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Nothing
Nothing ever happens to Charlotte and Frankie. Their lives are nothing like the lives of the girls they read about in their YA novels. They don’t have flowing red hair and hot romantic encounters never happen—let alone meeting a true soul mate. They just go to high school and live at home with their parents, who are pretty normal, all things considered. But when Charlotte decides to write down everything that happens during their sophomore year to prove that nothing happens and there is no plot or character development in real life, she’s surprised to find that being fifteen isn’t as boring as she thought. It’s weird, heartbreaking, silly, and complicated. And maybe, just perfect.
212 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2017
30 people are currently reading
2147 people want to read
About the author
Annie Barrows
78 books985 followersAnnie grew up in Northern California, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, with a degree in Medieval History. Unable to find a job in the middle ages, she decided upon a career as an editor, eventually landing at Chronicle Books in San Francisco, where she was in charge of "all the books that nobody in their right mind would publish." After earning an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Mills College, Annie wrote (as Ann Fiery) a number of books for grown-ups about such diverse subjects as fortune-telling (she can read palms!), urban legends (there are no alligators in the sewer!), and opera (she knows what they're singing about!). In 2003, Annie grew weary of grown-ups, and began to write for kids, which she found to be way more fun.
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zzzzz-did-not-finish
June 20, 2020Y'all, I'm sorry, but the first five pages of this book are utter and complete trash.
I was actually only asked to read this to figure out whether it could be considered MG. Well, nah. This is the author's breakout ya novel after her popular MG Ivy + Bean. But I'm going to be honest: I have a feeling she's tried and failed at YA before. And she got really bitter. At... the existence of diversity in YA, I guess??
I only didn't quote because I had an arc, not a finished copy. But guess what? I checked today, and the quotes didn't change from the arc. This is from the second and third page of the book. Context: they're making fun of common ya tropes.
Okay, so here we are with the obligatory "being gay, or being iranian, or having a mental illness [etc] makes your life more likely to be represented in ya" rhetoric. Yeah... if you're going to write a YA parody novel, please do yourself a favor and read YA. Can you tell me where you found the depressed Iranian lesbian in YA lit? Because I gotta tell ya - she doesn't exist in any YA I've read.
And far more importantly, making fun of rape, incest, homophobia, and self harm, all at the same time. And not in a cute, all-in-good-fun way. This feels like an author who's really pissed off about diversity in ya. There is some real anger in this chapter, and I think it's worth questioning where that's coming from.
ALSO:
no one talks like this, first of all. no one is this creepily sexual. also, gay girls are not always thinking about sex, and I just. wow. this was shit.
This book is marketed as a book about normal teens. Cool. Fun. But of course, they can't be anything other than white and straight, because then they wouldn't be normal, right?
I'm abnormal because I'm a lesbian and I have depression. Cool.
Not a good way to make me finish your book, dude. I'm disappointed in you, and really unhappy to feel like a favorite middle grade author hates me. That's... fun.
I was actually only asked to read this to figure out whether it could be considered MG. Well, nah. This is the author's breakout ya novel after her popular MG Ivy + Bean. But I'm going to be honest: I have a feeling she's tried and failed at YA before. And she got really bitter. At... the existence of diversity in YA, I guess??
I only didn't quote because I had an arc, not a finished copy. But guess what? I checked today, and the quotes didn't change from the arc. This is from the second and third page of the book. Context: they're making fun of common ya tropes.
"And everyone thinks she's hot but she doesn't care, because she has a secret... Guess what it is."
"Rape, incest," said Frankie in a bored tone. "Or oh my god, she's gay."
"Oh my god, she's gay," said Charlotte. "And then... she sees a gorgeous Iranian girl with oh my god, scars on her wrists."
Okay, so here we are with the obligatory "being gay, or being iranian, or having a mental illness [etc] makes your life more likely to be represented in ya" rhetoric. Yeah... if you're going to write a YA parody novel, please do yourself a favor and read YA. Can you tell me where you found the depressed Iranian lesbian in YA lit? Because I gotta tell ya - she doesn't exist in any YA I've read.
And far more importantly, making fun of rape, incest, homophobia, and self harm, all at the same time. And not in a cute, all-in-good-fun way. This feels like an author who's really pissed off about diversity in ya. There is some real anger in this chapter, and I think it's worth questioning where that's coming from.
ALSO:
"Why aren't we gay?"
"I know. But we're not. At least, I'm not. You seem a little gay to me."
"You know what would be really good? If one of us was gay and like, dying of secret lust for the other. And then there could be a discovery scene. And then insane sex."
no one talks like this, first of all. no one is this creepily sexual. also, gay girls are not always thinking about sex, and I just. wow. this was shit.
This book is marketed as a book about normal teens. Cool. Fun. But of course, they can't be anything other than white and straight, because then they wouldn't be normal, right?
I'm abnormal because I'm a lesbian and I have depression. Cool.
Not a good way to make me finish your book, dude. I'm disappointed in you, and really unhappy to feel like a favorite middle grade author hates me. That's... fun.
September 7, 2017
In the parlance of "windows" and "mirrors," I read a lot of "window" books. I read a lot of books about children and teens who aren't growing up like I grew up: who come from afar, or live in poverty, or are haunted by the ghost of a vengeful classmate in 1919. I mean, *shrug* what do you write a novel about? Not about me and my boring life.
Which is the total premise of Nothing. The book begins with Charlotte telling Frankie the salient points of the book she's reading, and Frankie goes, 'aaand then the mother dies.' 'No, in this one it's the brother. But you're on the right track,' says Char. Or something like that, I don't have it in front of me. Char goes on to moan about how THEIR lives would never make a decent teen novel, because NOTHING ever happens to them.
And this is true. They text, they do their homework, Frankie learns to drive. Like all teens, they use profanity like professionals. They are extremely funny all the while. But nothing happens. I read this book on the couch last night, giggling and side-eyeing my teenage sons, kind of thinking, 'Why on earth does this book actually work?,' until i realized, "Ohhhhh. I bet you Annie Barrows has teenage daughters and she is just CRAZY about them!"
Because this book is a total mirror for me. I have sons who are the funniest things that ever farted on cue, and if I could write worth a damn, this is the book I would write about them. I can feel the love.
And oh my god, how privileged am I that the book that most closely mirrors my life is 100% uneventful??
I mean, quite frankly, I'm not even sure I should be reviewing it - I don't know if I have enough perspective. And I don't know if it has a big audience. It might *just* be for college-bound girls from white-collar families - girls whose brothers do not have to fear the police; who experienced childhoods devoid of adverse experiences; who are neither bullied first-generation Americans, terminally ill, nor haunted by vengeful ghosts.
This bugs me. It shouldn't be solely within the precinct of the privileged to see oneself in such a sweet, funny, snarky book. While we advocate for diverse books and #ownvoices, let's make sure we seek out and champion warm, nontragic books like this one for every kid who might search the teen section in search of a character who looks like them.
Maybe this is on my mind because the last book I read was The Hate U Give, and while that book was exceptional in its handling of crisis, it was also terrific at the small, funny moments between friends and family members. I sort of wish for a follow-up novel in which Starr and Kenya and Chris and DeVante get to have a senior year of high school in which nothing happens.
Every kid deserves a little dose of Nothing.
Which is the total premise of Nothing. The book begins with Charlotte telling Frankie the salient points of the book she's reading, and Frankie goes, 'aaand then the mother dies.' 'No, in this one it's the brother. But you're on the right track,' says Char. Or something like that, I don't have it in front of me. Char goes on to moan about how THEIR lives would never make a decent teen novel, because NOTHING ever happens to them.
And this is true. They text, they do their homework, Frankie learns to drive. Like all teens, they use profanity like professionals. They are extremely funny all the while. But nothing happens. I read this book on the couch last night, giggling and side-eyeing my teenage sons, kind of thinking, 'Why on earth does this book actually work?,' until i realized, "Ohhhhh. I bet you Annie Barrows has teenage daughters and she is just CRAZY about them!"
Because this book is a total mirror for me. I have sons who are the funniest things that ever farted on cue, and if I could write worth a damn, this is the book I would write about them. I can feel the love.
And oh my god, how privileged am I that the book that most closely mirrors my life is 100% uneventful??
I mean, quite frankly, I'm not even sure I should be reviewing it - I don't know if I have enough perspective. And I don't know if it has a big audience. It might *just* be for college-bound girls from white-collar families - girls whose brothers do not have to fear the police; who experienced childhoods devoid of adverse experiences; who are neither bullied first-generation Americans, terminally ill, nor haunted by vengeful ghosts.
