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Thwonk
Imagine having a personal cupid—an actual winged being—pop into your life and offer to make your dreams come true. The catch is he can help you in only one way: artistically, academically, or romantically. That's what happens to aspiring photographer Allison Jean (A. J.) McCreary. A. J. knows she should concentrate on getting into a top-notch art school. But she's spent five torturous months obsessed with handsome hunk, Peter Terris. Just one shot from the cupid's bow and thwonk, A. J. will have the undying devotion of handsome Peter...forever.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Joan Bauer
79 books917 followersFrom: http://www.joanbauer.com/jbbio.html
July 12, 1951 - I was born at eleven A.M., a most reasonable time, my mother often said, and when the nurse put me in my mother's arms for the first time I had both a nasty case of the hiccups and no discernible forehead (it's since grown in). I've always believed in comic entrances.
As I grew up in River Forest, Illinois, in the 1950's, I seem to remember an early fascination with things that were funny. I thought that people who could make other people laugh were terribly fortunate. While my friends made their career plans, declaring they would become doctors, nurses, and lawyers, inwardly I knew that I wanted to be involved somehow in comedy. This, however, was a difficult concept to get across in first grade. But I had a mother with a great comic sense (she was a high school English teacher) and a grandmother who had been a funny professional storyteller, so I figured the right genes were in there somewhere, although I didn't always laugh at what my friends laughed at and they rarely giggled at my jokes. That, and the fact that I was overweight and very tall, all made me feel quite different when I was growing up--a bit like a musk ox at a tea party.
My grandmother, who I called Nana, had the biggest influence on me creatively. She taught me the importance of stories and laughter. She never said, "Now I'm going to tell you a funny story," she'd just tell a story, and the humor would naturally flow from it because of who she was and how she and her characters saw the world. She showed me the difference between derisive laughter that hurts others and laughter that comes from the heart. She showed me, too, that stories help us understand ourselves at a deep level. She was a keen observer of people.
I kept a diary as a child, was always penning stories and poems. I played the flute heartily, taught myself the guitar, and wrote folk songs. For years I wanted to be a comedienne, then a comedy writer. I was a voracious reader, too, and can still remember the dark wood and the green leather chairs of the River Forest Public Library, can hear my shoes tapping on the stairs going down to the children's room, can feel my fingers sliding across rows and rows of books, looking through the card catalogs that seemed to house everything that anyone would ever need to know about in the entire world. My parents divorced when I was eight years old, and I was devastated at the loss of my father. I pull from that memory regularly as a writer. Every book I have written so far has dealt with complex father issues. My dad was an alcoholic and the pain of that was a shadow that followed me for years, but I've learned things from that experience that have made me resilient. I attempted to address those issues in Rules of the Road, and I took them even further in the companion book, Best Foot Forward. The theme that I try to carry into all of my writing is this: adversity, if we let it, will make us stronger.
In my twenties, I worked in sales and advertising for the Chicago Tribune, McGraw-Hill, WLS Radio, and Parade Magazine. I met my husband Evan, a computer engineer, while I was on vacation. Our courtship was simple. He asked me to dance; I said no. We got married five months later in August, 1981. But I was not happy in advertising sales, and I had a few ulcers to prove it. With Evan's loving support, I decided to try my hand at professional writing. I wish I could say that everything started falling into place, but it was a slow, slow build -- writing newspaper and magazine articles for not much money. My daughter Jean was born in July of '82. She had the soul of a writer even as a baby. I can remember sitting at my typewriter (I didn't have a computer back then) writing away with Jean on a blanket on the floor next to me. If my writing was bad that day, I'd tear that page out of the typewriter and hand it to her. "Bad paper," I'd say and Jean would r
July 12, 1951 - I was born at eleven A.M., a most reasonable time, my mother often said, and when the nurse put me in my mother's arms for the first time I had both a nasty case of the hiccups and no discernible forehead (it's since grown in). I've always believed in comic entrances.
As I grew up in River Forest, Illinois, in the 1950's, I seem to remember an early fascination with things that were funny. I thought that people who could make other people laugh were terribly fortunate. While my friends made their career plans, declaring they would become doctors, nurses, and lawyers, inwardly I knew that I wanted to be involved somehow in comedy. This, however, was a difficult concept to get across in first grade. But I had a mother with a great comic sense (she was a high school English teacher) and a grandmother who had been a funny professional storyteller, so I figured the right genes were in there somewhere, although I didn't always laugh at what my friends laughed at and they rarely giggled at my jokes. That, and the fact that I was overweight and very tall, all made me feel quite different when I was growing up--a bit like a musk ox at a tea party.
My grandmother, who I called Nana, had the biggest influence on me creatively. She taught me the importance of stories and laughter. She never said, "Now I'm going to tell you a funny story," she'd just tell a story, and the humor would naturally flow from it because of who she was and how she and her characters saw the world. She showed me the difference between derisive laughter that hurts others and laughter that comes from the heart. She showed me, too, that stories help us understand ourselves at a deep level. She was a keen observer of people.
I kept a diary as a child, was always penning stories and poems. I played the flute heartily, taught myself the guitar, and wrote folk songs. For years I wanted to be a comedienne, then a comedy writer. I was a voracious reader, too, and can still remember the dark wood and the green leather chairs of the River Forest Public Library, can hear my shoes tapping on the stairs going down to the children's room, can feel my fingers sliding across rows and rows of books, looking through the card catalogs that seemed to house everything that anyone would ever need to know about in the entire world. My parents divorced when I was eight years old, and I was devastated at the loss of my father. I pull from that memory regularly as a writer. Every book I have written so far has dealt with complex father issues. My dad was an alcoholic and the pain of that was a shadow that followed me for years, but I've learned things from that experience that have made me resilient. I attempted to address those issues in Rules of the Road, and I took them even further in the companion book, Best Foot Forward. The theme that I try to carry into all of my writing is this: adversity, if we let it, will make us stronger.
In my twenties, I worked in sales and advertising for the Chicago Tribune, McGraw-Hill, WLS Radio, and Parade Magazine. I met my husband Evan, a computer engineer, while I was on vacation. Our courtship was simple. He asked me to dance; I said no. We got married five months later in August, 1981. But I was not happy in advertising sales, and I had a few ulcers to prove it. With Evan's loving support, I decided to try my hand at professional writing. I wish I could say that everything started falling into place, but it was a slow, slow build -- writing newspaper and magazine articles for not much money. My daughter Jean was born in July of '82. She had the soul of a writer even as a baby. I can remember sitting at my typewriter (I didn't have a computer back then) writing away with Jean on a blanket on the floor next to me. If my writing was bad that day, I'd tear that page out of the typewriter and hand it to her. "Bad paper," I'd say and Jean would r
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
January 18, 2009
Actually a 3.5. This is a funny book and I liked the message. A.J.(main character) really annoyed me at how much she obsessed over Peter. She reminded me more of those middle school girls who are sure their crush are their soul-mate. Even though I seriously doubt there are many people who have meet their soul mate by age 12 (sorry if I sound cynical). Oddly enough, the reason I actually kinda liked this book was because A.J. was so wrong about everything. A lot of times you see movies and read books that show girls obsessing over boys they are convinced they are in love with when they don't actually know much about them. And then they end up happily ever after! The main character being so wrong usually tends to bother me. Again though, it showed the error of her ways. Showing that it was actually selfish of A.J. to wish for Peter to fall in love with her, as well as a shallow decision on her part. Cupid was also a very good character. Hilarious and brutaly honest with A.J. So, over all a worth while book.
January 27, 2022
Any book that looks like a teen contemporary fiction novel from the 1980s or 90s is going to catch my eye. This book fits the bill perfectly. I love stories that capture the time period, and this does that so effectively. Malls, Valentine's dances, big hair, best friends, popular cliques, weird teachers, the school newspaper (called, of course, the Oracle). I love it.
But the book is so much more than that. Of course, good books are good books, no matter who they're geared towards, and this novel is no exception. Bauer's main character, A.J., is a seventeen-year-old girl obsessed with finding love. She wants to have a date for the Valentine's dance because she's a senior and has missed three due to issues with past boyfriends (like one who dumped her for his ex two days before the dance). Now, A.J. is "in love" with Peter, the beautiful, popular guy at school who doesn't even know she exists. When she gets a chance to help her artistic career (she's a photographer), her academic situation, or her love life, what do you think she chooses?
The book is so much more than this, too. A.J.'s photography is a big part of the story, and a side plot is a conflict between her and her father, who was also a photographer/filmmaker but gave up his attempt to succeed in the field because of discouraging results. He doesn't want his daughter to suffer like he did, and they're not really speaking because he's made it clear that he doesn't want her going to college for photography. A.J.'s mom is in the food business, and the descriptions of her store and the food sold there make me want to eat and cook. The school dynamics are interesting, and there are other side plots and conflicts that round this book out.
Overall, the message is to look beyond the surface of what we see and to find meaning and truth hidden beneath. We can't look at people and assume they are how they appear. We have to get to know them, we have to be honest with ourselves, and not ignore our feelings just because they don't match our desires. These are lessons that anyone can learn from, whether you're 17 like A.J. or 35 like me.
Another great bookstore find that I'm happy to have discovered! I would definitely read more Bauer.
