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Sass & Serendipity
For Daphne, the glass is always half full, a situation is better managed with a dab of lip gloss, and the boy of her dreams—the one she's read about in all of her novels—is waiting for her just around the corner.
For Gabby, nothing ever works out positively; wearing any form of makeup is a waste of study time, and boys will only leave you heartbroken. Her best friend, Mule, is the only one who has been there for her every step of the way.
But when the richest boy in town befriends Gabby, and Daphne starts to hang out more and more with her best and only friend, Mule, Gabby is forced to confront the emotional barriers she has put up to stop the hurting. And for once, her sassiness may fall prey to her definition of stupidity.
For Gabby, nothing ever works out positively; wearing any form of makeup is a waste of study time, and boys will only leave you heartbroken. Her best friend, Mule, is the only one who has been there for her every step of the way.
But when the richest boy in town befriends Gabby, and Daphne starts to hang out more and more with her best and only friend, Mule, Gabby is forced to confront the emotional barriers she has put up to stop the hurting. And for once, her sassiness may fall prey to her definition of stupidity.
369 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2011
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January 26, 2014I received this book to review and had I not been fully expected to review it, I would not have finished it.
Daphne and Gabby are both awful, and I could find no redeeming qualities in either of them. Daphne is very very selfish, thinking only of herself for the entire 384 pages. Gabby is the opposite - extremely bossy and mean. The girls never get along with each other, and hardly get along with anyone else besides Gabby's friend Mule - and I'm not sure why he sticks around to listen to Gabby complain and be mean all the time, honestly.
I have not read Sense and Sensibility, which this book is loosely based on. I did read a short summary of the book so that I could comment on the similarities, but I don't think it was close enough for me to do that. When I read Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg I could draw direct parallels between the stories, but I am not able to do so in this case.
Since I detested both of the characters, I did not care at all what happened to them throughout. They constantly made selfish or mean decisions about everything; the only change in this behavior was literally in the last few pages, which is much too late for me.
I realize that the relationship between the girls and their general attitude could be very realistic, but reading a story about them holds no appeal if the negative qualities never improve. If even one sister had been bearable over the other it may have fared better, but as is both Daphne and Gabby irritated me so much that I could not enjoy myself at all.
Daphne and Gabby are both awful, and I could find no redeeming qualities in either of them. Daphne is very very selfish, thinking only of herself for the entire 384 pages. Gabby is the opposite - extremely bossy and mean. The girls never get along with each other, and hardly get along with anyone else besides Gabby's friend Mule - and I'm not sure why he sticks around to listen to Gabby complain and be mean all the time, honestly.
I have not read Sense and Sensibility, which this book is loosely based on. I did read a short summary of the book so that I could comment on the similarities, but I don't think it was close enough for me to do that. When I read Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg I could draw direct parallels between the stories, but I am not able to do so in this case.
Since I detested both of the characters, I did not care at all what happened to them throughout. They constantly made selfish or mean decisions about everything; the only change in this behavior was literally in the last few pages, which is much too late for me.
I realize that the relationship between the girls and their general attitude could be very realistic, but reading a story about them holds no appeal if the negative qualities never improve. If even one sister had been bearable over the other it may have fared better, but as is both Daphne and Gabby irritated me so much that I could not enjoy myself at all.
August 5, 2011
I'm not at all familiar with the story of Sense and Sensibility... perhaps I should have read it before... or even watched the movie! Although I don't think that I was missing anything by not having read the Jane Austen version. So as much I'd like to, I can't compare this novel to the original.
I like this one. It was a easy weekend read. And it was fun at times, but I have to admit it wasn't my favorite. Mostly because I couldn't stand either of the main characters. Perhaps had they been a mix of each other it would have worked, but they both particularly annoyed me for different reasons. Gabby was just too plain uptight and mean and BOSSY... and I know that's how she was 'supposed' to be portrayed, but ugh. I can't understand why Mule hung around with her. She was the worst friend ever. And Daphne.... she was more tolerable than Gabby, but she acted more like a ten year old than a fifteen year old. I usually love a flawed character, but something just didn't settle right with me. I had a hard time engaging in the story because I really didn't care what happened to the girls.
That being said I really enjoyed Ziegler's writing style and thought the story was sweet. I was glad to see that the girls finally started to change although it took up to the very last pages.
Did anyone else think it was strange that they could barely pay their bills but both girls had cell phones? I can understand Gabby having one since she did have a job, but both of them? If my mom couldn't pay the rent, she sure as heck wouldn't have let me have a cell phone, I don't care if it was my dad's hand me down!
I like this one. It was a easy weekend read. And it was fun at times, but I have to admit it wasn't my favorite. Mostly because I couldn't stand either of the main characters. Perhaps had they been a mix of each other it would have worked, but they both particularly annoyed me for different reasons. Gabby was just too plain uptight and mean and BOSSY... and I know that's how she was 'supposed' to be portrayed, but ugh. I can't understand why Mule hung around with her. She was the worst friend ever. And Daphne.... she was more tolerable than Gabby, but she acted more like a ten year old than a fifteen year old. I usually love a flawed character, but something just didn't settle right with me. I had a hard time engaging in the story because I really didn't care what happened to the girls.
That being said I really enjoyed Ziegler's writing style and thought the story was sweet. I was glad to see that the girls finally started to change although it took up to the very last pages.
Did anyone else think it was strange that they could barely pay their bills but both girls had cell phones? I can understand Gabby having one since she did have a job, but both of them? If my mom couldn't pay the rent, she sure as heck wouldn't have let me have a cell phone, I don't care if it was my dad's hand me down!
April 28, 2019
It was cool how this book was similar to Sense & Sensibility. I think the author did a good job on showing each sister's point of view. However, Jennifer Ziegler never really showed Gabby and Daffy making up, or Gabby apologizing to Mule. I think the theme of this book is don't jump to conclusions. Gabby is sensible, hardworking, and keeps her emotions to herself. Daphne is the opposite, she lives her life in a fairy tale world, and falls head over heels for many cute boys. Gabby thought that love didn't exist just because her parents got divorced, and Sonny died. Daphne thought that Luke Pascal was perfect for her, and blocked out any other ideas. Both sisters jump to conclusions about love, but in the end they reexamine their point of views.
June 28, 2011
I felt that the characters were too shallow and the "happy endings" unrealistic. How did both characters end up with boys they had hardly ever spoken to before? I might be interested in a sequel if this was straightened out and more depth was given to the relationship elements. In fact, for a book that claims to be about the relationship between sisters there was very little interaction. It was more about two separate viewpoints from characters that just happened to be sisters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2019
This book was about two sisters Gabby and Daphne. They are both in high school. Their parents got divorced and were having a very hard time getting back to normal. Their mom got an opportunity to get a good job but that meant that they were going to have to leave. She gave the option for them to go with her but she also believed that they were old enough to take care of themselves for a month. The book is about all their struggles living on their own. I think the theme of this book is that things happen and you can't let them take over you. Gabby and Daphne both were very upset about their parents getting divorced and it took a very long time before they noticed that that was in the past and that they have to get over it and live their life.
July 6, 2011
Sass & Serendipity possess a cute and eye-catching cover, but what is inside is where the gold lies. It contains family as well as sister drama, unpredictable romantic subplots, and best of all two realistic main characters you cannot help but adore and root for.
Sass & Serendipity begins the story of two sisters- Daphne and Gabby- who could not be any more different. Gabby has always been the girl most likely to succeed, the girl that makes her decisions with her head not her heart. She does not let love get in the way, because the last time she did it ended horribly. Daphne, on the other hand, remains a romantic to the bone. She believes in true love, and most often than not, she lets herself be caught up in it all, though everything changes when Cole enters the scene. He seems to be the perfect match for her. However, after a surprising development in their home life, the girls and their mother are left homeless. Left to salvage what remains, Daphne and Gabby are left to rely on each, switching everything up once again. They will find love, heartbreak, and will begin to see what it truly means to have and be a sister in this new fantastic addition to contemporary YA.
Daphne and Gabby are my favorite type of characters. Not only because of the way they are flawed and realistic but also in the way they evolve as the novel progress. I especially loved the way in which Sass & Serendipity allows the reader to get a view into each of their heads through switching third person narratives.
