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How to Make Out
Sixteen-year-old Renley needs three thousand dollars for the math club’s trip to New York City, and she knows exactly how to get it: she’s going to start a how-to blog where people pay for answers to all of life’s questions from a “certified expert.” The only problems: 1) She doesn’t know how to do anything but long division and calculus. 2) She’s totally invisible to people at school. And not in a cool Gossip Girl kind of way.
So, she decides to learn to do . . . well . . . everything. When her anonymous blog shifts in a more scandalous direction and the questions (and money) start rolling in, she has to learn not just how to do waterfall braids and cat-eye makeup, but a few other things, like how to cure a hangover, how to flirt, and how to make out (something her very experienced, and very in-love-with-her neighbor, Drew, is more than willing to help with).
As her blog’s reputation skyrockets, so does “new and improved” Renley’s popularity. She’s not only nabbed the attention of the entire school, but also the eye of Seth Levine, the hot culinary wizard she’s admired from across the home-ec classroom all year.
Soon, caught up in the thrill of popularity both in and out of cyberspace, her secrets start to spiral, and she finds that she’s forgotten the most important how-to: how to be herself. When her online and real lives converge, Renley will have to make a choice: lose everything she loves in her new life, or everyone she loves in the life she left behind.
So, she decides to learn to do . . . well . . . everything. When her anonymous blog shifts in a more scandalous direction and the questions (and money) start rolling in, she has to learn not just how to do waterfall braids and cat-eye makeup, but a few other things, like how to cure a hangover, how to flirt, and how to make out (something her very experienced, and very in-love-with-her neighbor, Drew, is more than willing to help with).
As her blog’s reputation skyrockets, so does “new and improved” Renley’s popularity. She’s not only nabbed the attention of the entire school, but also the eye of Seth Levine, the hot culinary wizard she’s admired from across the home-ec classroom all year.
Soon, caught up in the thrill of popularity both in and out of cyberspace, her secrets start to spiral, and she finds that she’s forgotten the most important how-to: how to be herself. When her online and real lives converge, Renley will have to make a choice: lose everything she loves in her new life, or everyone she loves in the life she left behind.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2016
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1492 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
June 23, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and Edelweiss.)
This was a YA contemporary romance story, about a girl and two guys.
Renley was an okay character, although she seemed a bit dense at times. I really struggled to understand why she didn’t want Drew, especially when they had such chemistry, and the way she hurt Drew and her best friend April was pretty shocking.
The storyline in this had an absolutely huge hole in it. Renley decided to start a blog, and charge people to ask her questions, which seemed a bit of a poor idea given the google is free and does a better job. Not only that though, she somehow managed to get thousands of followers by doing absolutely nothing! In fact she sometimes didn’t even check the blog for a couple of weeks, yet still somehow got masses of page views and followers, which is totally unrealistic in my opinion.
The romance in this was also a bit frustrating, when Renley one minute seemed to be starting something with Drew, and then the next minute was making out with Seth!
The ending to this was okay, and things did work out okay in the end, I just wish that the book hadn’t had such a flawed storyline.
6 out of 10
“You’re right,” I tell him. “I love a challenge.”
This was a YA contemporary romance story, about a girl and two guys.
Renley was an okay character, although she seemed a bit dense at times. I really struggled to understand why she didn’t want Drew, especially when they had such chemistry, and the way she hurt Drew and her best friend April was pretty shocking.
The storyline in this had an absolutely huge hole in it. Renley decided to start a blog, and charge people to ask her questions, which seemed a bit of a poor idea given the google is free and does a better job. Not only that though, she somehow managed to get thousands of followers by doing absolutely nothing! In fact she sometimes didn’t even check the blog for a couple of weeks, yet still somehow got masses of page views and followers, which is totally unrealistic in my opinion.
The romance in this was also a bit frustrating, when Renley one minute seemed to be starting something with Drew, and then the next minute was making out with Seth!
The ending to this was okay, and things did work out okay in the end, I just wish that the book hadn’t had such a flawed storyline.
6 out of 10
September 21, 2016
I was immediately drawn to this book when I first saw the synopsis on goodreads. It seemed, to me, like the perfect book, and I started my copy as soon as it arrived. Unfortunately, I severely disliked the book, and had a ton of problems.
Firstly, the book is about Renley, a girl whose mam left when her dad had an affair, and moved to New York to start a new family. When the maths club decides on a trip to NYC, Renley decides she'd do anything to get there, even though it would cost $3,000. Her solution, start a help blog, that will start to charge once her readership goes up. Quickly she has loads of subscribers, and the money starts rolling in. But as it does, so do the uncomfortable questions, and she finds herself changing in order to earn money. Her best friend, and neighbour, Drew, initially helps her, but his unrequited feelings for her soon grow in the way, and she is drawn to the school's hottie, Seth.
Renley, as a character, was awful. I couldn't connect to her, at all, and as the book progressed, she got worse and worse. I found myself wanting to scream at her, and, honestly, I have no idea why I finished the book. TBH, none of the characters were that good, and Drew's whole 'friend-zoning' act was ridiculous, as was Renley for putting him on.
The way she got hundreds of views, shares, and a ton of money so fast, was also unbelievable. She found herself reaching her target, and more, in little time, and then didn't even want to go on the trip. Her complete 180 - neigh on a lobotomy - was annoying, and the ending even worse. There was just an overload of angst, and cliches, and fantasy, that for a contemporary book, I wish I had never read it. I'm so glad I waited for a library copy, and didn't waste my money on a hard copy. Definitely would not recommend.
July 18, 2016
This was probably a 2.5 star read for me. I was kind of hoping for something light and fun when I read the title and saw the cover, but this was actually a bit heavier than I was expecting… and I did have a couple of issues with the plot.
Renley is in a pinch… she wants to go join her math club on a trip to New York but in order to do it, she needs $3000. Something she can’t ask her dad for, and she certainly can’t talk to her mom about it. So her big plan? Start a “How To” Blog… but when the topics go from ‘How to do a waterfall braid’ to things a bit more risqué things start to unravel. This is the part where I had a huge issue… who in their right mind is going to pay someone for information they can easily google? I feel like the whole premise of her blog was kind of ridiculous so that really caused an issue for me. Add to the fact that she really put no effort at all into it and yet gained a massive following in just days/weeks …well, that just didn’t work at all. Thankfully that’s not all that this book is about and some of the other plot points managed to save things a bit.
Like I said, this wasn’t as light as the summary might make you think… there’s a lot of inattentive parents, missing parents, bad choices and things that make this seem a whole lot heavier than expected.