But the book is so much more than that. Of course, good books are good books, no matter who they're geared towards, and this novel is no exception. Bauer's main character, A.J., is a seventeen-year-old girl obsessed with finding love. She wants to have a date for the Valentine's dance because she's a senior and has missed three due to issues with past boyfriends (like one who dumped her for his ex two days before the dance). Now, A.J. is "in love" with Peter, the beautiful, popular guy at school who doesn't even know she exists. When she gets a chance to help her artistic career (she's a photographer), her academic situation, or her love life, what do you think she chooses?
The book is so much more than this, too. A.J.'s photography is a big part of the story, and a side plot is a conflict between her and her father, who was also a photographer/filmmaker but gave up his attempt to succeed in the field because of discouraging results. He doesn't want his daughter to suffer like he did, and they're not really speaking because he's made it clear that he doesn't want her going to college for photography. A.J.'s mom is in the food business, and the descriptions of her store and the food sold there make me want to eat and cook. The school dynamics are interesting, and there are other side plots and conflicts that round this book out.
Overall, the message is to look beyond the surface of what we see and to find meaning and truth hidden beneath. We can't look at people and assume they are how they appear. We have to get to know them, we have to be honest with ourselves, and not ignore our feelings just because they don't match our desires. These are lessons that anyone can learn from, whether you're 17 like A.J. or 35 like me.
Another great bookstore find that I'm happy to have discovered! I would definitely read more Bauer.
January 10, 2009
I actually wasn't expecting much from this book because I had seen so many bad reviews on it. One of the things I did see as irritating was that A.J. (the main character) can seem a bit too dramactic, but I loved the way the author depicted cupid.
The author also did an excellent job of desribing the the photos that A.J. would take (she's a photographer). If they really existed I suspect I would like them very much.
Now for a quick summary: A.J. is infatuated with Peter Terris (aka very popular guy) and can't seem to get her mind off him. In comes cupid who can grant her one of three wishes, to help her artistically, academically, or romantically. You can already guess what she choses. Things of course don't exactly go like she thought they would. She learns a good deal about what truth really is. All of us could revisit that lesson now and again.
Oh before I end the review I wish that the author would have had A.J. talk to Peter after the fact. The sentence will make sense if or you have already read the book.
The author also did an excellent job of desribing the the photos that A.J. would take (she's a photographer). If they really existed I suspect I would like them very much.
Now for a quick summary: A.J. is infatuated with Peter Terris (aka very popular guy) and can't seem to get her mind off him. In comes cupid who can grant her one of three wishes, to help her artistically, academically, or romantically. You can already guess what she choses. Things of course don't exactly go like she thought they would. She learns a good deal about what truth really is. All of us could revisit that lesson now and again.
Oh before I end the review I wish that the author would have had A.J. talk to Peter after the fact. The sentence will make sense if or you have already read the book.
October 14, 2017
Read this a long time ago. Typical teenager flick, but entertaining enough
September 2, 2014
Para empezar, esa portada es lo contrario a esta novela. Esa portada indica que el libro es MUY infantil. Y no es asi. Es un libro juvenil, a secas. Con muchos cliches, malentendidos, malas elecciones y un final infeliz. No es un cuento para niños, por mucho que el secundario principal sea Cupido y vaya vestido ridiculamente.
Para continuar, hace muchos años que lei este libro, y no, no me planteo releerlo, porque me decepcionó tanto que vendí mi ejemplar. Fue un libro aburrido e insípido con el que no conecté. Fue absolutamente decepcionante. No me acuerdo de nada de este libro, solo que ella era tan estupida como para estar enamorada de un capullo con el que no había interactuado nunca, y que Cupido y ella se enamoraban en el último instante, antes de que él cogiera su arco y su carcaj de flechas y se fuera. Vale, asi dicho suena MUY infantil. En verdad era una tonteria de libro.
Para continuar, hace muchos años que lei este libro, y no, no me planteo releerlo, porque me decepcionó tanto que vendí mi ejemplar. Fue un libro aburrido e insípido con el que no conecté. Fue absolutamente decepcionante. No me acuerdo de nada de este libro, solo que ella era tan estupida como para estar enamorada de un capullo con el que no había interactuado nunca, y que Cupido y ella se enamoraban en el último instante, antes de que él cogiera su arco y su carcaj de flechas y se fuera. Vale, asi dicho suena MUY infantil. En verdad era una tonteria de libro.
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April 4, 2008THIS IS THE 2ND WORST BOOOK I HAVE EVER READ. NEVER READ IT! NEVER, NEVER EVER EVER!
November 27, 2008
I started this book this morning and finished it around 1:30 ish and it is heart braking and just THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!
February 16, 2018
I would have never looked at this book twice based off the title and cover, but I was pulling old books at the bookstore and any that were put out before a certain date I got to take home for free. This was old so I figured why not? And I like books with the promise of romance. I also liked that she's into photography because I am too.
The "individual of full-orbed gorgeousness" quote was off-putting and to find it on the first page of the book, paired with her developing prints of Peter made it all the more a turn-off. It made Allison seem like a stalker.
I related to her for the embarrassment of not having a boyfriend for any of the school events like the dance, New Years' Eve and Valentine's Day. And that after her boyfriend dumped her after moving to college she tried to avoid eye contact with guys. I was disappointed that she had had a boyfriend for 4 months, and then had 3 more in less than a year, I would have related more if she'd been single and I was hoping for someone who hadn't had a boyfriend because that's what the summary seemed to imply.
I liked that she said if you want to know her you have to look at her photography, that she and it are tied together. And when she went to Italy and took a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and turned the camera to where the building was straight, she realized the power a camera had to "fix a building." Powerful thought.
I really liked how passionate she was. You don't see many high school main characters caring about their future that much. It was really evident in this line after she thought she was sorry her dad's passion couldn't be his career: "If that happens to me, if I can't make the world listen to what I have to say through my art, I think I'll die."
I could totally relate to her when Peter came into her mom's store and she "lost all familiarity with the English language."
The Cupid thing was my biggest reservation and it was even worse than I expected. The "dinky" little doll that fell out of a cardboard box in front of her car came to life that night, shook himself like an aerobics instructor and did karate chops. Literally the very next page after discovering he's come to life, she's comparing it to a Disney movie and already planning to make him a shoebox bed, sewing him clothes, and carrying him around in her pocket. She couldn't wait to touch him and was as giddy as a five year old. All directly from the book. If you're going to have a doll come to life then I'm going to need a believable amount of time of disbelief and denial, not instant acceptance. It ruined the whole thing.
Only when he pointed her not trusting people and capturing negative subjects with her photography did she even think to question the whole thing. So I guess he had to insult her precious pictures before we could get a realistic reaction.
I got really sick of how she talked of her photographing skills any time they came into question. It was like "I already know that" and "I know what I'm doing." That made her come off as really defensive which told me she's insecure about her skills and needs to improve. For ex. Cupid took her to the beach to find a subject for the Valentine's Day newspaper--which she kept putting off and scoffing at--and he told her to take advantage of the light. She said "Yes. I know what to do." And then she moved in close to her subject: "amateurs forget this." Well how nice that you know something someone else doesn't. Do make them feel like crap about it. No one likes a know-it-all.
No sooner does Jonathan--why isn't his name Cupid??--offer her romantic help than she sets off for Peter's house. Why would she drive to his house when she was going to see him at school? That was jumping the gun. Then she kept circling the block over and over again waiting on Jonathan to get done. He can go through walls and objects, so he could have went to Peter's house alone. There was no reason for her to drive around and around, making the neighbor's suspicious, especially when Jonathan just appeared in her car after. He didn't need her there, and slow down.
Idk why characters have to make so many mistakes. When she went to Pearly's house, the newspaper editor, she was referring to both her and Jonathan, saying "We're leaving," and then answering his questions. No one else can see him and she insisted at talking to him out loud where other people could hear her. Because she wasn't crazy or weird enough.
I don't like instant help and miraculous fixes in books because that's not how the real world works and it's an insult. On the test that she didn't study for--and blamed Jonathan for it--he gives her the answers and she's "chortling" over and over about it. The teacher called her out for it. How lame.
She italicized way too much. Nearly every character had something italicized in their dialogue every conversation they had. Almost every page had a line or more italicized. It was way too much emphasis and was exhausting to read.
Kept repeating phrases. Dinky bow. Dinky eyes. Dinky arrows. Dinky sash. Dinky. Dinky. Dinky.
She said dinky twice in one page, 5 lines apart.
Kidneys curled. Um, what?
It was clear that Carl was the good guy. The day of that test she aced, Carl was asked to cut off the lights and he grinned at AJ and made a praying sign with his hands. Then when Tucker, the guy her friend Trish liked, asked Pearly to put his singles story with AJ's cover shot, Carl said it was a good shot and AJ thought he was the Ultimate Nice Guy. Leave it to a girl to not appreciate a good guy.
I hoped she would see how wrong Peter was and give up the whole charade. She kept feeling guilty that his feelings weren't real and the side effects he was going through, like feeling a tingle and chest pain. She felt bad about not telling Trish. Every time she tried to talk about something important he didn't say much or said nothing at all. He didn't care about her art just like a past boyfriend. She wanted someone that cared about it, and I couldn't help but think of Carl. Instead I had to read about her and Peter kissing and snuggling and nuzzling.
The teenage angst really brought it down. It was 99% feelings and 1% plot. It was all Peter, Peter, Peter. I rejoiced every time Jonathan basically told her this is what she asked for and to deal with the consequences. It's no more than she deserved. If she had listened to his advice and done something constructive like get help with her grades or photography then it would have been a better book.