My favorite aspect of this novel would have to be the bound between Daphne and Gabby, though. I always love reading stories about sisters, especially ones in which the girls are incredibly different, and this one was no different. At the start of the book, the relationship between Daphne and Gabby is tense and full of hate in some ways, but as the novel progress and the characters evolve, the more the two begin to see eye-to-eye on situations they couldn’t have before. Secondly, this novel is one about family as a whole as well. Gabby and Daphne come from a broken family so it was also interesting to see how the girls come to understand why it is the way it is and begin to come to terms with it as well.
I also enjoyed the romantic subplots in this as well. They never went exactly as I thought they would- in a good way of course. I really enjoyed reading about Mule, Gabby’s best friend, as well as Prentiss, the boy Gabby loved to hate, because not only where both boys sweet and adorable, but they ended up surprising me in more ways than one.
Ziegler’s writing was also fantastic. She seamlessly switched between Gabby and Daphne point of views, and she doled out plenty of sad moments as well as heartwarming and funny ones. She truly wrote a novel that shows sisters at their best, and more importantly a kind of family that is often found in today’s world.
Romantic, sweet, and witty, Jennifer Ziegler’s Sass & Serendipity is the perfect summer read to say the least. Moreover, I have to say that while this was my first book by Ziegler, it’s certainly not going to be my last. I have How to be Popular, her previous YA, in my TBR pile, and I cannot wait to get started on it.
Grade: A+
Sass & Serendipity begins the story of two sisters- Daphne and Gabby- who could not be any more different. Gabby has always been the girl most likely to succeed, the girl that makes her decisions with her head not her heart. She does not let love get in the way, because the last time she did it ended horribly. Daphne, on the other hand, remains a romantic to the bone. She believes in true love, and most often than not, she lets herself be caught up in it all, though everything changes when Cole enters the scene. He seems to be the perfect match for her. However, after a surprising development in their home life, the girls and their mother are left homeless. Left to salvage what remains, Daphne and Gabby are left to rely on each, switching everything up once again. They will find love, heartbreak, and will begin to see what it truly means to have and be a sister in this new fantastic addition to contemporary YA.
Daphne and Gabby are my favorite type of characters. Not only because of the way they are flawed and realistic but also in the way they evolve as the novel progress. I especially loved the way in which Sass & Serendipity allows the reader to get a view into each of their heads through switching third person narratives.
My favorite aspect of this novel would have to be the bound between Daphne and Gabby, though. I always love reading stories about sisters, especially ones in which the girls are incredibly different, and this one was no different. At the start of the book, the relationship between Daphne and Gabby is tense and full of hate in some ways, but as the novel progress and the characters evolve, the more the two begin to see eye-to-eye on situations they couldn’t have before. Secondly, this novel is one about family as a whole as well. Gabby and Daphne come from a broken family so it was also interesting to see how the girls come to understand why it is the way it is and begin to come to terms with it as well.
I also enjoyed the romantic subplots in this as well. They never went exactly as I thought they would- in a good way of course. I really enjoyed reading about Mule, Gabby’s best friend, as well as Prentiss, the boy Gabby loved to hate, because not only where both boys sweet and adorable, but they ended up surprising me in more ways than one.
Ziegler’s writing was also fantastic. She seamlessly switched between Gabby and Daphne point of views, and she doled out plenty of sad moments as well as heartwarming and funny ones. She truly wrote a novel that shows sisters at their best, and more importantly a kind of family that is often found in today’s world.
Romantic, sweet, and witty, Jennifer Ziegler’s Sass & Serendipity is the perfect summer read to say the least. Moreover, I have to say that while this was my first book by Ziegler, it’s certainly not going to be my last. I have How to be Popular, her previous YA, in my TBR pile, and I cannot wait to get started on it.
Grade: A+
January 26, 2012
This book did a good job of portraying the very real financial and emotional trauma that often accompanies divorce. It also showed two teenage girls who reacted in very opposite, but not atypical ways to watching their father walk out on his marriage. Gabby becomes her mother's confidant and winds up bitter and untrusting. Daphne is so desperate for male attention and affection that she creates romance where none exists. Their father (whose child support payments are erratic) is pretty honest about the fact that this is all about him. Unfortunately, this type of selfishness and resulting fall out are now common in our society.
There are quite a few things about this book that bother me. First, these sisters are really horrible to each other. And they never really figure out how cope with one another positively. Instead the solution to their interpersonal problems come in the form of boyfriends for both of them. I realize that this book is based on an Austen novel, but Austen was writing about adult women who wound up in healthy marriages during a time when that was, unfortunately, a woman's only avenue for security and safety. I find throwing two cute boys at teenage girls and hoping that their issues with their father, issues with each other, and personal demons all evaporate.....just silly. Second, I find the over all message about marriage upsetting. The teenage girls seem to come to the conclusion (and perhaps rightly so based on what they see from their parents and the adults around them) that love comes and goes and the key to happiness is simply living in the moment and accepting whatever the person you are with can give you now. While, savoring each second of love is good, I think it's incredibly sad to see a great romance novel mimicked with the idea that fleeting teen age relationships are just about as good as love gets.
I am proud of both sisters for not getting sucked into peer pressure regarding physical intimacy. Although Daphne realizes her fellow cheerleaders sleep around, she knows that's not what she wants. Gabby doesn't get involved with her boyfriend until she realizes that he's a decent human being. The morals portrayed may not exactly coincide with my own, but it is nice to see teen girls brave enough to stand apart from the crowd regarding sex.
There are quite a few things about this book that bother me. First, these sisters are really horrible to each other. And they never really figure out how cope with one another positively. Instead the solution to their interpersonal problems come in the form of boyfriends for both of them. I realize that this book is based on an Austen novel, but Austen was writing about adult women who wound up in healthy marriages during a time when that was, unfortunately, a woman's only avenue for security and safety. I find throwing two cute boys at teenage girls and hoping that their issues with their father, issues with each other, and personal demons all evaporate.....just silly. Second, I find the over all message about marriage upsetting. The teenage girls seem to come to the conclusion (and perhaps rightly so based on what they see from their parents and the adults around them) that love comes and goes and the key to happiness is simply living in the moment and accepting whatever the person you are with can give you now. While, savoring each second of love is good, I think it's incredibly sad to see a great romance novel mimicked with the idea that fleeting teen age relationships are just about as good as love gets.
I am proud of both sisters for not getting sucked into peer pressure regarding physical intimacy. Although Daphne realizes her fellow cheerleaders sleep around, she knows that's not what she wants. Gabby doesn't get involved with her boyfriend until she realizes that he's a decent human being. The morals portrayed may not exactly coincide with my own, but it is nice to see teen girls brave enough to stand apart from the crowd regarding sex.
January 24, 2012
Oh God, my poor brain! I picked this thinking it would be a fun take on S&S. It’s not.
Or worse, poor Elinor and Marriane! Is this how they translate?
Because from what I recall while Marianne could swoony, with heart-on-sleeve and all that, she wasn’t a total brat, all the time! And while Elinor could be uptight, she was never nasty. But bratty and nasty are how the two girls are in Sass and Serendipity (and not a hint of the title in them)
But props on making the two very different from each other… because where one had her feet solidly planted in the ground, the other was prone to the most painfully romantic fancies that had me cringing on her behalf. And this might make me mean, but I’d have laughed my ass off as well when Daphne did what she did. Seriously! While they are miles apart in demeanor, behavior and goals… they both brought their quirks to the limit so that I found nothing redeeming in them. (I even wondered how Mule could stand to be with either.)
It’s a quick and easy read though... just not my favorite.
2/5
Or worse, poor Elinor and Marriane! Is this how they translate?
Because from what I recall while Marianne could swoony, with heart-on-sleeve and all that, she wasn’t a total brat, all the time! And while Elinor could be uptight, she was never nasty. But bratty and nasty are how the two girls are in Sass and Serendipity (and not a hint of the title in them)
But props on making the two very different from each other… because where one had her feet solidly planted in the ground, the other was prone to the most painfully romantic fancies that had me cringing on her behalf. And this might make me mean, but I’d have laughed my ass off as well when Daphne did what she did. Seriously! While they are miles apart in demeanor, behavior and goals… they both brought their quirks to the limit so that I found nothing redeeming in them. (I even wondered how Mule could stand to be with either.)
It’s a quick and easy read though... just not my favorite.
