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Internet Famous
High school senior and internet sensation Madison Nakama seems to have it all: a happy family, good grades, and a massive online following for her pop-culture blog. But when her mother suddenly abandons the family, Madi finds herself struggling to keep up with all of her commitments.
Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.
Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.
312 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2017
About the author
Danika Stone
14 books332 followersDanika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both teens (Switchback, All the Feels and Internet Famous) and adults (Inescapable: A Ghost Story, Sip Sip Bang Bang, Edge of Wild, The Dark Divide and Fall of Night). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her family and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.
Ms. Stone is represented by Moe Ferrara of BookEnds Literary Agency.
Ms. Stone is represented by Moe Ferrara of BookEnds Literary Agency.
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June 5, 2017
I am taking part in the blog tour for this book! Head over to my blog www.marriedtobooksreviewsandblog.word... for more information and the chance to enter a giveaway!
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If you are a blogger or a youtuber, then you can relate to some of the events in Internet Famous very well. Madison has a blog and is a huge online sensation until an anonymous troll threatens to take down her blog and ruin her final year project so that she doesn't graduate from online high school. Online, she meets Laurent, a French exchange student who happens to be incredibly handsome. His looks did remind me of Étienne from Anna and the French Kiss (One of my favourite contemporary novels!) Together, they team up to save Madison's project but when things take a twist, their friendship and blossoming attractions for one another are thrown on the line. During all of these events, Madison has to deal with a Mom leaving for England and a younger sister Sarah with special educational needs. My heart did break when Sarah goes missing because she couldn't cope with Mom leaving. I love the storytelling aspects of using text messages, blog posts and tweets to help tell the story. It was an easy read and one that was very enjoyable.
Don't forget to add me on Instagram! Instagram.com/alicetiedthebookishknot
Tweet me! Twitter.com/MarriedToBooks3
If you are a blogger or a youtuber, then you can relate to some of the events in Internet Famous very well. Madison has a blog and is a huge online sensation until an anonymous troll threatens to take down her blog and ruin her final year project so that she doesn't graduate from online high school. Online, she meets Laurent, a French exchange student who happens to be incredibly handsome. His looks did remind me of Étienne from Anna and the French Kiss (One of my favourite contemporary novels!) Together, they team up to save Madison's project but when things take a twist, their friendship and blossoming attractions for one another are thrown on the line. During all of these events, Madison has to deal with a Mom leaving for England and a younger sister Sarah with special educational needs. My heart did break when Sarah goes missing because she couldn't cope with Mom leaving. I love the storytelling aspects of using text messages, blog posts and tweets to help tell the story. It was an easy read and one that was very enjoyable.
June 14, 2017
Please Note: I received an ARC copy of this book as part of the Sunday Street Team Blog Tour, in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review on any way.
When I saw the premise for this book, I was immediately excited. Angsty teens, blogging, trolls, and a mystery! This was such a charming book. I did have a few minor quibbles. But overall, once I started this book, I couldn't put it down.
What I Liked:
Characters:
Madi:
I liked that Madi wasn't perfect. She felt more comfortable interacting with people online than in real life. I know many teens in RL (real life) who are like that. I think a reason most teens would rather text than speak on the phone is due to worry about social interactions.
Madi was alternately annoyed by and compassionate towards her younger sister, who had special needs. It can be very tough on one sibling when the household seems to revolves around another with special needs. I grew up in such a household, so I can say that this was very realistic. As much as Madi loved her sister, it was unfair of her parents to ask Madi to do so much of the caretaking. The parents should not have asked so much of her. She was a Senior in high school, for goodness sake!
Sarah:
Sarah had special needs (deliberately undefined in the book) and needed routines in order to keep her calm. When I first saw that there was such a character, I was weary as to how she would be portrayed. I work in special education, so I am very attuned to this. But my concerns were alleviated as the book progressed. Sarah was smart, kind to Madi, and also needed a lot of support. But she was essentially like any other teen. I really appreciated that!
Blogging:
I loved that Madi's passion was for blogging about pop culture! As a book blogger, I can tell you there are some superstars of our community that I would love to meet in real life. I was amazed when I realized that one of these bloggers had the popular blog, two side businesses, and had organized a bookcon while still in high school! While it was a bit unrealistic for Maddie to have so many followers, I found this part of the book to be really fun!
Parents:
I loved that Madi's parents had her back when she got in trouble. I recently read another YA book where the parents let stand a criminal charge of shoplifting with their daughter, even though this was completely out of character for her. I was furious reading that! In this stroy, when something bad happened to Madi, her parents were immediately on her side! As much as Madi considered herself to be an adult, I appreciated the reminder that she was at the in-between stage where parents could still offer guidance.
Cyberbullying/Mystery:
In the novel, Madi was being harassed online by a troll. As most teens do, Madi tried, at first, to handle this on her own. But, this person was crafty and knew how to cover their tracks. I was genuinely scared for Madi when the trolling escalated. And I was kept guessing until the end as to the identity of the troll.
Texting:
Texting was an important part of this novel, which was appropriate given today's culture. I loved that many of the interactions between Madi and her mom, and Madi and Laurent, were done as texts. There were even pictures being sent back and forth! This was delightful.
80's Movies:
Madi blogged about many classic 80's movies including:
Sixteen Candles
Back To The Future
The Breakfast Club
Some Kind Of Wonderful
and The Lost Boys
Madi's spot on observations of these movies made me want to watch them again to see if I agreed with her!
What I Was Mixed About:
"Missing Parent" syndrome:
If you follow my reviews at all, you will know that this is one of my pet peeves in books. The trope of one (or both) parents being out of the picture seems to be a main theme in YA. In this novel, Madi's mom suddenly left to teach for a semester overseas. But out of sight, in this book, did not mean out of mind. Madi's mom did constantly text and Skype with her. And that is why I didn't find this plot device too annoying.
The Perfect Guy:
Laurent, the French exchange student, was (of course) drop dead gorgeous. I know that his being so handsome played into Madi's insecurities. But I think it would have been fine if Laurent was more average. He already had the mystique of being a French exchange student! He didn't need to be perfectly handsome, too.
When I saw the premise for this book, I was immediately excited. Angsty teens, blogging, trolls, and a mystery! This was such a charming book. I did have a few minor quibbles. But overall, once I started this book, I couldn't put it down.
What I Liked:
Characters:
Madi:
I liked that Madi wasn't perfect. She felt more comfortable interacting with people online than in real life. I know many teens in RL (real life) who are like that. I think a reason most teens would rather text than speak on the phone is due to worry about social interactions.
Madi was alternately annoyed by and compassionate towards her younger sister, who had special needs. It can be very tough on one sibling when the household seems to revolves around another with special needs. I grew up in such a household, so I can say that this was very realistic. As much as Madi loved her sister, it was unfair of her parents to ask Madi to do so much of the caretaking. The parents should not have asked so much of her. She was a Senior in high school, for goodness sake!
Sarah:
Sarah had special needs (deliberately undefined in the book) and needed routines in order to keep her calm. When I first saw that there was such a character, I was weary as to how she would be portrayed. I work in special education, so I am very attuned to this. But my concerns were alleviated as the book progressed. Sarah was smart, kind to Madi, and also needed a lot of support. But she was essentially like any other teen. I really appreciated that!
Blogging:
I loved that Madi's passion was for blogging about pop culture! As a book blogger, I can tell you there are some superstars of our community that I would love to meet in real life. I was amazed when I realized that one of these bloggers had the popular blog, two side businesses, and had organized a bookcon while still in high school! While it was a bit unrealistic for Maddie to have so many followers, I found this part of the book to be really fun!
Parents:
I loved that Madi's parents had her back when she got in trouble. I recently read another YA book where the parents let stand a criminal charge of shoplifting with their daughter, even though this was completely out of character for her. I was furious reading that! In this stroy, when something bad happened to Madi, her parents were immediately on her side! As much as Madi considered herself to be an adult, I appreciated the reminder that she was at the in-between stage where parents could still offer guidance.
Cyberbullying/Mystery:
In the novel, Madi was being harassed online by a troll. As most teens do, Madi tried, at first, to handle this on her own. But, this person was crafty and knew how to cover their tracks. I was genuinely scared for Madi when the trolling escalated. And I was kept guessing until the end as to the identity of the troll.
Texting:
Texting was an important part of this novel, which was appropriate given today's culture. I loved that many of the interactions between Madi and her mom, and Madi and Laurent, were done as texts. There were even pictures being sent back and forth! This was delightful.
80's Movies:
Madi blogged about many classic 80's movies including:
Sixteen Candles
Back To The Future
The Breakfast Club
Some Kind Of Wonderful
and The Lost Boys
Madi's spot on observations of these movies made me want to watch them again to see if I agreed with her!
What I Was Mixed About:
"Missing Parent" syndrome:
If you follow my reviews at all, you will know that this is one of my pet peeves in books. The trope of one (or both) parents being out of the picture seems to be a main theme in YA. In this novel, Madi's mom suddenly left to teach for a semester overseas. But out of sight, in this book, did not mean out of mind. Madi's mom did constantly text and Skype with her. And that is why I didn't find this plot device too annoying.
The Perfect Guy:
Laurent, the French exchange student, was (of course) drop dead gorgeous. I know that his being so handsome played into Madi's insecurities. But I think it would have been fine if Laurent was more average. He already had the mystique of being a French exchange student! He didn't need to be perfectly handsome, too.
March 10, 2020
Full Review on The Candid Cover
Since Internet Famous is the second book I have read by Danika Stone, I had an idea of what to expect. I definitely wasn’t disappointed in this story of a blogger who is struggling with an internet troll. The main character is warmhearted and relatable, and there are actually serious topics discussed in the story. This is a cute and quick read that is perfect for the summer.
This book is all about the life a teen blogger who a huge fanbase. She makes online friends who later become real life friends, but her fame isn’t all sunshine. Madi finds herself getting harassed by an internet troll who is capable of ruining her life, online and offline. Throughout the book, there are text messages, Tumblr posts, tweets, and Snapchats, which I found to be so entertaining. If you are a fan of fandom and internet books, especially Dankia Stone’s previous book, All the Feels, you will definitely enjoy Internet Famous.
I really enjoyed Madi’s character. She is a diligent blogger, a strong online student. and just so relatable. Madi is so caring towards her dad and her autistic sister, and is able to handle a situation when things go wrong. I loved her awkwardness and compassion, and she seemed so real to me. One of my favourite things about Madi is the fact that she actually acts like a teenager. I hate it when a YA character sounds like an old lady, so I’m glad that this book avoided that.
While Internet Famous seems like a light and fluffy read, there are actually serious topics discussed in the book. Cyberbullying plays a big part in this story, and it is so important to understand how to deal with an internet troll when it gets serious. Also, the main character’s sister has autism, and I feel like this book does a good job of portraying the importance of routine and what it is like if drastic changes occur. This book has the perfect balance of sweet and significant content, which I absolutely adored.
Internet Famous is the story of a teen blogger who is awkward and caring. It perfectly balances fluff and important topics, which I admired. I would recommend this to those looking for a good, current read this summer.