When she questioned herself when things went so wrong, one of the questions she asked was when all of his unpaid parking tickets fell out in his car. I respected her for having a problem with that, because that's a bad sign of character. Then she asked if it was when he shouted out that he loved her in the student center (and omg, how annoying it was to have him follow her around everywhere, exchange locker combos, and constantly yell out how he felt about her with the entire school, senior all the way down to freshman, watching with jealousy, envy, and respect. One time she even wore a ski mask and a disguise so he wouldn't recognize her) instead of in the backseat of a car where it "would have been appropriate and expected." I had to stop and ask myself was this really a reference to sex? AJ would be okay with having sex in the backseat of a car with someone? Whoa.
Initially I had wanted her to go to the King of Hearts dance and have a good time, whether Peter really liked her or not, but when it came to it it had been dozens of pages of him being so gooey in love with her and embarrassing her that I wished she had called it off and fixed the problem with him. It was too drawn-out and I was sick of him constantly searching for her and being so upset if he hurt her and making undying professions of love in front of people who thought he was crazy.
AJ really needed therapy on why she had to be better than everyone else. When she got to the dance she said other girls were wearing red dresses but hers was the reddest. I'm sorry, you had the reddest dress? Who judges people based on the depth of the color of their clothes? Who cares?
When she went through the archway with Peter he had to duck through and she didn't. "It was just my size. Everything tonight was just for me!" Who thinks that something is specifically for them like that? Then she called a girl who was going out with one of her ex-boyfriends mousy. That's so not cool. Who was she to put people down like this? After everything she went through she should have learned a lesson instead of still craving her quest for popularity and the perfect boyfriend. She didn't learn anything.
It was like she had lost her mind. It was a runaway roller coaster. The author should have made her change, made her grounded and realize what the important things were and give up this shallow dream of popularity. I couldn't believe what I was reading. "I wanted to shout that as their leader, I would not fail them. I knew what it was like to be a shadow in the Student Center and I wouldn't forget from whence I came." It was like she had lost her mind. Her ego was through the roof.
This is a good example of the style of writing that was just out there and not at all realistic to a teenager. These are deep world views at a teenager simply does not have. This is someone who has lived and learned, not a high school student. "I twirled the line into a unified circle symbolizing the depth of the hormonal experience that we all shared."
The entire book was full of this. It was exhausting, way too full of exaggeration and emotion. If I had quoted everything I wanted to I could have written a whole new book.
AJ was a psycho, put plainly. She had told Peter not to declare his feelings for her to other people. At the dance he picked her up and said how great she was, at which pointed she snarled that she wasn't and dug her nails into his neck. Like an animal.
And it just got worse. She told him to never do that again and he apologized and called her baby. She grabbed his tux, stated her 5'9" height and said she was no one's baby, and then stomped away like a total brat. Her anger was loathsome. Every time she got mad at his declarations of love, his glazed and blank eyes, his following her, I didn't agree with her. She should have tried to break the spell by getting through to him. The author didn't have her try anything at all except to call to Jonathan repeatedly and buy dumb Cupid trinkets in an attempt to contact him, but had her get mad in a crazy way repeatedly. He was the product of her wish.
I didn't understand any of the reactions. She saw the crepe paper Cupid at the dance and lost it for some reason. A girl said he was cute. "Are you mad?" I shrieked. That is a cupid!"
I didn't know what she meant. I didn't follow her train of thought and I didn't agree with it. Was also really fed up with her crazy outbursts and overload of teenage drama. You don't shriek at a school dance in front of everyone. Then they would all think you're crazy. School was either way different back in the day or the author had majorly forgotten how high school worked. Wait, considering what she's been having these teenagers say, I'm going with the latter.
Peter started to read his poem for her and she screamed, ripped the paper up and, once again, stormed away. I ask you, what was that accomplishing? This author is the most dramatic I've ever read.
She needed to find another way to describe Jonathan instead of "dinky." Like whoa. Synonyms please.
The author was so creative and it's evident she studies the world and has a humorous way of describing things. Nearly all of the lines had something I could appreciate.
I was astounded that she didn't learn anything except that she was a fake, not really popular and only dating royalty. When Jonathan finally came back when she said she didn't want this, she only told him what he wanted to hear, just rushing through telling him he was right and not even being appropriately sorry and regretful. She deserved to crawl for how she'd been acting. Oh, and after Peter went back to Julia and she was alone, she had the absolute nerve to say "Thank you, Jonathan, for absolutely nothing." I couldn't wait to be done. What a freaking brat. She got herself into this mess. How dare she blame Jonathan for this predicament? She didn't learn anything, just how to be a bigger brat who didn't take any responsibility for her actions.
After Jonathan shot Peter in the heart again, Peter was back to being rude to her and immediately got back together with Julie, who disappeared from the story except in the very beginning as a jealousy angle. The whole school saw it and then Tucker, who came with Trish, who doesn't dance, asked her to dance. Because Trish asked him to and pretended her feet were hurt. I was so mad. She didn't deserve that in any way. If he didn't dance with Trish then she sure as heck didn't deserve it.
What happened next made me livid. She had no less than 8 guys coming up to her, 7 of which she danced with, only because one was Robbie, her ex-bf who dumped her for another girl. What kind of a lesson is that? And I thought AJ had terrible luck with guys, that she was a loner and unpopular? How is she single when 8 guys just wanted her at a single time? It was literally one guy after another cutting in to dance with her. The better lesson would be to only have one guy dance with her, 2 at the most. Or have no one dance with her because no one at the dance likes her. Now that would be realistic.
She turned the dance into a photo shoot, capturing this magnificent shot with deep meaning and that incredible shot with profound reasoning. It was miraculous. This girl can do no wrong. Everything she does is right. It's magic. Nothing like a dinky little Cupid doll setting you up with a love robot to really work wonders on your picture-taking skills. Maybe I should try that.
The end was AJ going on and on about the town and a pond and other things I wasn't interested in. She mentioned Carl at the end, how he posed for her and he wasn't inert and she liked when his shoulders slumped and he pushed his glasses down. She liked the way he looked in general, kind brown eyes, brown hair and an "excellent neck." The author literally didn't show character growth until the epilogue. What the heck kind of logic is that?
I guess the point all along was that AJ is perfect. Ignore all of her many hideous faults. It doesn't matter if you're shallow and only care about popularity. It doesn't matter if you dump your best friend since 6th grade for a popular guy who has been nothing but rude to you, and who was dating someone at the time. It doesn't matter if you break that couple up and get with him. It doesn't matter if you forsake everyone and everything for a guy. It doesn't matter if the only thing you care about is being popular and want everyone to be envious of you. It doesn't matter if you put down everyone and everything else, like amateur photographers for not knowing something that you happen to know, or someone for liking a picture that you don't like. Because at the end she got it all. She got to experience being a half of a powerful, popular duo with the most popular guy in school. She had everyone's envy and respect. She got to go to the dance and become the queen. And at the end, worst of all, her photography came out the better for it. For all of the horrible things she had done and said, she got ahead in her stupid career and became an even better photographer than she already thought she was.
She danced 2 slow songs with Carl, then made him go back to his date, who was mad. AJ, making girls jealous everywhere. I kept expecting her to see that Carl was the right guy but it the author didn't do anything with it. She spent almost the whole book with the wrong guy.
She got into both art schools she applied to. How nice for her. Guess that shows she was perfect all along and always will be.
One of the worst things about a book is to have a main character who you hate while there's a better main character right there. Trish was such a good friend, caring and concerned. And Tucker was interesting. I couldn't understand why AJ was written. It should have been about Trish and Tucker, or Clark and another girl.
She had a YA story but wanted it for adult characters with adult issues and adult views.
This was all over the place and nowhere I wanted to go.
The "individual of full-orbed gorgeousness" quote was off-putting and to find it on the first page of the book, paired with her developing prints of Peter made it all the more a turn-off. It made Allison seem like a stalker.
I related to her for the embarrassment of not having a boyfriend for any of the school events like the dance, New Years' Eve and Valentine's Day. And that after her boyfriend dumped her after moving to college she tried to avoid eye contact with guys. I was disappointed that she had had a boyfriend for 4 months, and then had 3 more in less than a year, I would have related more if she'd been single and I was hoping for someone who hadn't had a boyfriend because that's what the summary seemed to imply.
I liked that she said if you want to know her you have to look at her photography, that she and it are tied together. And when she went to Italy and took a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and turned the camera to where the building was straight, she realized the power a camera had to "fix a building." Powerful thought.
I really liked how passionate she was. You don't see many high school main characters caring about their future that much. It was really evident in this line after she thought she was sorry her dad's passion couldn't be his career: "If that happens to me, if I can't make the world listen to what I have to say through my art, I think I'll die."
I could totally relate to her when Peter came into her mom's store and she "lost all familiarity with the English language."
The Cupid thing was my biggest reservation and it was even worse than I expected. The "dinky" little doll that fell out of a cardboard box in front of her car came to life that night, shook himself like an aerobics instructor and did karate chops. Literally the very next page after discovering he's come to life, she's comparing it to a Disney movie and already planning to make him a shoebox bed, sewing him clothes, and carrying him around in her pocket. She couldn't wait to touch him and was as giddy as a five year old. All directly from the book. If you're going to have a doll come to life then I'm going to need a believable amount of time of disbelief and denial, not instant acceptance. It ruined the whole thing.
Only when he pointed her not trusting people and capturing negative subjects with her photography did she even think to question the whole thing. So I guess he had to insult her precious pictures before we could get a realistic reaction.