2/5
May 29, 2011
Basic rip-off of Austen's classic work with a few modern family twists. Instead of eviction from the family home for inheritance, it's rising rent. Instead of a quiet father, it's a divorced household. Daphne and Gabriella have no real personality beyond the broad strokes of love sick and bossy, respectively. In addition to the mediocre writing and characterization, the cover is another strike against the book. Despite the last name Rivera and Spanish affections, the girls on the cover could in no way pass for Hispanic Americans, and a shrub hedge and expansive lawn have no place in the run down Texas town in which the girls live. Bad bad bad. cS
October 8, 2015
simply wonderful
July 26, 2018
A cute retelling of Pride and Prejudice but set in rural Texas. We get to see Gabby and Daphne Rivera struggle with small town issues and a constant hatred of each other. Older sister Gabby tries to help their single mother try and get enough money that survive and keep themselves in a decent home. She is trying to work at the local movie theatre while struggling with her classes and get a high enough average to get a scholarship and out of this town for good.
Daphne is fifteen and on the jv cheerleading squad and can’t be bothered to look for work or even help out that much. Her head is always in the clouds and looks for true love everywhere she can.
When new boy Luke walks in, Daphne falls totally in love with him, sending her into dreams of the two of them in blissful love forever. Gabby has Mule, a sadly nicknamed Samuel , but is always her friend and they constantly hang out, even when Gabby is grouchy, which is a lot of the time.
What’s good is the two girls find attraction in unexpected places and they even make amends between each other and their friends.
You learn kinda why the two girls are the way they are, and what really is the source of Gabby’s cold heart. I like how things end up in the book, even though I wanted to slap Gabby when she’s mean and cruel to her friends.
Daphne is fifteen and on the jv cheerleading squad and can’t be bothered to look for work or even help out that much. Her head is always in the clouds and looks for true love everywhere she can.
When new boy Luke walks in, Daphne falls totally in love with him, sending her into dreams of the two of them in blissful love forever. Gabby has Mule, a sadly nicknamed Samuel , but is always her friend and they constantly hang out, even when Gabby is grouchy, which is a lot of the time.
What’s good is the two girls find attraction in unexpected places and they even make amends between each other and their friends.
You learn kinda why the two girls are the way they are, and what really is the source of Gabby’s cold heart. I like how things end up in the book, even though I wanted to slap Gabby when she’s mean and cruel to her friends.
July 6, 2011
In a modern retelling of the classic Jane Austen novel Sense & Sensibility, Daphne and Gabby Rivera are completely opposite sisters dealing with the financial and emotional struggles that come after their parents' divorce. While Gabby, the headstrong, man-hating, angry-but-responsible older sister puts all she has into helping her mother and scoring a scholarship to pay for college, Daphne is flighty, insanely cheerful, and self-absorbed as she always imagines that her perfect guy is right around the corner. The current object of her affections is Luke, the new boy at school who reads Jane Eyre and saves her from tumbling down a flight of stairs. For Gabby, her younger sister's obsession with boys and "true love" is exhausting at best and madly infuriating at worst. After their parents' divorce, Gabby took her mom's side wholeheartedly and decided that all men are scum and the only person you can really depend on is yourself. Meanwhile, Daphne blames her mother for the divorce and doesn't understand why her sister is so against falling in love -- something Daphne apparently tends to do a lot.
It's been years since I've read Sense & Sensibility, but even so I could tell that this novel followed the basic premise and plot. Gabby and Daphne have the most obvious characteristics of the Dashwood sisters -- namely that one is boring and distrustful while the other is flighty and romantic -- and at least in the beginning these traits overtake the characters. At first it was hard to stomach Gabby, a girl whose one friendship (with a boy called Mule) mostly consists of her complaining about... well, everything. Her studies, the prom-obsessed teens around them, and most of all her irresponsible little sister. As is pointed out rather early in the story, Gabby has a mean streak a mile wide. Typically I have a difficult time empathizing with such a mean character, but with Gabby we eventually discover that her reasons for being so mean and distrustful are actually pretty legit. Not only is her family about to lose their home, but she's relied on to help a good deal with finances as well as putting pressure on herself to get a full scholarship. This, added to the "secret" of Gabby's past made for a character that, while I didn't always like her, I found myself able to understand a bit more. And Daphne, though selfish and flighty, was easier for me to understand. She believes in classic-romance-novel love stories and is just waiting to live out her own. She's a girl with a lot of emotions and though her willingness to be her emotional self means often having a selfish attitude, it also means that she often feels on the outskirts of her sex-obsessed, true-love-shunning peers, even those she considers her best friends. And the thing is, though Daphne's selfishness was huge compared to her sister, she wasn't really that selfish. Aside from constantly promising to try and get a job and then bailing at the chance to hang out with Luke, most of her selfishness just equated to wanting to have a "typical" teenage life. Spending her money on a dress for prom instead of helping to pay the rent, having a crush on a boy even though her sister thought she was being ridiculous and stupid. Like her sister, Daphne was dealing with her own issues -- the disconnect she felt between how she wanted life and love to be and how they actually were, as well as not understanding why her parents got a divorce or why she couldn't see her father more often.
As in the original Sense & Sensibility, much of the plot of Sass & Serendipity is focused on the boys in the Rivera sisters' lives, with the financial troubles and family drama as more of a subplot or even plot device. This isn't to say that either of those things are bad, because I actually think that the way this story comes together works very well. The family history isn't delved into too much, but it's still obvious how their parents' divorce has affected the sisters very differently and deeply. While Daphne runs off in pursuit of love in the form of Luke, who she thinks to be perfect, Gabby runs from the very idea of romance. She changes the subject when her best guy friend repeatedly brings up the subject of Prom and accuses a former classmate of being sexist and thinking her and her family weak when he offers to help them move some boxes. There were many moments when I wanted to yell at both of the sisters as they continued to make iffy decisions in their love lives, but the way the book builds and the way each character (even secondary ones) is written makes it easy to understand why each of the girls acts the way she does, even when it seems to be ridiculous. Part of the reason the book can get away with having some fairly silly personality traits and decisions for these characters is because there really is a character arc here. Both sisters change and grow (for the better!) throughout the course of the novel, and these changes never feel forced or contrived.
Though the sisters' personalities were extreme, they were justified and strongly-felt. However, I can't say the same about the setting. This book is set in a small Texas town that both girls often describe as redneck, but it didn't feel like a small town. There was some Texas-style dialogue ("y'all" comes to mind), but the atmosphere of the novel did not feel as if it took place in a specific small town setting. Instead, I got the feeling that this story and these characters could have just as easily lived in the suburbs or a sprawling city. They could have been anywhere and for me, a reader who loves strong settings, I kind of wished the book had taken place just anywhere, in some nondescript place. I would have liked for the plot and characters to take over completely, without having the nagging feeling about the setting being not quite right. But I do realize I'm a bit more particular about settings than most are and overall this was a very cute, successful modern retelling of the classic that I love.
It's been years since I've read Sense & Sensibility, but even so I could tell that this novel followed the basic premise and plot. Gabby and Daphne have the most obvious characteristics of the Dashwood sisters -- namely that one is boring and distrustful while the other is flighty and romantic -- and at least in the beginning these traits overtake the characters. At first it was hard to stomach Gabby, a girl whose one friendship (with a boy called Mule) mostly consists of her complaining about... well, everything. Her studies, the prom-obsessed teens around them, and most of all her irresponsible little sister. As is pointed out rather early in the story, Gabby has a mean streak a mile wide. Typically I have a difficult time empathizing with such a mean character, but with Gabby we eventually discover that her reasons for being so mean and distrustful are actually pretty legit. Not only is her family about to lose their home, but she's relied on to help a good deal with finances as well as putting pressure on herself to get a full scholarship. This, added to the "secret" of Gabby's past made for a character that, while I didn't always like her, I found myself able to understand a bit more. And Daphne, though selfish and flighty, was easier for me to understand. She believes in classic-romance-novel love stories and is just waiting to live out her own. She's a girl with a lot of emotions and though her willingness to be her emotional self means often having a selfish attitude, it also means that she often feels on the outskirts of her sex-obsessed, true-love-shunning peers, even those she considers her best friends. And the thing is, though Daphne's selfishness was huge compared to her sister, she wasn't really that selfish. Aside from constantly promising to try and get a job and then bailing at the chance to hang out with Luke, most of her selfishness just equated to wanting to have a "typical" teenage life. Spending her money on a dress for prom instead of helping to pay the rent, having a crush on a boy even though her sister thought she was being ridiculous and stupid. Like her sister, Daphne was dealing with her own issues -- the disconnect she felt between how she wanted life and love to be and how they actually were, as well as not understanding why her parents got a divorce or why she couldn't see her father more often.
