend who will tell you the truth, no matter what. And Gavin advises her too. They care for Sam.
At first everything is great... (as you might know) She is in a relationship with X. Cool. They are happy together. People around Sam start telling her things about X. He's older, he seems creepy, etc. But Sam is in love.
Date up, honey, not down.
Sam is now a little bit different. People can change. Even Sam changes but not for good reasons.
Is learning to lie, part of
learning to love?
She was confused. Slowly, she started to realise that X is not the person she thought he was. Finally.
More than a love story this is a self love story. A story about how love can guide you to self destruction, about the importance of having an honest relationship.
So Sam is not a superhero, she's just a girl who fell in love with the wrong guy. But she learned from her mistakes. A proof of how strong she is, even if her heart is broken.
The story is interesting. The characters felt real. The beginning was a little bit slow, for some moments Sam, as the narrator, was over descriptive, and for some moments, there weren't enough descriptions.
A good book, recommended for those who wants to read a nice Young Adult book.
So this is the story of Samantha Henderson. A girl who falls in love for a bad boy. Samantha is just like any other girl. She goes to school, she tries to get good grades, she enjoys spending time with her friends. She likes the art. Samantha's family is well-known. Her father, a politician, is very important to her. Sam lives with her father, Jane and Melanie.
Her best friends are April and Gavin. Everything normal. But of course, there is X.
I will call him X
X
For the reasons I crossed him out of my life
X
For the number of times I plunged into self-destruction
X
because his name would only give him a place in your mind
that he does not deserve.
Samantha met X in a coffee shop. He is older than her, a "bohemian". He likes her. But X is very different to her. She is a nice girl, who loves her family and friends. X is just a boy who goes to parties. He has a lot of friends. He drinks and smoke. And Sam is artistic and smart.
You might think that X would never look at Sam or that he would never date her, wrong. Sam and X end up together.
And then the things start getting difficult. A little messy.
I liked how you can feel related to the characters easily. Sam is only a girl, not a superhero with misterious powers. She is naive, she trusted in X. April is the kind of friend who will tell you the truth, no matter what. And Gavin advises her too. They care for Sam.
At first everything is great... (as you might know) She is in a relationship with X. Cool. They are happy together. People around Sam start telling her things about X. He's older, he seems creepy, etc. But Sam is in love.
Date up, honey, not down.
Sam is now a little bit different. People can change. Even Sam changes but not for good reasons.
Is learning to lie, part of
learning to love?
She was confused. Slowly, she started to realise that X is not the person she thought he was. Finally.
More than a love story this is a self love story. A story about how love can guide you to self destruction, about the importance of having an honest relationship.
So Sam is not a superhero, she's just a girl who fell in love with the wrong guy. But she learned from her mistakes. A proof of how strong she is, even if her heart is broken.
The story is interesting. The characters felt real. The beginning was a little bit slow, for some moments Sam, as the narrator, was over descriptive, and for some moments, there weren't enough descriptions.
A good book, recommended for those who wants to read a nice Young Adult book.
January 18, 2015
Originally posted on Drunk On Pop
Actual Rating: 2.5/5
PLEASE NOTE: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions held within this review are my own thoughts and feelings and do not reflect upon anyone else.
This was not good. I mean, it wasn’t necessarily bad. I read it very quickly and it was…. I don’t want to call it interesting because it was quite far from actually interesting, but it had enough that I was curious about what was going to happen. We’ll put it that way.
First, I need to address a certain word that is used in the above summary and is then overused throughout basically the entire book. Bohemian. This word does not mean what the author thinks it means. Bohemian and edgy do not really go together. Bad boys are not bohemian and edgy. Bohemians are more like hippies in that, yes, some enjoy drug use but they are laid back, relaxed, and into creativity like art and music. While the character X in this book was into those things (kind of), the author then warped him into being a thief and an addict and an all around awful person. She took just a few of the basic bohemian traits and morphed them into some other character archetype. To top it all off, the word was thrown around so god damn much that I never want to hear the word again. Ever.
Other than that sort of nitpicking, I was just incredibly bored. X never does anything so horrendous that Samantha should write out his name completely. She made all of her own (bad) decisions and then wanted that blame to be pushed onto the boy when, in reality, he was always just himself and never did anything differently than he ever did. He cheated on her, that’s the extent of what he did wrong TO HER. He was a thief and he did a lot of drugs, but Samantha was fully aware of these things and chose to ignore them, chalking it up to how “bohemian” he was. Right. Their family situations had potential to be interesting, but it was shoved quickly aside.
The book just seemed to be a bunch of sentences thrown together. The prose didn’t flow well and nothing really made all that much sense. I was not expecting it to be like this at all, and perhaps that is why I started off disliking it? The political daughter thing was unnecessary. It was never really shown through, and she never faced any consequences of being a senator’s daughter out partying with an older boy, so why even bother incorporating that? I’m really struggling to review this because I just don’t see the point in it at all, and I try not to get that way about books because I know how hard it is for authors. This just did not do it for me at all.
Actual Rating: 2.5/5
PLEASE NOTE: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions held within this review are my own thoughts and feelings and do not reflect upon anyone else.