This bugs me. It shouldn't be solely within the precinct of the privileged to see oneself in such a sweet, funny, snarky book. While we advocate for diverse books and #ownvoices, let's make sure we seek out and champion warm, nontragic books like this one for every kid who might search the teen section in search of a character who looks like them.
Maybe this is on my mind because the last book I read was The Hate U Give, and while that book was exceptional in its handling of crisis, it was also terrific at the small, funny moments between friends and family members. I sort of wish for a follow-up novel in which Starr and Kenya and Chris and DeVante get to have a senior year of high school in which nothing happens.
Every kid deserves a little dose of Nothing.
October 12, 2017
This book is trash.
The whole premise of this book is that it’s a book about nothing, told from the perspective of two teenage girls who are chronicling how boring their lives are for a high school project. The book is supposed to be this meta self-aware commentary on YA novels and how their protagonists go through completely unrelatable story arcs and don’t reflect modern teenagers at all, but it ends up being pointless and totally offensive.
You know a book is going to be bad when it reveals itself as problematic in the first five minutes. Within the first three pages, Annie Barrows manages to disparage female queer POCs and the survivors of sexual abuse and incest, under the premise of “omg lol so meta”.
Get fucked.
You want to parody or satirise tropes in YA fiction? Try poking fun at unrealistic love triangles, “pretty girls who don’t know they’re pretty”, and insta-love. Don’t denigrate ethnic groups, people of diverse genders, sexes and sexualities, and sources of grief and trauma. And for the love of god, don’t casually throw the words “rape” and “incest” in there on the second page.
The whole premise of this book is that it’s a book about nothing, told from the perspective of two teenage girls who are chronicling how boring their lives are for a high school project. The book is supposed to be this meta self-aware commentary on YA novels and how their protagonists go through completely unrelatable story arcs and don’t reflect modern teenagers at all, but it ends up being pointless and totally offensive.
You know a book is going to be bad when it reveals itself as problematic in the first five minutes. Within the first three pages, Annie Barrows manages to disparage female queer POCs and the survivors of sexual abuse and incest, under the premise of “omg lol so meta”.
Get fucked.
You want to parody or satirise tropes in YA fiction? Try poking fun at unrealistic love triangles, “pretty girls who don’t know they’re pretty”, and insta-love. Don’t denigrate ethnic groups, people of diverse genders, sexes and sexualities, and sources of grief and trauma. And for the love of god, don’t casually throw the words “rape” and “incest” in there on the second page.
October 18, 2017
This is a combination of Seinfeld and Gidget.
No, seriously, work with me here.
This is a book about nothing. About ordinary girls, friends, living their regular lives. They have families and homework and boys they like and other friends they hang out with. They talk about stuff, and boys, and go shopping. There's no love triangle. There's no superpowers. There's . . . nothing. One of them is fine with it, the other longs for something a bit MORE.
But how is it Gidget? Well, Gidget was written by a dad after overhearing many of his daughter's phone calls with her friends. It captured the slang and the feeling of the day (early 1960's surf culture). Annie Barrows has shamelessly listened in on her kids and their friends, and the slang is dead on.
I will say I was more than a little shocked by the language. there is a lot of F-words, and I still can't believe that there are kids who talk that way . . . Ah well.
No, seriously, work with me here.
This is a book about nothing. About ordinary girls, friends, living their regular lives. They have families and homework and boys they like and other friends they hang out with. They talk about stuff, and boys, and go shopping. There's no love triangle. There's no superpowers. There's . . . nothing. One of them is fine with it, the other longs for something a bit MORE.
But how is it Gidget? Well, Gidget was written by a dad after overhearing many of his daughter's phone calls with her friends. It captured the slang and the feeling of the day (early 1960's surf culture). Annie Barrows has shamelessly listened in on her kids and their friends, and the slang is dead on.
I will say I was more than a little shocked by the language. there is a lot of F-words, and I still can't believe that there are kids who talk that way . . . Ah well.
September 21, 2017
All right. What in the world happened here?
I mean, Annie Barrows wrote one of my favorite childhood series back when I liked short books and could not lie. Ivy & Bean was fun for those 6 books I read, and I know they brought a lot of joy into lives other than my own. I was excited to see her foray into YA with a book that would seemingly poke fun at all of the tropes in YA we have been rolling our eyes at for years.
Despite some warnings beforehand, and me being a little wary of touching the novel right away, I still decided to take a chance on Nothing and its apparent nothingness. After all, it was pretty short, and maybe there would be some actual heart that I could find here.
Well, this went well. Nothing is, without a doubt, one of the worst books I've read this year (if not the worst), along with being one of the worst books I've ever read. It stretches its 212 page length to the limit, filling its space with no substantial story, flat characters, and downright offensive material that makes me question if this was in better hands, maybe we could have had something better. And not this.
First off, the plot has no weight. Barrows tries to jam a road trip to resolve Charlotte's text pal who's anonymous and she thinks she'll never get to see storyline, but by then, I just didn't care. Nothing delivers on its title, because that's the material in this book. It's just Charlotte and Frankie going to a few parties, smoking weed with friends (or family, which is downright creepy), drinking alcohol, and just meddling around. It's not interesting to read about, even with this book's snarkier writing. It makes for a tedious experience.
I also couldn't care about the characters. Most of them don't take up a lot of page time, are completely underutilized, or are just plain uninteresting. Charlotte and Frankie are practically indistinguishable outside of the fact that the former has 1st person present POV and the latter has third person past POV. They are literally the same person.
And then we get into the main reason why this novel turned sour for me: the writing. For a book that's supposed to be satirical, I didn't laugh all that much. There is only one conversation that I actually found myself liking, whereas the rest were either not important or, frankly, harmful. The girls make fun of "tropes" in YA (mostly real life struggles some of us have to face), and it crosses the line multiple times.
Not only that, but there's also some other material that I need to address. Which means I need to bring out the quotes (including the ones in my status updates):
"In there"..."the main girl has red ringlets, like, three feet long--"
"Bitch."
"And everyone thinks she's hot but she doesn't care, because she has a secret."
"Oooh-ooh, a secret," snickered Frankie. "This is why I don't read."
"Guess what it is."
...
"Rape, incest," said Frankie in a bored voice. "Or oh my god, she's gay."
"Oh my god, she's gay," said Charlotte. "And then oh my god, there's a rainstorm and oh my god, she doesn't have an umbrella, so she runs into a--wait for it--"
"An AA meeting!" yelled Frankie.
"No! A sculpture class!" said Charlotte. "Where she sees a gorgeous Iranian girl with oh my god, scars on her wrists, and they exchange stares of attraction."
"Yeah, yeah," said Frankie. "Where's the dead mom?"
"Dead brother. Iranian girl's."
"Her fault?"
"Duh."
"Is there a scene where the main girl runs through a storm to save the Iranian girl from suicide and they touch each other and then have insane sex?" (pg. 2)
"You know what would be really good?" said Frankie dreamily. "If one of us was gay and, like, dying of secret lust for the other. And then there could be a discovery scene. And then insane sex." (pg. 3)
"Soren and Devon [are] the guys Frankie kind of suggested were gay last week. Maybe they are gay. They keep slapping each other on the head. Whatever. They try to act all hard around us, saying s**t like "I flexin" and "He doin' the most." Yeah, right, whiteboy." (pg. 52)
"Shut up. I'm black. I can't be racist." said Chris. Then to Luis. "You ever seen an okay-like, normal-black guy in a book? S**t you have. They're always fu--"--he glanced at Miss Mathers--"messed up." (pg. 64)
"You go, Franklin. I guess they're only complete d**ks until they tell you you're hot. Or until you're desperate for something to happen." (pg. 108)
And my personal "favorite":
"If it was in a teen book, the two of you would be having sex in your room right now, and I'd be sitting all by myself in the living room, having an eating disorder."
"No." Frankie giggles. "You'd be cutting yourself with my mom's fancy silverware." (pg. 129)
There are various others, but these immediately jumped out at me as being the worst in the book. It's not fun to be reading something where not only are my enjoyment levels low, but my brain cells are also jumping out of my mind with parachutes. Some of these AREN'T okay, and never will be.
One of the main problems that reviewers face when they write reviews (and I have been guilty of this a few times) is disassociating the author from their characters. It's been easier elsewhere, but here, it's incredibly difficult. It feels like Barrows is not only just mocking the YA genre in general, but also mocking its target audience.