As in the original Sense & Sensibility, much of the plot of Sass & Serendipity is focused on the boys in the Rivera sisters' lives, with the financial troubles and family drama as more of a subplot or even plot device. This isn't to say that either of those things are bad, because I actually think that the way this story comes together works very well. The family history isn't delved into too much, but it's still obvious how their parents' divorce has affected the sisters very differently and deeply. While Daphne runs off in pursuit of love in the form of Luke, who she thinks to be perfect, Gabby runs from the very idea of romance. She changes the subject when her best guy friend repeatedly brings up the subject of Prom and accuses a former classmate of being sexist and thinking her and her family weak when he offers to help them move some boxes. There were many moments when I wanted to yell at both of the sisters as they continued to make iffy decisions in their love lives, but the way the book builds and the way each character (even secondary ones) is written makes it easy to understand why each of the girls acts the way she does, even when it seems to be ridiculous. Part of the reason the book can get away with having some fairly silly personality traits and decisions for these characters is because there really is a character arc here. Both sisters change and grow (for the better!) throughout the course of the novel, and these changes never feel forced or contrived.
Though the sisters' personalities were extreme, they were justified and strongly-felt. However, I can't say the same about the setting. This book is set in a small Texas town that both girls often describe as redneck, but it didn't feel like a small town. There was some Texas-style dialogue ("y'all" comes to mind), but the atmosphere of the novel did not feel as if it took place in a specific small town setting. Instead, I got the feeling that this story and these characters could have just as easily lived in the suburbs or a sprawling city. They could have been anywhere and for me, a reader who loves strong settings, I kind of wished the book had taken place just anywhere, in some nondescript place. I would have liked for the plot and characters to take over completely, without having the nagging feeling about the setting being not quite right. But I do realize I'm a bit more particular about settings than most are and overall this was a very cute, successful modern retelling of the classic that I love.
January 5, 2025
An okay book with a really shitty and anticlimactic ending. Big sister main character is very unlikable and mean and nasty to everyone but because she has mental health issues all of a sudden it's okay yet her little sister actually acts like a regular teenager with an actual personality full of whimsy and emotion and everybody wants to hate on her and think she's stupid and her way of maturing at the end is just people bullying her into not being herself anymore. Daphne goes through so much that could develop her character into a very complex young lady but she seems to just be cast aside after a certain point in the book and established to just be the stupid younger sister who loves lip gloss and his boy crazy, and when that facade is over she's just finally quiet and in the background and" finally grew up". A character who doesn't deserve it gets redeemed and a character who does deserve good things gets mistreated at the end. Both in real life and in media I'm sick and tired of younger siblings being mistreated just because the older ones cannot deal with their issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2017
Took me a little while to read, but not because it wasn't good, I just haven't had ample reading time!
Anywho, can't go wrong with an Austen retelling. Loved the Texas setting, it was a character of its own! It kind of made me sad, how nasty these sisters were to each other. I feel like in the actual story, there's support between the Dashwood sisters, and the older clearly cares about the younger. In this, they were both rude and whiny and got feisty with each other, but I suppose that's a more accurate representation of sisters (not that I would know.)
As always, RIP the third sister, who seems to never be included in these retellings.
The writing was pretty basic, there was some good emotion-evoking parts. Wasn't incredibly invested in either romance, and I thought Gabby's whole situation with the boy in the forest was such an odd story-line. But as a whole, I did enjoy this!
Anywho, can't go wrong with an Austen retelling. Loved the Texas setting, it was a character of its own! It kind of made me sad, how nasty these sisters were to each other. I feel like in the actual story, there's support between the Dashwood sisters, and the older clearly cares about the younger. In this, they were both rude and whiny and got feisty with each other, but I suppose that's a more accurate representation of sisters (not that I would know.)
As always, RIP the third sister, who seems to never be included in these retellings.
The writing was pretty basic, there was some good emotion-evoking parts. Wasn't incredibly invested in either romance, and I thought Gabby's whole situation with the boy in the forest was such an odd story-line. But as a whole, I did enjoy this!
November 5, 2017
3 1/2 stars
For Daphne, the glass is always half full, a situation is better managed with a dab of lip gloss, and the boy of her dreams—the one she's read about in all of her novels—is waiting for her just around the corner.
For Gabby, nothing ever works out positively; wearing any form of makeup is a waste of study time, and boys will only leave you heartbroken. Her best friend, Mule, is the only one who has been there for her every step of the way.
But when the richest boy in town befriends Gabby, and Daphne starts to hang out more and more with her best and only friend, Mule, Gabby is forced to confront the emotional barriers she has put up to stop the hurting. And for once, her sassiness may fall prey to her definition of stupidity.
For Daphne, the glass is always half full, a situation is better managed with a dab of lip gloss, and the boy of her dreams—the one she's read about in all of her novels—is waiting for her just around the corner.
For Gabby, nothing ever works out positively; wearing any form of makeup is a waste of study time, and boys will only leave you heartbroken. Her best friend, Mule, is the only one who has been there for her every step of the way.
But when the richest boy in town befriends Gabby, and Daphne starts to hang out more and more with her best and only friend, Mule, Gabby is forced to confront the emotional barriers she has put up to stop the hurting. And for once, her sassiness may fall prey to her definition of stupidity.
April 9, 2018
I was never familiar with the book "Sense and Sensibility", although my eyes drew me to the book cover. I am not a big book reader but this book drew in my eyes. I opened the cover and began reading the foreword and i could not stop reading. The 2 girls Daphne and Gabby Rivera are two sisters who can't seem to get along. EVER. This book resembles real life issues between person v.s. self and person v.s. person. They both face the struggle with divorced parents and boy struggles throughout their teenage years. Daphne is the "free-spirit" and more bubbly, dreamer of the sisters, while Gabby is more realistic and has a dulled personality. In conclusion, reading this book was a great decision and i would gladly read it again.
August 5, 2019
Squabbling sisters seek romance in this modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Rendered with less restraint, style, and subtlety than the original, the book is not without appealing elements, especially the portrayal of the emotional ups and downs of a family dealing with divorce.
Read
July 16, 2021Fun variation on SENSE AND SENSIBILITY; you can see the bones of Austen’s original, but it feels completely modern, and the characters have their own personalities. Even if you haven’t read the original, this is an enjoyable story with romance elements.
August 13, 2011
The only thing most girls of Barton, Texas can talk about is the upcoming prom. Who's going with whom, what dress they bought, and where they'll be going for dinner beforehand--those are the hot topics at school.
Gabby Rivera couldn't care less about any of it. Prom, and everything it represents (in a word: boys), are completely beneath her. She decided when her parents divorced that love wasn't real, and believing some fairy tale prince will sweep her off her feet only keeps her from reality.
Her sister Daphne is less practical. In fact, Daphne isn't practical at all. She loves the idea of love, and she runs into a handsome stranger--literally--she decides he must be her Prince Charming. After all, they both love Jane Eyre!
That's the opening set-up for Sass and Serendipity, a new YA twist on Sense and Sensibility by Jennifer Ziegler. Ziegler takes the theme of sisters from Austen's novel and reworks it into a modern setting. The relationships between the two sisters was real and honest. I loved reading about them, both separately and together. There was a realness to them that drew me in.
Sass and Serendipity was often laugh out loud funny. One of my favorite parts was when Daphne was day dreaming about her future relationship with Luke (who is, of course, Willoughby). "Although they had years go to before their spring garden wedding with the string quartet and the mermaid ice sculpture, there was no harm in being prepared with a good dress design, right?"
I was that girl when I was in high school, and the memory of those secret dress designs cracked me up. Oh, if only I knew then what I know now...
Obviously, Sass and Serendipity was a well-written, funny, YA novel. There's another question however--is it a true Austenesque novel? This is a bit trickier, and I finally approached it from this angle: Would I know it was a retelling of Sense and Sensibility if the title didn't have the double S, or if I wasn't told so on the fly leaf?
I'm not sure I would. Part of my uncertainty comes from the character of Gabby. As much as Daphne strikes a chord as a Marianne, I didn't really feel Gabby was a faithful representation--or even modernization--of Elinor. Elinor's most basic character trait is a strong sense of propriety, a solid understanding of the rules of society. Her conflict with her sister comes when she attempts to check Marianne's less fettered spirits to follow those rules.
Gabby, however, is like Elinor only in her practicality. I could certainly imagine her insisting the family didn't have money for beef (or for the fancy dinner their mother splurges on in a celebration). She holds down a job at the local movie theater to help with the family finances, and she's constantly pestering her sister to apply for work herself.