Renley isn’t well-known at school, but when Seth, the hottest guy in school starts paying attention she suddenly is way more invested in this guy than she should be. He doesn’t know about her blog though, and when she needs help with it she leans on her best friend and neighbor Drew. Drew, who has crushed on her for so long and hasn’t kept it secret. But Renley isn’t willing to lose him as a friend on the chance that a relationship maybe would work between them. It doesn’t help that Drew is the biggest player around and she is worried she’d just be another notch in his bedpost.
Renley also has abandonment issues she has to work through. Her mom up and left for NYC after divorcing her dad, and she now has a new family and no time at all for Renley and at her age, a girl just sometimes needs her mom. Her dad’s girlfriend isn’t someone she wants to lean on either.
Ultimately, I felt bad for Drew and he honestly was the only one that I really ended up caring about in the end. I liked him and wanted better for him, and I really didn’t think that was Renley.
Like I said, there’s a lot of things going on in this story. There is a dreaded love triangle so be warned about that if you try to stay away from those, and the many issues all seem to weave together well for a somewhat enjoyable ending.
Renley is in a pinch… she wants to go join her math club on a trip to New York but in order to do it, she needs $3000. Something she can’t ask her dad for, and she certainly can’t talk to her mom about it. So her big plan? Start a “How To” Blog… but when the topics go from ‘How to do a waterfall braid’ to things a bit more risqué things start to unravel. This is the part where I had a huge issue… who in their right mind is going to pay someone for information they can easily google? I feel like the whole premise of her blog was kind of ridiculous so that really caused an issue for me. Add to the fact that she really put no effort at all into it and yet gained a massive following in just days/weeks …well, that just didn’t work at all. Thankfully that’s not all that this book is about and some of the other plot points managed to save things a bit.
Like I said, this wasn’t as light as the summary might make you think… there’s a lot of inattentive parents, missing parents, bad choices and things that make this seem a whole lot heavier than expected.
Renley isn’t well-known at school, but when Seth, the hottest guy in school starts paying attention she suddenly is way more invested in this guy than she should be. He doesn’t know about her blog though, and when she needs help with it she leans on her best friend and neighbor Drew. Drew, who has crushed on her for so long and hasn’t kept it secret. But Renley isn’t willing to lose him as a friend on the chance that a relationship maybe would work between them. It doesn’t help that Drew is the biggest player around and she is worried she’d just be another notch in his bedpost.
Renley also has abandonment issues she has to work through. Her mom up and left for NYC after divorcing her dad, and she now has a new family and no time at all for Renley and at her age, a girl just sometimes needs her mom. Her dad’s girlfriend isn’t someone she wants to lean on either.
Ultimately, I felt bad for Drew and he honestly was the only one that I really ended up caring about in the end. I liked him and wanted better for him, and I really didn’t think that was Renley.
Like I said, there’s a lot of things going on in this story. There is a dreaded love triangle so be warned about that if you try to stay away from those, and the many issues all seem to weave together well for a somewhat enjoyable ending.
August 26, 2016
Review
This was a really cute high school book that was a little (or a lot) predictable. Our main character Renley lives with her dad and stepmom after her mom left them. She is dealing with the abandonment of her mom and spends of her time with her neighbor and best friend Drew and her other best friend April. When a trip to New York for her math club comes up she needs to come up with a way to make some money fast. She decides to start a blog to help answer people's questions as an expert and charge the for it. As the blog gets popular so does Renley, leaving April and Drew kind of behind. But is this really what Renley wants?
The book overall was cute and a quick read. I liked the general idea of it all - needing to come up with a way to get money, family issues, a weird friend/love relationship with the cute but also troubled neighbor. Nothing groundbreaking but good none the less. I did really love Drew. He was adorable and honest and seemed to try and be the best for Renley as he could be. April her other best friend was weird and quirky and I love that. Renley, however, was kind of selfish and whoa is me a little too much at times. She definitely wasn't there for April when she needed to be and did treat Drew or her new popular boyfriend Seth appropriately. I think she got really wrapped up in her own stuff, which is understandable but not necessarily endearing.
While I liked the whole idea of her using a blog to answer questions for people as part of the story, what I could not wrap my mind around how she would actually make money off of it. Who would pay money for these answers that are easily free by googling or YouTubing them??
Also while there were complicated family issues - her living with her dad and stepmom, who she doesn't really like, and not really hearing from her mom - I don't think they were properly explored or wrapped up at all. It seemed like there could have been so much more done with it all in a more meaningful way.
Overall, it was an ok book but could have really dived a bit deeper into some topics to beef it up. Still, it was quick and cute and could be perfect in the mood for something on the predictable side.This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog
This was a really cute high school book that was a little (or a lot) predictable. Our main character Renley lives with her dad and stepmom after her mom left them. She is dealing with the abandonment of her mom and spends of her time with her neighbor and best friend Drew and her other best friend April. When a trip to New York for her math club comes up she needs to come up with a way to make some money fast. She decides to start a blog to help answer people's questions as an expert and charge the for it. As the blog gets popular so does Renley, leaving April and Drew kind of behind. But is this really what Renley wants?
The book overall was cute and a quick read. I liked the general idea of it all - needing to come up with a way to get money, family issues, a weird friend/love relationship with the cute but also troubled neighbor. Nothing groundbreaking but good none the less. I did really love Drew. He was adorable and honest and seemed to try and be the best for Renley as he could be. April her other best friend was weird and quirky and I love that. Renley, however, was kind of selfish and whoa is me a little too much at times. She definitely wasn't there for April when she needed to be and did treat Drew or her new popular boyfriend Seth appropriately. I think she got really wrapped up in her own stuff, which is understandable but not necessarily endearing.
While I liked the whole idea of her using a blog to answer questions for people as part of the story, what I could not wrap my mind around how she would actually make money off of it. Who would pay money for these answers that are easily free by googling or YouTubing them??
Also while there were complicated family issues - her living with her dad and stepmom, who she doesn't really like, and not really hearing from her mom - I don't think they were properly explored or wrapped up at all. It seemed like there could have been so much more done with it all in a more meaningful way.
Overall, it was an ok book but could have really dived a bit deeper into some topics to beef it up. Still, it was quick and cute and could be perfect in the mood for something on the predictable side.This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog
May 22, 2016
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I read Shrum’s debut Never Never last year and had rather mixed feelings about it. The plot was all over the place, the characters were hard to relate to, the writing was a little juvenile… and I had the exact same problems with How to Make Out, tenfold.
The characters were a little ridiculous. Not only was Renley a brat who deserved to have some sense slapped into her, but as a whole the cast felt completely one-dimensional. I really couldn’t stand Renley. She was selfish, thoughtless and sexist/ridiculous contradictory. Worse still, she had very little character development! It might have been tolerable if she had realised how stupid she had been and moved on/learnt her lesson, but she didn’t. It was so damn frustrating! And I felt so bad for her “best friend” April - she was struggling to keep things together and then Renley turns into a jerk of the century and abandons her? I just wanted to give her a hug! Good thing she was so feisty and knew not to mollycoddle Renley about the little shit she was being. The only truly tolerable character was Drew. He definitely deserves better IMO!