I mean, after all, we're all just mindless idiots who love reading books that offer the same tired but true storylines, right? We're all just wasting our time, getting the same works in our hands over and over again.
Sorry, but it doesn't work like that.
Coming from me, a 17 year old male who's been reading YA books for years, I can proudly say that YA isn't the same story. There are so many diverse books out there ready to be explored, whether in contemporary or fantasy/sci-fi. Tropes may appear from time to time, but each book has its own specialty to it, just as long as you don't stay put in one genre and experience others.
So feeling like I should be ashamed for liking YA just from reading Nothing? It sucks, because I know there's good in this field. It's just that some people don't wish to see it.
So all in all, Nothing was a catastrophic miss. Its execution wasn't good, and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone because of its content and general weaknesses. Even though it's less than 250 pages, it's just not worth your time.
I mean, Annie Barrows wrote one of my favorite childhood series back when I liked short books and could not lie. Ivy & Bean was fun for those 6 books I read, and I know they brought a lot of joy into lives other than my own. I was excited to see her foray into YA with a book that would seemingly poke fun at all of the tropes in YA we have been rolling our eyes at for years.
Despite some warnings beforehand, and me being a little wary of touching the novel right away, I still decided to take a chance on Nothing and its apparent nothingness. After all, it was pretty short, and maybe there would be some actual heart that I could find here.
Well, this went well. Nothing is, without a doubt, one of the worst books I've read this year (if not the worst), along with being one of the worst books I've ever read. It stretches its 212 page length to the limit, filling its space with no substantial story, flat characters, and downright offensive material that makes me question if this was in better hands, maybe we could have had something better. And not this.
First off, the plot has no weight. Barrows tries to jam a road trip to resolve Charlotte's text pal who's anonymous and she thinks she'll never get to see storyline, but by then, I just didn't care. Nothing delivers on its title, because that's the material in this book. It's just Charlotte and Frankie going to a few parties, smoking weed with friends (or family, which is downright creepy), drinking alcohol, and just meddling around. It's not interesting to read about, even with this book's snarkier writing. It makes for a tedious experience.
I also couldn't care about the characters. Most of them don't take up a lot of page time, are completely underutilized, or are just plain uninteresting. Charlotte and Frankie are practically indistinguishable outside of the fact that the former has 1st person present POV and the latter has third person past POV. They are literally the same person.
And then we get into the main reason why this novel turned sour for me: the writing. For a book that's supposed to be satirical, I didn't laugh all that much. There is only one conversation that I actually found myself liking, whereas the rest were either not important or, frankly, harmful. The girls make fun of "tropes" in YA (mostly real life struggles some of us have to face), and it crosses the line multiple times.
Not only that, but there's also some other material that I need to address. Which means I need to bring out the quotes (including the ones in my status updates):
"In there"..."the main girl has red ringlets, like, three feet long--"
"Bitch."
"And everyone thinks she's hot but she doesn't care, because she has a secret."
"Oooh-ooh, a secret," snickered Frankie. "This is why I don't read."
"Guess what it is."
...
"Rape, incest," said Frankie in a bored voice. "Or oh my god, she's gay."
"Oh my god, she's gay," said Charlotte. "And then oh my god, there's a rainstorm and oh my god, she doesn't have an umbrella, so she runs into a--wait for it--"
"An AA meeting!" yelled Frankie.
"No! A sculpture class!" said Charlotte. "Where she sees a gorgeous Iranian girl with oh my god, scars on her wrists, and they exchange stares of attraction."
"Yeah, yeah," said Frankie. "Where's the dead mom?"
"Dead brother. Iranian girl's."
"Her fault?"
"Duh."
"Is there a scene where the main girl runs through a storm to save the Iranian girl from suicide and they touch each other and then have insane sex?" (pg. 2)
"You know what would be really good?" said Frankie dreamily. "If one of us was gay and, like, dying of secret lust for the other. And then there could be a discovery scene. And then insane sex." (pg. 3)
"Soren and Devon [are] the guys Frankie kind of suggested were gay last week. Maybe they are gay. They keep slapping each other on the head. Whatever. They try to act all hard around us, saying s**t like "I flexin" and "He doin' the most." Yeah, right, whiteboy." (pg. 52)
"Shut up. I'm black. I can't be racist." said Chris. Then to Luis. "You ever seen an okay-like, normal-black guy in a book? S**t you have. They're always fu--"--he glanced at Miss Mathers--"messed up." (pg. 64)
"You go, Franklin. I guess they're only complete d**ks until they tell you you're hot. Or until you're desperate for something to happen." (pg. 108)
And my personal "favorite":
"If it was in a teen book, the two of you would be having sex in your room right now, and I'd be sitting all by myself in the living room, having an eating disorder."
"No." Frankie giggles. "You'd be cutting yourself with my mom's fancy silverware." (pg. 129)
There are various others, but these immediately jumped out at me as being the worst in the book. It's not fun to be reading something where not only are my enjoyment levels low, but my brain cells are also jumping out of my mind with parachutes. Some of these AREN'T okay, and never will be.
One of the main problems that reviewers face when they write reviews (and I have been guilty of this a few times) is disassociating the author from their characters. It's been easier elsewhere, but here, it's incredibly difficult. It feels like Barrows is not only just mocking the YA genre in general, but also mocking its target audience.
I mean, after all, we're all just mindless idiots who love reading books that offer the same tired but true storylines, right? We're all just wasting our time, getting the same works in our hands over and over again.
Sorry, but it doesn't work like that.
Coming from me, a 17 year old male who's been reading YA books for years, I can proudly say that YA isn't the same story. There are so many diverse books out there ready to be explored, whether in contemporary or fantasy/sci-fi. Tropes may appear from time to time, but each book has its own specialty to it, just as long as you don't stay put in one genre and experience others.
So feeling like I should be ashamed for liking YA just from reading Nothing? It sucks, because I know there's good in this field. It's just that some people don't wish to see it.
So all in all, Nothing was a catastrophic miss. Its execution wasn't good, and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone because of its content and general weaknesses. Even though it's less than 250 pages, it's just not worth your time.
November 6, 2017
I was curious about the premise of this book. Two teenage friends are disenchanted with the predictability of life, and Charlotte decides to write an expose as a school assignment, to prove that it's not all it's cracked up to be. She plans to document what a typical, dull go-to-school life is really like, since there's no plot, no character development, but just a whole lot of mindless repetition. Frankie isn't sure how she'll manage to pull it off, but she's interested to find out, and so was I.
It would seem Barrows could have taken this either of two ways. a) The girls are wrong, and the title of the book will prove to be a misnomer, because there's always something interesting happening. b) The girls are right, in which case their ho-hum lives will have to be really well written to hold our attention.
I think the story was intended to be an a. We were probably meant to notice that even though their lives seem pointless, there's always enough bubbling under the surface to keep a bit of spice in them. After all, there were a few plot threads happening. Charlotte has a crush on a long-distance friend Sid, although she has no idea what he looks like because his face never shows up on social media. That's got to be rare for this day and age, when even the most camera shy among us can't escape being tagged by our friends sometimes.
And then there's Frankie, who is not just any little sister. She's the unpopular family lovechild, whose parents both split up their former marriages to start a relationship together. Frankie's older half-brothers and sisters never really let her forget it.
Unfortunately, although it sounds like the story had potential, it didn't really go places, and we ended up with more of a b. Imagine being stuck in a bus behind two fourteen-year-old girls, who gossip, giggle, make snide comments about their parents and ramble on about parties, clothes and make-up for the duration. This is the equivalent in book form. At first I wondered if it's just my age, since I'm not really the target audience, but no, there just doesn't seem to be much substance to Charlotte and Frankie. At one point, Charlotte even admits that rather than thinking for herself, she prefers to watch friends for cues as to how she's supposed to behave and react. That's presented as if it's meant to be one of the book's major revelations. Instead, we realise it's quite true, and probably the reason we're so bored after 200+ pages of seeing her herd mentality reflex in action.
Well, I guess we can't say that the cover, title, blurb and first few pages didn't warn us :) Still, it's a bit disappointing since I didn't expect it to really be about nothing. Maybe many authors have theirs hits and misses. This has to be a miss for Annie Barrows, who's also had her share of hits.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for my review copy.
For more reviews and book chat, visit my blog, https://vincereview.blogspot.com.au/
It would seem Barrows could have taken this either of two ways. a) The girls are wrong, and the title of the book will prove to be a misnomer, because there's always something interesting happening. b) The girls are right, in which case their ho-hum lives will have to be really well written to hold our attention.