However, that was really where the similarity ended. Where Elinor hides deep feelings behind a demure mask, events of the past made Gabby bitter. She is determined never to love (a thought that would never cross Elinor's mind, I am sure), and she absolutely rebuffs any boy who shows an interest in her.
That bitterness leads her to lash out at Daphne several times. While I could utterly sympathize with her, I did miss seeing some of the sisterly togetherness that is so present in Sense and Sensibility. Elinor only chastises Marianne out of a desire to see her happy, and one never doubts that the two sisters truly love each other. Even Marianne in her most willful moments does not resent Elinor in the way Daphne does Gabby.
In the end, I felt like Sense and Sensibility is about more than two very different sisters, and those other elements were missing in Sass and Serendipity. The family dynamic and the inclusion of Luke/Willoughby were really the only two things I found that tied the two stories together.
Despite that, I'm giving Sass and Serendipity 4 solid stars. It's an excellent YA novel, with enough hints of Austen to interest a reader looking for a Sense and Sensibility redux. However, if you're looking for a faithful adaptation of Austen, this might not be the novel for you.
FTC disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from the author's publicist. That did not affect my review in any way.
Gabby Rivera couldn't care less about any of it. Prom, and everything it represents (in a word: boys), are completely beneath her. She decided when her parents divorced that love wasn't real, and believing some fairy tale prince will sweep her off her feet only keeps her from reality.
Her sister Daphne is less practical. In fact, Daphne isn't practical at all. She loves the idea of love, and she runs into a handsome stranger--literally--she decides he must be her Prince Charming. After all, they both love Jane Eyre!
That's the opening set-up for Sass and Serendipity, a new YA twist on Sense and Sensibility by Jennifer Ziegler. Ziegler takes the theme of sisters from Austen's novel and reworks it into a modern setting. The relationships between the two sisters was real and honest. I loved reading about them, both separately and together. There was a realness to them that drew me in.
Sass and Serendipity was often laugh out loud funny. One of my favorite parts was when Daphne was day dreaming about her future relationship with Luke (who is, of course, Willoughby). "Although they had years go to before their spring garden wedding with the string quartet and the mermaid ice sculpture, there was no harm in being prepared with a good dress design, right?"
I was that girl when I was in high school, and the memory of those secret dress designs cracked me up. Oh, if only I knew then what I know now...
Obviously, Sass and Serendipity was a well-written, funny, YA novel. There's another question however--is it a true Austenesque novel? This is a bit trickier, and I finally approached it from this angle: Would I know it was a retelling of Sense and Sensibility if the title didn't have the double S, or if I wasn't told so on the fly leaf?
I'm not sure I would. Part of my uncertainty comes from the character of Gabby. As much as Daphne strikes a chord as a Marianne, I didn't really feel Gabby was a faithful representation--or even modernization--of Elinor. Elinor's most basic character trait is a strong sense of propriety, a solid understanding of the rules of society. Her conflict with her sister comes when she attempts to check Marianne's less fettered spirits to follow those rules.
Gabby, however, is like Elinor only in her practicality. I could certainly imagine her insisting the family didn't have money for beef (or for the fancy dinner their mother splurges on in a celebration). She holds down a job at the local movie theater to help with the family finances, and she's constantly pestering her sister to apply for work herself.
However, that was really where the similarity ended. Where Elinor hides deep feelings behind a demure mask, events of the past made Gabby bitter. She is determined never to love (a thought that would never cross Elinor's mind, I am sure), and she absolutely rebuffs any boy who shows an interest in her.
That bitterness leads her to lash out at Daphne several times. While I could utterly sympathize with her, I did miss seeing some of the sisterly togetherness that is so present in Sense and Sensibility. Elinor only chastises Marianne out of a desire to see her happy, and one never doubts that the two sisters truly love each other. Even Marianne in her most willful moments does not resent Elinor in the way Daphne does Gabby.
In the end, I felt like Sense and Sensibility is about more than two very different sisters, and those other elements were missing in Sass and Serendipity. The family dynamic and the inclusion of Luke/Willoughby were really the only two things I found that tied the two stories together.
Despite that, I'm giving Sass and Serendipity 4 solid stars. It's an excellent YA novel, with enough hints of Austen to interest a reader looking for a Sense and Sensibility redux. However, if you're looking for a faithful adaptation of Austen, this might not be the novel for you.
FTC disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from the author's publicist. That did not affect my review in any way.
July 28, 2011
Sisters Daphne and Gabby Rivera are as different as night and day! Older sis Gabriella is all “straight A’s and neat-freak genes,” according to younger, impulsively romantic sister “Daffy.” Sensible Gabby works part-time to help her single mom make ends meet while studying hard for a scholarship so she can get out of Barton, Texas. On the other hand, unsensible Daphne lives in a dream world, shopping for prom dresses instead of applying for jobs and literally falling head over heels in love with the new cute boy of the moment, Luke Pascal. Gabby is quite cynical about love, after witnessing her parents’ divorce. Who needs it? It only causes misery and pain. The sisters bicker and bark at each other, rarely agreeing on anything. The only stable person in their lives is dependable friend “Mule,” short for Samuel, who seems to always be there helping Gabby study and offering friendly advice.
While Daphne moons and dreams about her new heartthrob Luke, Gabby has reason to not believe in love. Sonny Hutchins, a young boy she connected romantically with one incredible brief afternoon died in a tragic accident which she is certain his rich, spoiled cousin Prentiss Applewhite is to blame for. Her deep affection for Sonny is her secret that she shares with no one, not even her best buddy Mule. Gabby is certain that the only one you can depend on life is yourself.
As Gabby retreats into her reclusive inner world of loneliness and grief, Daphne’s histrionics are abrasive and unproductive. She deals with her family’s emotional crisis’ by ignoring reality, worshiping her flake of a father and falling madly in love in a moment. Her mom tries to bring her back into reality…
“Real life, real love, isn’t the way you see it in movies or read about in books,” her mom went on. “I hate to see you risk yourself like this. I just wish you’d be more sensible.”
“Sensible.” It was one of those words Daphne hated. Something she apparently wasn’t – along with being “responsible” or “mature.” “Sensible,” she repeated, considering the term. The opposite would be “foolish,” right? “Silly.” “Idiotic.” “Stupid.” “Do you mean sensible like Gabby, who’s never even been on a real date? Or sensible like you, who couldn’t make her marriage work?” pages 99-100
When late child support payments and a steep rent increase cause a crisis for the Rivera women, they must move in a hurry. Feeling fatalistic, Gabby is certain that they would be better off homeless. Life changes for the two sisters when Daphne’s unsensible way of dealing with life challenges results in more troubles than she ever dreamed of until help from an expected source saves the day and Gabby must face facts about her fond memories of Sonny and her feelings for his cousin Prentiss before the two sisters can find happiness.
In Sass & Serendipity, author Jennifer Ziegler has given us a boldly creative tribute to 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility. Her modern interpretation of the two sisters: one too sensible and the other not sensible enough mirrors Jane Austen’s Dashwood sisters beautifully. Even though the plot does not follow Austen’s storyline faithfully, the essence of the emotional dilemma that each of the sets of sisters face with life and love challenges is a great match. Ziegler reminds us that sisterly relationships are like no others, filled with friendship, rivalry, devotion, frustration, love and “strong family affection.” Read Sass & Serendipity to remember that incredible time in your life when you were on the cusp of adulthood and a sister or best friend in your life made all the difference.
"Between Barton and Delaford, there was that constant communication which strong family affection would naturally dictate; and among the merits and the happiness of Elinor and Marianne, let it not be ranked as the least considerable, that though sisters, and living almost within sight of each other, they could live without disagreement between themselves, or producing coolness between their husbands." Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 50
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
While Daphne moons and dreams about her new heartthrob Luke, Gabby has reason to not believe in love. Sonny Hutchins, a young boy she connected romantically with one incredible brief afternoon died in a tragic accident which she is certain his rich, spoiled cousin Prentiss Applewhite is to blame for. Her deep affection for Sonny is her secret that she shares with no one, not even her best buddy Mule. Gabby is certain that the only one you can depend on life is yourself.
As Gabby retreats into her reclusive inner world of loneliness and grief, Daphne’s histrionics are abrasive and unproductive. She deals with her family’s emotional crisis’ by ignoring reality, worshiping her flake of a father and falling madly in love in a moment. Her mom tries to bring her back into reality…
“Real life, real love, isn’t the way you see it in movies or read about in books,” her mom went on. “I hate to see you risk yourself like this. I just wish you’d be more sensible.”