Since Internet Famous is the second book I have read by Danika Stone, I had an idea of what to expect. I definitely wasn’t disappointed in this story of a blogger who is struggling with an internet troll. The main character is warmhearted and relatable, and there are actually serious topics discussed in the story. This is a cute and quick read that is perfect for the summer.
This book is all about the life a teen blogger who a huge fanbase. She makes online friends who later become real life friends, but her fame isn’t all sunshine. Madi finds herself getting harassed by an internet troll who is capable of ruining her life, online and offline. Throughout the book, there are text messages, Tumblr posts, tweets, and Snapchats, which I found to be so entertaining. If you are a fan of fandom and internet books, especially Dankia Stone’s previous book, All the Feels, you will definitely enjoy Internet Famous.
I really enjoyed Madi’s character. She is a diligent blogger, a strong online student. and just so relatable. Madi is so caring towards her dad and her autistic sister, and is able to handle a situation when things go wrong. I loved her awkwardness and compassion, and she seemed so real to me. One of my favourite things about Madi is the fact that she actually acts like a teenager. I hate it when a YA character sounds like an old lady, so I’m glad that this book avoided that.
While Internet Famous seems like a light and fluffy read, there are actually serious topics discussed in the book. Cyberbullying plays a big part in this story, and it is so important to understand how to deal with an internet troll when it gets serious. Also, the main character’s sister has autism, and I feel like this book does a good job of portraying the importance of routine and what it is like if drastic changes occur. This book has the perfect balance of sweet and significant content, which I absolutely adored.
Internet Famous is the story of a teen blogger who is awkward and caring. It perfectly balances fluff and important topics, which I admired. I would recommend this to those looking for a good, current read this summer.
December 12, 2018
Mini review:
Minor spoilers ahead!
Trigger warning: Harassment, and cyber bullying.
I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the author in exchange for an honest review. I have read the author's previous works'. She kindly gave me an arc. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!
This book is written in first person limited following Madi. There are tweets, pictures, blog posts, text messages, and gifs/memes.
Madi is an internet sensation. She takes her blog very seriously and loves it! During the book an internet troll starts to bother Madi. At first she thinks nothing of it. However the internet troll starts to mess with her real life. With the help of a new guy and her sister, she begins to hunt down this internet troll.
There's a huge focus on fandom's and blogging life. All of which I found relatable. The internet troll mystery I didn't find satisfying. At some point police were involved. That's how bad it got. It was somewhat predictable who the troll was. And I don't quite understand his reasoning? Seriously just because you didn't get the girl, you chose to harass her online? It's possible that people really do this for that specific reason. I just wish it was better explored.
Madi's sister Sarah is on the spectrum. I felt that the rep was well done. And the relationship between the sisters was cute. Madi's relationship with her parents also improved throughout the book. Which I liked.
I had a lot of problem's with Madi in the beginning. I felt that she was really immature. And seriously considered DNFing. Regardless I read on and I really liked Madi's growth! I'm glad that I stuck it out.
Madi and Laurent's romance was a little fast for my liking. But the two made a good couple. And I liked Laurent. They brought out the best in each other.
Overall I enjoyed this! I recommend.
Minor spoilers ahead!
Trigger warning: Harassment, and cyber bullying.
I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the author in exchange for an honest review. I have read the author's previous works'. She kindly gave me an arc. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!
This book is written in first person limited following Madi. There are tweets, pictures, blog posts, text messages, and gifs/memes.
Madi is an internet sensation. She takes her blog very seriously and loves it! During the book an internet troll starts to bother Madi. At first she thinks nothing of it. However the internet troll starts to mess with her real life. With the help of a new guy and her sister, she begins to hunt down this internet troll.
There's a huge focus on fandom's and blogging life. All of which I found relatable. The internet troll mystery I didn't find satisfying. At some point police were involved. That's how bad it got. It was somewhat predictable who the troll was. And I don't quite understand his reasoning? Seriously just because you didn't get the girl, you chose to harass her online? It's possible that people really do this for that specific reason. I just wish it was better explored.
Madi's sister Sarah is on the spectrum. I felt that the rep was well done. And the relationship between the sisters was cute. Madi's relationship with her parents also improved throughout the book. Which I liked.
I had a lot of problem's with Madi in the beginning. I felt that she was really immature. And seriously considered DNFing. Regardless I read on and I really liked Madi's growth! I'm glad that I stuck it out.
Madi and Laurent's romance was a little fast for my liking. But the two made a good couple. And I liked Laurent. They brought out the best in each other.
Overall I enjoyed this! I recommend.
June 19, 2017
Once again, I’m left with very mixed feelings on this book that I have read. On one hand, I enjoyed it. I loved the idea of this being about a blogger, the online world, and a nice romance with it too. It did mention family issues, and mental health illnesses as well. And while I did enjoy all the themes and the way I flew through this book, I still felt like it was missing some depth that I was searching for.
I have to say, I wanted to read this book because I was so happy about finally having a positive light portrayed on the online world. Madi is a blogger – just like a lot of us book bloggers – except she rewatches movies and blogs about her opinion of them. Her blog is also pretty famous, which is something a lot (but not every blogger) dreams about. I loved when we got to see her blog comments come through, and her posts. Madi was so connected to the online world, and I just loved that positive light being given about the online community.
Of course, being a member of the online community means you will come across trolls and mean people who have nothing better to do with their time than just… be a nuisance. This novel stems into that, and the topic of cyberbullying. Even though the novel does a very good job of dealing with that plot line and theme, I still felt like more could have happened. We do get to see how it affects Madi and how it ruins what her blog is for her – but I still expected the ending to be a little more… dramatic?
I also really liked how we got to have the romance stemming from something that started online. I know a lot of people find this to be a bit controversial and a bit of a wary topic to discuss. But we have to face the reality of it: more and more couples and friendships begin online and that is perfectly alright. You need to be aware of the possible outcomes though, especially the bad ones, and take as many consequences against them as possible. I also really liked Laurent as a love interest, and his French accent and ways kind of made me think of Annaand the French Kiss. But, y’know, lacking a lot of the things that some people can’t stand in that novel.
Danika Stone’s writing style was easy to jump right into. She rights in the easygoing voice which represents a teenager perfectly, and there was no doubt that I felt Madi’s personality flooding me as I read through the book. In fact, I think I sat down and read for about four hours until I was done. It was simply such a breeze to read!
However, there were some aspects of the book I wanted a bit more on. There is a bit of a mention about this being a dysfunctional family. Sarah, Madi’s younger sister, has a mental illness and we see that she needs to stick to rigid schedules and have stability to be able to cope. With their mother leaving to study and research in Oxford, it turns things upside down for Sarah. Madi also has to help out a lot with her younger sister and helping her keep to that schedule. I could relate to her on that side of things because I usually help my younger sister, who has a physical disability a lot around the house. I really identified with Madi’s love she had for her sister, but then frustration as sometimes she didn’t want to help, and she wanted to think about herself for a moment and what she needed. It’s not being selfish… it’s more so frustration. It doesn’t mean she loves Sarah any less.
And while the novel did deal with that and discuss it a bit, I felt myself wanting it to be more fleshed out. I felt like the dynamics between the two sisters should’ve been more central to the novel, especially as it became relevant for the conclusion of the novel. I liked that the mental illness wasn’t the center of the whole book. Although included, it doesn’t always have to be. This isn’t Sarah’s story. On the other hand, I think it needed just a bit more focus than it received.
Also, it may be because I’m in the throes of reading new adult novel after new adult novel back to back (it’s Santino Hassell’s fault), I found the story to be a little bit juvenile at times? At least when it came to some issues with the romance. Side note: That could be because of my reading preference at the moment, and not an actual reflection on the novel itself. In that case, I would recommend you head over to Goodreads to check out more reviews and here what others have tosay.
It was great to read this first novel by Danika Stone, and I would be curious to read more of her books in the future and see how I like them.
This review and others can be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.com.e...
I have to say, I wanted to read this book because I was so happy about finally having a positive light portrayed on the online world. Madi is a blogger – just like a lot of us book bloggers – except she rewatches movies and blogs about her opinion of them. Her blog is also pretty famous, which is something a lot (but not every blogger) dreams about. I loved when we got to see her blog comments come through, and her posts. Madi was so connected to the online world, and I just loved that positive light being given about the online community.
Of course, being a member of the online community means you will come across trolls and mean people who have nothing better to do with their time than just… be a nuisance. This novel stems into that, and the topic of cyberbullying. Even though the novel does a very good job of dealing with that plot line and theme, I still felt like more could have happened. We do get to see how it affects Madi and how it ruins what her blog is for her – but I still expected the ending to be a little more… dramatic?
I also really liked how we got to have the romance stemming from something that started online. I know a lot of people find this to be a bit controversial and a bit of a wary topic to discuss. But we have to face the reality of it: more and more couples and friendships begin online and that is perfectly alright. You need to be aware of the possible outcomes though, especially the bad ones, and take as many consequences against them as possible. I also really liked Laurent as a love interest, and his French accent and ways kind of made me think of Annaand the French Kiss. But, y’know, lacking a lot of the things that some people can’t stand in that novel.
Danika Stone’s writing style was easy to jump right into. She rights in the easygoing voice which represents a teenager perfectly, and there was no doubt that I felt Madi’s personality flooding me as I read through the book. In fact, I think I sat down and read for about four hours until I was done. It was simply such a breeze to read!
However, there were some aspects of the book I wanted a bit more on. There is a bit of a mention about this being a dysfunctional family. Sarah, Madi’s younger sister, has a mental illness and we see that she needs to stick to rigid schedules and have stability to be able to cope. With their mother leaving to study and research in Oxford, it turns things upside down for Sarah. Madi also has to help out a lot with her younger sister and helping her keep to that schedule. I could relate to her on that side of things because I usually help my younger sister, who has a physical disability a lot around the house. I really identified with Madi’s love she had for her sister, but then frustration as sometimes she didn’t want to help, and she wanted to think about herself for a moment and what she needed. It’s not being selfish… it’s more so frustration. It doesn’t mean she loves Sarah any less.
And while the novel did deal with that and discuss it a bit, I felt myself wanting it to be more fleshed out. I felt like the dynamics between the two sisters should’ve been more central to the novel, especially as it became relevant for the conclusion of the novel. I liked that the mental illness wasn’t the center of the whole book. Although included, it doesn’t always have to be. This isn’t Sarah’s story. On the other hand, I think it needed just a bit more focus than it received.
Also, it may be because I’m in the throes of reading new adult novel after new adult novel back to back (it’s Santino Hassell’s fault), I found the story to be a little bit juvenile at times? At least when it came to some issues with the romance. Side note: That could be because of my reading preference at the moment, and not an actual reflection on the novel itself. In that case, I would recommend you head over to Goodreads to check out more reviews and here what others have tosay.
It was great to read this first novel by Danika Stone, and I would be curious to read more of her books in the future and see how I like them.
This review and others can be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.com.e...
June 13, 2017
That was adorable! And that ending was everything.
I am total a fan of Stone's last book, All the Feels. It was such a fun story with a cute romance, and Stone has done it again with Internet Famous.
There were so many things to love about this charming story.