There was a love triangle… and I didn’t ship any of the ships or feel any chemistry between the characters, whatsoever. Sean had so little personality! He cooked. Full stop. He had nothing in common with Renley. They barely knew each other. He didn’t even know her best friend’s name. She never asked about him or his life either. They just… cooked together? Yawn. I wasn’t on board with their relationship at all, especially because it started (kind of) when he had a girlfriend. Cheating = not okay.
The parental situation was just unbelievable. I don’t think that every single parent would care so very little about their kids. It was unbelievable! They knew nothing about their kids’ lives? And I get that not all kids/parents are close, but it just felt like an excuse for the whole “absent parent” trope. I didn’t buy it. There wasn’t a single adult/kid interaction that I genuinely thought would happen in real life, and I didn’t like it.
The blogging aspect. Here’s the thing about making an MC of a book a reader or a blogger - we can call your bullshit. We know what’s realistic because - plot twist - most of us are readers and bloggers too. We know that you don’t just decide to make a blog one day, put minimum effort into to keeping it alive/make no real effort to advertise or interact with viewers and somehow wind up a massive viral hit with all the money pouring in overnight. We know that’s not how it works… so the whole blogging aspect of this book was a fail. Renley barely did anything but post the most random crap on her site, and yet she had a large following (which was never really touched upon, except to say that her stats had “gone up”). And the actual premise of the blog - while cute, in theory - was pretty stupid. Who is honestly going to pay for some random to answer their question? 1) They had to pay to ask the question and then pay again for the answers, and 2) all of the questions could be Googled for free… why would so many people waste their money? Renley didn’t even answer all of their questions - and people had paid for her to answer them! It makes no sense!
There was probably a few other things that annoyed me, but you get the point - I’m disappointed. I really hope that contemporary romance would be more of Shrum’s thing, but I guess not. I found this book rather annoying, to be frank. The MC drove me insane, and I couldn’t care about the nonsense love triangle/plotline. I wasn’t a fan and definitely wouldn’t recommend this one.
I read Shrum’s debut Never Never last year and had rather mixed feelings about it. The plot was all over the place, the characters were hard to relate to, the writing was a little juvenile… and I had the exact same problems with How to Make Out, tenfold.
The characters were a little ridiculous. Not only was Renley a brat who deserved to have some sense slapped into her, but as a whole the cast felt completely one-dimensional. I really couldn’t stand Renley. She was selfish, thoughtless and sexist/ridiculous contradictory. Worse still, she had very little character development! It might have been tolerable if she had realised how stupid she had been and moved on/learnt her lesson, but she didn’t. It was so damn frustrating! And I felt so bad for her “best friend” April - she was struggling to keep things together and then Renley turns into a jerk of the century and abandons her? I just wanted to give her a hug! Good thing she was so feisty and knew not to mollycoddle Renley about the little shit she was being. The only truly tolerable character was Drew. He definitely deserves better IMO!
There was a love triangle… and I didn’t ship any of the ships or feel any chemistry between the characters, whatsoever. Sean had so little personality! He cooked. Full stop. He had nothing in common with Renley. They barely knew each other. He didn’t even know her best friend’s name. She never asked about him or his life either. They just… cooked together? Yawn. I wasn’t on board with their relationship at all, especially because it started (kind of) when he had a girlfriend. Cheating = not okay.
The parental situation was just unbelievable. I don’t think that every single parent would care so very little about their kids. It was unbelievable! They knew nothing about their kids’ lives? And I get that not all kids/parents are close, but it just felt like an excuse for the whole “absent parent” trope. I didn’t buy it. There wasn’t a single adult/kid interaction that I genuinely thought would happen in real life, and I didn’t like it.
The blogging aspect. Here’s the thing about making an MC of a book a reader or a blogger - we can call your bullshit. We know what’s realistic because - plot twist - most of us are readers and bloggers too. We know that you don’t just decide to make a blog one day, put minimum effort into to keeping it alive/make no real effort to advertise or interact with viewers and somehow wind up a massive viral hit with all the money pouring in overnight. We know that’s not how it works… so the whole blogging aspect of this book was a fail. Renley barely did anything but post the most random crap on her site, and yet she had a large following (which was never really touched upon, except to say that her stats had “gone up”). And the actual premise of the blog - while cute, in theory - was pretty stupid. Who is honestly going to pay for some random to answer their question? 1) They had to pay to ask the question and then pay again for the answers, and 2) all of the questions could be Googled for free… why would so many people waste their money? Renley didn’t even answer all of their questions - and people had paid for her to answer them! It makes no sense!
There was probably a few other things that annoyed me, but you get the point - I’m disappointed. I really hope that contemporary romance would be more of Shrum’s thing, but I guess not. I found this book rather annoying, to be frank. The MC drove me insane, and I couldn’t care about the nonsense love triangle/plotline. I wasn’t a fan and definitely wouldn’t recommend this one.
June 4, 2016
There is a ridiculous amount to love about this book. It's hilarious and heartfelt, romantic and quirky, and the inventive format-- a "how to" blog where main character Renley answers questions ranging from basic to risque-- makes it feel fresh and unlike anything else on the YA scene.
Sixteen-year-old Renley wants to save money for the math club trip to New York, so she starts up said blog and charges for the answers. When she starts dating Seth, the cute, crushworthy boy in her cooking class, her blog takes a sharp turn-- and so does her life. Her feelings for her best friend and neighbor Drew are in a tangled-up knot, and she makes plenty of mistakes that hurt the people she cares about. Some people might think this makes her "unlikeable," but I think this is what makes her feel extremely real.
I totally devoured this book and feel lucky to have had the chance to read it early!
Sixteen-year-old Renley wants to save money for the math club trip to New York, so she starts up said blog and charges for the answers. When she starts dating Seth, the cute, crushworthy boy in her cooking class, her blog takes a sharp turn-- and so does her life. Her feelings for her best friend and neighbor Drew are in a tangled-up knot, and she makes plenty of mistakes that hurt the people she cares about. Some people might think this makes her "unlikeable," but I think this is what makes her feel extremely real.
I totally devoured this book and feel lucky to have had the chance to read it early!
June 7, 2018
Echt geen verkeerde contemporary. Ik had alleen minder standaard fluff en standaard voorspelbaarheid verwacht, en meer wiskunde en nerdyness.