“Sensible.” It was one of those words Daphne hated. Something she apparently wasn’t – along with being “responsible” or “mature.” “Sensible,” she repeated, considering the term. The opposite would be “foolish,” right? “Silly.” “Idiotic.” “Stupid.” “Do you mean sensible like Gabby, who’s never even been on a real date? Or sensible like you, who couldn’t make her marriage work?” pages 99-100
When late child support payments and a steep rent increase cause a crisis for the Rivera women, they must move in a hurry. Feeling fatalistic, Gabby is certain that they would be better off homeless. Life changes for the two sisters when Daphne’s unsensible way of dealing with life challenges results in more troubles than she ever dreamed of until help from an expected source saves the day and Gabby must face facts about her fond memories of Sonny and her feelings for his cousin Prentiss before the two sisters can find happiness.
In Sass & Serendipity, author Jennifer Ziegler has given us a boldly creative tribute to 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility. Her modern interpretation of the two sisters: one too sensible and the other not sensible enough mirrors Jane Austen’s Dashwood sisters beautifully. Even though the plot does not follow Austen’s storyline faithfully, the essence of the emotional dilemma that each of the sets of sisters face with life and love challenges is a great match. Ziegler reminds us that sisterly relationships are like no others, filled with friendship, rivalry, devotion, frustration, love and “strong family affection.” Read Sass & Serendipity to remember that incredible time in your life when you were on the cusp of adulthood and a sister or best friend in your life made all the difference.
"Between Barton and Delaford, there was that constant communication which strong family affection would naturally dictate; and among the merits and the happiness of Elinor and Marianne, let it not be ranked as the least considerable, that though sisters, and living almost within sight of each other, they could live without disagreement between themselves, or producing coolness between their husbands." Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 50
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
April 2, 2015
~1.5/5
(This review may contain spoilers.)
I am so very disappointed with this book. I’ve liked both of Ziegler’s other books. I guess I expected so much from it, because it really let me down.
First of all, I’ve never read Sense & Sensibility. I don’t believe I’ve seen any movies based on it, either. I know some people were upset about the comparison, though, as apparently this is nothing like it. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought it was a sister story? About how sisters find out how important the other is? How they end up getting along by the end of the book? Because, I mean, that’s not even close to what happened in this book.
Second of all, I hated both main characters. They’re both selfish bitches, and I can’t believe I read 369 pages about them.
I’ll start with Gabby, the one I liked the least. Gabby is a bitch. She’s rude to everyone, insulting, blowing up at everything, taking anything anyone says and making it into some insult that she can take offense at. There is not a single thing to like about her, in my opinion. She’s hateful and rude and I don’t see how she even has one friend. She’s given some sob story about a boy she kissed who died and how that really scarred her or something. But, I mean, she kissed the boy once, had like one conversation with him, and then he died. There was no reason for her to fall for him or develop any real feelings for him during that time. Plus, it was like five years ago or something.
She has a love interest, who I honestly don’t understand why he likes her. She’s a hateful person, and I didn’t even want to be reading about her. I didn’t see how he kept flirting with her and was still interested at the end of the book, when she was never anything but rude and hurtful to him. There was absolutely no attraction between them, as far as I was concerned.
Then there’s Daphne. I liked that she tried staying in a good mood, no matter how much others tried bringing her down (namely Gabby). But she was also a brat, and a bit of a bitch, and hugely naïve. She falls for a guy after, like, one conversation, and no doubt the guy ends up being a jerk. And then another guy, Mule, ends up being nice to her, and she blows him off. She was a bitch to Gabby and her mother, whereas Gabby was just hateful about everything to everyone.
I will admit that I liked the attraction between Daphne and Mule. I like Mule all around. And I like that their dad was emotional. Their mom was all right. Gabby’s love interest was all right, and I did kind of like him. But overall none of these things were fleshed out enough. None of them got enough development.
And to top it all off, Gabby and Daphne were both unbearable. I hated them both. And it’s completely unbelievable to me that they were distasteful for 360 pages, and then I was supposed to believe they were all better in the last 9 pages. That’s laughable, it’s so ridiculous—at least, if it weren’t so angering. It did really piss me off, it was so bad, and so disappointing.
I am glad that this book is finally over, and now I don’t have to think about it anymore.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
(This review may contain spoilers.)
I am so very disappointed with this book. I’ve liked both of Ziegler’s other books. I guess I expected so much from it, because it really let me down.
First of all, I’ve never read Sense & Sensibility. I don’t believe I’ve seen any movies based on it, either. I know some people were upset about the comparison, though, as apparently this is nothing like it. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought it was a sister story? About how sisters find out how important the other is? How they end up getting along by the end of the book? Because, I mean, that’s not even close to what happened in this book.
Second of all, I hated both main characters. They’re both selfish bitches, and I can’t believe I read 369 pages about them.
I’ll start with Gabby, the one I liked the least. Gabby is a bitch. She’s rude to everyone, insulting, blowing up at everything, taking anything anyone says and making it into some insult that she can take offense at. There is not a single thing to like about her, in my opinion. She’s hateful and rude and I don’t see how she even has one friend. She’s given some sob story about a boy she kissed who died and how that really scarred her or something. But, I mean, she kissed the boy once, had like one conversation with him, and then he died. There was no reason for her to fall for him or develop any real feelings for him during that time. Plus, it was like five years ago or something.
She has a love interest, who I honestly don’t understand why he likes her. She’s a hateful person, and I didn’t even want to be reading about her. I didn’t see how he kept flirting with her and was still interested at the end of the book, when she was never anything but rude and hurtful to him. There was absolutely no attraction between them, as far as I was concerned.
Then there’s Daphne. I liked that she tried staying in a good mood, no matter how much others tried bringing her down (namely Gabby). But she was also a brat, and a bit of a bitch, and hugely naïve. She falls for a guy after, like, one conversation, and no doubt the guy ends up being a jerk. And then another guy, Mule, ends up being nice to her, and she blows him off. She was a bitch to Gabby and her mother, whereas Gabby was just hateful about everything to everyone.
I will admit that I liked the attraction between Daphne and Mule. I like Mule all around. And I like that their dad was emotional. Their mom was all right. Gabby’s love interest was all right, and I did kind of like him. But overall none of these things were fleshed out enough. None of them got enough development.
And to top it all off, Gabby and Daphne were both unbearable. I hated them both. And it’s completely unbelievable to me that they were distasteful for 360 pages, and then I was supposed to believe they were all better in the last 9 pages. That’s laughable, it’s so ridiculous—at least, if it weren’t so angering. It did really piss me off, it was so bad, and so disappointing.
I am glad that this book is finally over, and now I don’t have to think about it anymore.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
July 28, 2011
I’m twenty-six and have to admit it has been a long time since I have read anything in the Young Adult (YA) genre, but if everything in YA is as wonderful as Sass and Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler then I am really missing out.
Sass and Serendipity (Sass) was inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (S&S) and published during the 200th anniversary.
The story explores the relationship between sisters Gabby, as Elinor, and Daphne as Marianne. Both are dealing with their parents divorce in different ways. Gabby is the responsible one who is there to support her Mom when their dad leaves. She gets good grades and a lot if expected of her. Daphne on the other hand believes that her Dad can do no wrong, wants to live life, is impetuous and isn’t responsible at all.
Even though I do not have a sister, I have a younger brother, I could relate to the trials of Gabby and Daphne as they struggled with the bonds of sisterhood. I identified with Gabby completely. I also understood where Daphne was coming from and despite the emotional trials the sisters go though, just like in Austen’s S&S, the bonds of sisterhood are strengthened by these challenges.
Luke, as Willoughby, is the new boy in school and Daphne is head over heels. He’s the true, fairy tale romance she’s been waiting for. Or is he? Sam Randolph, who goes by Mule (as Colonel Brandon), is Gabby’s best friend, but he really rises to the occasion when Daphne goes through a horrible ordeal with Luke. In high school kids can be so cruel.
As Gabby’s best friend, Mule is steady and counters her cynical attitude. However, it is rich boy Prentiss (I love this name) R. Applewhite, as Edward Ferras, who manages to capture Gabby’s attention. Prentiss has way more substance to him than Edward Ferras (sorry Jane Austen) and he is consistently amused by Gabby’s antics. The perfect counterpart for Gabby. I especially loved Gabby and Prentiss, but most important I loved the story about two sisters and their relationship.