I got really sick of how she talked of her photographing skills any time they came into question. It was like "I already know that" and "I know what I'm doing." That made her come off as really defensive which told me she's insecure about her skills and needs to improve. For ex. Cupid took her to the beach to find a subject for the Valentine's Day newspaper--which she kept putting off and scoffing at--and he told her to take advantage of the light. She said "Yes. I know what to do." And then she moved in close to her subject: "amateurs forget this." Well how nice that you know something someone else doesn't. Do make them feel like crap about it. No one likes a know-it-all.
No sooner does Jonathan--why isn't his name Cupid??--offer her romantic help than she sets off for Peter's house. Why would she drive to his house when she was going to see him at school? That was jumping the gun. Then she kept circling the block over and over again waiting on Jonathan to get done. He can go through walls and objects, so he could have went to Peter's house alone. There was no reason for her to drive around and around, making the neighbor's suspicious, especially when Jonathan just appeared in her car after. He didn't need her there, and slow down.
Idk why characters have to make so many mistakes. When she went to Pearly's house, the newspaper editor, she was referring to both her and Jonathan, saying "We're leaving," and then answering his questions. No one else can see him and she insisted at talking to him out loud where other people could hear her. Because she wasn't crazy or weird enough.
I don't like instant help and miraculous fixes in books because that's not how the real world works and it's an insult. On the test that she didn't study for--and blamed Jonathan for it--he gives her the answers and she's "chortling" over and over about it. The teacher called her out for it. How lame.
She italicized way too much. Nearly every character had something italicized in their dialogue every conversation they had. Almost every page had a line or more italicized. It was way too much emphasis and was exhausting to read.
Kept repeating phrases. Dinky bow. Dinky eyes. Dinky arrows. Dinky sash. Dinky. Dinky. Dinky.
She said dinky twice in one page, 5 lines apart.
Kidneys curled. Um, what?
It was clear that Carl was the good guy. The day of that test she aced, Carl was asked to cut off the lights and he grinned at AJ and made a praying sign with his hands. Then when Tucker, the guy her friend Trish liked, asked Pearly to put his singles story with AJ's cover shot, Carl said it was a good shot and AJ thought he was the Ultimate Nice Guy. Leave it to a girl to not appreciate a good guy.
I hoped she would see how wrong Peter was and give up the whole charade. She kept feeling guilty that his feelings weren't real and the side effects he was going through, like feeling a tingle and chest pain. She felt bad about not telling Trish. Every time she tried to talk about something important he didn't say much or said nothing at all. He didn't care about her art just like a past boyfriend. She wanted someone that cared about it, and I couldn't help but think of Carl. Instead I had to read about her and Peter kissing and snuggling and nuzzling.
The teenage angst really brought it down. It was 99% feelings and 1% plot. It was all Peter, Peter, Peter. I rejoiced every time Jonathan basically told her this is what she asked for and to deal with the consequences. It's no more than she deserved. If she had listened to his advice and done something constructive like get help with her grades or photography then it would have been a better book.
When she questioned herself when things went so wrong, one of the questions she asked was when all of his unpaid parking tickets fell out in his car. I respected her for having a problem with that, because that's a bad sign of character. Then she asked if it was when he shouted out that he loved her in the student center (and omg, how annoying it was to have him follow her around everywhere, exchange locker combos, and constantly yell out how he felt about her with the entire school, senior all the way down to freshman, watching with jealousy, envy, and respect. One time she even wore a ski mask and a disguise so he wouldn't recognize her) instead of in the backseat of a car where it "would have been appropriate and expected." I had to stop and ask myself was this really a reference to sex? AJ would be okay with having sex in the backseat of a car with someone? Whoa.
Initially I had wanted her to go to the King of Hearts dance and have a good time, whether Peter really liked her or not, but when it came to it it had been dozens of pages of him being so gooey in love with her and embarrassing her that I wished she had called it off and fixed the problem with him. It was too drawn-out and I was sick of him constantly searching for her and being so upset if he hurt her and making undying professions of love in front of people who thought he was crazy.
AJ really needed therapy on why she had to be better than everyone else. When she got to the dance she said other girls were wearing red dresses but hers was the reddest. I'm sorry, you had the reddest dress? Who judges people based on the depth of the color of their clothes? Who cares?
When she went through the archway with Peter he had to duck through and she didn't. "It was just my size. Everything tonight was just for me!" Who thinks that something is specifically for them like that? Then she called a girl who was going out with one of her ex-boyfriends mousy. That's so not cool. Who was she to put people down like this? After everything she went through she should have learned a lesson instead of still craving her quest for popularity and the perfect boyfriend. She didn't learn anything.
It was like she had lost her mind. It was a runaway roller coaster. The author should have made her change, made her grounded and realize what the important things were and give up this shallow dream of popularity. I couldn't believe what I was reading. "I wanted to shout that as their leader, I would not fail them. I knew what it was like to be a shadow in the Student Center and I wouldn't forget from whence I came." It was like she had lost her mind. Her ego was through the roof.
This is a good example of the style of writing that was just out there and not at all realistic to a teenager. These are deep world views at a teenager simply does not have. This is someone who has lived and learned, not a high school student. "I twirled the line into a unified circle symbolizing the depth of the hormonal experience that we all shared."
The entire book was full of this. It was exhausting, way too full of exaggeration and emotion. If I had quoted everything I wanted to I could have written a whole new book.
AJ was a psycho, put plainly. She had told Peter not to declare his feelings for her to other people. At the dance he picked her up and said how great she was, at which pointed she snarled that she wasn't and dug her nails into his neck. Like an animal.
And it just got worse. She told him to never do that again and he apologized and called her baby. She grabbed his tux, stated her 5'9" height and said she was no one's baby, and then stomped away like a total brat. Her anger was loathsome. Every time she got mad at his declarations of love, his glazed and blank eyes, his following her, I didn't agree with her. She should have tried to break the spell by getting through to him. The author didn't have her try anything at all except to call to Jonathan repeatedly and buy dumb Cupid trinkets in an attempt to contact him, but had her get mad in a crazy way repeatedly. He was the product of her wish.
I didn't understand any of the reactions. She saw the crepe paper Cupid at the dance and lost it for some reason. A girl said he was cute. "Are you mad?" I shrieked. That is a cupid!"
I didn't know what she meant. I didn't follow her train of thought and I didn't agree with it. Was also really fed up with her crazy outbursts and overload of teenage drama. You don't shriek at a school dance in front of everyone. Then they would all think you're crazy. School was either way different back in the day or the author had majorly forgotten how high school worked. Wait, considering what she's been having these teenagers say, I'm going with the latter.
Peter started to read his poem for her and she screamed, ripped the paper up and, once again, stormed away. I ask you, what was that accomplishing? This author is the most dramatic I've ever read.
She needed to find another way to describe Jonathan instead of "dinky." Like whoa. Synonyms please.
The author was so creative and it's evident she studies the world and has a humorous way of describing things. Nearly all of the lines had something I could appreciate.
I was astounded that she didn't learn anything except that she was a fake, not really popular and only dating royalty. When Jonathan finally came back when she said she didn't want this, she only told him what he wanted to hear, just rushing through telling him he was right and not even being appropriately sorry and regretful. She deserved to crawl for how she'd been acting. Oh, and after Peter went back to Julia and she was alone, she had the absolute nerve to say "Thank you, Jonathan, for absolutely nothing." I couldn't wait to be done. What a freaking brat. She got herself into this mess. How dare she blame Jonathan for this predicament? She didn't learn anything, just how to be a bigger brat who didn't take any responsibility for her actions.
After Jonathan shot Peter in the heart again, Peter was back to being rude to her and immediately got back together with Julie, who disappeared from the story except in the very beginning as a jealousy angle. The whole school saw it and then Tucker, who came with Trish, who doesn't dance, asked her to dance. Because Trish asked him to and pretended her feet were hurt. I was so mad. She didn't deserve that in any way. If he didn't dance with Trish then she sure as heck didn't deserve it.
What happened next made me livid. She had no less than 8 guys coming up to her, 7 of which she danced with, only because one was Robbie, her ex-bf who dumped her for another girl. What kind of a lesson is that? And I thought AJ had terrible luck with guys, that she was a loner and unpopular? How is she single when 8 guys just wanted her at a single time? It was literally one guy after another cutting in to dance with her. The better lesson would be to only have one guy dance with her, 2 at the most. Or have no one dance with her because no one at the dance likes her. Now that would be realistic.
She turned the dance into a photo shoot, capturing this magnificent shot with deep meaning and that incredible shot with profound reasoning. It was miraculous. This girl can do no wrong. Everything she does is right. It's magic. Nothing like a dinky little Cupid doll setting you up with a love robot to really work wonders on your picture-taking skills. Maybe I should try that.
The end was AJ going on and on about the town and a pond and other things I wasn't interested in. She mentioned Carl at the end, how he posed for her and he wasn't inert and she liked when his shoulders slumped and he pushed his glasses down. She liked the way he looked in general, kind brown eyes, brown hair and an "excellent neck." The author literally didn't show character growth until the epilogue. What the heck kind of logic is that?