I think the story was intended to be an a. We were probably meant to notice that even though their lives seem pointless, there's always enough bubbling under the surface to keep a bit of spice in them. After all, there were a few plot threads happening. Charlotte has a crush on a long-distance friend Sid, although she has no idea what he looks like because his face never shows up on social media. That's got to be rare for this day and age, when even the most camera shy among us can't escape being tagged by our friends sometimes.
And then there's Frankie, who is not just any little sister. She's the unpopular family lovechild, whose parents both split up their former marriages to start a relationship together. Frankie's older half-brothers and sisters never really let her forget it.
Unfortunately, although it sounds like the story had potential, it didn't really go places, and we ended up with more of a b. Imagine being stuck in a bus behind two fourteen-year-old girls, who gossip, giggle, make snide comments about their parents and ramble on about parties, clothes and make-up for the duration. This is the equivalent in book form. At first I wondered if it's just my age, since I'm not really the target audience, but no, there just doesn't seem to be much substance to Charlotte and Frankie. At one point, Charlotte even admits that rather than thinking for herself, she prefers to watch friends for cues as to how she's supposed to behave and react. That's presented as if it's meant to be one of the book's major revelations. Instead, we realise it's quite true, and probably the reason we're so bored after 200+ pages of seeing her herd mentality reflex in action.
Well, I guess we can't say that the cover, title, blurb and first few pages didn't warn us :) Still, it's a bit disappointing since I didn't expect it to really be about nothing. Maybe many authors have theirs hits and misses. This has to be a miss for Annie Barrows, who's also had her share of hits.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for my review copy.
For more reviews and book chat, visit my blog, https://vincereview.blogspot.com.au/
June 30, 2017
3.5 Stars
I have serious difficulty believing that a teenager didn't write this book.
Charlotte and Frankie are in their sophomore year of high school, and they're convinced that everything about their lives is utterly boring. To prove this, Charlotte sets out to write a book documenting their lives, appropriately titled "Nothing."
The novel is written in alternating points of view: Charlotte's 'book' is written in first person, and Frankie's life is written about in third person. I actually think that these interjections from Frankie help break up the angst that comes with first-person teenage voices.
Let's get one thing out of the way: Annie Barrows nailed the teenage voice/life. I just finished my sophomore in high school, and there were a lot of things that I was just genuinely like, "Oh yeah, that happens in my school too."
Some of the most accurate teenage portrayal moments were:
- THE AWKWARDNESS.
This book perfectly captures interactions between teens. The awkwardness in this book was sort of like maple syrup: Heavy, sticky, and kind of gross, but I still like it.
- The Group Chats (Ugh)
Dante's Inferno could be renamed "Group Chat," because getting hundreds of texts about things you don't care about feels like going through hell. This was a 10/10 effective way to evoke pity for the main characters.
- The Nothingness
Listen, I stay on top of my school work. I like to read. I like to write. But I've also squandered an unfortunate amount of my young life staring at inanimate objects and binge watching Project Runway. I think this quote from Nothing sums it up pretty well: "Then came a long period of silence while Frankie liked photos and Charlotte gazed out the window."
- The lack of real connections
A lot of the book centers on wanting to form real connections which is, as Barrows points out, difficult to do in a world centered around texting and Instagram, platforms where you can easily manipulate who you really are. Charlotte and Frankie are seeking out something deeper than what they have. And I want them to get it. I really do.
- Realistic Families
NO DEAD PARENTS! YAY! (Also Frankie has a super cute relationship with her brother and it makes me so happy. Yay for the sibling love!)
- Maia H.
I just had to give this character a shout out for being a perfect little human being. All teens know a Maia H. Maia H. always knows what the homework is, and she's more than happy to call Charlotte and help her through multiple math problems. Bless your heart, Maia.
Overall, I liked a lot of the teenage connections in the book. There were just so many little details the author got right! At one point, the girls mention that they're so tired of 'mindfulness,' which is something my guidance counselor focuses on. I had no idea other teens went through that. Also, I love Frankie's and Charlotte's relationship. (Can we get a hip-hip-hooray for a book where the two female friends don't fight over the same boy?) Both Charlotte and Frankie are trying to become individuals with their own opinions, so even though this novel had a loose plot, I always knew what these characters wanted, which at least gave some structure to the book.
However, I think the story itself was lagging at times. Sometimes Charlotte's entries would just be filled with, well, nothingness. Charlotte's internal monologue was witty and relatable, but it felt like I was reading a diary instead of a book because of how 'plotless' it could to be. Also, although I loved all of the weird little quirks that all the secondary characters had, I wish there were more differences between the main two characters, Charlotte and Frankie. Sometimes it was difficult to tell their voices apart. Here are some other things that were not exactly my favorite:
- 'Nothing' completely captured teenagers.
Okay, so I know I put this as a positive, but hear me out. It takes amazing technical and writing skill to write such an accurate voice. But also, teenagers are kind of annoying. (Hey, at least I'm self-aware, right?) By the third chapter, I was already tired of the swearing.
- Some of the slang seemed off
Maybe this is because I'm not from California, but I've never heard someone use the word 'cat' when not referring to something furry.
- I wanted more.
I feel like some of the characters that I was interested in at the beginning of the book seemed to drop off the face of the earth by the end. I still want to know what happened to them. I mean, what I really want is a sequel about Maia H. and her magical goodness but What happened to Frankie's siblings and Charlotte's and Frankie's friends? In fact, my biggest problem with the book involves a girl named Eden.
In the novel,
Although I had a few issues with this book, I'd still recommend it to teenagers and adults who want to understand them better. Also at one point, there was a description of some really delicious sounding carbonara, so fans of Italian food might also want to grab a copy. It's a vignette about all the insecurities and wonder and confusion that comes along with being fifteen.
Really, this book isn't about "Nothing," even though people who don't get teenagers might say it is. This book is about feeling like you're not enough, and the never-ending quest to be something more.
(Thank you so much to the author, Annie Barrows, for sending me a free ARC copy!)
I have serious difficulty believing that a teenager didn't write this book.
Charlotte and Frankie are in their sophomore year of high school, and they're convinced that everything about their lives is utterly boring. To prove this, Charlotte sets out to write a book documenting their lives, appropriately titled "Nothing."
The novel is written in alternating points of view: Charlotte's 'book' is written in first person, and Frankie's life is written about in third person. I actually think that these interjections from Frankie help break up the angst that comes with first-person teenage voices.
Let's get one thing out of the way: Annie Barrows nailed the teenage voice/life. I just finished my sophomore in high school, and there were a lot of things that I was just genuinely like, "Oh yeah, that happens in my school too."
Some of the most accurate teenage portrayal moments were:
- THE AWKWARDNESS.
This book perfectly captures interactions between teens. The awkwardness in this book was sort of like maple syrup: Heavy, sticky, and kind of gross, but I still like it.
- The Group Chats (Ugh)
Dante's Inferno could be renamed "Group Chat," because getting hundreds of texts about things you don't care about feels like going through hell. This was a 10/10 effective way to evoke pity for the main characters.
- The Nothingness
Listen, I stay on top of my school work. I like to read. I like to write. But I've also squandered an unfortunate amount of my young life staring at inanimate objects and binge watching Project Runway. I think this quote from Nothing sums it up pretty well: "Then came a long period of silence while Frankie liked photos and Charlotte gazed out the window."
- The lack of real connections
A lot of the book centers on wanting to form real connections which is, as Barrows points out, difficult to do in a world centered around texting and Instagram, platforms where you can easily manipulate who you really are. Charlotte and Frankie are seeking out something deeper than what they have. And I want them to get it. I really do.
- Realistic Families
NO DEAD PARENTS! YAY! (Also Frankie has a super cute relationship with her brother and it makes me so happy. Yay for the sibling love!)
- Maia H.
I just had to give this character a shout out for being a perfect little human being. All teens know a Maia H. Maia H. always knows what the homework is, and she's more than happy to call Charlotte and help her through multiple math problems. Bless your heart, Maia.
Overall, I liked a lot of the teenage connections in the book. There were just so many little details the author got right! At one point, the girls mention that they're so tired of 'mindfulness,' which is something my guidance counselor focuses on. I had no idea other teens went through that. Also, I love Frankie's and Charlotte's relationship. (Can we get a hip-hip-hooray for a book where the two female friends don't fight over the same boy?) Both Charlotte and Frankie are trying to become individuals with their own opinions, so even though this novel had a loose plot, I always knew what these characters wanted, which at least gave some structure to the book.