This was not good. I mean, it wasn’t necessarily bad. I read it very quickly and it was…. I don’t want to call it interesting because it was quite far from actually interesting, but it had enough that I was curious about what was going to happen. We’ll put it that way.
First, I need to address a certain word that is used in the above summary and is then overused throughout basically the entire book. Bohemian. This word does not mean what the author thinks it means. Bohemian and edgy do not really go together. Bad boys are not bohemian and edgy. Bohemians are more like hippies in that, yes, some enjoy drug use but they are laid back, relaxed, and into creativity like art and music. While the character X in this book was into those things (kind of), the author then warped him into being a thief and an addict and an all around awful person. She took just a few of the basic bohemian traits and morphed them into some other character archetype. To top it all off, the word was thrown around so god damn much that I never want to hear the word again. Ever.
Other than that sort of nitpicking, I was just incredibly bored. X never does anything so horrendous that Samantha should write out his name completely. She made all of her own (bad) decisions and then wanted that blame to be pushed onto the boy when, in reality, he was always just himself and never did anything differently than he ever did. He cheated on her, that’s the extent of what he did wrong TO HER. He was a thief and he did a lot of drugs, but Samantha was fully aware of these things and chose to ignore them, chalking it up to how “bohemian” he was. Right. Their family situations had potential to be interesting, but it was shoved quickly aside.
The book just seemed to be a bunch of sentences thrown together. The prose didn’t flow well and nothing really made all that much sense. I was not expecting it to be like this at all, and perhaps that is why I started off disliking it? The political daughter thing was unnecessary. It was never really shown through, and she never faced any consequences of being a senator’s daughter out partying with an older boy, so why even bother incorporating that? I’m really struggling to review this because I just don’t see the point in it at all, and I try not to get that way about books because I know how hard it is for authors. This just did not do it for me at all.
January 3, 2015
Reminiscent of Why We Broke Up, contemporary YA fans have a new favourite to pick off the menu.
Since I read this a few months ago, I've tried to write this review a ridiculous amount of times. And every time I do, words seem to evade me in a way they have never before (and that's including the numerous exams I've had to do over the years.) Why? I couldn't give you an answer. Dating Down was one the most creatively written books I read in 2014.
"Daddy's Girl Goes down to the ground
grown girl to glad woman where whatever he
says nothing
sounds safe so"
Stefanie Lyons does what I haven't seen any other author do in YA: write entirely in verse. Poetry, for me, is sometimes more moving than a novel can be. Writing poetry leaves me with a huge sense of assuagement, but reading somebody else's work in itself is equally as gratifying.
"X because his name would only give him a place in your mind that he does not deserve."
Dating Down follows Sam. Dating a boy who quite possibly captivates Tumblr's main audience in one description, this relationship is destined to fail from the beginning. And while most of the time I rolled my eye's at the Insta-love, please-talk-to-me, self destructive roller coaster Sam fell head first into, I rooted for her throughout the entire book because she was relatable.
Heartbreak is a bitch. It's the worst possible slap in the face that, at sixteen, you can imagine. We relate to Sam because at some point, she is us. The scenes of lunch room chatter of if they're together or not, he did this and she did that, the hustle of High School that nobody quite forgets, Lyons has it all there. And yes, it's awful and crazy and seems trivial looking back, but it was important. For me, that is what YA/Teen literature is all about. We all need a helping hand in life, regardless of if it's finding love in Mr Darcy or getting over it in Dating Down, through reading we live a number of lives, and thus learn to make our own better.
"She
fades like the shade
of grey
into the night
only, it's day.
What can you possibly give me?"
So in short, I LOVED Dating Down. Perfect for fans of contemporary and looking for what happens after the Happy 'Ending,' Sam Henderson will teach you how to get over an Ex and how your validation does not correlate to your relationship status.
Since I read this a few months ago, I've tried to write this review a ridiculous amount of times. And every time I do, words seem to evade me in a way they have never before (and that's including the numerous exams I've had to do over the years.) Why? I couldn't give you an answer. Dating Down was one the most creatively written books I read in 2014.
"Daddy's Girl Goes down to the ground
grown girl to glad woman where whatever he
says nothing
sounds safe so"
Stefanie Lyons does what I haven't seen any other author do in YA: write entirely in verse. Poetry, for me, is sometimes more moving than a novel can be. Writing poetry leaves me with a huge sense of assuagement, but reading somebody else's work in itself is equally as gratifying.
"X because his name would only give him a place in your mind that he does not deserve."
Dating Down follows Sam. Dating a boy who quite possibly captivates Tumblr's main audience in one description, this relationship is destined to fail from the beginning. And while most of the time I rolled my eye's at the Insta-love, please-talk-to-me, self destructive roller coaster Sam fell head first into, I rooted for her throughout the entire book because she was relatable.
Heartbreak is a bitch. It's the worst possible slap in the face that, at sixteen, you can imagine. We relate to Sam because at some point, she is us. The scenes of lunch room chatter of if they're together or not, he did this and she did that, the hustle of High School that nobody quite forgets, Lyons has it all there. And yes, it's awful and crazy and seems trivial looking back, but it was important. For me, that is what YA/Teen literature is all about. We all need a helping hand in life, regardless of if it's finding love in Mr Darcy or getting over it in Dating Down, through reading we live a number of lives, and thus learn to make our own better.