Madi and Laurent
I was a Madi fan. How do you not love a girl, who was driven out of an online community by a ruthless troll, and then turned her expulsion into clickty-click cash? I know I couldn't help but admire how Madi made lemons out of lemonade, created a warm and welcoming online community, and became a sort of internet celebrity. I found Madi to be very sweet, a good sister, and a good daughter.
Laurent was so sweet and charming. He was bursting with enthusiasm and wore his heart on his sleeve. Both he and Madi had all these adorable quirks that made my love for them grow more and more with each page.
Madi's Blog: MadLibs
I as a teen in the 80s, so when MadLibs did an 80s movie re-watch marathon, I was whole heartedly onboard. I had so much fun being a part of this blog from the live tweets to the MadLibber meet ups, this was a fun fandom to be part of.
The Mixed Format
This book integrates so many life-on-line elements, and they just added to the fun. There were texts, blog posts, emails, and even Snapchat like posts. I thought Stone utilized these elements quite well. She even took us on a virtual date, which was absolutely adorable.
The Romance
Madi and Laurent were so cute together. Laurent was such suave geek! I felt like he really put himself out there. He was sweet, adoring, endearing, supportive, and a phenomenal book boyfriend. So. Many. Swoons.
My overall feelings for Internet Famous were overwhelmingly positive. I adored the exploration of first love and family dynamics, as well as the good and bad sides internet fame. I think there may have actually been some tears of joy with that awesome conclusion. In the end, this book left me with a happy heart and huge smile on my face.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
I am total a fan of Stone's last book, All the Feels. It was such a fun story with a cute romance, and Stone has done it again with Internet Famous.
There were so many things to love about this charming story.
Madi and Laurent
I was a Madi fan. How do you not love a girl, who was driven out of an online community by a ruthless troll, and then turned her expulsion into clickty-click cash? I know I couldn't help but admire how Madi made lemons out of lemonade, created a warm and welcoming online community, and became a sort of internet celebrity. I found Madi to be very sweet, a good sister, and a good daughter.
Laurent was so sweet and charming. He was bursting with enthusiasm and wore his heart on his sleeve. Both he and Madi had all these adorable quirks that made my love for them grow more and more with each page.
Madi's Blog: MadLibs
I as a teen in the 80s, so when MadLibs did an 80s movie re-watch marathon, I was whole heartedly onboard. I had so much fun being a part of this blog from the live tweets to the MadLibber meet ups, this was a fun fandom to be part of.
The Mixed Format
This book integrates so many life-on-line elements, and they just added to the fun. There were texts, blog posts, emails, and even Snapchat like posts. I thought Stone utilized these elements quite well. She even took us on a virtual date, which was absolutely adorable.
The Romance
Madi and Laurent were so cute together. Laurent was such suave geek! I felt like he really put himself out there. He was sweet, adoring, endearing, supportive, and a phenomenal book boyfriend. So. Many. Swoons.
My overall feelings for Internet Famous were overwhelmingly positive. I adored the exploration of first love and family dynamics, as well as the good and bad sides internet fame. I think there may have actually been some tears of joy with that awesome conclusion. In the end, this book left me with a happy heart and huge smile on my face.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
May 31, 2017
5 Words: Online friendships are real, yo.
This was pretty cute and fluffy, there were a lot of mountains made out of molehills and feeding trolls, but ultimately it was a quick and enjoyable read that's perfect for summer and lovers of fandoms.
I do think that if Madi had been more chill there wouldn't have been as much of a story, but I loved Madi's blog posts and live coverage of rewatches. This is very much a current book and anyone familiar with social media and blogging will recognise pretty much everything in this book.
I liked the mix of styles, between Madi's narrative, her blog and messages between friends.
I have a bit of a soft spot for fandom stories, and this one worked really well.
This was pretty cute and fluffy, there were a lot of mountains made out of molehills and feeding trolls, but ultimately it was a quick and enjoyable read that's perfect for summer and lovers of fandoms.
I do think that if Madi had been more chill there wouldn't have been as much of a story, but I loved Madi's blog posts and live coverage of rewatches. This is very much a current book and anyone familiar with social media and blogging will recognise pretty much everything in this book.
I liked the mix of styles, between Madi's narrative, her blog and messages between friends.
I have a bit of a soft spot for fandom stories, and this one worked really well.
August 7, 2017
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Internet Famous is a young adult standalone by author Danika Stone. I loved Danika's previous novel, All the Feels so much, so when I saw that her latest novel was about a blogger, I knew this was another fandom-centric novel that I was going to really enjoy. And I really did enjoy Internet Famous. Not quite as much as I loved All the Feels, but I thought Internet Famous was a great read. It was fun in a different way than I expected it to be.
In Internet Famous, our main character, Madi is a famous movie and tv show blogger. She does these live re-watches of all kinds of movies and tv series that sound epically awesome! I want to find a blogger that does something similar, because I really love the idea! I enjoyed Madi. She is a normal girl with her own set of teenage issues that made her very relate-able. I loved that the book spoke the jargon of fandoms and internet communities. The glossary at the start of the book was a brilliant and really fun idea.
At first glance, this book looks like a ton of fun, which it is but it also deals with some pretty serious issues- like cyber bullying, hacking and various family issues as well. Madi is wonderfully teenage. Meaning she is not perfect at all. She over-reacts sometimes, she makes mistakes, but throughout all of it, she is an admirably hard worker. Honestly, I respected the way she treated her blog. (Yes she made some mistakes in her past. but you have to read on in the book to find out what they were and if they are haunting her present.) but who hasn't? I loved her relationship with her special needs sister, Sarah. Sarah might have been my very favorite character in the whole book. I loved her. And speaking of other characters, my only annoyance with Internet Famous was Madi's mom. She was awful, and Madi seemed to be getting the brunt end of stick for calling her mom out on being so absentee. Why was it Madi's responsibility to pick up all the slack when it came to Sarah? I'm over crappy parents in general in young adult stories. It is such a pet peeve of mine. But putting my feelings for Madi's mom aside, I loved the mixture of sweet first romance with geekiness galore that we got in Internet Famous. No one writes stories full of fandom goodness quite like Danika Stone. This book will be perfect for fans of Geekerella and All the Feels.
I loved Internet Famous. It was exactly what I was looking for in a fun story about an internet famous blogger, and it was an extra unexpected surprise in the direction that Danika Stone took the story of. I am such a fan of her books. She is an auto-buy author for me, for sure.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Internet Famous is a young adult standalone by author Danika Stone. I loved Danika's previous novel, All the Feels so much, so when I saw that her latest novel was about a blogger, I knew this was another fandom-centric novel that I was going to really enjoy. And I really did enjoy Internet Famous. Not quite as much as I loved All the Feels, but I thought Internet Famous was a great read. It was fun in a different way than I expected it to be.
In Internet Famous, our main character, Madi is a famous movie and tv show blogger. She does these live re-watches of all kinds of movies and tv series that sound epically awesome! I want to find a blogger that does something similar, because I really love the idea! I enjoyed Madi. She is a normal girl with her own set of teenage issues that made her very relate-able. I loved that the book spoke the jargon of fandoms and internet communities. The glossary at the start of the book was a brilliant and really fun idea.
At first glance, this book looks like a ton of fun, which it is but it also deals with some pretty serious issues- like cyber bullying, hacking and various family issues as well. Madi is wonderfully teenage. Meaning she is not perfect at all. She over-reacts sometimes, she makes mistakes, but throughout all of it, she is an admirably hard worker. Honestly, I respected the way she treated her blog. (Yes she made some mistakes in her past. but you have to read on in the book to find out what they were and if they are haunting her present.) but who hasn't? I loved her relationship with her special needs sister, Sarah. Sarah might have been my very favorite character in the whole book. I loved her. And speaking of other characters, my only annoyance with Internet Famous was Madi's mom. She was awful, and Madi seemed to be getting the brunt end of stick for calling her mom out on being so absentee. Why was it Madi's responsibility to pick up all the slack when it came to Sarah? I'm over crappy parents in general in young adult stories. It is such a pet peeve of mine. But putting my feelings for Madi's mom aside, I loved the mixture of sweet first romance with geekiness galore that we got in Internet Famous. No one writes stories full of fandom goodness quite like Danika Stone. This book will be perfect for fans of Geekerella and All the Feels.
I loved Internet Famous. It was exactly what I was looking for in a fun story about an internet famous blogger, and it was an extra unexpected surprise in the direction that Danika Stone took the story of. I am such a fan of her books. She is an auto-buy author for me, for sure.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
February 24, 2018
Internet fame has a price. When Madi's "real life" hits a rough patch, she feels her whole world crumbling.
Lesson learned. Never expect too much on what you want it to happen in a story. Ever.
The fact that I almost Dnfed this because the first half bored me to death. This was originally intended to be rated 2 1/2 stars but then I decided to make it a 3-star rating because literally the second half has been improved and it wasn't that bad in my opinion.
I thought this would be an exciting mystery after reading the summary, it got me to buy this book. But then, there comes the expectation downfall. This *SIGHS* actually turned out to be a mystery-adventure-turned-romantic-cliche-plot. It's the truth if you guys were planning to read this book. You'll definitely get the idea on what I'm implying here.
Madi Nakama who created this blog named after her. She became internet famous because of her posts based on the movies that she had watched during only her free time. And thanks to that, she regained a lot of followers. But then, Madi's personal life has been at stake followed by an unexpected anonymous post coming from a unknown troll who'll do anything to get its hands on her.
This book drove me in circles. Not only was the plot a bit confusing from the beginning and the main conflict being left out, but there were supporting characters, like Madi's other friends and Sarah's classmates(I forgot their names, oh well, who gives a damn), mentioned in the book that weren't brought up much other than being online every time after meeting with Madi for only one occasion. And even Madi's mother doesn't show that she had displayed genuine care all the time until she did in the last minute when Madi is in school jeopardy with her English project.
"This is far beyond a simple error. Our daughter, Madi, hasn't done anything wrong."
Madi's love interest. Hell no. I don't want to talk about the romance. It has got to be the most cheesiest thing I've ever read. This is another example of wanting a good romance but it already helps me figure out who it is thanks to it for being predictable and obvious.
When I mentioned "cheesiest," I meant the interaction they had both shared.
Check this simple dialogue example: (online message ver.)
"I'm warming up to u"
"good. I'll keep warming myself up to you, too."
Anyway, let's just say that I'm so glad that I'm done with this book. I don't think I would even share it as the best read for me. But rather, a disappointing read.
September 12, 2017
My second Danika Stone book, and I loved it just as much as I did her first book!
Meet MadLibs, or Madi. She has a blog were she reviews movies, comics, books, anything. She live-blogs/tweets while watching. She has a ton of followers and she even has a group of fans who support her in a whole lot of things. I wish I could see Madi's blog in real life, it sounds like the blog I would love to follow and read. Yes, I confess, I would be a Madlibber.
Her dedication to the blog was amazing. And she had such good ideas to keep it running, to make everything even more interesting. I was a bit put-off by her constant begging for money though. But maybe that is just me, I can imagine she may need money, but it just felt weird to ask it from people who follow you.
I instantly liked Madi. She just had that charm, plus her personality is quite close to mine.
It was also fun that she did online classes instead of going to school. I wish I could have done that back in the day, I am sure I would have been much happier and gotten higher grades. She has her reasons for doing those online classes, we find those out as the story progresses.