However, I think the story itself was lagging at times. Sometimes Charlotte's entries would just be filled with, well, nothingness. Charlotte's internal monologue was witty and relatable, but it felt like I was reading a diary instead of a book because of how 'plotless' it could to be. Also, although I loved all of the weird little quirks that all the secondary characters had, I wish there were more differences between the main two characters, Charlotte and Frankie. Sometimes it was difficult to tell their voices apart. Here are some other things that were not exactly my favorite:
- 'Nothing' completely captured teenagers.
Okay, so I know I put this as a positive, but hear me out. It takes amazing technical and writing skill to write such an accurate voice. But also, teenagers are kind of annoying. (Hey, at least I'm self-aware, right?) By the third chapter, I was already tired of the swearing.
- Some of the slang seemed off
Maybe this is because I'm not from California, but I've never heard someone use the word 'cat' when not referring to something furry.
- I wanted more.
I feel like some of the characters that I was interested in at the beginning of the book seemed to drop off the face of the earth by the end. I still want to know what happened to them.
In the novel,
Although I had a few issues with this book, I'd still recommend it to teenagers and adults who want to understand them better. Also at one point, there was a description of some really delicious sounding carbonara, so fans of Italian food might also want to grab a copy. It's a vignette about all the insecurities and wonder and confusion that comes along with being fifteen.
Really, this book isn't about "Nothing," even though people who don't get teenagers might say it is. This book is about feeling like you're not enough, and the never-ending quest to be something more.
(Thank you so much to the author, Annie Barrows, for sending me a free ARC copy!)
April 29, 2018
I have no individuality. I'm a prisoner of my context
*
1 / 5
When you pick up a book entitled "Nothing", which on the back proclaims to be about two girls to whom nothing ever happens, you probably ought not to be too upset when that's exactly what you get: a book about nothing. It's not like it was trying to hide it, right? But when I put this book down, I was still a bit disappointed to reflect and realise that that was exactly what I had got.
Charlotte and Frankie are two normal fifteen year old girls. Yeah, they have small insignificant romances, go to parties, have a few drinks, and occasionally smoke a little bit of weed, but nothing important ever seems to happen to them. So as her sophomore project, Charlotte decides to write down everything that happens to them and finds her life isn't so boring after all - except it kind of is. Barrows manages to encapsulate the teenage experience well, it's quite a relatable book, but it's not exactly interesting.
"I keep saying, "Woah!" and "Huh!" and "Poor guy!" because I want to be a supportive friend, but inside I'm thinking: You are a fucking loon"
I also thought that Charlotte and Frankie were quite young characters for everything that seemed to be happening to them - when I was fifteen, you were an incredibly bad dude if you smoked a cigarette, let alone pot. Do fifteen year olds do pot? Sure. But Charlotte and Frankie are this bizarre mixture of sex, drugs, and rock and roll but also incredibly naive. They also aren't particularly distinct - Charlotte is the first-person narrator of the book whilst Frankie's chapters are in third person - and if it wasn't for this difference I probably wouldn't have managed to keep them apart in my head.
The "main plot element" is based around a road trip to find Charlotte's Instagram male friend, who she thinks she might fancy. I was torn between thinking this was a weird and cute, but in general the plot was very insubstantial. It was an easy read that was mildly entertaining at points, but as the title dictates, Nothing is literally about nothing.
My thanks to Edelweiss, the publisher and the author for an ARC of Nothing.
Read this review and more on my blog: https://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.co...
*
1 / 5
When you pick up a book entitled "Nothing", which on the back proclaims to be about two girls to whom nothing ever happens, you probably ought not to be too upset when that's exactly what you get: a book about nothing. It's not like it was trying to hide it, right? But when I put this book down, I was still a bit disappointed to reflect and realise that that was exactly what I had got.
Charlotte and Frankie are two normal fifteen year old girls. Yeah, they have small insignificant romances, go to parties, have a few drinks, and occasionally smoke a little bit of weed, but nothing important ever seems to happen to them. So as her sophomore project, Charlotte decides to write down everything that happens to them and finds her life isn't so boring after all - except it kind of is. Barrows manages to encapsulate the teenage experience well, it's quite a relatable book, but it's not exactly interesting.
"I keep saying, "Woah!" and "Huh!" and "Poor guy!" because I want to be a supportive friend, but inside I'm thinking: You are a fucking loon"
I also thought that Charlotte and Frankie were quite young characters for everything that seemed to be happening to them - when I was fifteen, you were an incredibly bad dude if you smoked a cigarette, let alone pot. Do fifteen year olds do pot? Sure. But Charlotte and Frankie are this bizarre mixture of sex, drugs, and rock and roll but also incredibly naive. They also aren't particularly distinct - Charlotte is the first-person narrator of the book whilst Frankie's chapters are in third person - and if it wasn't for this difference I probably wouldn't have managed to keep them apart in my head.
The "main plot element" is based around a road trip to find Charlotte's Instagram male friend, who she thinks she might fancy. I was torn between thinking this was a weird and cute, but in general the plot was very insubstantial. It was an easy read that was mildly entertaining at points, but as the title dictates, Nothing is literally about nothing.
My thanks to Edelweiss, the publisher and the author for an ARC of Nothing.
Read this review and more on my blog: https://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.co...
August 26, 2017
Finally! A book that comes with its own cover story!
"What are you reading?"
"Nothing."
The banter between Frankie and Charlotte hooked me before they'd even finished their first conversation. I loved their friendship! They were both fluent in sarcasm, were self-deprecating and funny. They got frustrated with one another. They knew each other so well and supported each other, even when supporting meant tough love. They were real! The way Frankie and Charlotte talked and thought reminded me of a rapid fire Gilmore Girls script. I could definitely imagine a teenage me being friends with these girls.
Nothing unfolded through alternating chapters. Charlotte's first person written account of how nothing interesting ever happens to them was followed by third person prose that focused more on Frankie. This type of format can be hit and miss, but this time it worked for me. There weren't gaping holes in the narrative where you needed to catch up and the changeover between first and third person didn't feel disjointed.
I don't exactly know how the author managed it but this book about nothing and how boring it is that nothing ever happens is actually quite interesting and very entertaining. Between the nothingness and the boredom, there are friendships (obviously), families, first kisses, parties, a road trip, drugs, alcohol, school, mobile phones, swearing, a stick figure, driving lessons, and plenty of ridicule aimed at YA book clichés, although not in that order.
The style had me believing that this could easily have been written by a teenager. Not in a condescending 'ugh' way, but in a 'the author captured the teenage experience, including the way they talk' way. I'd happily sign up for another instalment of the nothingness and boredom of these girls' lives.
I received an ARC from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback. I'll be checking out the author's back catalogue and will be on the lookout for future releases.
"What are you reading?"
"Nothing."
The banter between Frankie and Charlotte hooked me before they'd even finished their first conversation. I loved their friendship! They were both fluent in sarcasm, were self-deprecating and funny. They got frustrated with one another. They knew each other so well and supported each other, even when supporting meant tough love. They were real! The way Frankie and Charlotte talked and thought reminded me of a rapid fire Gilmore Girls script. I could definitely imagine a teenage me being friends with these girls.
Nothing unfolded through alternating chapters. Charlotte's first person written account of how nothing interesting ever happens to them was followed by third person prose that focused more on Frankie. This type of format can be hit and miss, but this time it worked for me. There weren't gaping holes in the narrative where you needed to catch up and the changeover between first and third person didn't feel disjointed.
I don't exactly know how the author managed it but this book about nothing and how boring it is that nothing ever happens is actually quite interesting and very entertaining. Between the nothingness and the boredom, there are friendships (obviously), families, first kisses, parties, a road trip, drugs, alcohol, school, mobile phones, swearing, a stick figure, driving lessons, and plenty of ridicule aimed at YA book clichés, although not in that order.
The style had me believing that this could easily have been written by a teenager. Not in a condescending 'ugh' way, but in a 'the author captured the teenage experience, including the way they talk' way. I'd happily sign up for another instalment of the nothingness and boredom of these girls' lives.
I received an ARC from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback. I'll be checking out the author's back catalogue and will be on the lookout for future releases.
August 31, 2017
NOTHING is actually a book that focuses on the lives of two high schoolers where nothing happens in their lives, maybe a little something happens but their life is rather bland. Here starts my problem with the book. By 40%, I had put down, picked up and put down the book numerous times because I could not engage with the lack of anything happening. Reading to the end involved skimming and forced motivation.