Ik heb tot 1/3 gekomen, en ik heb spierpijn in mijn ogen van eyerolls. Never mind, life is to short for books like this. Sorry not sorry.
Ik heb tot 1/3 gekomen, en ik heb spierpijn in mijn ogen van eyerolls. Never mind, life is to short for books like this. Sorry not sorry.
June 20, 2016
This book was truly a mess. The main character was thoroughly unlikable and made some truly deplorable decisions, in addition to treating most of the other characters in a terrible manner.
The only part I did not dislike, being quite frank here, was Drew, who deserves better, and the make-out scenes which I admit were done rather well.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Sky Pony Press for the review copy.
The only part I did not dislike, being quite frank here, was Drew, who deserves better, and the make-out scenes which I admit were done rather well.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Sky Pony Press for the review copy.
June 23, 2016
(I received a copy from Edelweiss, In exchange for an honest review.)
Actual rating - 2.5
I can't say I liked the main character in this. She was pretty annoying.
This wasn't an enjoyable read for me unfortunately. The characters annoyed me, the "how to's" were silly, and the whole thing just dragged for me. I was relieved when it had finished.
Overall, Not an enjoyable read.
Actual rating - 2.5
I can't say I liked the main character in this. She was pretty annoying.
This wasn't an enjoyable read for me unfortunately. The characters annoyed me, the "how to's" were silly, and the whole thing just dragged for me. I was relieved when it had finished.
Overall, Not an enjoyable read.
October 25, 2017
https://merlin-brocoli.blogspot.fr/20...
Je l'ai dévoré ! La thématique et son traitement sont originaux, les personnages imparfaits et réalistes, l'humour est bien présent, une lecture drôlement chouette !
Je l'ai dévoré ! La thématique et son traitement sont originaux, les personnages imparfaits et réalistes, l'humour est bien présent, une lecture drôlement chouette !
dnf
January 18, 2017Chapters read: 9
I was semi-tempted to finish this, since I'm about a third of the way through and it's short. But I'm better off spending my time on other things.
How to Make Out tries really hard to be voicey but it stumbles over unclear characterization, an unrealistic premise, and the occasional offensive line.
Renley needs to earn money for a math trip to NYC, so she starts a "How to" blog and begins charging people for her answers to random questions. She puts up a couple free "how to" posts, doesn't do anything to get her blog out there, and she somehow gets people asking her questions FOR MONEY. Yeah, no. There are millions of blogs out there and traffic does not just come to you like that. Especially if you're charging money. Jesus.
Renley and Drew could be a cute ship, but Renley's motivations are so weird and unclear that it's hard to fathom why they are the way they are. Drew's clearly into her and she's clearly into him. She doesn't trust him not to cheat on her if they were together, but she sleeps over in his bed all the time, something both their parents are fine with. It worked in Catching Jordan, but it's not convincing here at all.
Really I should have quit on the first page when the book opened with this horrific joke in paragraph two.
Cooking-AIDs. I feel sick just looking at this attempt at humor. I hope to hell they took that out of the finished copy.
I quit after this text exchange:
There are so many better friends to lovers romances out there. The AIDs joke and slut-shaming are just a couple examples of why you'd be better off with Catching Jordan.
I was semi-tempted to finish this, since I'm about a third of the way through and it's short. But I'm better off spending my time on other things.
How to Make Out tries really hard to be voicey but it stumbles over unclear characterization, an unrealistic premise, and the occasional offensive line.
Renley needs to earn money for a math trip to NYC, so she starts a "How to" blog and begins charging people for her answers to random questions. She puts up a couple free "how to" posts, doesn't do anything to get her blog out there, and she somehow gets people asking her questions FOR MONEY. Yeah, no. There are millions of blogs out there and traffic does not just come to you like that. Especially if you're charging money. Jesus.
Renley and Drew could be a cute ship, but Renley's motivations are so weird and unclear that it's hard to fathom why they are the way they are. Drew's clearly into her and she's clearly into him. She doesn't trust him not to cheat on her if they were together, but she sleeps over in his bed all the time, something both their parents are fine with. It worked in Catching Jordan, but it's not convincing here at all.
Really I should have quit on the first page when the book opened with this horrific joke in paragraph two.
Mr. Cole harrumphs as he hurries past me. Like he’s afraid if he lingers, my cooking-AIDs will infect him and he will be banished to the wood shop forever.
Cooking-AIDs. I feel sick just looking at this attempt at humor. I hope to hell they took that out of the finished copy.
I quit after this text exchange:
April, I'm in Seth Levine's living room.
Ooooooooh. Have you gone into his BEDROOM yet? ;) ;) ;)
You are such a slut.
I'm not the one in Seth Levine's bedroom.
I roll my eyes. I write, NEITHER AM I.
There are so many better friends to lovers romances out there. The AIDs joke and slut-shaming are just a couple examples of why you'd be better off with Catching Jordan.
September 6, 2016
I am on a roll with excellent books!
This one is about Renley. She needs to earn money for a school trip and decides to start an advice blog. The questions start out pretty lighthearted but quickly get more serious (how to get over a hangover, for example, but there are also sexual ones).
The book is hilarious, especially at first. As the blog questions get more interesting, though, the book gets much more serious. Ultimately, Renley has to figure out what she wants and what kind of person she wants to be.
I am absolutely Team Renley and loved spending a few hours in her company.
Highly recommended.
This one is about Renley. She needs to earn money for a school trip and decides to start an advice blog. The questions start out pretty lighthearted but quickly get more serious (how to get over a hangover, for example, but there are also sexual ones).
The book is hilarious, especially at first. As the blog questions get more interesting, though, the book gets much more serious. Ultimately, Renley has to figure out what she wants and what kind of person she wants to be.
I am absolutely Team Renley and loved spending a few hours in her company.
Highly recommended.
September 15, 2016
2.5 “Unrealistic blogging experience” Stars
ARC via Edelweiss
Thank you, Sky Pony Press!
Well, this was the “unlikable characters in YA contemporary” weekend here. After Aubree from “Wanderlost”, we now have sixteen-year-old Renley, who acted like a thirteen-year-old the entire book.
“How to Make Out” has a fun premise involving the blogging world and a love triangle with one of my favorite tropes: falling for your best friend. Unfortunately, neither the blogging experience feels realistic nor the main character is likable enough to carry the story and add a different angle to the love triangle.
Renley is introduced as a student who’s really good with numbers, a daughter with a troubled relationship with her divorced parents, and the girl who knows her best friend has the hots for her but isn’t willing to be with him because he’s a man whore. All valid points. Until Renley’s actions paint a not-so-pretty and guilt-free picture of her life.