Plus this way she could do more for her blog + take care of her sister (pick her up/bring her to school/other events).
I loved the romance between Madi and Laurent, even though I hate the name Laurent. (Sorry, bad experiences with people called either Laurent or Laurens. The name is cursed to me.) They were just perfect together. I am normally not a too big fan of instalove, and it definitely had hints of that (considering the almost wanted to kiss at the first time they met and some other things), but I could forgive these two. The sparks between them were obvious. Laurent was sweet and supportive of Madi. He protected her and tried to help her with the troll. When she gets in trouble with school work he offers to help her out, spurring ideas on what to do, and much more. Plus he always listened to her when she had her problems at home. And the same goes for Madi, she is there for him when he needs her.
The troll situation? It was all very exciting, frustrating, and scary, but I was also very angry at the troll. Especially later when we find out the who's and the why's. Then I just wanted to throttle someone.
Because to harm someone, to hurt them, to go out in full force to destroy their lives, their everything? Sorry, but I was just disgusted. That someone would go that far.
It was quite interesting though as I kept trying to figure out who it could be. I had a few suspects, and I can also imagine why Madi thought it was that person at first. Not really the brightest choice maybe, but I don't blame her for thinking that.
I loved that the book had texts, photographs, tweets, comments, and blog posts. It really made the book even more engaging to read.
This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I disliked Madi's sister. At times she was a sweetheart and I quite liked her, but most of the times... no. I get that she has problems, she lives on schedules and everything needs to go by the book, but really, she just annoyed me. How she couldn't get the simplest things, but then the next moment could. She made a big deal every time her sister wanted to go out, while her sister kept telling her she would come back, and that her sister could text/message/call her any time if she wants.
It also doesn't help the fact that Madi is the go-to person if something is up with Sarah. The parents let her do all the things. At times it just felt like Madi was more like a mom instead of a big sis. Oh Sarah has a tantrum, Madi dear, please solve it for us because we can't do that.
As for the parents. The dad was terrific, well, for most of the book, at times he made some decisions I wasn't happy about, but in general he tried to make things work. Plus he also showed that he wasn't all too amused by the fact his wife was running off again to do things. He could understand it, but he didn't agree. Then there were times that he pissed me off. The first time when Madi was told about her blog not qualifying, but later on even he could see that it was not his daughter's fault. And it was fun, and great, to see him fight for her. Pulling out everything he could to make things right again. Go dad!
The mom however? Sorry, no. I just didn't like her at all. She expected everyone to just be happy and cheerful that she was leaving again. Her reactions on Madi or Sarah were just ridiculous. So your daughter getting angry at you is just her being dramatic and exaggerating? What? Woman, please! Anyone would act like this when their mom would leave. Especially if it has happened before. The mom truly can't see what it does to her family. How it effects them.
The school, especially that new lady working there? Sorry, but I just didn't like her from the start. Hunting the rules, enforcing them with everything she could. Taking anonymous calls seriously. And especially that second call and her reaction to it. I was just rolling my eyes, and I nodded along as even the dad got angry at this person for doing this and not thinking it through. How did you really think she could have done that assignment? By magic? *sighs*
The ending was so sweet, and I cried. Yes, I did. I just teared up at those last pages. I am so happy for both of them, this is the ending they deserve!
Oh plus, I want to give extra points to the cover. I already loved it when I hadn't read the book, but now that I read the book and the cover makes sense? I love it more! It fits perfectly with the book.
Phew, I could talk more on this book, but I think I have mentioned the most important things, so I will just sign off with that I would recommend this book to everyone. It is funny, it is sad, it is exciting, you will be rooting for Madi, the romance is swoony. Read this one! You won't be disappointed.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Meet MadLibs, or Madi. She has a blog were she reviews movies, comics, books, anything. She live-blogs/tweets while watching. She has a ton of followers and she even has a group of fans who support her in a whole lot of things. I wish I could see Madi's blog in real life, it sounds like the blog I would love to follow and read. Yes, I confess, I would be a Madlibber.
Her dedication to the blog was amazing. And she had such good ideas to keep it running, to make everything even more interesting. I was a bit put-off by her constant begging for money though. But maybe that is just me, I can imagine she may need money, but it just felt weird to ask it from people who follow you.
I instantly liked Madi. She just had that charm, plus her personality is quite close to mine.
It was also fun that she did online classes instead of going to school. I wish I could have done that back in the day, I am sure I would have been much happier and gotten higher grades. She has her reasons for doing those online classes, we find those out as the story progresses.
Plus this way she could do more for her blog + take care of her sister (pick her up/bring her to school/other events).
I loved the romance between Madi and Laurent, even though I hate the name Laurent. (Sorry, bad experiences with people called either Laurent or Laurens. The name is cursed to me.) They were just perfect together. I am normally not a too big fan of instalove, and it definitely had hints of that (considering the almost wanted to kiss at the first time they met and some other things), but I could forgive these two. The sparks between them were obvious. Laurent was sweet and supportive of Madi. He protected her and tried to help her with the troll. When she gets in trouble with school work he offers to help her out, spurring ideas on what to do, and much more. Plus he always listened to her when she had her problems at home. And the same goes for Madi, she is there for him when he needs her.
The troll situation? It was all very exciting, frustrating, and scary, but I was also very angry at the troll. Especially later when we find out the who's and the why's. Then I just wanted to throttle someone.
Because to harm someone, to hurt them, to go out in full force to destroy their lives, their everything? Sorry, but I was just disgusted. That someone would go that far.
It was quite interesting though as I kept trying to figure out who it could be. I had a few suspects, and I can also imagine why Madi thought it was that person at first. Not really the brightest choice maybe, but I don't blame her for thinking that.
I loved that the book had texts, photographs, tweets, comments, and blog posts. It really made the book even more engaging to read.
This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I disliked Madi's sister. At times she was a sweetheart and I quite liked her, but most of the times... no. I get that she has problems, she lives on schedules and everything needs to go by the book, but really, she just annoyed me. How she couldn't get the simplest things, but then the next moment could. She made a big deal every time her sister wanted to go out, while her sister kept telling her she would come back, and that her sister could text/message/call her any time if she wants.
It also doesn't help the fact that Madi is the go-to person if something is up with Sarah. The parents let her do all the things. At times it just felt like Madi was more like a mom instead of a big sis. Oh Sarah has a tantrum, Madi dear, please solve it for us because we can't do that.
As for the parents. The dad was terrific, well, for most of the book, at times he made some decisions I wasn't happy about, but in general he tried to make things work. Plus he also showed that he wasn't all too amused by the fact his wife was running off again to do things. He could understand it, but he didn't agree. Then there were times that he pissed me off. The first time when Madi was told about her blog not qualifying, but later on even he could see that it was not his daughter's fault. And it was fun, and great, to see him fight for her. Pulling out everything he could to make things right again. Go dad!
The mom however? Sorry, no. I just didn't like her at all. She expected everyone to just be happy and cheerful that she was leaving again. Her reactions on Madi or Sarah were just ridiculous. So your daughter getting angry at you is just her being dramatic and exaggerating? What? Woman, please! Anyone would act like this when their mom would leave. Especially if it has happened before. The mom truly can't see what it does to her family. How it effects them.
The school, especially that new lady working there? Sorry, but I just didn't like her from the start. Hunting the rules, enforcing them with everything she could. Taking anonymous calls seriously. And especially that second call and her reaction to it. I was just rolling my eyes, and I nodded along as even the dad got angry at this person for doing this and not thinking it through. How did you really think she could have done that assignment? By magic? *sighs*
The ending was so sweet, and I cried. Yes, I did. I just teared up at those last pages. I am so happy for both of them, this is the ending they deserve!
Oh plus, I want to give extra points to the cover. I already loved it when I hadn't read the book, but now that I read the book and the cover makes sense? I love it more! It fits perfectly with the book.
Phew, I could talk more on this book, but I think I have mentioned the most important things, so I will just sign off with that I would recommend this book to everyone. It is funny, it is sad, it is exciting, you will be rooting for Madi, the romance is swoony. Read this one! You won't be disappointed.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
June 16, 2017
This story really resonated with me! I was smiling, laughing, crying, and cursing throughout this entire book. Honestly I can't wait to get myself a physical copy!
May 8, 2017
Let me start off by saying that the synopsis of this book is absolutely precious. When I read it, I knew I had to have it. As someone who’s been on the internet most (almost all) of my life, I’ve had my own fair share of online romances, and I’ve undergone my fair share of trolling, as well. I love the idea of such a modern love story: girl meets boy online, girl falls for boy online, etc. This book handles that concept delightfully. There are text message exchanges, tweets, tumblr reblogs, and even Snapchat dates. The formatting is just fantastic, and I am such a sucker for these kinds of things.
That said, the writing and the way the story unfolds needs a little work. I found that the writing itself felt young, as did Madi (well, more so than I expect when thinking of high school seniors). Her interactions with Sarah were the most difficult to read. Sarah is on the Autism spectrum, and routine is very key for her. Despite the fact that we are frequently reminded by Madi that Sarah’s routine MUST NOT BE INTERRUPTED, Madi herself interrupts that schedule a few times with little to no repercussions or guilt. More than once, my heart ached a little for how devastated Sarah was, but Madi seemed disconnected from it. While I’m sure that this was a realistic portrayal for many people who have autistic siblings that they primarily take care of, it did bother me, but I didn’t take points off for the rawness.
Madi and Sarah’s parents, on the other hand, were infuriating. We are introduced right into the realization that their mother is leaving the country in a few days, with no warning at all, to take up a temporary teaching job at Oxford University. She has no concern about her children at all, citing over and over again that the girls need to “grow up”. Charles, their father, seems equally unruffled, though we are told that this is a ruse to hide his inner turmoil. Façade or no, Charles needs to get off of his ass and take care of his daughters, instead of hiding behind his laptop 24/7. I raged!
As far as the romance of the book goes, it’s adorable and cheesy (usually in a good way), but Laurent feels like such an overdone character from the moment we meet him. He’s incredibly kind, honest, hot, well-dressed, intelligent, artistic, and French. He has no flaws that we ever become aware of, and Madi’s interactions with him in the first half or so of the book feel like a star-struck schoolgirl with a crush, which is painfully awkward at times.
The troll is the dramatic antagonist of the book, and he plays the part of the typical misogynistic, bratty, “friend zoned” teen boy to the bitter end, complete with remarks about “SJWs” and “stupid feminists”. It was a realistic enough portrayal of many guys that I’ve met over the years, so that was worthy of a few laughs and eye rolls. Madi’s reactions to him are a bit tiring, though. She constantly fusses at her friends if they stick up for her - as true friends are wont to do - but she can’t let the troll peep so much as an emoji at her without an over-the-top, angsty reply (and a threat to block him – in almost every response).
All in all, while the book didn’t pass with flying colors for me, each aspect still had something enjoyable to it. My favorite part of the book was the representation of Sarah’s disorder, which never felt like it was being used as a crutch. As someone with a loved one on the spectrum, I was relieved to see that Sarah’s “otherness” was addressed, yet not exacerbated by the narrative. The author’s note said that Danika herself has a special needs son and works with special needs children in the school system, and I felt like that was very evident in how honestly she portrayed Sarah’s disorder – so I’d like to offer a huge thank you to Danika for that.