The book focuses on the friendship between Charlotte and Frankie, both equally bored by their own existence and wanting some excitement to appear. Their family lives were mildly interesting and their loyalty to one another was sweet. A major struggle was the narrative voice throughout the book as it was like listening to two 14 year olds prattle on about very little. The banter was painful, full of OTT swearing that didn't always seem to fit. I appreciate the talent in an author being able to write through the mind of YA characters but it was hugely irritating and this further disengaged me with the book. In my opinion a good YA narrates the story with a more focused voice, with less chaotic dialogue.
I'm sorry that I haven't got much more to say that has positivity. I would be willing to give this author a second try if she writes a more mature YA.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Edelweiss in return for a honest review.
The book focuses on the friendship between Charlotte and Frankie, both equally bored by their own existence and wanting some excitement to appear. Their family lives were mildly interesting and their loyalty to one another was sweet. A major struggle was the narrative voice throughout the book as it was like listening to two 14 year olds prattle on about very little. The banter was painful, full of OTT swearing that didn't always seem to fit. I appreciate the talent in an author being able to write through the mind of YA characters but it was hugely irritating and this further disengaged me with the book. In my opinion a good YA narrates the story with a more focused voice, with less chaotic dialogue.
I'm sorry that I haven't got much more to say that has positivity. I would be willing to give this author a second try if she writes a more mature YA.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Edelweiss in return for a honest review.
dnf
March 1, 2021DNF @ 55%
2017; Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Canada
I cannot say if it is the format or the writing but I was not able to get into this book. At 55% I had to put the book down as it was getting painful.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss.Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2017; Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Canada
I cannot say if it is the format or the writing but I was not able to get into this book. At 55% I had to put the book down as it was getting painful.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss.Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
naaaaaaaaah
February 17, 2018
"And everyone thinks she's hot but she doesn't care, because she has a secret... Guess what it is."
"Rape, incest," said Frankie in a bored tone. "Or oh my god, she's gay."
"Oh my god, she's gay," said Charlotte. "And then... she sees a gorgeous Iranian girl with oh my god, scars on her wrists."
No.
"Rape, incest," said Frankie in a bored tone. "Or oh my god, she's gay."
"Oh my god, she's gay," said Charlotte. "And then... she sees a gorgeous Iranian girl with oh my god, scars on her wrists."
No.
December 1, 2017
This was cute! Frankie and Charlotte have the witty banter that is super fun to read. I think that my favorite thing was how believable this book was. Truly the lives of high schoolers are pretty boring. While reading I did think that a little further character development, and explanation were needed. I like the idea of writing a book within a book but honestly I think that this could have gone without that.
August 25, 2017
I found this book to be quite adorable and amusing. There were many times it reminded me of a little show about nothing.
Our lives are not as exciting as books or movies, but there are still a lot of small, meaningful moments we experience on a daily basis, and that is my take away from this rather charming and amusing tale.
I spent a lot of time with a smile on my face as I read this book. I have to attribute a great deal of that enjoyment to Barrows ability to capture the teenage voice so well. I worked in a high school for 12 years, and many of Frankie and Charlotte's musings reminded me of the conversations I heard each day. I am from the northeast and NOT a teen, so some of the slang was odd for me, but it by no means diminished my enjoyment or understanding.
The heart of this story is the relationship between Frankie and Charlotte, and I loved it. It was a long standing friendship, that was going through a period of change as both girls were experiencing some personal growth. They were trying to figure out who they were and who they wanted to be, and sometimes they put the other off or maybe kept a secret, but it was because they were still trying to understand what it meant to them.
Barrows gave our heroines two very nice and interesting families. Frankie's family was the most interesting, because of the circumstances surrounding her parent's coupling. She also had a colorful cast of step siblings, who were not too fond of her, but she had a opportunity to bond with one of her step-brothers, I was excited that she seized the opportunity and it resulted in some of my favorite moments in this book.
This was a fun look at the lives of teens, and totally brought me back to my own teen years, when I also believed nothing ever happened.
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Our lives are not as exciting as books or movies, but there are still a lot of small, meaningful moments we experience on a daily basis, and that is my take away from this rather charming and amusing tale.
I spent a lot of time with a smile on my face as I read this book. I have to attribute a great deal of that enjoyment to Barrows ability to capture the teenage voice so well. I worked in a high school for 12 years, and many of Frankie and Charlotte's musings reminded me of the conversations I heard each day. I am from the northeast and NOT a teen, so some of the slang was odd for me, but it by no means diminished my enjoyment or understanding.
"Nights of homework, days of school, weekends of hanging around wishing that something would happen."
The heart of this story is the relationship between Frankie and Charlotte, and I loved it. It was a long standing friendship, that was going through a period of change as both girls were experiencing some personal growth. They were trying to figure out who they were and who they wanted to be, and sometimes they put the other off or maybe kept a secret, but it was because they were still trying to understand what it meant to them.
"I don't want to be sheep. I want to have my own opinions."
Barrows gave our heroines two very nice and interesting families. Frankie's family was the most interesting, because of the circumstances surrounding her parent's coupling. She also had a colorful cast of step siblings, who were not too fond of her, but she had a opportunity to bond with one of her step-brothers, I was excited that she seized the opportunity and it resulted in some of my favorite moments in this book.
This was a fun look at the lives of teens, and totally brought me back to my own teen years, when I also believed nothing ever happened.
BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
November 30, 2017
Dear Annie Barrows,
Perhaps this book is intended to be "Ivy and Bean Grow Up Into Foul Mouthed Teens," and perhaps you think it's for the girls who grew up loving those books. Perhaps you think that "writing down everything" said by "the teens who hang around my house," would make them like this book.
Maybe. But I think they have better taste than that.
On the other hand, who knows? After all, they have adults in their lives who made your awful The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society a best seller.
Here's hoping you'll go back to writing great books for younger kids instead of this slop.
Sincerely,
The Library Lady
Perhaps this book is intended to be "Ivy and Bean Grow Up Into Foul Mouthed Teens," and perhaps you think it's for the girls who grew up loving those books. Perhaps you think that "writing down everything" said by "the teens who hang around my house," would make them like this book.
Maybe. But I think they have better taste than that.
On the other hand, who knows? After all, they have adults in their lives who made your awful The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society a best seller.
Here's hoping you'll go back to writing great books for younger kids instead of this slop.
Sincerely,
The Library Lady
dnf
June 19, 2018I read the first and last chapter, and it was so clear that this book wasn't for me.
The first chapter consists of the main characters making fun of YA, but they're making fun of a fictional YA novel where a white lesbian heroine falls in love with an Iranian girl. This is annoying because it's actually not making fun of the YA tropes that are actually overdone, but making fun of the recent efforts for diversity. Like, I wish there were so many interracial f/f romances that they could realistically be satirized without being hateful, but they're aren't; YA still runs predominantly het and white, but for some reason Barrows doesn't make fun of that, which seems to imply that the normal nothing of everyday life is het and white, not diverse and quiltbag. This chapter betrays a lack of understanding of YA, and it's never charming when an author chooses to write a genre or age classification that they clearly despise because they think it will be easy and rake in the money.
The second issue I have is that the whole nothing concept is apparently being taken very much at face value. These two annoying girls will go through a boring daily life page after page. See, I was expecting it to be more like Seinfeld, where it's about nothing but humorous and full of those little lowkey daily adventures. No. It's not that.
This concept fails to thrill me, as does the writing. I'd much rather read the book the MCs were mocking than spend my time on this dreck.
The first chapter consists of the main characters making fun of YA, but they're making fun of a fictional YA novel where a white lesbian heroine falls in love with an Iranian girl. This is annoying because it's actually not making fun of the YA tropes that are actually overdone, but making fun of the recent efforts for diversity. Like, I wish there were so many interracial f/f romances that they could realistically be satirized without being hateful, but they're aren't; YA still runs predominantly het and white, but for some reason Barrows doesn't make fun of that, which seems to imply that the normal nothing of everyday life is het and white, not diverse and quiltbag. This chapter betrays a lack of understanding of YA, and it's never charming when an author chooses to write a genre or age classification that they clearly despise because they think it will be easy and rake in the money.
The second issue I have is that the whole nothing concept is apparently being taken very much at face value. These two annoying girls will go through a boring daily life page after page. See, I was expecting it to be more like Seinfeld, where it's about nothing but humorous and full of those little lowkey daily adventures. No. It's not that.