"She
fades like the shade
of grey
into the night
only, it's day.
What can you possibly give me?"
So in short, I LOVED Dating Down. Perfect for fans of contemporary and looking for what happens after the Happy 'Ending,' Sam Henderson will teach you how to get over an Ex and how your validation does not correlate to your relationship status.
August 11, 2015
NOTE: I haven't written reviews for AGES now, and my blog has seen nothing since February, but I wrote this review months and months ago, so any of the thoughts I've had about this book are blurred now. And frankly, I do not remember much about it.
Samantha fell in love. Hard. But sometimes love is not enough to overcome obstacles and the people we think we love the most are the ones who can hurt us beyond repair, and this is what Samantha learns.
It's been quite a long time since I've read a novel in verse. I write verse and I read poetry constantly, but I don't know why i just don't stumble across any well-written novel in verse. Rarely do I find something unique and thankfully, this was.
Samantha is heartbroken over a guy, but she will not name him, she will only refer to him as X. I thought this was a refreshing thing and throughout the whole book, we only know this character as X and not knowing the name never stopped me from connecting with Samantha and her worries and her heartbreak. There is also Samantha, our narrator. She has a wonderful voice, so unique and charming. I don't think I would have connected as much with her if the novel had not been in verse. I think I would have found her to be very shallow and one-dimensional. But the unique and powerful verses gave her a voice and a background. I loved that.
It was definitely the verses that helped me fly through this book in only a couple of hours. There's not much more I can say about this book, you have to read it for yourself and decide. I didn't give this book five stars because it was talking about much milder topics than I initially thought, I wanted it to be a bit darker. But I will definitely be reading more from the author, she knows how to write verse indeed.
Samantha fell in love. Hard. But sometimes love is not enough to overcome obstacles and the people we think we love the most are the ones who can hurt us beyond repair, and this is what Samantha learns.
It's been quite a long time since I've read a novel in verse. I write verse and I read poetry constantly, but I don't know why i just don't stumble across any well-written novel in verse. Rarely do I find something unique and thankfully, this was.
Samantha is heartbroken over a guy, but she will not name him, she will only refer to him as X. I thought this was a refreshing thing and throughout the whole book, we only know this character as X and not knowing the name never stopped me from connecting with Samantha and her worries and her heartbreak. There is also Samantha, our narrator. She has a wonderful voice, so unique and charming. I don't think I would have connected as much with her if the novel had not been in verse. I think I would have found her to be very shallow and one-dimensional. But the unique and powerful verses gave her a voice and a background. I loved that.
It was definitely the verses that helped me fly through this book in only a couple of hours. There's not much more I can say about this book, you have to read it for yourself and decide. I didn't give this book five stars because it was talking about much milder topics than I initially thought, I wanted it to be a bit darker. But I will definitely be reading more from the author, she knows how to write verse indeed.
September 21, 2015
Another disappointing random pick. I picked this up at the library without knowing anything about it. Now by reading the back alone I should have known that this book wasn't for me.
1. Contemporary (very rarely do I even like contemporary)
2. Goody goody artists meets brooding bad boy hipster (just no.)
3. Written in a weird poetic way (verse doesn't usually work for me and gives me a headache)
4. High school. Young, obsessed love.
I was about to put it back but I saw it was written in verse. I don't know why but no matter how much I don't usually like books written in verse, they still intrigue me and they make for really quick reads - and I want to like one so bad. Well it was definitely a quick read but it didn't intrigue me in the slightest. I don't identify with goody goody artists or brooding hipster coffee-shop types (other than the fact that coffee gives me life- but like in a normal way). The one person I could identify with (the athlete) was undermined and made to look like his lifestyle was superficial. Like whatever, a lot of athletes are superficial. That's the stereotype anyway, so why not keep it up?
Yeah the main character was annoying and young and too in love and the main guys was honestly a little boring and frustrating. But again, that's the kinda guy I would never even look twice at.
Blah.
1. Contemporary (very rarely do I even like contemporary)
2. Goody goody artists meets brooding bad boy hipster (just no.)
3. Written in a weird poetic way (verse doesn't usually work for me and gives me a headache)
4. High school. Young, obsessed love.
I was about to put it back but I saw it was written in verse. I don't know why but no matter how much I don't usually like books written in verse, they still intrigue me and they make for really quick reads - and I want to like one so bad. Well it was definitely a quick read but it didn't intrigue me in the slightest. I don't identify with goody goody artists or brooding hipster coffee-shop types (other than the fact that coffee gives me life- but like in a normal way). The one person I could identify with (the athlete) was undermined and made to look like his lifestyle was superficial. Like whatever, a lot of athletes are superficial. That's the stereotype anyway, so why not keep it up?
Yeah the main character was annoying and young and too in love and the main guys was honestly a little boring and frustrating. But again, that's the kinda guy I would never even look twice at.
Blah.
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