When the opportunity to go to NYC arises, Renley needs to make plans to earn money for the trip. She can’t really count on her parents for that, so she needs to take matters into her own hands. All good, right? Except the solution the author finds is completely unrealistic. Look, we know how blogging works and there’s just no way I can believe Renly created a blog with a “How to” theme and suddenly turned into this super blogger who’s making tons of money overnight by having people pay her to give information they can find online for free. It just doesn’t work like that. Even if I ignored that, it still wouldn’t have happened as quickly as it did. It takes years and lots of work to build a following, and it certainly takes much more effort than Renley put on her blog to start making as much money.
The whole blogging thing fell flat, and as consequence it hurt the rest of the story, because Renley’s turned into this horrible character because of a blogging experience that wasn’t even believable.
Let me just say that Renley wasn’t all bad, but I can’t exactly solely blame the blog for what she turned into.
See… Renley’s relationship with her parents was beyond complicated. Her father had cheated on her mother and married (or moved in?) with his lover, with whom Renley now lived. Her mother left her cheating husband (good for her!) and her daughter (WTF?), remarried and never looked back. Renley obviously missed her mother and tried to keep in touch with the woman, but she wanted nothing to do with her. It was sad. Very sad. And it helped explain some of Renley’s actions, but it didn’t give her a free pass to be stubborn, selfish and not care about her friend’s feelings.
The thing is: Renley was a horrible friend. Horrible.
First, she was horrible to April. The way she treated her “best friend” when she started hanging out with the popular kids was just wrong. She called April names no friend should, she ditched her for no good reason, she broke promises because she felt like it, she kept unnecessary secrets and she completely forgot about a huge event in April’s life. In the beginning of the story, April and Renley had the kind of friendship that made me smile and laugh out loud, but then Renley changed and turned into this really sucky friend. I don’t think I would’ve forgiven Renley as quickly had she done all those things to me. Let’s just say April was a much better person than either of us.
Then there was Drew. He was Renley’s neighbor and best friend, and they had this kind of weird relationship because they slept on the same bed, but never kissed or touch despite the fact that Drew made it clear that he was in love with her. I was willing to go with it because it looked like Drew didn’t want to change what they had no matter how hurt he was by having her near and not being able to touch her. But then I still wanted Renley to feel a little more self-conscious about lying half naked next to the guy who was crazy about her when she didn’t feel the same about him. I don’t mean that she should’ve stopped being his friend or anything like that, but maybe if she wasn’t so worried about herself, she could’ve seen that she was hurting him and maybe needed to preserve his feelings? Just maybe?
Enter Seth, the cute and popular guy Renley and the rest of the school crushes on. The thing is, Seth has a freaking girlfriend, but Renley doesn’t seem to mind that because she keeps flirting with him and doesn’t think twice before hooking up with him a day after he breaks up with his girlfriend. I mean, really? Really? Is this how a likable character is supposed to act? Nope. At that point, I was ready to slap her.
Things just went downhill from there because Renley made out with Drew because of her blog, then ditched him to date Seth, then slept next to Drew when she was dating Seth, then acted like April didn’t exist, then did the most stupid things because of her blog, then then then… you get the picture.
I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t relate to Renley at all. I didn’t understand her and I didn’t think she did anything to deserve the ending she got. Sure Drew wasn’t the nicest guy around (he was a man whore and he knew it), but he was a much better friend and person that Renley, so I think he deserved better. So did April.
As to Renley’s parents, I believe that was the story that needed to be explored but wasn’t. Nothing happened to her cheating father. Nothing happened to the mother who abandoned her. Things ended exactly how they started.
The book was well written and there were great scenes between April, Renley and Drew, but unfortunately Renley’s personality made it impossible for me to enjoy it as much as I normally would.
March 27, 2017
http://www.leslecturesdemylene.com/20...
16/20 - Un moment sympathique avec une héroïne qui prend des claques ! (moi, sadique ? un peu :p )
16/20 - Un moment sympathique avec une héroïne qui prend des claques ! (moi, sadique ? un peu :p )
January 30, 2019
The main character was really not likeable and was a pretty crap person. It get's a bonus star for all the characters doing a good job with consent in all sexual situations.
March 23, 2017
[http://laura-passage.com/tuto-n1-embr...]
J'ai dévoré Tuto n1 Embrasser comme une déesse, une histoire sur la quête de soi à travers les yeux d'une adolescente qui cherche sa place. Brianna Shrum décrit avec réalisme la vie lycéenne actuelle faite de bons et mauvais côtés, ses dérives et la poursuite pas toujours compréhensible de ses envies. À mettre dans toutes les mains des adolescents !
J'ai dévoré Tuto n1 Embrasser comme une déesse, une histoire sur la quête de soi à travers les yeux d'une adolescente qui cherche sa place. Brianna Shrum décrit avec réalisme la vie lycéenne actuelle faite de bons et mauvais côtés, ses dérives et la poursuite pas toujours compréhensible de ses envies. À mettre dans toutes les mains des adolescents !
July 15, 2016
**I received this as an e-galley from Sky Pony Press through Edelweiss in return for an honest review.**
To be honest, I forget what initially drew me to this book in the first place, and after reading it, I was not all that impressed. What I thought might be an interesting integration of modern-day blogging and the affect it has on being a teen turned out to be what was akin to a classic early 2000s high school flick in which the girl on the outskirts comes up with A Plan for one thing that has the added bonus of getting her in with the Popular Crowd and landing a relationship with That One Guy while also pushing away her real friends and losing herself in the process. There were even times when it seemed she was still using technology from the pre-smartphone era (dialing a number when the guy just texted you? Really? And typing in a link instead of just clicking on it?).
To begin with the plot itself was rather bland. The synopsis says that Renley decides to create a blog with How-To advice in order to make money so that she can go on a math club trip to NYC. First off, I don't know who in their right minds would actually pay to read the answers to the questions she provided, when most of them she herself found tutorials or answers to online, and for free. Second, this plot device itself quickly seemed to become an afterthought for the entire novel, just sort of hovering in the background as a little nudge for Renley to do the things she does. (About halfway through the novel, the name of the blog randomly appears in conversation, and it took me a full minute to realize that that was the name of her blog because it had never even been mentioned before.) The whole concept of the NYC trip never seems to be made out to even be all that important, and yet later on it becomes an entire basis for an argument between her and her so-called BFF. Mostly, the plot seemed to be focused on Renley and the Unnecessary Love Triangle and her alienation of her best friends as a result of her slow-crawl to Popularity.