While I’m not sure that I would rush to read this one again, I will say that it made for a pretty enjoyable way to spend an evening. There are a few risqué comments, but nothing over the top, so I would feel comfortable recommending this to younger teens. Any young, geeky girl would be able to relate to Madi’s love for the internet and pop culture, as well as the frustrations Madi faces as a woman on the internet. As far as older teens and adults go, I would probably only recommend this if you genuinely enjoy cheesy and fluffy contemporaries.
Note: I was sent this ebook from the publicist in exchange for an honest review, but my thoughts are 100% my own!
That said, the writing and the way the story unfolds needs a little work. I found that the writing itself felt young, as did Madi (well, more so than I expect when thinking of high school seniors). Her interactions with Sarah were the most difficult to read. Sarah is on the Autism spectrum, and routine is very key for her. Despite the fact that we are frequently reminded by Madi that Sarah’s routine MUST NOT BE INTERRUPTED, Madi herself interrupts that schedule a few times with little to no repercussions or guilt. More than once, my heart ached a little for how devastated Sarah was, but Madi seemed disconnected from it. While I’m sure that this was a realistic portrayal for many people who have autistic siblings that they primarily take care of, it did bother me, but I didn’t take points off for the rawness.
Madi and Sarah’s parents, on the other hand, were infuriating. We are introduced right into the realization that their mother is leaving the country in a few days, with no warning at all, to take up a temporary teaching job at Oxford University. She has no concern about her children at all, citing over and over again that the girls need to “grow up”. Charles, their father, seems equally unruffled, though we are told that this is a ruse to hide his inner turmoil. Façade or no, Charles needs to get off of his ass and take care of his daughters, instead of hiding behind his laptop 24/7. I raged!
As far as the romance of the book goes, it’s adorable and cheesy (usually in a good way), but Laurent feels like such an overdone character from the moment we meet him. He’s incredibly kind, honest, hot, well-dressed, intelligent, artistic, and French. He has no flaws that we ever become aware of, and Madi’s interactions with him in the first half or so of the book feel like a star-struck schoolgirl with a crush, which is painfully awkward at times.
The troll is the dramatic antagonist of the book, and he plays the part of the typical misogynistic, bratty, “friend zoned” teen boy to the bitter end, complete with remarks about “SJWs” and “stupid feminists”. It was a realistic enough portrayal of many guys that I’ve met over the years, so that was worthy of a few laughs and eye rolls. Madi’s reactions to him are a bit tiring, though. She constantly fusses at her friends if they stick up for her - as true friends are wont to do - but she can’t let the troll peep so much as an emoji at her without an over-the-top, angsty reply (and a threat to block him – in almost every response).
All in all, while the book didn’t pass with flying colors for me, each aspect still had something enjoyable to it. My favorite part of the book was the representation of Sarah’s disorder, which never felt like it was being used as a crutch. As someone with a loved one on the spectrum, I was relieved to see that Sarah’s “otherness” was addressed, yet not exacerbated by the narrative. The author’s note said that Danika herself has a special needs son and works with special needs children in the school system, and I felt like that was very evident in how honestly she portrayed Sarah’s disorder – so I’d like to offer a huge thank you to Danika for that.
While I’m not sure that I would rush to read this one again, I will say that it made for a pretty enjoyable way to spend an evening. There are a few risqué comments, but nothing over the top, so I would feel comfortable recommending this to younger teens. Any young, geeky girl would be able to relate to Madi’s love for the internet and pop culture, as well as the frustrations Madi faces as a woman on the internet. As far as older teens and adults go, I would probably only recommend this if you genuinely enjoy cheesy and fluffy contemporaries.
Note: I was sent this ebook from the publicist in exchange for an honest review, but my thoughts are 100% my own!
November 13, 2017
"That was a very dramatic entrance for a friend."
"I---I thought so."
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! THAT WAS SO ADORABLE!!! I CAN'T EVEN! WOW! CaLm DoWn NoW! Ok, this was adorable and sweet and Laurent was amazing. I LOVE FRENCH. I kind of want some guy to speak to me in French. That would be amazing. And sweet. And romantic. Oh, come on. Who am I kidding? I love anything French. Ok, so Madi and Laurent were perfectly adorable and perfect together. I nearly died during their arguments. Arguments are horrid. READ! YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON LIFE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!
"I---I thought so."
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! THAT WAS SO ADORABLE!!! I CAN'T EVEN! WOW! CaLm DoWn NoW! Ok, this was adorable and sweet and Laurent was amazing. I LOVE FRENCH. I kind of want some guy to speak to me in French. That would be amazing. And sweet. And romantic. Oh, come on. Who am I kidding? I love anything French. Ok, so Madi and Laurent were perfectly adorable and perfect together. I nearly died during their arguments. Arguments are horrid. READ! YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON LIFE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!
Shelved as 'maybe'
January 25, 2017will i ever be able to have a normal reaction to the name Laurent
i don't think so
i don't think so
January 16, 2018
*Rubs forehead* Succinctly?
"Reasons why people hate tumblr and fandom, summarized into one (shockingly dull) book."
Madi reads as one of those Tumblr kids who's deluded themselves into thinking that blogging is OH SO IMPORTANT MAN. And for the love of GOD, you realize the whole "everyone on the internet is a predator" thing comes from kids ACTUALLY MEETING PREDATORS IN REAL LIFE AFTER MAKING CONTACT ON THE INTERNET, RIGHT?
And yet Madi just goes ahead and meets this guy because, as a teenager, she just knows so much better. She should have had her internet privileges- BECAUSE YES, TEENAGERS, THE INTERNET IS A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT- revoked.
Oh, and a piece of advice: Do not engage with trolls. Do not respond to them, do not speak to them, do not tell them to leave you alone (they won't), do not acknowledge them- DO NOT FUEL THE FIRE. The more attention you give them, the worse they get. Give them time to get bored (unless they're threatening you) and if they don't, then ACTUALLY go to someone who can do SOMETHING and figure out a game-plan.
Also, I take some issues with a couple of the definitions at the beginning of the book, but this one in particular:
SJW: Social Justice Warrior. A derogatory term used to describe a person (usually female) who is hyper-aware of social justice issues and argues to correct them.
Nnnnnooo.
No.
A SJW is a lot of things; they are not hyper-aware of social justice issues, they are hyper-sensitive to them. Awareness implies that these people actually understand what they're talking about, and SJWs do not. They have taken anything remotely resembling legitimate activism and made it into a goddamn cult, where you had better toe whatever political narrative they're pushing or be threatened and harassed. They have bastardized legitimate activism and turned it into easy-to-swallow clicktivism that lets them be the bullies while still deluding themselves into thinking that they're the heroes.
An SJW will, straight-faced, argue that domestic abuse and rape are ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT HORRIBLE AND AWFUL... But only when it's a man doing it to a woman, because gosh, really, how could a woman possibly rape a man, and it's just not the same thing when a woman slaps a man- he must have done something to deserve it.
An SJW will pass around a list of African-Americans killed by the police without bothering to fact-check who these people were or the circumstances of their deaths; and when that list gets debunked because it includes people who literally shot at the police (or otherwise did something incredibly threatening or dangerous), they refuse to acknowledge that they were endorsing a load of bullshit propaganda and mixing in actual, legitimate criminals with innocent victims of police brutality.
An SJW will, without a hint of irony or humor, tell bisexuals that they are not welcome in LGBT spaces because "you're basically half-straight and that's threatening to us purely gay people who do not benefit from "straight-passing privilege".
An SJW will make it their fucking business to police fandom spaces, harassing people for shipping "bad ships" and setting themselves up as the pure and righteous moral center- all while calling people who ship a seventeen year-old with a twenty year-old "pedophiles" and people who ship a hero and a villain together "rape and abuse apologists".
You want to complain about trolls invading fandom spaces? Are you kidding me? In the last five years SJWs have done more bullshit in fandoms than trolls could ever hope to accomplish. They have harassed artists for not drawing characters with the "proper" skintone (the character isn't human and therefore doesn't HAVE a canonical race or ethnicity, but "we've all decided he's black so that makes you racist for drawing him white), harassed fanfiction authors for writing villains sympathetically or (again) writing about "bad ships", and they've shoehorned politics into every nook and cranny that they can, regardless of whether or not the canon creators endorse that particular ideology or not.
Author, do not fucking play me. I run in internet circles, I run on Tumblr, and I run in fandom. Do not fucking misrepresent what an Social Justice Warrior is, and DO NOT try to imply that these people have been unjustly vilified. They've earned the vitriol they get by being gross hypocrites and morality-police bullies. I have been dealing with them for years, and they are nasty, revolting people who have driven people to suicide (google "zami00" and tell me what you come up with, I'll wait).
EDIT: I got so caught up in the "SJW" definition that I forgot to mention this utterly incorrect gem:
Gaslighting: A form of emotional manipulation/abuse where the victim is convinced he or she is the cause of the conflict.
NNNNNNOOO.
NO. ALSO INCORRECT.
That, kids, is what we call the Tumblrbastardization version of the definition. The actual definition of gaslighting is this:
(to) manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity..
See, "gaslighting" is a very popular term on Tumblr, particularly by SJWs. Because- Well, let me give you an example:
--
Mary doesn't like that Anna ships Luke/Leia from Star Wars, because incest.
So Mary begins to harass Anna with passive-aggressive comments about how Anna's a piece of shit, how she's an incest apologist- and therefore an abuse and pedophilia apologist, because incest is usually something non-consensual and so, in shipping an incest-ship between two consenting adults, you are implying that it's okay for people to abuse family members and molest kids (People I am not joking, Fandom SJWs have jumped through weirder hoops and they go for the goddamn jugular).
Anna defends herself, saying that it's nobody's business what she ships and that Mary is the abusive one, because she's harassing Anna, a real person, over a fictional pairing between consenting adults and accusing Anna of being things that she is very obviously not.
Mary, offended, accuses Anna of gaslighting her: By suggesting that Mary is the one to blame for this conflict, she's trying to emotionally/mentally manipulate Mary into believing that her choosing to call out an incestuous and abusive ship is wrong. And obviously Mary is justified in
"criticizing" Anna's shipping preferences, because OBVIOUSLY it makes Anna an abuse apologist who deserves to be called out.
--
Now, I know that probably reads weird to anyone who's never been on Tumblr and has never witnessed some of the epic shit-fits that the babies on that website throw over fictional pairings. But the tl;dr version of it is this:
SJWs really like to harass people that don't agree with them, or who do things they don't approve of. And when somebody suggests that THEY , the SJWs, are overreacting to something, or being unnecessarily aggressive, or are, in fact, being INCREDIBLY abusive themselves, they use the word "gaslighting" to cover their asses: By suggesting that THEY are not behaving the way they should, you are trying to manipulate them into thinking they're wrong.
And obviously they're not. You're the one that's wrong, and it'd be best if you just shut up and accepted it.
I am now ridiculously suspect of what sort of circles the author runs in on Tumblr. I feel like I already know, though, and the thought that they're now subtly, sneakily misrepresenting the kind of culture that exists on Tumblr disgusts me.