I guess the point all along was that AJ is perfect. Ignore all of her many hideous faults. It doesn't matter if you're shallow and only care about popularity. It doesn't matter if you dump your best friend since 6th grade for a popular guy who has been nothing but rude to you, and who was dating someone at the time. It doesn't matter if you break that couple up and get with him. It doesn't matter if you forsake everyone and everything for a guy. It doesn't matter if the only thing you care about is being popular and want everyone to be envious of you. It doesn't matter if you put down everyone and everything else, like amateur photographers for not knowing something that you happen to know, or someone for liking a picture that you don't like. Because at the end she got it all. She got to experience being a half of a powerful, popular duo with the most popular guy in school. She had everyone's envy and respect. She got to go to the dance and become the queen. And at the end, worst of all, her photography came out the better for it. For all of the horrible things she had done and said, she got ahead in her stupid career and became an even better photographer than she already thought she was.
She danced 2 slow songs with Carl, then made him go back to his date, who was mad. AJ, making girls jealous everywhere. I kept expecting her to see that Carl was the right guy but it the author didn't do anything with it. She spent almost the whole book with the wrong guy.
She got into both art schools she applied to. How nice for her. Guess that shows she was perfect all along and always will be.
One of the worst things about a book is to have a main character who you hate while there's a better main character right there. Trish was such a good friend, caring and concerned. And Tucker was interesting. I couldn't understand why AJ was written. It should have been about Trish and Tucker, or Clark and another girl.
She had a YA story but wanted it for adult characters with adult issues and adult views.
This was all over the place and nowhere I wanted to go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2025
This was fun. Maybe not as good as the best of Joan Bauer (Hope Was Here, Rules of the Road and Best Foot Forward spring immediately to mind), but still fun. And as always, I loved the voice Ms. Bauer gives to her main character.
A.J. McCreary is many things: good friend, serious photographer and serially boy crazy. Her latest crush, Peter Terris, barely knows she exists. And then something strange and wonderful happens. A.J. gains her own personal Cupid. He informs her that his ‘visitation’ can help her in one of three ways - with her art, with her schoolwork or with her love life. The catch is, she can only choose one. She makes her choice and, of course, things don’t go at all the way she thought they would.
How I rate: I don’t rate many books below 3 stars because I rarely finish books I don’t like. Seriously, why torture myself. There are so many good books waiting to be read. Still, there are some I do rate low so here is how I see the star system: 5 stars - I loved it and will most likely a) recommend it to as many people as I can and b) reread it, perhaps multiple times. 4 stars - I really liked it. It’s better than average - a quintessential ‘good read.’ 3 stars - I liked it. It’s a good book, worth reading. 2 stars - I didn’t really like it but it’s not awful. 1 star - I hated it.
A.J. McCreary is many things: good friend, serious photographer and serially boy crazy. Her latest crush, Peter Terris, barely knows she exists. And then something strange and wonderful happens. A.J. gains her own personal Cupid. He informs her that his ‘visitation’ can help her in one of three ways - with her art, with her schoolwork or with her love life. The catch is, she can only choose one. She makes her choice and, of course, things don’t go at all the way she thought they would.
How I rate: I don’t rate many books below 3 stars because I rarely finish books I don’t like. Seriously, why torture myself. There are so many good books waiting to be read. Still, there are some I do rate low so here is how I see the star system: 5 stars - I loved it and will most likely a) recommend it to as many people as I can and b) reread it, perhaps multiple times. 4 stars - I really liked it. It’s better than average - a quintessential ‘good read.’ 3 stars - I liked it. It’s a good book, worth reading. 2 stars - I didn’t really like it but it’s not awful. 1 star - I hated it.
January 28, 2021
This was really cute and funny. Read for my YA classics book club and I think this fell off the radar once I became a teen because I hadn’t heard of it before. I’m glad I didn’t read the blurb before starting because it made for a fun surprise plot-wise. The only criticism I’d have is I can totally see my teen self idealizing high school popularity/romance after reading this which I think would have led to more insecurity at that age. But as an adult having gone through this stage of life already, it was a silly and quick read.
January 19, 2023
This is the perfect book to read in the weeks before Valentine’s Day! It was cute and AJ definitely learned a lot from her experience with the Cupid.
May 16, 2025
I'm a little old for these teenage characters, but it was a cute reminder of those days.
I loved the Cupid. it was very visual for me.
Oh, to be young and think that a boyfriend is the answer!
I loved the Cupid. it was very visual for me.
Oh, to be young and think that a boyfriend is the answer!
March 24, 2014
*************************Spoiler Alert***********************
Have you ever talked to a cupid before? Well in this fairy tale fiction A.J (main character) finds a fake stuffed cupid what turns out to be a real cupid to grant her a wish with consequences. I liked reading this book because I like reading love stories. I really like how the author created the cupid's personality. The author of "Thwonk" Joan Bauer is my favorite author, I like her books because she makes the novels interesting and has a problem but it gets solved with happiness at the end. I like how the author made the story with cupids that became real and made a persons' wish come true.
This is book is about a girl named A.J. and she has a huge crush on this boy named Peter Terris who can careless what happened to A.J. Instead Peter has a girlfriend that he is madly in love with named Julia. It was close to Valentine day and since A.J. was a photographer she had to take beautiful yet meaningful picture that shows love, A.J. in the other hand is feeling the exact opposite from love. When she was about give up on photographing, when she saw a cupid that was talking to her she thought she was going crazy. that cupid was there make her a wish it was either helping her in school, economic or a love wish, but she had to keep in her mind that every wish had a consequence. The setting of this novel is in A.J's high school, her house and her studio. the plot of this novel that A.J. wishes for Peter Terris to fall in love with her but she doesn't think about the consequences, after a while Jonathon (the cupid) strikes Peter he thwonked him (that's why the book is called Thwonk) and it while for Peter to fall in love with her and when he does he starts embarrassing her because he starts yelling his love for her and wants to tell the school about there relationship. Then Peter takes it took far because he went crazy over his love towards A.J. and she didn't realized that it was a consequence from her wish. After that she starts looking for her cupid but she cant find him at first then she finds him and he fixes her wish to back to normal. She realizes that shes better of without Peter. The conflict of the book is Person vs Person because she wanted to be a photographer but since her dad couldn't work for his dream job he would block the talents his daughter had and he told her that she couldn't be a photographer because he didn't want her to fail life and have no money and that really made A.J. mad until she proved to him the talent she had. A.J is a nice shy girl that loves and enjoys taking pictures of things and she does a good job in taking the pictures too, shes been having this huge crush on this boy named Peter Terris. Peter Terris is the popular guy in school and A.J. thinks he's way to cool for her. Trish is A.J's bestfriend since kindergarten and they tell everything to each other until the whole cupid thing happens.
I really enjoyed reading the book because it was cool how the author made Jonathon's personality. I really liked reading reading this novel because this is by my favorite author the one who also wrote Almost Home. I was surprised when reading this because A.J was dumb enough to count on a sneaky cupid like A.J. I was satisfied when I found out how Peter started acting after Jonathan thwonked Peter, for example Peter would start screaming his love for A.J. in front of almost the whole school even in front of the principal, like who does that. I couldn't understand why A.J.'s dad didn't want her to become a photographer just because he failed, and just because he failed doesn't mean shes going to fail in being a photographer. The character A.J. changed from having a huge crush on Peter Terris from realizing that he was just a mistake to have a crush on Peter.i wish that the author didn't make Peter's personality that mean to A.J. because she was already hurt with him not caring about her but it hurted more A.J. knowing that Peter thought he can ask any girl he wants at any time and she thought that was wrong.
In conclusion, overall I enjoyed reading this love story with cupids because I like love stories and because I've never read a novel so crazy like this one. I rate this book from 1-10, which for me its a 10 because I've never read a book this crazy like this one and because it was easy to read. I recommend this book to people who like love stories because this is a type of love story but crazy. I also recommend this book to fans of Joan Bauer because they might be familiar of the books by this author. So next time you make a wish or choose something remember that there is always consequences and think if that'll cause a major change in your life.
Have you ever talked to a cupid before? Well in this fairy tale fiction A.J (main character) finds a fake stuffed cupid what turns out to be a real cupid to grant her a wish with consequences. I liked reading this book because I like reading love stories. I really like how the author created the cupid's personality. The author of "Thwonk" Joan Bauer is my favorite author, I like her books because she makes the novels interesting and has a problem but it gets solved with happiness at the end. I like how the author made the story with cupids that became real and made a persons' wish come true.
This is book is about a girl named A.J. and she has a huge crush on this boy named Peter Terris who can careless what happened to A.J. Instead Peter has a girlfriend that he is madly in love with named Julia. It was close to Valentine day and since A.J. was a photographer she had to take beautiful yet meaningful picture that shows love, A.J. in the other hand is feeling the exact opposite from love. When she was about give up on photographing, when she saw a cupid that was talking to her she thought she was going crazy. that cupid was there make her a wish it was either helping her in school, economic or a love wish, but she had to keep in her mind that every wish had a consequence. The setting of this novel is in A.J's high school, her house and her studio. the plot of this novel that A.J. wishes for Peter Terris to fall in love with her but she doesn't think about the consequences, after a while Jonathon (the cupid) strikes Peter he thwonked him (that's why the book is called Thwonk) and it while for Peter to fall in love with her and when he does he starts embarrassing her because he starts yelling his love for her and wants to tell the school about there relationship. Then Peter takes it took far because he went crazy over his love towards A.J. and she didn't realized that it was a consequence from her wish. After that she starts looking for her cupid but she cant find him at first then she finds him and he fixes her wish to back to normal. She realizes that shes better of without Peter. The conflict of the book is Person vs Person because she wanted to be a photographer but since her dad couldn't work for his dream job he would block the talents his daughter had and he told her that she couldn't be a photographer because he didn't want her to fail life and have no money and that really made A.J. mad until she proved to him the talent she had. A.J is a nice shy girl that loves and enjoys taking pictures of things and she does a good job in taking the pictures too, shes been having this huge crush on this boy named Peter Terris. Peter Terris is the popular guy in school and A.J. thinks he's way to cool for her. Trish is A.J's bestfriend since kindergarten and they tell everything to each other until the whole cupid thing happens.