This concept fails to thrill me, as does the writing. I'd much rather read the book the MCs were mocking than spend my time on this dreck.
July 3, 2017
Refreshing, fun, real.
November 5, 2017
I'm moved to write a review since so many are TRASH! or BRILLIANT! I neither thought that it was trash (really? I don't even say that about Twilight.) nor brilliant (reserved for Maggie Stiefvater, Laini Taylor, Ryan Graudin, Ruta Sepetys, and the like), but it was fun. Basically, the book is about two sophomores who think their lives are going nowhere fast and never will, and one decides to chronicle their lives for the year to see if they can make something interesting. Now I teach sophomores and I remember being a sophomore, and I think it's a relatively tough time in your life in terms of the degree of independence you want versus what adults are willing to give you and in terms of all of the "life plans" that people are starting to ask you about. Barrows captures that sense perfectly and the voices of the girls feel right. Also Barrows wrote the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is awesome. Also it's not too long, which means it's an option for folks who balk at the 400+ page books that abound in YA.
Read
September 27, 2017Abandoned. It was awful.
October 12, 2017
A YA book about two teens who write a book about how nothing ever happens to them? It wasn't mindbendingly gripping. But it was unique in it's realism; a snapshot of what life looks like as a white, middle-class American teen in 2017. And that's not good or bad. It just is. And so is this book.
May 8, 2017
2.5 stars
Frankie and Charlotte are 15-year-old best friends who live boring lives. Nothing ever happens to them and they don't do anything. To prove this, Charlotte decides to write a book about everything that happens to them that year (or at least September-January). The point: to document the proof that their lives are incredibly boring and not at all like the teenagers in the books/movies they read/see.
And, I mean, the point was proven. Very little happened.
Generally speaking, I read books for two main purposes: to learn something or to feel something. If either of those things are accomplished, whether or not I've enjoyed the book, I at least come away with something new or more than I had before I read it.
But not here.
I read through the entire novel not really caring about the characters or feeling particularly engaged in their lack of adventures. Their lives are truly quite dull, and to be honest, I don't remember most of what was talked about even though I finished this book maybe two hours ago. It does go detail by detail in many parts: "We went to the mall and saw *friend* and *acquaintance* and *enemy* and then we went into *store* and *character* bought *thing* and then we went to *location* and smoked weed and ate *food* then went home."
It just didn't do anything for me.
Honestly, I don't think the framing device of "let's write a book that's more boring than typical YA novels because we're average people" was necessary. Especially considering only half the chapters were excerpts from the book, while the other chapters were third person omniscient. It felt clumsy. I also had a hard time telling Frankie and Charlotte apart. There weren't many strong differences between them. Which is often the case with teenage best friends, so really, points for accuracy.
I know much of my lack of engagement has to do with the fact that I am not the target audience for this novel. Sometimes, at the ripe old age of 27, I feel incredibly old when I eavesdrop on teenagers interacting with each other. This novel felt just like that. It was exhausting. Perhaps for actual 15-year-olds this book is full of relatable moments and global teenage truths. But I just felt like a grumpy old lady muttering under my breath, "Get off my lawn, whipper-snappers."
To sum up: I didn't learn anything from this novel and I also didn't feel anything. It wasn't a bad novel, it just didn't wow me in any way.
Frankie and Charlotte are 15-year-old best friends who live boring lives. Nothing ever happens to them and they don't do anything. To prove this, Charlotte decides to write a book about everything that happens to them that year (or at least September-January). The point: to document the proof that their lives are incredibly boring and not at all like the teenagers in the books/movies they read/see.
And, I mean, the point was proven. Very little happened.
Generally speaking, I read books for two main purposes: to learn something or to feel something. If either of those things are accomplished, whether or not I've enjoyed the book, I at least come away with something new or more than I had before I read it.
But not here.
I read through the entire novel not really caring about the characters or feeling particularly engaged in their lack of adventures. Their lives are truly quite dull, and to be honest, I don't remember most of what was talked about even though I finished this book maybe two hours ago. It does go detail by detail in many parts: "We went to the mall and saw *friend* and *acquaintance* and *enemy* and then we went into *store* and *character* bought *thing* and then we went to *location* and smoked weed and ate *food* then went home."
It just didn't do anything for me.
Honestly, I don't think the framing device of "let's write a book that's more boring than typical YA novels because we're average people" was necessary. Especially considering only half the chapters were excerpts from the book, while the other chapters were third person omniscient. It felt clumsy. I also had a hard time telling Frankie and Charlotte apart. There weren't many strong differences between them. Which is often the case with teenage best friends, so really, points for accuracy.
I know much of my lack of engagement has to do with the fact that I am not the target audience for this novel. Sometimes, at the ripe old age of 27, I feel incredibly old when I eavesdrop on teenagers interacting with each other. This novel felt just like that. It was exhausting. Perhaps for actual 15-year-olds this book is full of relatable moments and global teenage truths. But I just felt like a grumpy old lady muttering under my breath, "Get off my lawn, whipper-snappers."
To sum up: I didn't learn anything from this novel and I also didn't feel anything. It wasn't a bad novel, it just didn't wow me in any way.
November 26, 2017
I tried hard to like this book but it wasn’t for me. A lot of the times when I don’t like books I read other people’s review to get an aspect of what they thought and sometimes it changes my mind to see the novel from their point of view and it did. I’m not too sure which review it was but the reviewer had the analogy of a novel either being a ‘window’ book or ‘mirror’ book. A window book is one where you are on the sidelines watching, never experiencing. A ‘mirror’ book is the type that you live or the events that happen in the book can 99.9% chance happen in your life. So Nothing by Annie Barrows is a ‘mirror’ book.
As much as I hate to say it, I don’t like my life all too much, it is bland and not much happens, much like Nothing. I will always want to read a ‘window’ book because that is what reading is all about, being able to transport your real life to a fantasy you can pretend to live it, to give hope for all of our lost souls.
The plot was bland and it didn’t have any high points but the ending was good. I found the book to be extremely cringy and embarrassing. I didn't enjoy it and the characters were bad in general. Then again it is a mirror book and my life is a cringe-fest, yet I could not relate to this book which was strange but I could see girls in my grade acting like the characters in this book. It was kind of train wreck.
To summarise, I didn’t like it but I finished it and if you are looking for a mirror book, give it a try.
1.5/5
As much as I hate to say it, I don’t like my life all too much, it is bland and not much happens, much like Nothing. I will always want to read a ‘window’ book because that is what reading is all about, being able to transport your real life to a fantasy you can pretend to live it, to give hope for all of our lost souls.
The plot was bland and it didn’t have any high points but the ending was good. I found the book to be extremely cringy and embarrassing. I didn't enjoy it and the characters were bad in general. Then again it is a mirror book and my life is a cringe-fest, yet I could not relate to this book which was strange but I could see girls in my grade acting like the characters in this book. It was kind of train wreck.
To summarise, I didn’t like it but I finished it and if you are looking for a mirror book, give it a try.
1.5/5
November 26, 2017
I tried hard to like this book but it wasn’t for me. A lot of the times when I don’t like books I read other people’s review to get an aspect of what they thought and sometimes it changes my mind to see the novel from their point of view and it did. I’m not too sure which review it was but the reviewer had the analogy of a novel either being a ‘window’ book or ‘mirror’ book. A window book is one where you are on the sidelines watching, never experiencing. A ‘mirror’ book is the type that you live or the events that happen in the book can 99.9% chance happen in your life. So Nothing by Annie Barrows is a ‘mirror’ book.
As much as I hate to say it, I don’t like my life all too much, it is bland and not much happens, much like Nothing. I will always want to read a ‘window’ book because that is what reading is all about, being able to transport your real life to a fantasy you can pretend to live it, to give hope for all of our lost souls.
The plot was bland and it didn’t have any high points but the ending was good. I found the book to be extremely cringy and embarrassing. I didn't enjoy it and the characters were bad in general. Then again it is a mirror book and my life is a cringe-fest, yet I could not relate to this book which was strange but I could see girls in my grade acting like the characters in this book. It was kind of train wreck.
To summarise, I didn’t like it but I finished it and if you are looking for a mirror book, give it a try.
1.5/5
As much as I hate to say it, I don’t like my life all too much, it is bland and not much happens, much like Nothing. I will always want to read a ‘window’ book because that is what reading is all about, being able to transport your real life to a fantasy you can pretend to live it, to give hope for all of our lost souls.