This book was a Tumblr-kid's wetdream: Meet a hot hunk on the internet (who is not a predator, because obviously if you LIKE HIM he must be safe), overcome an evil "troll", and basically turning the whole concept of "blogging" into something way more important than it actually is.
"Reasons why people hate tumblr and fandom, summarized into one (shockingly dull) book."
Madi reads as one of those Tumblr kids who's deluded themselves into thinking that blogging is OH SO IMPORTANT MAN. And for the love of GOD, you realize the whole "everyone on the internet is a predator" thing comes from kids ACTUALLY MEETING PREDATORS IN REAL LIFE AFTER MAKING CONTACT ON THE INTERNET, RIGHT?
And yet Madi just goes ahead and meets this guy because, as a teenager, she just knows so much better. She should have had her internet privileges- BECAUSE YES, TEENAGERS, THE INTERNET IS A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT- revoked.
Oh, and a piece of advice: Do not engage with trolls. Do not respond to them, do not speak to them, do not tell them to leave you alone (they won't), do not acknowledge them- DO NOT FUEL THE FIRE. The more attention you give them, the worse they get. Give them time to get bored (unless they're threatening you) and if they don't, then ACTUALLY go to someone who can do SOMETHING and figure out a game-plan.
Also, I take some issues with a couple of the definitions at the beginning of the book, but this one in particular:
SJW: Social Justice Warrior. A derogatory term used to describe a person (usually female) who is hyper-aware of social justice issues and argues to correct them.
Nnnnnooo.
No.
A SJW is a lot of things; they are not hyper-aware of social justice issues, they are hyper-sensitive to them. Awareness implies that these people actually understand what they're talking about, and SJWs do not. They have taken anything remotely resembling legitimate activism and made it into a goddamn cult, where you had better toe whatever political narrative they're pushing or be threatened and harassed. They have bastardized legitimate activism and turned it into easy-to-swallow clicktivism that lets them be the bullies while still deluding themselves into thinking that they're the heroes.
An SJW will, straight-faced, argue that domestic abuse and rape are ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT HORRIBLE AND AWFUL... But only when it's a man doing it to a woman, because gosh, really, how could a woman possibly rape a man, and it's just not the same thing when a woman slaps a man- he must have done something to deserve it.
An SJW will pass around a list of African-Americans killed by the police without bothering to fact-check who these people were or the circumstances of their deaths; and when that list gets debunked because it includes people who literally shot at the police (or otherwise did something incredibly threatening or dangerous), they refuse to acknowledge that they were endorsing a load of bullshit propaganda and mixing in actual, legitimate criminals with innocent victims of police brutality.
An SJW will, without a hint of irony or humor, tell bisexuals that they are not welcome in LGBT spaces because "you're basically half-straight and that's threatening to us purely gay people who do not benefit from "straight-passing privilege".
An SJW will make it their fucking business to police fandom spaces, harassing people for shipping "bad ships" and setting themselves up as the pure and righteous moral center- all while calling people who ship a seventeen year-old with a twenty year-old "pedophiles" and people who ship a hero and a villain together "rape and abuse apologists".
You want to complain about trolls invading fandom spaces? Are you kidding me? In the last five years SJWs have done more bullshit in fandoms than trolls could ever hope to accomplish. They have harassed artists for not drawing characters with the "proper" skintone (the character isn't human and therefore doesn't HAVE a canonical race or ethnicity, but "we've all decided he's black so that makes you racist for drawing him white), harassed fanfiction authors for writing villains sympathetically or (again) writing about "bad ships", and they've shoehorned politics into every nook and cranny that they can, regardless of whether or not the canon creators endorse that particular ideology or not.
Author, do not fucking play me. I run in internet circles, I run on Tumblr, and I run in fandom. Do not fucking misrepresent what an Social Justice Warrior is, and DO NOT try to imply that these people have been unjustly vilified. They've earned the vitriol they get by being gross hypocrites and morality-police bullies. I have been dealing with them for years, and they are nasty, revolting people who have driven people to suicide (google "zami00" and tell me what you come up with, I'll wait).
EDIT: I got so caught up in the "SJW" definition that I forgot to mention this utterly incorrect gem:
Gaslighting: A form of emotional manipulation/abuse where the victim is convinced he or she is the cause of the conflict.
NNNNNNOOO.
NO. ALSO INCORRECT.
That, kids, is what we call the Tumblr
(to) manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity..
See, "gaslighting" is a very popular term on Tumblr, particularly by SJWs. Because- Well, let me give you an example:
--
Mary doesn't like that Anna ships Luke/Leia from Star Wars, because incest.
So Mary begins to harass Anna with passive-aggressive comments about how Anna's a piece of shit, how she's an incest apologist- and therefore an abuse and pedophilia apologist, because incest is usually something non-consensual and so, in shipping an incest-ship between two consenting adults, you are implying that it's okay for people to abuse family members and molest kids (People I am not joking, Fandom SJWs have jumped through weirder hoops and they go for the goddamn jugular).
Anna defends herself, saying that it's nobody's business what she ships and that Mary is the abusive one, because she's harassing Anna, a real person, over a fictional pairing between consenting adults and accusing Anna of being things that she is very obviously not.
Mary, offended, accuses Anna of gaslighting her: By suggesting that Mary is the one to blame for this conflict, she's trying to emotionally/mentally manipulate Mary into believing that her choosing to call out an incestuous and abusive ship is wrong. And obviously Mary is justified in
"criticizing" Anna's shipping preferences, because OBVIOUSLY it makes Anna an abuse apologist who deserves to be called out.
--
Now, I know that probably reads weird to anyone who's never been on Tumblr and has never witnessed some of the epic shit-fits that the babies on that website throw over fictional pairings. But the tl;dr version of it is this:
SJWs really like to harass people that don't agree with them, or who do things they don't approve of. And when somebody suggests that THEY , the SJWs, are overreacting to something, or being unnecessarily aggressive, or are, in fact, being INCREDIBLY abusive themselves, they use the word "gaslighting" to cover their asses: By suggesting that THEY are not behaving the way they should, you are trying to manipulate them into thinking they're wrong.
And obviously they're not. You're the one that's wrong, and it'd be best if you just shut up and accepted it.
I am now ridiculously suspect of what sort of circles the author runs in on Tumblr. I feel like I already know, though, and the thought that they're now subtly, sneakily misrepresenting the kind of culture that exists on Tumblr disgusts me.
This book was a Tumblr-kid's wetdream: Meet a hot hunk on the internet (who is not a predator, because obviously if you LIKE HIM he must be safe), overcome an evil "troll", and basically turning the whole concept of "blogging" into something way more important than it actually is.
July 29, 2017
This review was originally published on Spinatale Reviews.
I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This story about a teen blogger struggling to deal with an online troll is one that will likely be relatable to many, particularly those who use social media on a daily basis. There are texts, blog posts, tweets, and pictures interspersed with the text. I really liked the alternative format but it may not appeal to all readers. Internet Famous also dealt with some serious topics that I hadn’t expected to see. The main character was relatable and funny and the fandom focus appealed to the nerdy side of me.
I loved that Madi wasn’t a perfect character. She occassionally struggled with her responsibilities and made mistakes throughout the book. It was really easy to connect with her because she felt like a real person. Plus it was nice to read about a main character who sometimes prefers interacting with people online instead of in real life. While I think it was unfair that her parents gave her so much responsibility in regards to Sarah, Madi mostly handled it in a mature manner. I did love that her parents truly went to bat for her when it mattered. The relationship between her and Laurent was as adorable as I thought it would be. I wish that there had been more scenes with them together in person but I understand why that didn’t make sense given the storyline. He was a little too perfect but given the genre, I hadn’t really expected anything else.
I originally thought that this was going to be a light and fluffy read and so was very pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Sarah, Madi’s special needs sister, and the portrayal of the effects of cyberbullying. I think the author realistically portrayed the struggles of a family with a special needs child while also writing Sarah as an understandable and likeable character. Some of the small moments between her and Madi were my favorites in the book, particularly toward the end. The cyberbullying was entirely believable and disturbing. The author did a great job of showing how it slowly chipped away at Madi’s life, going from an annoyance to affecting every aspect of her life.
I’ll probably save this one and reread it on a day when I need a pick-me-up type of book because this one left me feeling happy and optimistic. Internet Famous was the perfect balance between lighter and heavier topics. It would be perfect for a summer or beach read.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This story about a teen blogger struggling to deal with an online troll is one that will likely be relatable to many, particularly those who use social media on a daily basis. There are texts, blog posts, tweets, and pictures interspersed with the text. I really liked the alternative format but it may not appeal to all readers. Internet Famous also dealt with some serious topics that I hadn’t expected to see. The main character was relatable and funny and the fandom focus appealed to the nerdy side of me.
I loved that Madi wasn’t a perfect character. She occassionally struggled with her responsibilities and made mistakes throughout the book. It was really easy to connect with her because she felt like a real person. Plus it was nice to read about a main character who sometimes prefers interacting with people online instead of in real life. While I think it was unfair that her parents gave her so much responsibility in regards to Sarah, Madi mostly handled it in a mature manner. I did love that her parents truly went to bat for her when it mattered. The relationship between her and Laurent was as adorable as I thought it would be. I wish that there had been more scenes with them together in person but I understand why that didn’t make sense given the storyline. He was a little too perfect but given the genre, I hadn’t really expected anything else.
I originally thought that this was going to be a light and fluffy read and so was very pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Sarah, Madi’s special needs sister, and the portrayal of the effects of cyberbullying. I think the author realistically portrayed the struggles of a family with a special needs child while also writing Sarah as an understandable and likeable character. Some of the small moments between her and Madi were my favorites in the book, particularly toward the end. The cyberbullying was entirely believable and disturbing. The author did a great job of showing how it slowly chipped away at Madi’s life, going from an annoyance to affecting every aspect of her life.
I’ll probably save this one and reread it on a day when I need a pick-me-up type of book because this one left me feeling happy and optimistic. Internet Famous was the perfect balance between lighter and heavier topics. It would be perfect for a summer or beach read.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
June 8, 2017
Madi Nakama is still a senior in high school, but she's already Internet famous, thanks to her blog about popular culture. When family problems cause her to turn to her online friends for support, her Internet life intersects with her real life, and Madi discovers just how famous she really is. But fame comes at a price. An anonymous fan becomes a troll, harassing her first in private and then in public. As the attacks escalate, Madi begins to suspect everyone around her. Who is the troll? Will Madi's new friendships survive her increasing paranoia? Will she emerge with her online (and offline) reputation intact?
Each chapter begins with a fitting 1980s movie quote. The narrative is interwoven with emails, Tumblr posts and messages, tweets, Snaps, texts (complete with graphics and emojis), and Skype sessions. Part romance, part family drama, part mystery, part suspense/thriller, Internet Famous is modern and fresh, with a bit of nostalgia thrown in for us older readers. I especially enjoyed the 1980s movie references. The only movie I haven't seen yet is Say Anything; it's definitely one I'll have to "rewatch".