I really enjoyed reading the book because it was cool how the author made Jonathon's personality. I really liked reading reading this novel because this is by my favorite author the one who also wrote Almost Home. I was surprised when reading this because A.J was dumb enough to count on a sneaky cupid like A.J. I was satisfied when I found out how Peter started acting after Jonathan thwonked Peter, for example Peter would start screaming his love for A.J. in front of almost the whole school even in front of the principal, like who does that. I couldn't understand why A.J.'s dad didn't want her to become a photographer just because he failed, and just because he failed doesn't mean shes going to fail in being a photographer. The character A.J. changed from having a huge crush on Peter Terris from realizing that he was just a mistake to have a crush on Peter.i wish that the author didn't make Peter's personality that mean to A.J. because she was already hurt with him not caring about her but it hurted more A.J. knowing that Peter thought he can ask any girl he wants at any time and she thought that was wrong.
In conclusion, overall I enjoyed reading this love story with cupids because I like love stories and because I've never read a novel so crazy like this one. I rate this book from 1-10, which for me its a 10 because I've never read a book this crazy like this one and because it was easy to read. I recommend this book to people who like love stories because this is a type of love story but crazy. I also recommend this book to fans of Joan Bauer because they might be familiar of the books by this author. So next time you make a wish or choose something remember that there is always consequences and think if that'll cause a major change in your life.
August 14, 2011
I struggled to finish through the second half of the book. It was too detail-y and got boring. I pretty much skimmed the last quarter of the book :/ never reading this author again.
I was assigned to write a book review so here is a more detailed review:
Thwonk was probably exactly what I had expected from it. The better, more popular books are always checked out, and I usually end up borrowing manga, so I have to pick up some novels for good measure. Since I'm in a rush and none of the books I am looking for are ever there, I end up just grabbing stuff off the shelf. I skim the back, and if I think it looks good I get it.
Anywho, I started reading through this book. The only thing I liked about the main character is that she is a real photographer and her sincerity with her feelings. Other than that, I found her very close minded (until the end of the book, which would probably be called her character development) and sometimes a bit annoying and whiny.
The fact that her best friend is an aspiring psychologist doesn't help (I dislike this character attribute for personal reasons, but other than that the best friend is cool).
Personally, I have never pursued a popular kid with romantic interest before. I usually kept my mouth shut if that were to happen and probably set my imagination wild in my mind and then punish myself for it.
Another thing is, if I were to have an angel give me choices, I wouldn't choose enhancing my romantic life. We all know that teenage love is usually set for disaster and is just the result of raging hormones. I would choose something that would better my future, of course.
The characters are a bit underdeveloped and shallow.
The story would have been a bit better with better characters. The story I would give 3.5/5 stars.
I think if I were in middle school, I might have liked this book more because I read stories like this in middle school. I would recommend this to middle school girls.
That is about all I have to say for now.
I was assigned to write a book review so here is a more detailed review:
Thwonk was probably exactly what I had expected from it. The better, more popular books are always checked out, and I usually end up borrowing manga, so I have to pick up some novels for good measure. Since I'm in a rush and none of the books I am looking for are ever there, I end up just grabbing stuff off the shelf. I skim the back, and if I think it looks good I get it.
Anywho, I started reading through this book. The only thing I liked about the main character is that she is a real photographer and her sincerity with her feelings. Other than that, I found her very close minded (until the end of the book, which would probably be called her character development) and sometimes a bit annoying and whiny.
The fact that her best friend is an aspiring psychologist doesn't help (I dislike this character attribute for personal reasons, but other than that the best friend is cool).
Personally, I have never pursued a popular kid with romantic interest before. I usually kept my mouth shut if that were to happen and probably set my imagination wild in my mind and then punish myself for it.
Another thing is, if I were to have an angel give me choices, I wouldn't choose enhancing my romantic life. We all know that teenage love is usually set for disaster and is just the result of raging hormones. I would choose something that would better my future, of course.
The characters are a bit underdeveloped and shallow.
The story would have been a bit better with better characters. The story I would give 3.5/5 stars.
I think if I were in middle school, I might have liked this book more because I read stories like this in middle school. I would recommend this to middle school girls.
That is about all I have to say for now.
January 27, 2018
I can’t believe that I gave a Joan Bauer book less than 4 stars! In my understanding of the stars, that means that the book is still pretty good, but I usually finish a Bauer book feeling deeply satisfied, determined to inspire many to read it, and often needing more than 5 stars. ”Thwonk” will have great appeal with most starry-eyed 7th-9th grade girls who are hoping for that perfect guy to come sweep them off their feet. And fortunately, like most novels by Joan Bauer, this one goes a little deeper than the initial fluff and stuff. Photographer A.J. seems to always fall for the handsome but without substance guys at her high school and this time, a Cupid that only she can see has the power to make Mr. Popular Peter to fall hopelessly in love with her. The progression of A.J.’s romance does lead to her examination of real friendship, a look into how to make and work towards more mature goals and even some modeling of positive relationships with parents. But there really is more gooshy dating love-sickness than the author’s usually powerful messages of hope and determination. “Thwonk” definitely has a place in junior high and high school libraries and librarians and parents will appreciate how nearly rated G the author keeps the physical side of high school dating and there is absolutely no profanity. New authors to the YA scene would do well to follow her example of letting good writing stand out instead of resorting to shock and awe in order gain readership.
October 23, 2012
Fun take on the be careful what you wish for theme. When avid photographer and aspiring art-student Allison Jean (AJ) McCreary is told she has one wish from a magical cupid figure she must choose between getting into the art-school of her dreams, rescuing a sinking GPA, or having the the hunk that she's currently crushing on. Against the advice of her miniature mentor AJ opts for romance and suddenly THWONK she's got the hottest guy at Benjamin Franklin High in loony tunes love with her.
But have you ever noticed how there's always a catch? The girl soon realizes that snagging the hottest guy on campus isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when he's not the demi-god she'd romanticized him into.
This is a short fun read and I was more than willing to keep flipping pages to get to the denouement everyone sort of expects in this type of story. This would probably make a great beach read but on some level I was wondering if the author wasn't just yanking our chain a bit. "They THINK they want a frothy light romantic wish fulfillment story without any heavy drama. Fine. Wish granted. NOW they'll learn to be careful what they wish for.
Still and all, provided it's not a steady diet, this kinda thing can be fun when one's in the mood.
But have you ever noticed how there's always a catch? The girl soon realizes that snagging the hottest guy on campus isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when he's not the demi-god she'd romanticized him into.
This is a short fun read and I was more than willing to keep flipping pages to get to the denouement everyone sort of expects in this type of story. This would probably make a great beach read but on some level I was wondering if the author wasn't just yanking our chain a bit. "They THINK they want a frothy light romantic wish fulfillment story without any heavy drama. Fine. Wish granted. NOW they'll learn to be careful what they wish for.
Still and all, provided it's not a steady diet, this kinda thing can be fun when one's in the mood.
August 24, 2017
This book was full of surprises. It is similar to other Joan Bauer books in that it follows a well-fleshed out character with a passion for her trade (in this case, her hobby.) The first-person voice is distinctive, the supporting characters are interesting, and there is a definite emphasis on people who love and pursue their quirky jobs. The surprises come with the introduction of fantasy elements and the choppy writing. This was the second of Bauer's books and feels experimental. It is inferior to her more mature work, but shouldn't be discounted for that. I was a bit unsatisfied by the supernatural elements in the resolution. I think they weakened the main character. I personally prefer her realistic stories. Maybe for some readers the fantasy heightened the humor. The text itself needs a good edit. It is full of dialogue split by tags and time-jumps which may disorient the reader. The last third had some heavy, didactic passages and the book rambled for several chapters past the actual conclusion. Bauer's other books have cleaner dialogue, stronger resolutions, and tidier endings. But die-hard fans of this author will read and enjoy Thwonk despite its flaws.
January 25, 2013
I saw this through a post here on goodreads and checked it out from the library expecting a cute teen romance. It wasn't, not for me. The main caracter, A.J. McCreary stumbles on a stuffed cupid toy which then turns into the real deal. She's infatuated w/a popular boy and 'thwonk', she gets what she wants despite the cupid's advice. I prefer female charactes with a bit more self assurance than A.J. The story was not seamless enough for me to be a cute story. Giving the cupid an actual name made me think it was perhaps a romance where the cupid would show up at the end after A.J. is given a second chance to come to her senses. You know the story where the imaginary becomes reality w/out the memory or some such? Like Sarah Jessica Parker's "Somewhere Tomorrow" when the ghost guy appears at the end but he doesn't remember her? Anyway, that doesn't happen in this story. It was just wierd to me, not romantic at all. More of a self discovery, kinda? She actually annoyed me. It was an interesting read, but could have been better.
October 28, 2009
So, I liked it, it's definitely worth reading. I also love love it when a teenage heroine (or any heroine) doesn't need a man at the ending to make her something. Although I really like the overall premise, my problems are these:
-too much shrieking, shouting, and shrillness
-yet another one child family with self-involved parents (is it that hard to write a story about someone with a sibling?)