Ziegler is a wonderful writer. The romance in this book took turns I did not expect, but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the journey. Ziegler was able to covey the difficulties between siblings and even the emotions that arise in children from broken homes. Sometimes I felt like I was back in high school because I as I mentioned earlier I identified with some of Daphne’s struggles, but I identified with Gabby a lot as well. Ziegler has a beautiful Austen inspired hit on her hands.
Also, even though I match the characters of Sass with their original S&S counterparts I have say that if Austen purists are looking for an exact replica of the characters in S&S that they may be disappointed. Ziegler puts a fresh, contemporary approach on the themes of S&S. The basic plot of the original is there but Sass can stand on its own. A delightful page turning novel. I’m ready to read it again.
Perhaps, we can hope for a sequel.
Final Recommendation: If you want a little Sass with your Sense and Sensibility.
Giveaway is happening here: http://fortheloveofausten.blogspot.co...
Sass and Serendipity (Sass) was inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (S&S) and published during the 200th anniversary.
The story explores the relationship between sisters Gabby, as Elinor, and Daphne as Marianne. Both are dealing with their parents divorce in different ways. Gabby is the responsible one who is there to support her Mom when their dad leaves. She gets good grades and a lot if expected of her. Daphne on the other hand believes that her Dad can do no wrong, wants to live life, is impetuous and isn’t responsible at all.
Even though I do not have a sister, I have a younger brother, I could relate to the trials of Gabby and Daphne as they struggled with the bonds of sisterhood. I identified with Gabby completely. I also understood where Daphne was coming from and despite the emotional trials the sisters go though, just like in Austen’s S&S, the bonds of sisterhood are strengthened by these challenges.
Luke, as Willoughby, is the new boy in school and Daphne is head over heels. He’s the true, fairy tale romance she’s been waiting for. Or is he? Sam Randolph, who goes by Mule (as Colonel Brandon), is Gabby’s best friend, but he really rises to the occasion when Daphne goes through a horrible ordeal with Luke. In high school kids can be so cruel.
As Gabby’s best friend, Mule is steady and counters her cynical attitude. However, it is rich boy Prentiss (I love this name) R. Applewhite, as Edward Ferras, who manages to capture Gabby’s attention. Prentiss has way more substance to him than Edward Ferras (sorry Jane Austen) and he is consistently amused by Gabby’s antics. The perfect counterpart for Gabby. I especially loved Gabby and Prentiss, but most important I loved the story about two sisters and their relationship.
Ziegler is a wonderful writer. The romance in this book took turns I did not expect, but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the journey. Ziegler was able to covey the difficulties between siblings and even the emotions that arise in children from broken homes. Sometimes I felt like I was back in high school because I as I mentioned earlier I identified with some of Daphne’s struggles, but I identified with Gabby a lot as well. Ziegler has a beautiful Austen inspired hit on her hands.
Also, even though I match the characters of Sass with their original S&S counterparts I have say that if Austen purists are looking for an exact replica of the characters in S&S that they may be disappointed. Ziegler puts a fresh, contemporary approach on the themes of S&S. The basic plot of the original is there but Sass can stand on its own. A delightful page turning novel. I’m ready to read it again.
Perhaps, we can hope for a sequel.
Final Recommendation: If you want a little Sass with your Sense and Sensibility.
Giveaway is happening here: http://fortheloveofausten.blogspot.co...
July 7, 2011
Looking at the cover of Sass & Serendipity I cringed a little. This book just looks like a middle grade novel with no substance except for butterflies and pretty dresses at first glance, especially due to the wording of Sass. But I couldn't have been more wrong! What drew me in and past the cover was that Jennifer Ziegler wrote this as a contemporary retelling of Sense and Sensibility, one of my favorite Jane Austen books. I absolutely love that the release coincides with the 200th anniversary of the original book!
When you crack open the pages you are immediately transported into the lives of Gabriella and Daphne Rivera. Both sisters are not only years apart in age, but their personalities are worlds apart. Gabby is the eldest, cold, sneering and cynical, continually looking for an escape from their little town in Texas. Daphne is the youngest, sweet, bubbly, and happy, earnestly believing the best in people and love. One can't stand the other, and there is no love loss between them. Of course this chasm wasn't always insurmountable, but certain circumstances in the girls' lives have widen the space to ridiculous proportions.
The characterization of the girls is very well-developed. I felt both of them come alive as I read. Of course I hated some of Daphne's more frivolous, selfish moments, reliving how I myself acted at 15 (Gosh, looking back I was a little monster). But the best part of the characterization was the portrayal of the sisterly relationship.
Having an older sister myself, we could have stood in for Gabby and Daphne. The screaming matches, the careless words, the deep devotion, and the fierce protection against outsiders rang true. This careful handling of the weird relationship between sisters could have been over the top, but Ziegler navigated the edge effortlessly.
The other aspect I enjoyed was the subtle referral to the girls' Hispanic heritage. I like how it wasn't shoved in my face because that feels way more realistic then being beat over the head with their ethnicity. I feel like race, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc. should not be the focus unless it is important to the main conflict (i.e. coming out story, dealing with racism etc.) Again Ziegler handles it nicely.
The one problem I had while reading was the development of Gabby and Daphne's parents. I feel they either needed to be mentioned briefly and have the focus entirely on the girls or, due to the major conflict, made into rounded, dynamic supporting characters. Right now they both are in an in between place which at times felt as if they hindered and not helped the story.
Overall, Sass & Serendipity is an awesome retelling of a great classic. However, it definitely stands on it's own, and has it's own flavor. Don't pass this one up! Look for Sass & Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler for sale on July 12 at your local bookstores, and on pre-order now!
When you crack open the pages you are immediately transported into the lives of Gabriella and Daphne Rivera. Both sisters are not only years apart in age, but their personalities are worlds apart. Gabby is the eldest, cold, sneering and cynical, continually looking for an escape from their little town in Texas. Daphne is the youngest, sweet, bubbly, and happy, earnestly believing the best in people and love. One can't stand the other, and there is no love loss between them. Of course this chasm wasn't always insurmountable, but certain circumstances in the girls' lives have widen the space to ridiculous proportions.
The characterization of the girls is very well-developed. I felt both of them come alive as I read. Of course I hated some of Daphne's more frivolous, selfish moments, reliving how I myself acted at 15 (Gosh, looking back I was a little monster). But the best part of the characterization was the portrayal of the sisterly relationship.
Having an older sister myself, we could have stood in for Gabby and Daphne. The screaming matches, the careless words, the deep devotion, and the fierce protection against outsiders rang true. This careful handling of the weird relationship between sisters could have been over the top, but Ziegler navigated the edge effortlessly.
The other aspect I enjoyed was the subtle referral to the girls' Hispanic heritage. I like how it wasn't shoved in my face because that feels way more realistic then being beat over the head with their ethnicity. I feel like race, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc. should not be the focus unless it is important to the main conflict (i.e. coming out story, dealing with racism etc.) Again Ziegler handles it nicely.
The one problem I had while reading was the development of Gabby and Daphne's parents. I feel they either needed to be mentioned briefly and have the focus entirely on the girls or, due to the major conflict, made into rounded, dynamic supporting characters. Right now they both are in an in between place which at times felt as if they hindered and not helped the story.
Overall, Sass & Serendipity is an awesome retelling of a great classic. However, it definitely stands on it's own, and has it's own flavor. Don't pass this one up! Look for Sass & Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler for sale on July 12 at your local bookstores, and on pre-order now!
August 16, 2012
Two things that initially grabbed me about this book is 1. it's a Jane Austen Tribute published during the bicentennial of Sense and Sensibility and 2. serendipity is my all-time favorite word.
Honestly, I was very much hoping for a fortunate accident when it came to this read. I even imagined myself coming up with lesson plans and ways to integrate it into my Jane Austen unit that I also imagine myself teaching someday.
However, I'm not so sure that will actually happen.
Sass & Serendipity is the story of Daphne and Gabby Rivera, two high school sisters (15 and 17 respectively) in the heart of Texas. If you're familiar with Ms. Austen's novel, then you'll understand the just of Ziegler's S & S. Daphne is a somewhat typical 15-year old who falls head over heels with the new boy. Her notions of romance and love don't turn out so well and she ends up being ostracized by her classmates. As for Gabby, she's a little disappointed with the men in her life and ends up taking it out on any man to cross her path--such as best friend Mule and pretty boy Prentiss. As usual with teen realism, there's a stint at the prom, a happily ever after, and some kissing involved.