The characters themselves were mostly uninteresting and only just barely scraped under the surface of their stereotyped nature to become slightly more well-rounded. This led to unimpressive character development that was almost unnoticeable with how little they seemed to change, and relationships that experienced upheavals over seemingly trivial issues or ones that were not really made to seem all that important until that particular argument occurred. The stereotyping, however, was the worst, especially with the "mean backstabbing popular girls" and the oh-so-wonderful take on the Jewish character (casually throwing out words like Mezuzah, Chanukah, and Shabbos does not a Jewish character make.) And yes, I did note the remarked difference in the financial quality of the houses of Renley and said Jewish character.
The writing itself was kind of bland, with nothing really sticking out to me as being exceptionally well written, but at least it wasn't atrocious with awful grammar or anything. And the pacing was good too, for the period of time in which this took place. One of my biggest issues though was the setting - there did not seem to be a clear definition of how things were set up in terms of physicality, particularly with the houses. Renley and her neighbor seemed to be constantly sneaking out of their bedroom windows and from the way this happened, I was under the assumption that they lived in one-story homes. I then found out that Renley lived on the second story of her home, and was thus utterly confused by how she could so easily hop in and out of her room, unless she is some amazing acrobatic protégé (see also: pulling oneself on top of the roof from a bedroom window when the roof is above the window and not like an eave outside of it or something).
I think this book could have improved greatly if the blog itself had been concentrated on more. There needed to be more of a connection between it and what Renley was doing, possibly even actual blog posts to supplement her behavior and experiences. Because without that, it became an idea hovering in the background, sometimes popping back up into existence, but mostly not really existing in the realm of the book it was supposed to be a major plot point in.
I have to give this 1 star, because it just did absolutely nothing for me - plot, character, or writing-wise. The only reason I even finished it was because it was a quick and easy read, but not one a memorable one.
To be honest, I forget what initially drew me to this book in the first place, and after reading it, I was not all that impressed. What I thought might be an interesting integration of modern-day blogging and the affect it has on being a teen turned out to be what was akin to a classic early 2000s high school flick in which the girl on the outskirts comes up with A Plan for one thing that has the added bonus of getting her in with the Popular Crowd and landing a relationship with That One Guy while also pushing away her real friends and losing herself in the process. There were even times when it seemed she was still using technology from the pre-smartphone era (dialing a number when the guy just texted you? Really? And typing in a link instead of just clicking on it?).
To begin with the plot itself was rather bland. The synopsis says that Renley decides to create a blog with How-To advice in order to make money so that she can go on a math club trip to NYC. First off, I don't know who in their right minds would actually pay to read the answers to the questions she provided, when most of them she herself found tutorials or answers to online, and for free. Second, this plot device itself quickly seemed to become an afterthought for the entire novel, just sort of hovering in the background as a little nudge for Renley to do the things she does. (About halfway through the novel, the name of the blog randomly appears in conversation, and it took me a full minute to realize that that was the name of her blog because it had never even been mentioned before.) The whole concept of the NYC trip never seems to be made out to even be all that important, and yet later on it becomes an entire basis for an argument between her and her so-called BFF. Mostly, the plot seemed to be focused on Renley and the Unnecessary Love Triangle and her alienation of her best friends as a result of her slow-crawl to Popularity.
The characters themselves were mostly uninteresting and only just barely scraped under the surface of their stereotyped nature to become slightly more well-rounded. This led to unimpressive character development that was almost unnoticeable with how little they seemed to change, and relationships that experienced upheavals over seemingly trivial issues or ones that were not really made to seem all that important until that particular argument occurred. The stereotyping, however, was the worst, especially with the "mean backstabbing popular girls" and the oh-so-wonderful take on the Jewish character (casually throwing out words like Mezuzah, Chanukah, and Shabbos does not a Jewish character make.) And yes, I did note the remarked difference in the financial quality of the houses of Renley and said Jewish character.
The writing itself was kind of bland, with nothing really sticking out to me as being exceptionally well written, but at least it wasn't atrocious with awful grammar or anything. And the pacing was good too, for the period of time in which this took place. One of my biggest issues though was the setting - there did not seem to be a clear definition of how things were set up in terms of physicality, particularly with the houses. Renley and her neighbor seemed to be constantly sneaking out of their bedroom windows and from the way this happened, I was under the assumption that they lived in one-story homes. I then found out that Renley lived on the second story of her home, and was thus utterly confused by how she could so easily hop in and out of her room, unless she is some amazing acrobatic protégé (see also: pulling oneself on top of the roof from a bedroom window when the roof is above the window and not like an eave outside of it or something).
I think this book could have improved greatly if the blog itself had been concentrated on more. There needed to be more of a connection between it and what Renley was doing, possibly even actual blog posts to supplement her behavior and experiences. Because without that, it became an idea hovering in the background, sometimes popping back up into existence, but mostly not really existing in the realm of the book it was supposed to be a major plot point in.
I have to give this 1 star, because it just did absolutely nothing for me - plot, character, or writing-wise. The only reason I even finished it was because it was a quick and easy read, but not one a memorable one.
September 9, 2016
You know those times when you wait a week and a half to write your review? And all you've got is some vague thoughts and memories of it? ("Yes, but that's why you take notes!" you say. Indeed! But MY NOTES ARE JUST AS VAGUE.) And I think that pretty much sums up my thoughts about How to Make Out: fun but not very memorable just because it didn't, like, tug at my heartstrings or anything.
I love the premise of this book. Renley needs money to go to New York, so she makes a how-to blog where she charges for answers once she gets it running. Which she appears to do very, very fast. I found this bit to be very unrealistic - why would somebody pay for her answer on how to make out or how to tie a tie when all of those answers are available online for free? I would think it was super sketchy if someone was making me pay for that, but I digress. It's fiction. I got over it. (But IF ONLY WE ALL GOT FOLLOWERS AS QUICKLY AS SHE DOES? I have literally never made a cent from this blog in 5 years like. Come on. Here she is making money for a trip to New York.)
Of course, when someone asks Renley how to make out, she has to go to her best friend/neighbor and get him to teach her because she has no idea what she's doing. I loved the scenes between them and the dynamic, how close they are. But here's the problem - Drew is in love with her, and she knows that. She knows all about it. He knows she knows. And yet she still asks him to do this for her, still asks him to help her with Seth, the guy she's interested in. (Who has a girlfriend. It's messy.) She basically always ignores his feelings for her. On top of that, Drew has girls in and out of his bedroom constantly, Renley doesn't like it, etc. etc. It was kind of annoying.
That being said, I want to repeat that I really loved the dynamic between them. They had a great friendship otherwise and seriously great chemistry and I was really rooting for them. I SHIPPED IT.
Renley and Seth, however? No chemistry. Nada. Can I just throw him out a window to get him out of the way? You know, in a nice way?