-jumpy narrative, I had to keep flipping pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything
-ridiculously expensive hobby for high school, who among us could have had our own dark room while a teenager?
I feel like I am coming down on this book too much, honestly it's not bad. I thought the details about the main character and her parents lives were lush and detailed. Also, sometimes the sparse story line was just perfect, not hitting the reader over the head with any one point. However, it seems to be the criticisms of anything that really stick with you.
-too much shrieking, shouting, and shrillness
-yet another one child family with self-involved parents (is it that hard to write a story about someone with a sibling?)
-jumpy narrative, I had to keep flipping pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything
-ridiculously expensive hobby for high school, who among us could have had our own dark room while a teenager?
I feel like I am coming down on this book too much, honestly it's not bad. I thought the details about the main character and her parents lives were lush and detailed. Also, sometimes the sparse story line was just perfect, not hitting the reader over the head with any one point. However, it seems to be the criticisms of anything that really stick with you.
September 7, 2012
The main reason I read this is because I just wanted an easy YA read. But I also figured I could count on Joan Bauer to serve up something more intelligent than the general fare.
I think this is Joan Bauer's only book that has a magical element, but I ended up really liking how she did it. Jonathan the Cupid was the best character, really.
A.J.'s obsession with a boy obviously not worth it made me want to bang my head against a wall. I was incredibly grateful that Joan Bauer didn't offer up another male character who has "always been there for A.J. and is her true love though she doesn't know it blah blah blah" or whatever. These types of stories usually have a character like that. *twitches* So yes, A.J. gained maturity (and didn't go straight from Boy A to Boy B). I am eternally grateful.
This is not my favourite of Joan Bauer's books by any stretch (though I'd actually give it 3.5 stars), but still worth the read.
I think this is Joan Bauer's only book that has a magical element, but I ended up really liking how she did it. Jonathan the Cupid was the best character, really.
A.J.'s obsession with a boy obviously not worth it made me want to bang my head against a wall. I was incredibly grateful that Joan Bauer didn't offer up another male character who has "always been there for A.J. and is her true love though she doesn't know it blah blah blah" or whatever. These types of stories usually have a character like that. *twitches* So yes, A.J. gained maturity (and didn't go straight from Boy A to Boy B). I am eternally grateful.
This is not my favourite of Joan Bauer's books by any stretch (though I'd actually give it 3.5 stars), but still worth the read.
June 20, 2012
So the book I read was all pink with a candy heart on the front. I was unashamedly looking for a romantic summer read. I usually shy away from purely chick lit fare but bucking the trend I grabbed this from the library cart shelf because it was pink and thought, it's just what I need! And crossed my fingers it was clean. It was very clean and surprisingly delightful. It is the antidote for all these love crossed teenagers I know who have unrealistic crushes on boys they don't even know. I have had more than one young woman tell me, "I'm going to marry him!" of someone famous. They should read this book. It was a pleasant fast easy read, but I'm still looking for my summer chick lit to take me away!
October 3, 2008
Sweet. I'm liking Bauer more than the Cabot books, so I might have to modify my rating of those...or maybe not, but still, Bauer is pretty good. I learned all kinds of things. For example, I didn't know Cupids gave you a choice of three kinds of success, and we were just usually stupid enough to pick romance. See? teen love lit can change your world view.
February 26, 2016
If your teenager hasn't found the author, Joan Bauer, I would rush out and get the first book for her or him. As an older reader, I totally enjoy the two I have read so far, now to get another one.
January 28, 2025
1.5/5 stars. Maybe this book was avant guard 20 years ago, but it didn't age well. Like...at all.
THINGS I LIKED
•Some of the jokes were mildly amusing.
•Trish and Tucker seemed cute and I would have loved to see more of their relationship.
•I guess the dog was cute.
•A.J's relationship with her dad had potential, but there should have been more of them disagreeing about her plans for college and a career, or more of them compromising on that. More of anything, because it was the one relationship of hers that I was invested in.
THINGS THAT MADE ME GO"HUH?" "I HATE IT HERE"
•The writing style just wasn't for me. The delightfully quirky, pseudo-intellectual, sounds-older-than-she-actually-is tone can work in some stories, but it quickly became suffocating here. Oh, isn't it droll how A.J. is randomly speaking in italics again and waxing poetic about the labyrinthine escapades of juvenescence? HOW DELIGHTFULLY QUIRKY.
•A.J. herself is...well, she's the most dynamic character - relatively speaking. She starts out as extremely creepy with photos of the guy she's crushing on developing in her darkroom and a suferiority complex (simultaneously feeling inferior and superior to her peers due to her DELIGHTFUL QUIRKINESS). She's at least a little more considerate by the time the book's over, but I was just irritated with her dumb decision making for the entire story. And I get it, she's a teenager, teenagers don't always make good decisions. But when there's nothing endearing about her in the first place, it's a little difficult to sympathize with her when she's ruining her life and others'.
•Funny how characters can be named things like Pearly Shoemaker and somehow be flat as a puddle.
•Trish's subplot was unneeded. "You've changed because you're popular now" was cliche then and it's cliche now, but more than that I felt her anger was just not warranted? A.J. was being cagey about a few things, but to almost end your friendship over that and over her not meeting you during fourth period ONE TIME? Some friendship you guys have. It also felt like A.J.'s desire to be popular kind of came out of nowhere; I never really got the vibe that she was necessarily upset with her DELIGHTFULLY QUIRKY status, just that she didn't have a boyfriend. But sure, why not throw that in while we're at it? It's a book about high school, we need to cover all the cliches.
•The love spell Peter was under was downright disturbing. A burning in his chest, small moments where his real feelings broke through, cartoonishly devoted to the point of insanity...was this supposed to be a horror novel? Was A.J. really only able to figure out that Peter's love was artificial when it was making her miserable? Peter was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to be roped into any of this. And on that note, why was Julia nicknamed Death Incarnate? I never saw her do anything remotely deserving of that name aside from giving A.J. a few dirty looks. Oh right, I forgot, she's Peter's girlfriend and she's a roadblock to A.J.'s happiness, she's the scum of the earth.
NITPICK CORNER
•Putting this here due to being unable to decide how much this bothers me: where does Jonathan come from? Are there more cupids like him? How many people has he helped? What's his track record, aside from the one other teenage girl he failed with? Does he manifest in other forms or just the plush cupid doll? I know none of this is necessarily essential to the story, but there were too many questions for me to let it go.
Maybe as a teenager in the 90s, this would have appealed to me. As an adult woman in the 2020s, it's every bad quality I hate about YA fiction rolled into a poorly written book about love. I'm glad I got this out of the way on my Valentine's Day reading list, at the very least; it's a work in progress and I'm always changing it, so I won't feel bad about removing it and never revisiting it.
THINGS I LIKED
•Some of the jokes were mildly amusing.
•Trish and Tucker seemed cute and I would have loved to see more of their relationship.
•I guess the dog was cute.
•A.J's relationship with her dad had potential, but there should have been more of them disagreeing about her plans for college and a career, or more of them compromising on that. More of anything, because it was the one relationship of hers that I was invested in.
THINGS THAT MADE ME GO
•The writing style just wasn't for me. The delightfully quirky, pseudo-intellectual, sounds-older-than-she-actually-is tone can work in some stories, but it quickly became suffocating here. Oh, isn't it droll how A.J. is randomly speaking in italics again and waxing poetic about the labyrinthine escapades of juvenescence? HOW DELIGHTFULLY QUIRKY.
•A.J. herself is...well, she's the most dynamic character - relatively speaking. She starts out as extremely creepy with photos of the guy she's crushing on developing in her darkroom and a suferiority complex (simultaneously feeling inferior and superior to her peers due to her DELIGHTFUL QUIRKINESS). She's at least a little more considerate by the time the book's over, but I was just irritated with her dumb decision making for the entire story. And I get it, she's a teenager, teenagers don't always make good decisions. But when there's nothing endearing about her in the first place, it's a little difficult to sympathize with her when she's ruining her life and others'.
•Funny how characters can be named things like Pearly Shoemaker and somehow be flat as a puddle.
•Trish's subplot was unneeded. "You've changed because you're popular now" was cliche then and it's cliche now, but more than that I felt her anger was just not warranted? A.J. was being cagey about a few things, but to almost end your friendship over that and over her not meeting you during fourth period ONE TIME? Some friendship you guys have. It also felt like A.J.'s desire to be popular kind of came out of nowhere; I never really got the vibe that she was necessarily upset with her DELIGHTFULLY QUIRKY status, just that she didn't have a boyfriend. But sure, why not throw that in while we're at it? It's a book about high school, we need to cover all the cliches.
•The love spell Peter was under was downright disturbing. A burning in his chest, small moments where his real feelings broke through, cartoonishly devoted to the point of insanity...was this supposed to be a horror novel? Was A.J. really only able to figure out that Peter's love was artificial when it was making her miserable? Peter was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to be roped into any of this. And on that note, why was Julia nicknamed Death Incarnate? I never saw her do anything remotely deserving of that name aside from giving A.J. a few dirty looks. Oh right, I forgot, she's Peter's girlfriend and she's a roadblock to A.J.'s happiness, she's the scum of the earth.