Warnings: coarse language.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (8 June): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
Each chapter begins with a fitting 1980s movie quote. The narrative is interwoven with emails, Tumblr posts and messages, tweets, Snaps, texts (complete with graphics and emojis), and Skype sessions. Part romance, part family drama, part mystery, part suspense/thriller, Internet Famous is modern and fresh, with a bit of nostalgia thrown in for us older readers. I especially enjoyed the 1980s movie references. The only movie I haven't seen yet is Say Anything; it's definitely one I'll have to "rewatch".
Warnings: coarse language.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (8 June): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
June 7, 2017
3.5 stars
Internet famous is the story of Madi, a girl that has a popular blog called MadLibs, that is finding her first love, dealing with internet trolls, trying to figure out what she wants to do with her future, and dealing the complications that come with the care of her sister. MadLibs is her blog where she shares her opinions on rewatches of different films. Madi has a very large fan base but likes to keep to herself. She takes classes online, and helps take care of her younger sister, Sarah, who is on the spectrum. Sarah has a hard time if things don't go by a set schedule, so that tend to keeps Madi from living her life.
This story touches on the issue of cyberbullying, which I think is really important. Madi has to deal with a internet "troll" writing cruel things on her blog, and also sending her hateful messages. Things with the troll escalate and we are left wondering who the troll could be. If I'm being honest, I had a pretty good feeling I knew who it was from the very beginning, so I ended up not being too surprised. I just loved that the author tackled this subject since it is a huge obstacle with teens right now in the age of computers. (Wow, I feel like I just aged myself with that sentence. lol!)
There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about the story. I really loved the way the author showed the text message images and pictures that Madi and Laurent exchanged. It was such a fun way to break up the text and show their conversations. I loved getting to read their flirty texts back and forth. I also really loved Madi and Sarah's close relationship. I thought the way the author wrote about Sarah was really realistic. She needed things to be in a certain routine, but she didn't let anything hold her back either. She was very intelligent and thoughtful.
There were also a few things that I didn't love quite as much. When we learned that Madi's mom was leaving the family to further her career, and didn't take into account anyone else's feelings OR how it was going to effect her daughter that relies on routines; I thought we would see the father or someone confront her about her selfishness but she was never called out on her behavior. That really bothered me. She came off as very cold and unfeeling. She pushed all of her parental responsibilities on Madi, and so did the father to a point. That drove me crazy. I have to say that I did LOVE the change in the father as the story progressed tho. At the start of the story he just seems withdrawn and oblivious, but he really won me over by the end.
*I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. "
Internet famous is the story of Madi, a girl that has a popular blog called MadLibs, that is finding her first love, dealing with internet trolls, trying to figure out what she wants to do with her future, and dealing the complications that come with the care of her sister. MadLibs is her blog where she shares her opinions on rewatches of different films. Madi has a very large fan base but likes to keep to herself. She takes classes online, and helps take care of her younger sister, Sarah, who is on the spectrum. Sarah has a hard time if things don't go by a set schedule, so that tend to keeps Madi from living her life.
This story touches on the issue of cyberbullying, which I think is really important. Madi has to deal with a internet "troll" writing cruel things on her blog, and also sending her hateful messages. Things with the troll escalate and we are left wondering who the troll could be. If I'm being honest, I had a pretty good feeling I knew who it was from the very beginning, so I ended up not being too surprised. I just loved that the author tackled this subject since it is a huge obstacle with teens right now in the age of computers. (Wow, I feel like I just aged myself with that sentence. lol!)
There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about the story. I really loved the way the author showed the text message images and pictures that Madi and Laurent exchanged. It was such a fun way to break up the text and show their conversations. I loved getting to read their flirty texts back and forth. I also really loved Madi and Sarah's close relationship. I thought the way the author wrote about Sarah was really realistic. She needed things to be in a certain routine, but she didn't let anything hold her back either. She was very intelligent and thoughtful.
There were also a few things that I didn't love quite as much. When we learned that Madi's mom was leaving the family to further her career, and didn't take into account anyone else's feelings OR how it was going to effect her daughter that relies on routines; I thought we would see the father or someone confront her about her selfishness but she was never called out on her behavior. That really bothered me. She came off as very cold and unfeeling. She pushed all of her parental responsibilities on Madi, and so did the father to a point. That drove me crazy. I have to say that I did LOVE the change in the father as the story progressed tho. At the start of the story he just seems withdrawn and oblivious, but he really won me over by the end.
*I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. "
February 24, 2018
Actual rating: 2.5*. This wasn’t an overly stimulating or exciting read but it covered some important topics and had an adorable dose of fluffiness in it! Definitely a good read that would be brilliant for educating younger people about the internet (and life itself)! A good, light, quick read but it unfortunately missed the mark for me plot wise.
July 22, 2018
Entertaining, but wayyyy too much foul language. And I wish Laurent had been the troll because he was The Unbelievably Perfect YA Boyfriend and because he was so 'perfect', he came off as fake and annoying.
June 16, 2018
This one tried so hard to be witty and snarky with hashtags and the blog posts but it only turn out to be very annoying.
Laurent lack personality and always saying the right words , the kind words. Its boring. Who wants to read pages and pages of dry conversation with neither depth nor humour??
Laurent lack personality and always saying the right words , the kind words. Its boring. Who wants to read pages and pages of dry conversation with neither depth nor humour??
June 6, 2017
I am so happy that I finally read INTERNET FAMOUS. This book features a girl that is very active on social media (blogging, tumblr, and twitter).
Madi is so relatable to teenagers now because she has social media and uses it and actually has a fanbase that came from her blog. I found it so interesting how she would post about re-watches of popular movies she does and has a whole rating scale that works and makes sense! Her whole experience with blogging was fun to read about and her ever growing fanbase is amazing and inspiring. I love how the book would have text messages, emails, and pictures. It was a very entertaining and engaging read.
Madi has a sister named Sarah who is on the spectrum. I LOVED how Danika included a character with Autism because I work with children with Autism and I am always looking for a book with a character on the spectrum that is actually correct. I find that with a lot of books that feature a character on the spectrum the characteristics and behaviors of the child aren't believable or very exaggerated. Sarah is believable though. All of the characteristics of Sarah were true and I was able to understand and connect with her because I have worked with children like her that are rigid about schedules, do not like new experiences or changes, and do not like being hugged (although the kids I have worked with love hugs). They are also INSANELY smart and honest. Like brutally honest. If you ask their opinion on something they'll give their honest answer without a second thought.
I liked how Danika included a character with Autism but she wasn't the main focus of the story. It was very interesting to be inside Madi's mind and she is able to tell us the experiences she has with a sibling with special needs.
I LOVED Laurent. He was an interesting and fun character. He was so funny and it was cute how literal he sometimes was seeing as French was his first language. I liked how he was always there for Madi even though she didn't know that he was a guy at first. He was a good guy character for Madi to fall in love with. I enjoyed the scenes he was in and the "dates" he would go on with Madi. Their relationship was so real and relatable especially when they first started going out.
This book brings up the important subject of cyber bullying. The MC, Madi, is being cyber bullied online and it is not okay but it happens to teens especially now when social media is a big part of everyday life. The way she handles it is the way anybody would handle it. There was one aspect of the cyber bullying that I think was very dangerous, but she was able to handle being cyber bullied earlier in life too. I find her strong for being able to handle it the way she did.
One of the things I did not like was the short hand texting she would do, but that is a personal preference. I don't text shorthand with acronyms so I don't like reading it in books.
Out of the things that I liked and disliked the positives outweigh the negatives. This was a great book about cyberbullying and being able to overcome it. It was also had a character with Autism that is real and honest. I highly recommend this book to others that are looking for a fun and interesting read that looks into the life of an internet famous blogger.
Madi is so relatable to teenagers now because she has social media and uses it and actually has a fanbase that came from her blog. I found it so interesting how she would post about re-watches of popular movies she does and has a whole rating scale that works and makes sense! Her whole experience with blogging was fun to read about and her ever growing fanbase is amazing and inspiring. I love how the book would have text messages, emails, and pictures. It was a very entertaining and engaging read.
Madi has a sister named Sarah who is on the spectrum. I LOVED how Danika included a character with Autism because I work with children with Autism and I am always looking for a book with a character on the spectrum that is actually correct. I find that with a lot of books that feature a character on the spectrum the characteristics and behaviors of the child aren't believable or very exaggerated. Sarah is believable though. All of the characteristics of Sarah were true and I was able to understand and connect with her because I have worked with children like her that are rigid about schedules, do not like new experiences or changes, and do not like being hugged (although the kids I have worked with love hugs). They are also INSANELY smart and honest. Like brutally honest. If you ask their opinion on something they'll give their honest answer without a second thought.
I liked how Danika included a character with Autism but she wasn't the main focus of the story. It was very interesting to be inside Madi's mind and she is able to tell us the experiences she has with a sibling with special needs.
I LOVED Laurent. He was an interesting and fun character. He was so funny and it was cute how literal he sometimes was seeing as French was his first language. I liked how he was always there for Madi even though she didn't know that he was a guy at first. He was a good guy character for Madi to fall in love with. I enjoyed the scenes he was in and the "dates" he would go on with Madi. Their relationship was so real and relatable especially when they first started going out.
This book brings up the important subject of cyber bullying. The MC, Madi, is being cyber bullied online and it is not okay but it happens to teens especially now when social media is a big part of everyday life. The way she handles it is the way anybody would handle it. There was one aspect of the cyber bullying that I think was very dangerous, but she was able to handle being cyber bullied earlier in life too. I find her strong for being able to handle it the way she did.
One of the things I did not like was the short hand texting she would do, but that is a personal preference. I don't text shorthand with acronyms so I don't like reading it in books.
Out of the things that I liked and disliked the positives outweigh the negatives. This was a great book about cyberbullying and being able to overcome it. It was also had a character with Autism that is real and honest. I highly recommend this book to others that are looking for a fun and interesting read that looks into the life of an internet famous blogger.
December 14, 2017
This was a fun, light book to read despite the issues I had with it.
First let's start with the things I liked:
- FANDOMS
- Online friendships
- Hot French guy *wiggles eyebrows*
- Pop culture
- Madi's blog was cool af
That's basically about it.
Now off to the things that I had a couple of issues with:
- Madi acted like a dick towards her sister unnecessarily sometimes, I mean yeah dealing with someone who has any sort of mental illness or special needs is exhausting when everyone expects you to handle everything all the time. BUT you do not walk away from your own sister while she's in the middle of a breakdown that was just a dick move.
- Madi "knew" she was gonna "fall" for Laurent the moment she saw how gorgeous he was. I don't know about you but it screams superficial to me.
- Laurent was too damn perfect (I mean I don't mind that little bit of perfection here and there but DAMN the guy has it all; looks, personality, height, manners, accent... EVERYTHING) it was a bit frustrating at some point.
- How insta-love-y the whole relationship between Madi and Laurent was *rolling eyes*
- I might be biased in this one because I'm fluent in French, BUT I'm pretty sure almost everyone can understand what "je t'aime" means, yet Laurent says it to Madi a billion times and she doesn't even UNDERSTAND it!! Plus if MY boyfriend was a French guy and I didn't speak his language I would've started learning it.