Renley makes a lot of mistakes throughout the course of the novel. And yes, it can get annoying, and yes, sometimes I wanted to scream at her, but I appreciated it - she wasn't anywhere near perfect. I've definitely made a lot of mistakes, and they're not always teeny tiny ones you can forget about the next day. I think some people might get really frustrated by her, but she's a teenager and by the end, she seems to have learned her lesson. I wish that part had been just a bit longer so it showcased her growth more, but the point is that she does learn. I don't really like the way it happens because it's completely forced on her rather than her learning and growing on her own, but whatever.
tl;dr: How to Make Out is a super quick and fun contemporary (with its fair share of deeper emotions) with an adorable best friend who I myself might be a little bit in love with. 3.5 stars.
I love the premise of this book. Renley needs money to go to New York, so she makes a how-to blog where she charges for answers once she gets it running. Which she appears to do very, very fast. I found this bit to be very unrealistic - why would somebody pay for her answer on how to make out or how to tie a tie when all of those answers are available online for free? I would think it was super sketchy if someone was making me pay for that, but I digress. It's fiction. I got over it. (But IF ONLY WE ALL GOT FOLLOWERS AS QUICKLY AS SHE DOES? I have literally never made a cent from this blog in 5 years like. Come on. Here she is making money for a trip to New York.)
Of course, when someone asks Renley how to make out, she has to go to her best friend/neighbor and get him to teach her because she has no idea what she's doing. I loved the scenes between them and the dynamic, how close they are. But here's the problem - Drew is in love with her, and she knows that. She knows all about it. He knows she knows. And yet she still asks him to do this for her, still asks him to help her with Seth, the guy she's interested in. (Who has a girlfriend. It's messy.) She basically always ignores his feelings for her. On top of that, Drew has girls in and out of his bedroom constantly, Renley doesn't like it, etc. etc. It was kind of annoying.
That being said, I want to repeat that I really loved the dynamic between them. They had a great friendship otherwise and seriously great chemistry and I was really rooting for them. I SHIPPED IT.
Renley and Seth, however? No chemistry. Nada. Can I just throw him out a window to get him out of the way? You know, in a nice way?
Renley makes a lot of mistakes throughout the course of the novel. And yes, it can get annoying, and yes, sometimes I wanted to scream at her, but I appreciated it - she wasn't anywhere near perfect. I've definitely made a lot of mistakes, and they're not always teeny tiny ones you can forget about the next day. I think some people might get really frustrated by her, but she's a teenager and by the end, she seems to have learned her lesson. I wish that part had been just a bit longer so it showcased her growth more, but the point is that she does learn. I don't really like the way it happens because it's completely forced on her rather than her learning and growing on her own, but whatever.
tl;dr: How to Make Out is a super quick and fun contemporary (with its fair share of deeper emotions) with an adorable best friend who I myself might be a little bit in love with. 3.5 stars.
October 31, 2016
An awesome premise with a less than awesome delivery.
Initially I was drawn to this book because of its title “How to make out”. I was instantly intrigued and wanted to know what this book could possibly be about. At first I had no intention of reading it; I simply wanted to get an idea of the plot, but after reading the summary, it sounded like a fun and witty, quick-read. I love the idea of neighbours falling for each other – 'Drive me Crazy' featuring Melissa Joan Hart, 'Its a Boy Girl Thing', Love and Basketball etc. and I wanted to love this one.
I didn’t expect a deep plot with riveting characters and profound, complex emotional connections but I did expect an entertaining delivery. What I got was a shallow, petulant character – Renley – who is pretty much useless in all aspects of life except in long division and ogling the few male “friends” she has in her life.
Her relationships are quite superficial, which is a sad thing for a teenage girl growing up. The only consolation I found in this was that this was purely a work of fiction, and this Renley and her situation does not exist in real life.
Her relationship with her father is pretty non-existent, almost as much as her relationship with her mother. Her father is simply a person in her life who provides her with food and shelter – basic necessities of life, and in return she is insolent.
Her mother, living in New York with her new family, does not have the audacity to contact her daughter, to make sure she is okay or to find out if this easily-influenced teenage girl is growing up into a respectable woman. Not once in the book did she reach out to ask her if she needs a mother figure to give advice on the many social issues that teenagers face these days. I was very disappointment in that aspect of the book -a mother who abandons her daughter and ignores said daughter even though she constantly reaches out to her to just hear her voice or to simply receive a message in return.
Her relationship with April, her best friend, felt like a filler. From my perspective, her role in the story was to fill the time when Renley was not thinking/being with Drew or Seth. Not once did their relationship feel real, and this was further proven when later on in the book Renley forgave Drew much quicker and easily for doing something far more hurtful to her than April did.
Her relationship with Drew was the highlight of the book. He was supportive and was a shoulder to cry on but he was a bit too persistent in his attempts at getting Renley and as a result it came off as annoying. Renley, however, loved the attention she got from Drew.
Her relationship with Seth? Purely lust. Nothing more, nothing less.
I think this book is best suited for the younger audiences, not adults who like reading YA now and then.
Initially I was drawn to this book because of its title “How to make out”. I was instantly intrigued and wanted to know what this book could possibly be about. At first I had no intention of reading it; I simply wanted to get an idea of the plot, but after reading the summary, it sounded like a fun and witty, quick-read. I love the idea of neighbours falling for each other – 'Drive me Crazy' featuring Melissa Joan Hart, 'Its a Boy Girl Thing', Love and Basketball etc. and I wanted to love this one.
I didn’t expect a deep plot with riveting characters and profound, complex emotional connections but I did expect an entertaining delivery. What I got was a shallow, petulant character – Renley – who is pretty much useless in all aspects of life except in long division and ogling the few male “friends” she has in her life.
Her relationships are quite superficial, which is a sad thing for a teenage girl growing up. The only consolation I found in this was that this was purely a work of fiction, and this Renley and her situation does not exist in real life.
Her relationship with her father is pretty non-existent, almost as much as her relationship with her mother. Her father is simply a person in her life who provides her with food and shelter – basic necessities of life, and in return she is insolent.
Her mother, living in New York with her new family, does not have the audacity to contact her daughter, to make sure she is okay or to find out if this easily-influenced teenage girl is growing up into a respectable woman. Not once in the book did she reach out to ask her if she needs a mother figure to give advice on the many social issues that teenagers face these days. I was very disappointment in that aspect of the book -a mother who abandons her daughter and ignores said daughter even though she constantly reaches out to her to just hear her voice or to simply receive a message in return.
Her relationship with April, her best friend, felt like a filler. From my perspective, her role in the story was to fill the time when Renley was not thinking/being with Drew or Seth. Not once did their relationship feel real, and this was further proven when later on in the book Renley forgave Drew much quicker and easily for doing something far more hurtful to her than April did.