The plot was bland and it didn’t have any high points but the ending was good. I found the book to be extremely cringy and embarrassing. I didn't enjoy it and the characters were bad in general. Then again it is a mirror book and my life is a cringe-fest, yet I could not relate to this book which was strange but I could see girls in my grade acting like the characters in this book. It was kind of train wreck.
To summarise, I didn’t like it but I finished it and if you are looking for a mirror book, give it a try.
1.5/5
April 14, 2018
2 pages in and lesbians with depression are being put into one of those “like, totally! LOL ROFL!” jokes.
Who actually thought that that was a genius idea?!
The cover, the blurb and the first sentence says it all: nothing happens. Except for mockery of innocent people.
EXAMPLE:
“If this was a teen book, the two of you would be having sex in your bedroom and i would be sitting in the living room by my self, having an eating disorder.”
“No.” Frankie giggles. “You’d be cutting yourself with my mom’s fancy silverware.”
Apparently inside their brains, they think that there aren’t actual people who suffer from mental illness or eating disorders and that those things only exist in teen books.
If this is a fictional example of teenagers in this century, the human race is doomed. You hear me?!?! D-O-O-M-E-D
*exhale* So. You might enjoy reading about teenagers who do nothing but go to parties, drink alcohol, smoke pot and flick mindlessly through social media (I’m kind of being a hypocrite here, but I don’t spend hours on end scrolling through celebrity pictures. I have physical restraints) then you can read this book, it’s fine by me, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. As I have CLEARLY STATED multiple times, I don’t like this book.
Would not recommend.
Who actually thought that that was a genius idea?!
The cover, the blurb and the first sentence says it all: nothing happens. Except for mockery of innocent people.
EXAMPLE:
“If this was a teen book, the two of you would be having sex in your bedroom and i would be sitting in the living room by my self, having an eating disorder.”
“No.” Frankie giggles. “You’d be cutting yourself with my mom’s fancy silverware.”
Apparently inside their brains, they think that there aren’t actual people who suffer from mental illness or eating disorders and that those things only exist in teen books.
If this is a fictional example of teenagers in this century, the human race is doomed. You hear me?!?! D-O-O-M-E-D
*exhale* So. You might enjoy reading about teenagers who do nothing but go to parties, drink alcohol, smoke pot and flick mindlessly through social media (I’m kind of being a hypocrite here, but I don’t spend hours on end scrolling through celebrity pictures. I have physical restraints) then you can read this book, it’s fine by me, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. As I have CLEARLY STATED multiple times, I don’t like this book.
Would not recommend.
October 27, 2017
I got this book for my birthday. I was attracted to the cover and the blurb at the back of the book. If you read this book you are in for a ride. It’s not what you think it is going to be, even the blurb at the back can’t ready you for the story which is inside.
Best friends Charlotte and Frankie are inseparable. All they talk, text non-stop and are always causing trouble. School is ending for the Christmas holiday break and the girls couldn’t be more excited. Although they are used to their non-event lives where nothing happens, the girls are convinced that they are going to have a great New Year’s Eve. After a lot of planning the girls have a great New Year’s Eve followed by a life changing New Year’s Day.
This book is nice and short, I could have read it in a day. The way it is written is like nothing I have ever read before. It is really different but so easy to read. It is really self-explanatory and you won’t be able to put it down when you pick this book up because you are going to want to know what is actually going to happen.
With family issues, a weird but very 21st century online relationship between Charlotte and Sid, and a great out of the blue road trip this book is exactly what the blurb on the back of the book says, different to what every other young adult book out there is about.
If you are into unique books that are written in a unique perspective, then this is the book for you
Best friends Charlotte and Frankie are inseparable. All they talk, text non-stop and are always causing trouble. School is ending for the Christmas holiday break and the girls couldn’t be more excited. Although they are used to their non-event lives where nothing happens, the girls are convinced that they are going to have a great New Year’s Eve. After a lot of planning the girls have a great New Year’s Eve followed by a life changing New Year’s Day.
This book is nice and short, I could have read it in a day. The way it is written is like nothing I have ever read before. It is really different but so easy to read. It is really self-explanatory and you won’t be able to put it down when you pick this book up because you are going to want to know what is actually going to happen.
With family issues, a weird but very 21st century online relationship between Charlotte and Sid, and a great out of the blue road trip this book is exactly what the blurb on the back of the book says, different to what every other young adult book out there is about.
If you are into unique books that are written in a unique perspective, then this is the book for you
November 4, 2017
I loved the concept of the book and how it's about two high school girls who have a boring life compared to the YA books they read, so they write a book on their life to prove nothing happened, but then realize they are actually exciting after all. I can relate to that, and I was interested in reading this book. But this book "Nothing" is really about nothing. The characters smoke and drink and there isn't really any plot. I read the whole book to see if it got any better but it didn't really, it was just a weird story.
September 5, 2017
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
I was curious to see how my beloved Ivy and Bean author did at writing a YA novel about teens who live supposedly normal and boring life, where "Nothing" happens to them. I guess I got what I expected .... nothing really happened. The characters were dull, there wasn't much plot, there was a lot of slang, a little mall shopping, some partying, some boy-girl drama, but ... meh.
I was curious to see how my beloved Ivy and Bean author did at writing a YA novel about teens who live supposedly normal and boring life, where "Nothing" happens to them. I guess I got what I expected .... nothing really happened. The characters were dull, there wasn't much plot, there was a lot of slang, a little mall shopping, some partying, some boy-girl drama, but ... meh.
January 14, 2019
I really wasn't sure about this book when I first picked it up but ended up really liking it a lot!!! It's not the best book for you if you're looking for something plot heavy, but it's a really nice book to just sit down with, chill, and not have to think about anything too hard. Overall a very fun read!!
December 15, 2017
PERSONAL RESPONSE:
Nothing by Annie Barrows was a good read. The book was a little confusing at first because it had different point of views. I did like how the book went all over the place. There were two main characters that were amazing.
PLOT:
The main events in Nothing were about two teenage girls going through everyday life. Charlotte was a writing a story about what she and her best friend, Frankie, go through everyday. They mostly just go to school and back. They did hang out at each others house’s and go to a few parties. Frankie and Charlotte had just a plain, normal life. Nothing was wrong, no one died, and there was no drama, until the end. Frankie had many siblings and one of them was Max. Max had come home for the holidays and spent time with Frankie. During that time Frankie learned something about her brother that she just had to fix. While she fixed that problem she was also working on Charlotte’s. Charlotte never wanted to see the boy she was texting, but Frankie worked her magic.
CHARACTERIZATION:
At the beginning of the book Charlotte thought she could only do normal everyday things. As the story went on, she realized that not being normal is a good thing. She finally went out of her comfort zone. At the start of the book Frankie never thought about others. When her brother had a problem, she thought she could fix it and she did. That action was a good thing because that lead her to help Charlotte. She finally thought about others.
RECOMMENDATION:
I recommend this book to fifteen year old girls and older. I recommend this book to girls because the main characters are girls. The context would be better understood by girls than boys. I recommend this book to fifteen year olds and older because there are more mature scenes in the book.
Nothing by Annie Barrows was a good read. The book was a little confusing at first because it had different point of views. I did like how the book went all over the place. There were two main characters that were amazing.
PLOT:
The main events in Nothing were about two teenage girls going through everyday life. Charlotte was a writing a story about what she and her best friend, Frankie, go through everyday. They mostly just go to school and back. They did hang out at each others house’s and go to a few parties. Frankie and Charlotte had just a plain, normal life. Nothing was wrong, no one died, and there was no drama, until the end. Frankie had many siblings and one of them was Max. Max had come home for the holidays and spent time with Frankie. During that time Frankie learned something about her brother that she just had to fix. While she fixed that problem she was also working on Charlotte’s. Charlotte never wanted to see the boy she was texting, but Frankie worked her magic.
CHARACTERIZATION:
At the beginning of the book Charlotte thought she could only do normal everyday things. As the story went on, she realized that not being normal is a good thing. She finally went out of her comfort zone. At the start of the book Frankie never thought about others. When her brother had a problem, she thought she could fix it and she did. That action was a good thing because that lead her to help Charlotte. She finally thought about others.
RECOMMENDATION:
I recommend this book to fifteen year old girls and older. I recommend this book to girls because the main characters are girls. The context would be better understood by girls than boys. I recommend this book to fifteen year olds and older because there are more mature scenes in the book.
January 12, 2018
Well, this was definitely a book that lived up to its title!
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