NITPICK CORNER
•Putting this here due to being unable to decide how much this bothers me: where does Jonathan come from? Are there more cupids like him? How many people has he helped? What's his track record, aside from the one other teenage girl he failed with? Does he manifest in other forms or just the plush cupid doll? I know none of this is necessarily essential to the story, but there were too many questions for me to let it go.
Maybe as a teenager in the 90s, this would have appealed to me. As an adult woman in the 2020s, it's every bad quality I hate about YA fiction rolled into a poorly written book about love. I'm glad I got this out of the way on my Valentine's Day reading list, at the very least; it's a work in progress and I'm always changing it, so I won't feel bad about removing it and never revisiting it.
February 13, 2021
High school senior Allison Jean “AJ” McCreary’s life is turned upside down when she is visited by a real-life cupid. He gives her a choice: he can help her academically, artistically, or romantically. The choice should be easy- an aspiring photographer, she has deadlines for the school paper, college applications, and the enormous task of convincing her father to support her pursuit of a career as an artist. But the King of Hearts dance is coming up, and AJ has her eye on Peter Terris, the most popular boy in school, who is dating someone else, and oh, by the way, has never actually spoken to AJ.
Pros:
•This is a very quick, easy read! Overall, it was enjoyable and fun. I liked her portrayal of cupid, and it was nice that the book was ultimately about AJ working on herself and not relationships.
•There are a few especially nice moments: I really liked when her mother tells her that the boys she dated recently weren’t nice people and that she had already known that when she dated them. This was totally different than what AJ had told us, and I loved that irony. I also liked the “Donna is confused” photo that AJ takes, which was still quite funny and relatable.
Cons:
•This book is outdated in a cringey way, that makes it difficult to relate to. You can’t go to the school dance if you don’t have a date? Also, everyone in the book conflates gender and sex and talks about “males” and “females”, literally never using the words “boys” or “girls”? It’s abnormal, bizarre, and uncomfortable. The idea that photography can’t be a profession is outdated now, too. Less of a problem is the outdated technology, like AJ having to develop film, but this felt like a cool blast from the past.
•AJ is a bit insufferable. She’s so impulsive and boy-crazy that it’s almost like she’s a cartoon. I was also very annoyed by the confusing description of her romantic history. She keeps claiming she “can’t get a date”, but lists at least seven boys that she’s dated (and she’s only seventeen). This isn’t “I can’t get a date”, this is “I don’t currently have a boyfriend”. Complaining about being single is a common YA trope that I don’t love, (though I understand it’s relatable to teenagers), but usually the characters complaining actually haven’t dated anyone…
•She tried to do something with a conflict between AJ and her father regarding her art career, but it really was not fleshed out at all, and felt cheesy and rushed. I think this could have added a lot to the book if given the proper time (and at just over 200 pages, it certainly would have been okay to add a bit).
•The portrayal of high school felt cartoonish as well (maybe this is outdated?). The way that popular kids or people dating popular kids were instantaneously treated like royalty seemed a little weird. Also, I was bothered by AJ’s hatred of Julia, a one-dimensional character who was dating the boy she liked. It made it hard to like AJ when she glared at Julia after literally stealing her boyfriend as if Julia had done something wrong.
Recommendation: All in all, this is a contemporary fiction book from 1995, and its age shows. I really liked some of Joan Bauer’s other books in high school, and I’ll be interested to see if they hold up given that this one did not. That being said, it’s an easy, fun read. If you’re looking for something easy and silly and this book is lying around, could be worth picking it up. Definitely avoid it if you’re looking for something with realistic, fleshed-out characters or more mature content.
Pros:
•This is a very quick, easy read! Overall, it was enjoyable and fun. I liked her portrayal of cupid, and it was nice that the book was ultimately about AJ working on herself and not relationships.
•There are a few especially nice moments: I really liked when her mother tells her that the boys she dated recently weren’t nice people and that she had already known that when she dated them. This was totally different than what AJ had told us, and I loved that irony. I also liked the “Donna is confused” photo that AJ takes, which was still quite funny and relatable.
Cons:
•This book is outdated in a cringey way, that makes it difficult to relate to. You can’t go to the school dance if you don’t have a date? Also, everyone in the book conflates gender and sex and talks about “males” and “females”, literally never using the words “boys” or “girls”? It’s abnormal, bizarre, and uncomfortable. The idea that photography can’t be a profession is outdated now, too. Less of a problem is the outdated technology, like AJ having to develop film, but this felt like a cool blast from the past.
•AJ is a bit insufferable. She’s so impulsive and boy-crazy that it’s almost like she’s a cartoon. I was also very annoyed by the confusing description of her romantic history. She keeps claiming she “can’t get a date”, but lists at least seven boys that she’s dated (and she’s only seventeen). This isn’t “I can’t get a date”, this is “I don’t currently have a boyfriend”. Complaining about being single is a common YA trope that I don’t love, (though I understand it’s relatable to teenagers), but usually the characters complaining actually haven’t dated anyone…
•She tried to do something with a conflict between AJ and her father regarding her art career, but it really was not fleshed out at all, and felt cheesy and rushed. I think this could have added a lot to the book if given the proper time (and at just over 200 pages, it certainly would have been okay to add a bit).
•The portrayal of high school felt cartoonish as well (maybe this is outdated?). The way that popular kids or people dating popular kids were instantaneously treated like royalty seemed a little weird. Also, I was bothered by AJ’s hatred of Julia, a one-dimensional character who was dating the boy she liked. It made it hard to like AJ when she glared at Julia after literally stealing her boyfriend as if Julia had done something wrong.
Recommendation: All in all, this is a contemporary fiction book from 1995, and its age shows. I really liked some of Joan Bauer’s other books in high school, and I’ll be interested to see if they hold up given that this one did not. That being said, it’s an easy, fun read. If you’re looking for something easy and silly and this book is lying around, could be worth picking it up. Definitely avoid it if you’re looking for something with realistic, fleshed-out characters or more mature content.
May 4, 2018
I already loved the author Joan Bauer, but when I read this book it took her writing to a whole other level. “Thwonk” by Joan Bauer was a dramatic, action packed, chick flick all rolled into one story. It was about a teenage girl who had a crush on a very handsome guy, but the problem was that he didn’t even know she existed. That all changed one A.J., the main character, met her own personal cupid. The minute A.J. met the cupid she wished that Peter Terris, A.J.’s crush, would fall madly in love with her, and that’s exactly what happened. I think this story portrays the theme, be careful what you wish for, almost perfectly. Everything is fine in the beginning, but the further the relationship goes, the more Peter becomes attached. I also loved how relatable the story was. Even though the story obviously has some imaginary creatures in it, the author still somehow manages to keep the story extremely relatable. I really loved this book and I will definitely be reading some more Joan Bauer books in the future if they are as well written as this one was.
August 15, 2019
A.J. McCreary, photographer extraordinaire, lovelorn, and invisible to school hunk, Peter Terris, is unable to capture a fitting cover shot for the school paper's special Valentine's Day edition. Then, she stumbles upon a stuffed cupid who comes to life and offers her one of three alluring choices: artistic, academic, or romantic assistance. In spite of the cupid's vehement protests against the last and his admitted previous failure in the arena of teen love, A.J. follows her heart. After Peter is smitten, and her date for the King of Hearts dance is secure, she finds that his slathering, abject devotion and unrestrained attention embarrass her, and that he is boring. In the end, a brilliant newspaper cover shot convinces her former filmmaker father of her talent and makes the novel's ultimate statement about young romance.
Fun but realistic look at how painful teenage romance can be. Also a good description of how hard it is to settle on a college and career choice in high school.
Fun but realistic look at how painful teenage romance can be. Also a good description of how hard it is to settle on a college and career choice in high school.
June 15, 2020
Joan Bauer always writes great books. This one is a little different because of the fantasy element, which only makes it more delightful, in my opinion.
I don't usually like books set among high school kids struggling with love, infatuation, and popularity, but I like this one a lot. Besides the supernatural element, AJ's devotion to her art (photography) and her good relationships with her parents and friend Trish are the redeeming features.
It was written 25 years ago, but technology has not changed human nature. The only really important difference would be that AJ might use a digital camera today - but then again, she might not.
I had read it years before but had completely forgotten it - I love it when that happens. Well worth rereading.
I don't usually like books set among high school kids struggling with love, infatuation, and popularity, but I like this one a lot. Besides the supernatural element, AJ's devotion to her art (photography) and her good relationships with her parents and friend Trish are the redeeming features.
It was written 25 years ago, but technology has not changed human nature. The only really important difference would be that AJ might use a digital camera today - but then again, she might not.
I had read it years before but had completely forgotten it - I love it when that happens. Well worth rereading.
January 26, 2021
This was a fun, light-hearted distraction for the “I Want It YA” bookclub. It was funny reading this book that was published in the 90’s and comparing it with modern YA that centers on an 18 year old protagonist. The story was chaste and silly in comparison but the main character, AJ still dealt with real issues (love, academics, artistic challenges, and preparing to leave the nest with relationships with your parents still in tact). She was over dramatic at times and her vocabulary cracked me up. I love reading books like this between heavy and “important” literature. Not 5 stars, but definitely an enjoyable reading experience for me!
May 15, 2017
The main character A.J. is really good at photography as people have told her but she finds a cupid doll and he asked her is she would choose her profession, love or photography. She chose love over her favorite, photography. A.J. is one of those third wheel type of people, but she says in the book that she is popular as people have told her before. But she wasn't supposed to be popular. What made her popular was the cupid with to have love. The most popular boy in school fell in love with her and everything went down hill from there.
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