Her relationship with Drew was the highlight of the book. He was supportive and was a shoulder to cry on but he was a bit too persistent in his attempts at getting Renley and as a result it came off as annoying. Renley, however, loved the attention she got from Drew.
Her relationship with Seth? Purely lust. Nothing more, nothing less.
I think this book is best suited for the younger audiences, not adults who like reading YA now and then.
May 31, 2017
2.5
Mais c'est une héroïne qu'on a envie de gifler ! Mais bon je suppose qu'elle illustre bien à quel point on peut perdre la tête à l'adolescence
http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2017/05/tut...
Mais c'est une héroïne qu'on a envie de gifler ! Mais bon je suppose qu'elle illustre bien à quel point on peut perdre la tête à l'adolescence
http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2017/05/tut...
September 25, 2016
I want to thank the publisher, Sky Pony Press, for sending me a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed the first book, which was fantasy, so I was looking forward to seeing what she could do with contemporary.
While the story line was interesting, I felt there was a lot that still needed to be fleshed out. The character development was lacking and the relationships were hard for me to even understand. I had no connection to any of the characters and I, personally, thrive on feeling some kind of empathy for characters in stories I love. I had the hardest time believing how Ren related to her father and how much leeway she had as only a sophomore in high school.
I also found the story line didn't grip me as much as I would have liked. I didn't understand Ren made money from a blog she never paid any attention to; hundreds of dollars to be exact. It just didn't make any sense to me.
Finally the romance didn't draw me. It was hard for me to see the progression of Ren her romantic interest. And, a bit of a spoiler, there is a triangle that I just could not fathom as being believable. When Ren makes her final decison of who she wants to be with in the end, I just didn't feel like it was from the heart.
Unfortunately, these things made it hard for me to really enjoy the story as much as I would have liked to. Sadly, I cannot say this was a pleasurable read for me.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed the first book, which was fantasy, so I was looking forward to seeing what she could do with contemporary.
While the story line was interesting, I felt there was a lot that still needed to be fleshed out. The character development was lacking and the relationships were hard for me to even understand. I had no connection to any of the characters and I, personally, thrive on feeling some kind of empathy for characters in stories I love. I had the hardest time believing how Ren related to her father and how much leeway she had as only a sophomore in high school.
I also found the story line didn't grip me as much as I would have liked. I didn't understand Ren made money from a blog she never paid any attention to; hundreds of dollars to be exact. It just didn't make any sense to me.
Finally the romance didn't draw me. It was hard for me to see the progression of Ren her romantic interest. And, a bit of a spoiler, there is a triangle that I just could not fathom as being believable. When Ren makes her final decison of who she wants to be with in the end, I just didn't feel like it was from the heart.
Unfortunately, these things made it hard for me to really enjoy the story as much as I would have liked to. Sadly, I cannot say this was a pleasurable read for me.
September 3, 2018
This book had so many plot holes it's basically swiss cheese. First off, no how to blog gets that much traffic that you can make $2500 that quickly if you're not trying. It's just not how things work.
Second, can we just talk for a minute about how it isn't at all discussed that Seth is emotionally abusive and controlling. Sure, her friends kind of call out that she's changing and giving up things for him, but he has so much control over Renley, and it is not mentioned AT ALL. This is a YA novel. We need to be discussing these topics so young readers don't look at this relationship and think that this is a normal, healthy relationship.
Thirdly,
The only reason I finished this book was because it met a challenge of reading a book from an author with the same name as you and I didn't want to do the research to find someone else... Fortunately it was a quick read...
Second, can we just talk for a minute about how it isn't at all discussed that Seth is emotionally abusive and controlling. Sure, her friends kind of call out that she's changing and giving up things for him, but he has so much control over Renley, and it is not mentioned AT ALL. This is a YA novel. We need to be discussing these topics so young readers don't look at this relationship and think that this is a normal, healthy relationship.
Thirdly,
The only reason I finished this book was because it met a challenge of reading a book from an author with the same name as you and I didn't want to do the research to find someone else... Fortunately it was a quick read...
Read
August 15, 2016Saving for a trip to New York City, Renley sets up a “how to” blog. As the site becomes popular, Renley opens it up, allowing viewers to send questions and pay for the answers. Soon the blog starts to take over Renley’s day-to-day life and she does things she wouldn’t usually do, with the risk of losing her friends and herself in the process.
I’m in a real contemporary mood at the moment and I couldn’t get enough of this book! I read it over just a few days but could have easily read in one sitting. I liked how unsure I felt about where things would go while reading, and I liked seeing Renley’s character grow. It was a fun read!
I’m in a real contemporary mood at the moment and I couldn’t get enough of this book! I read it over just a few days but could have easily read in one sitting. I liked how unsure I felt about where things would go while reading, and I liked seeing Renley’s character grow. It was a fun read!
August 1, 2016
Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
THIS WAS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!
Full review to come closer to release date :)
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
THIS WAS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!
Full review to come closer to release date :)
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
Read
August 22, 2016I was curious about the premise for this book but unfortunately it fell short for me and I was unable to finish it. DNF @ 52%
I was unable to connect with the immaturity of the characters and the story-line was unrealistic and predictable.
I did enjoy the authors writing style but everything else unfortunately didn't work for me.
Thank you to Sky Pony Press via Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this title.
I was unable to connect with the immaturity of the characters and the story-line was unrealistic and predictable.
I did enjoy the authors writing style but everything else unfortunately didn't work for me.
Thank you to Sky Pony Press via Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this title.
did-not-finish
May 7, 2017DNF @ 34%.
- renley is supposed to be like 16-17 but she acts like she's 13 l m a o
- has a lot of similarities to stories on wattpad so if you like those then you'd probably like this idk
- everyone is so annoying sosjshsbdhddh
- idk man if i had a hot neighbor who wanted me i would be on that so quick dude
- 13 year old me would love this but 17 year old me does not IVE CHANGED
- renley is supposed to be like 16-17 but she acts like she's 13 l m a o
- has a lot of similarities to stories on wattpad so if you like those then you'd probably like this idk
- everyone is so annoying sosjshsbdhddh
- idk man if i had a hot neighbor who wanted me i would be on that so quick dude
- 13 year old me would love this but 17 year old me does not IVE CHANGED
September 7, 2016
I'm not exactly sure of what I just read. I think there's too much angst here, and the love triangle just put me off. Add to that the unrealistic add-on of the blogging, and I just can't really recommend this one.
October 13, 2016
Ugh, I'm so sad with the fact that I'm giving it only 2 stars but... I was reading this story like I'm reading newspapers. I couldn't connect.
November 10, 2016
Super cute, fun, fast read.
Full review here: http://chelleswrite.blogspot.com/2016...
Full review here: http://chelleswrite.blogspot.com/2016...
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