- The French translations weren't accurate most of the times. And I'm not speaking about when Laurent told her "je t'adore" then when she asked he replied with something other than the real meaning, I know that was done on purpose. But the other translations -I can't remember one rn- were not accurate, it was as if the translation was done using Google Translate, and we all know how accurate that one can be.
But despite this, I actually had fun reading this book, it was so light (hell I finished it in one sitting even though I had a lot of school work to do)
First let's start with the things I liked:
- FANDOMS
- Online friendships
- Hot French guy *wiggles eyebrows*
- Pop culture
- Madi's blog was cool af
That's basically about it.
Now off to the things that I had a couple of issues with:
- Madi acted like a dick towards her sister unnecessarily sometimes, I mean yeah dealing with someone who has any sort of mental illness or special needs is exhausting when everyone expects you to handle everything all the time. BUT you do not walk away from your own sister while she's in the middle of a breakdown that was just a dick move.
- Madi "knew" she was gonna "fall" for Laurent the moment she saw how gorgeous he was. I don't know about you but it screams superficial to me.
- Laurent was too damn perfect (I mean I don't mind that little bit of perfection here and there but DAMN the guy has it all; looks, personality, height, manners, accent... EVERYTHING) it was a bit frustrating at some point.
- How insta-love-y the whole relationship between Madi and Laurent was *rolling eyes*
- I might be biased in this one because I'm fluent in French, BUT I'm pretty sure almost everyone can understand what "je t'aime" means, yet Laurent says it to Madi a billion times and she doesn't even UNDERSTAND it!! Plus if MY boyfriend was a French guy and I didn't speak his language I would've started learning it.
- The French translations weren't accurate most of the times. And I'm not speaking about when Laurent told her "je t'adore" then when she asked he replied with something other than the real meaning, I know that was done on purpose. But the other translations -I can't remember one rn- were not accurate, it was as if the translation was done using Google Translate, and we all know how accurate that one can be.
But despite this, I actually had fun reading this book, it was so light (hell I finished it in one sitting even though I had a lot of school work to do)
March 1, 2020
In Internet Famous, blogger Madi's life does a complete 180. At first, she has it all: a lovely family, perfect school life, and really big online following on her MadLibs blog. However, it soon changes when her mam walks out, and an online troll starts to threaten her. She has always kept her real and online lives separate, and this hacker is threatening to bring them together, which could have huge repercussions, not least that fact it could hinder her chances of graduating high school. Her final project is linked to her blog, and if it's taken down, or hacked, it could mean she fails her course, and with the help of online crush, Laurent, they work together to ensure that the troll is stopped.
I enjoyed Madi as the main character, as she was definitely relatable, and seemed so real and honest. She cared about her family, including her Autistic sister, Sarah, who is really struggling after their mam walked out, and that just endeared her to me more. With the book being written in a range of mediums - texts, blog posts, prose, etc. - it was nice to see how this added to the story, more than it would've done if it was all prose. This was my first book by Danika, but I definitely don't think it will be my last!
I enjoyed Madi as the main character, as she was definitely relatable, and seemed so real and honest. She cared about her family, including her Autistic sister, Sarah, who is really struggling after their mam walked out, and that just endeared her to me more. With the book being written in a range of mediums - texts, blog posts, prose, etc. - it was nice to see how this added to the story, more than it would've done if it was all prose. This was my first book by Danika, but I definitely don't think it will be my last!
December 8, 2017
3.5 stars
I thought this was a very cute story about what can happen when the internet and our real lives start to collide in unexpected ways. The romance was very cute, and I love how Danika Stone always manages to create the nerdiest love stories that I just can't get enough of.
Madi was an interesting character. I loved how she had created this unique online presence and turned it into a full-on franchise. She's definitely a good role-model for young girls, which I think is so so important in today's world.
The mixed format made it a quick read, but unfortunately, I didn't love this one as much as I loved last year's All the Feels. I still enjoyed the mystery of the troll and the quirky romance, but it didn't ignite the passionate nerdy feels that I hoped for.
I thought this was a very cute story about what can happen when the internet and our real lives start to collide in unexpected ways. The romance was very cute, and I love how Danika Stone always manages to create the nerdiest love stories that I just can't get enough of.
Madi was an interesting character. I loved how she had created this unique online presence and turned it into a full-on franchise. She's definitely a good role-model for young girls, which I think is so so important in today's world.
The mixed format made it a quick read, but unfortunately, I didn't love this one as much as I loved last year's All the Feels. I still enjoyed the mystery of the troll and the quirky romance, but it didn't ignite the passionate nerdy feels that I hoped for.
July 6, 2017
Cute at times. But I had some problems with the writing/dialogue. Plus the MC came off as selfish more times than not. There was a lot of me me me when it came to the romantic relationship.
I did really like her relationship with her sister, who's on the autism spectrum. I felt like it was a good representation.
I did really like her relationship with her sister, who's on the autism spectrum. I felt like it was a good representation.
June 17, 2017
You know those books that have amazing plot and writing but all is ruined because of a certain annoying naive and bitchy main character? Yep here's one.
Full review at https://thequeenreads.wordpress.com/2...
Full review at https://thequeenreads.wordpress.com/2...
August 8, 2017
Now when I first heard about this last year, I thought it sounded great! Its about a blogger named Madi, living in New Jersey and a foreign exchange student named Laurent, who lives in New York. These two meet through the comments section of Madis blog, MadLibs, and start to build a connection that has the potential to be something more. Meanwhile, Madis also facing adversity in the form of troll who is not in the mood to be ignored. Anyways, you know when you hype up a book in your mind and once you finally read it, it doesnt deliver in the way you expected it would? Well, this book did no such thing!
While the beginning might have been a bit slow for me, by the time I read a few chapters, I was hooked! I loved all the extra stuff, like the blog posts (made me want to participate in the Comments Section of MadLibs), tumblr and snapsed (the books equivalent of Snapchat) pictures! The sad thing was that I really wanted to follow MadLibs after reading this book. Too bad it isnt real but who knows, maybe therell be a site up for Madi soon like there is for Liv and Xander from All the Feels, Danika Stones previous YA novel! Hopefully!
I was also on the edge of my seat as I was trying to figure out who the troll could be! Honestly, I suspected everyone until near the very end; thats when it became clear. But it wasnt obvious to me before and I liked the author could hide that info so well! In real life, I wouldnt like it as much. Im just thankful that the community in a part of is so supportive and friendly! Thanks, everyone! You all are rockstars!
Another cool thing about this book is that its set in the same world as All the Feels, and you see these references to Starveil, Spartan and those amazing fanfics from that novel! And while those mentions were nice, it kind of made it hard for me to like the new set of characters at first, because I kept on comparing them to characters from All the Feels. For instance, at first I thought that Laurent is no Xander, but by the end of the book, I was thinking,Well, Xander sure is no Laurent! And while Madi and Liv share a few similarities, I find Madi to be more assertive than Liv, and I love the strong relationship she has with her sister, Sarah. Overall, once I got past seeing the characters through an All the Feels lens, I was championing them like nobodys business!
Well, thats all I have to say about Internet Famous by Danika Stone! I really thought this novel was something! I recommend this to anyone looking for a cute contemporary with a modern romance as well as any fans of All the Feels!
While the beginning might have been a bit slow for me, by the time I read a few chapters, I was hooked! I loved all the extra stuff, like the blog posts (made me want to participate in the Comments Section of MadLibs), tumblr and snapsed (the books equivalent of Snapchat) pictures! The sad thing was that I really wanted to follow MadLibs after reading this book. Too bad it isnt real but who knows, maybe therell be a site up for Madi soon like there is for Liv and Xander from All the Feels, Danika Stones previous YA novel! Hopefully!
I was also on the edge of my seat as I was trying to figure out who the troll could be! Honestly, I suspected everyone until near the very end; thats when it became clear. But it wasnt obvious to me before and I liked the author could hide that info so well! In real life, I wouldnt like it as much. Im just thankful that the community in a part of is so supportive and friendly! Thanks, everyone! You all are rockstars!
Another cool thing about this book is that its set in the same world as All the Feels, and you see these references to Starveil, Spartan and those amazing fanfics from that novel! And while those mentions were nice, it kind of made it hard for me to like the new set of characters at first, because I kept on comparing them to characters from All the Feels. For instance, at first I thought that Laurent is no Xander, but by the end of the book, I was thinking,Well, Xander sure is no Laurent! And while Madi and Liv share a few similarities, I find Madi to be more assertive than Liv, and I love the strong relationship she has with her sister, Sarah. Overall, once I got past seeing the characters through an All the Feels lens, I was championing them like nobodys business!
Well, thats all I have to say about Internet Famous by Danika Stone! I really thought this novel was something! I recommend this to anyone looking for a cute contemporary with a modern romance as well as any fans of All the Feels!
June 28, 2017
This contemporary romance novel was all kinds of wonderful. The plot felt well flushed out, and did justice to the intriguing premise. Madi was a lovely main character. With the perfect blend of awesome and awkward, Madi had me hooked from the start. It's refreshing to have a main character who isn't all 'cool, calm, and collected', especially around cute boys! One of the things readers will be drawn to is Madi's realistic responses to situations. As with all of Danika's characters, Madi feels real, and she doesn't fall into typical character tropes. I also loved that characters from Danika's 2016 novel 'All the Feels' popped up! I won't spoil anything, but one minor character plays a helpful part in finding out who Madi's troll is, and a lot of characters pop up in the internet reblogging posts, which I loved!! (I'm totally down for a crossover novella (or book!) of all these characters at a con. Just saying.) I liked Laurent, too. For lack of a better term, he felt more 'real' than some other love interests in other books I've read before. In a change of events, Laurent is living the 'fan fell in love with the famous person' life and storyline, we just get to read it from Madi's point of view. As the book continued, I was on the edge of my seat to find out who Madi's internet troll was. Danika kept me guessing almost up until the end. I also love the digital realism that Danika showcases in her books. As teenagers, we're living in the age of phones and computers and the internet, so to see it shown as normal (because to us, it is!) in a novel makes the book that much more awesome.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. While I didn't devour it as quickly as I did 'All the Feels', I still loved the book and will definitely re-read it again sometime. Fans of 'All the Feels' and contemporary books about our digital world will love this book!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. While I didn't devour it as quickly as I did 'All the Feels', I still loved the book and will definitely re-read it again sometime. Fans of 'All the Feels' and contemporary books about our digital world will love this book!
June 2, 2017
If you would like to see all my thoughts on this book, be sure to check out the review on my blog:
www.abooktropolis01.blogspot.co.za
But here is a snippet and overview of what I thought:
Overall, I thought that this story was cute. Yes it had flaws but I definitely think that this is one of those really nice contemporaries that get you in the mood for the rest of summer. Would I read it again, mmm... Maybe. Would I recommend this to people, well for those who like any and all contemporaries, definitely! Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for sending me this book!
www.abooktropolis01.blogspot.co.za
But here is a snippet and overview of what I thought:
Overall, I thought that this story was cute. Yes it had flaws but I definitely think that this is one of those really nice contemporaries that get you in the mood for the rest of summer. Would I read it again, mmm... Maybe. Would I recommend this to people, well for those who like any and all contemporaries, definitely! Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for sending me this book!
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