I was impressed with the tribute aspect of Sass and Serendipity, and I feel that Ziegler knows her Austen. Her modern day plot fits very well with it's predecessor; however, I was not a fan of her characters. In fact, they often annoyed me. I read Daphne as a lot younger than fifteen--she was very whiny and bratty and though the naivety fits with the Marianne Dashwood character, at times she felt over dramatic. As for Gabby--that girl just frustrated me to no end. She was way too bossy, bitter, and downright mean. I didn't grow up with sisters, but if I did, I would hope beyond hope that I didn't have the kind of relationship these two did.
Despite not falling in love with the characters, I really did enjoy Ziegler's writing style and her narration device. She often shifted perspective from Daphne to Gabby to sometimes a third person outside perspective. That little trick allowed me to get into the head of both characters, but sometimes I just wanted to rattle their brains.
Though I don't see myself teaching this anytime soon, I would definitely recommended Sass & Serendipity to someone trying to get into Austen, or perhaps wanting to compare/contrast classics with modern novels. A good paper could be written on characterization.
It's a very faithful adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, and if you can appreciate Jane Austen retellings, this would be a fun weekend read for you.
Originally published on The Hopeful Heroine
Honestly, I was very much hoping for a fortunate accident when it came to this read. I even imagined myself coming up with lesson plans and ways to integrate it into my Jane Austen unit that I also imagine myself teaching someday.
However, I'm not so sure that will actually happen.
Sass & Serendipity is the story of Daphne and Gabby Rivera, two high school sisters (15 and 17 respectively) in the heart of Texas. If you're familiar with Ms. Austen's novel, then you'll understand the just of Ziegler's S & S. Daphne is a somewhat typical 15-year old who falls head over heels with the new boy. Her notions of romance and love don't turn out so well and she ends up being ostracized by her classmates. As for Gabby, she's a little disappointed with the men in her life and ends up taking it out on any man to cross her path--such as best friend Mule and pretty boy Prentiss. As usual with teen realism, there's a stint at the prom, a happily ever after, and some kissing involved.
I was impressed with the tribute aspect of Sass and Serendipity, and I feel that Ziegler knows her Austen. Her modern day plot fits very well with it's predecessor; however, I was not a fan of her characters. In fact, they often annoyed me. I read Daphne as a lot younger than fifteen--she was very whiny and bratty and though the naivety fits with the Marianne Dashwood character, at times she felt over dramatic. As for Gabby--that girl just frustrated me to no end. She was way too bossy, bitter, and downright mean. I didn't grow up with sisters, but if I did, I would hope beyond hope that I didn't have the kind of relationship these two did.
Despite not falling in love with the characters, I really did enjoy Ziegler's writing style and her narration device. She often shifted perspective from Daphne to Gabby to sometimes a third person outside perspective. That little trick allowed me to get into the head of both characters, but sometimes I just wanted to rattle their brains.
Though I don't see myself teaching this anytime soon, I would definitely recommended Sass & Serendipity to someone trying to get into Austen, or perhaps wanting to compare/contrast classics with modern novels. A good paper could be written on characterization.
It's a very faithful adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, and if you can appreciate Jane Austen retellings, this would be a fun weekend read for you.
Originally published on The Hopeful Heroine
January 21, 2012
Sass and Serendipity centers on two teenaged sisters, Gabby and Daphne. Once close, the sisters have drifted apart since their parents' divorce, largely because of their differing views on love. Due to their parents' divorce, and a tragedy in her past, Gabby shuns love, believing that men are not to be trusted and that eventually every love story ends in divorce. Daphne is much more optimistic, believing in true love and love at first sight. The sisters' relationship is further complicated by their loyalty to each of their parents. Daphne is fiercely loyal to her father and craves the one Saturday of every month that the girls spend with their father. Gabby feel loyalty to their mother and blames her father for the family's financial struggles. The sisters come to a major blow up when they are forced to leave their rental home because they can no longer afford the rent.
Being a great fan of Jane Austen but having never read Sense and Sensibility, I can't tell readers how closely this book emulates its namesake. What I can tell you is that I didn't get a Jane Austen vibe from this story however it did remind me of Twelve Things I Hate About You, which was based on The Taming of The Shrew by Shakespeare. Although there are no major plot twists or moments of great excitement in the story, Ziegler does a great job capturing the love/hate relationship between sisters and her characters have great complexity. Readers will find their loyalty wavering between sisters as character flaws are exposed and readers are given a deeper look into each sisters' psyche.
Having taught middle school and read many books written for young adults, I was impressed with how clean this story is. There are no drugs or sexual references. The girls' mother is actively involved in the lives of her daughters. The girls know their boundaries and expectations and want to make their parents proud. I felt that this truly was a realistic look at being an American teenager today with themes of sibling rivalry, single parenting, peer pressure, and financial hardship. I would recommend this book to girls in grades eight through twelve.
Being a great fan of Jane Austen but having never read Sense and Sensibility, I can't tell readers how closely this book emulates its namesake. What I can tell you is that I didn't get a Jane Austen vibe from this story however it did remind me of Twelve Things I Hate About You, which was based on The Taming of The Shrew by Shakespeare. Although there are no major plot twists or moments of great excitement in the story, Ziegler does a great job capturing the love/hate relationship between sisters and her characters have great complexity. Readers will find their loyalty wavering between sisters as character flaws are exposed and readers are given a deeper look into each sisters' psyche.
Having taught middle school and read many books written for young adults, I was impressed with how clean this story is. There are no drugs or sexual references. The girls' mother is actively involved in the lives of her daughters. The girls know their boundaries and expectations and want to make their parents proud. I felt that this truly was a realistic look at being an American teenager today with themes of sibling rivalry, single parenting, peer pressure, and financial hardship. I would recommend this book to girls in grades eight through twelve.
November 21, 2012
This book came out the year Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility turned 200. This novel plays homage to the classic with a modern twist.
Gabby and Daphne are sisters with nothing in common. Gabby, the older sister, has stepped up to help her mother after her father left them. She's the sensible sister who works hard, studies to get good grades, and does her best to make sure her sister behaves. Considering how her father broke her mother's heart, Gabby doesn't believe in love and wants nothing to do with boys. Daphne, on the other hand, lives in a romantic fantasy world of happily ever afters. She meets the new boy in town and instantly believes he's her soul mate. She is spoiled and irresponsible because she's so wrapped up in her dream world to pay attention to the harsh realities of her family's situation. Then a financial crisis leaves the family dependent on the one boy in town Gabby can't stand - the person responsible for the death of the only boy Gabby ever had feelings for. When her mother has to go out of town, Gabby is forced to be even more responsible for her oblivious sister. Pretty soon everyone has boy issues, whether they want them or not.
This book does a decent job of maintaining the gist of Austen's novel. There are modern issues that fit nicely into the story that all seem realistic. However, for two-thirds of the novel I couldn't stand either main character. Daphne is a spoiled brat who desperately needed a reality check and Gabby was so narrow-minded and critical of everything she was just downright unlikeable. I could understand where each girl is coming from, but they were both so extreme that they were annoying. In the last hundred pages both girls received a bit of a slap in the face which thankfully brought them around to some resemblance of sanity.
Aside from some unbearable main characters, the book wasn't horrible. You could relate to the character even if you couldn't stand them and the book makes you believe change and happily ever afters are possible.
Gabby and Daphne are sisters with nothing in common. Gabby, the older sister, has stepped up to help her mother after her father left them. She's the sensible sister who works hard, studies to get good grades, and does her best to make sure her sister behaves. Considering how her father broke her mother's heart, Gabby doesn't believe in love and wants nothing to do with boys. Daphne, on the other hand, lives in a romantic fantasy world of happily ever afters. She meets the new boy in town and instantly believes he's her soul mate. She is spoiled and irresponsible because she's so wrapped up in her dream world to pay attention to the harsh realities of her family's situation. Then a financial crisis leaves the family dependent on the one boy in town Gabby can't stand - the person responsible for the death of the only boy Gabby ever had feelings for. When her mother has to go out of town, Gabby is forced to be even more responsible for her oblivious sister. Pretty soon everyone has boy issues, whether they want them or not.
This book does a decent job of maintaining the gist of Austen's novel. There are modern issues that fit nicely into the story that all seem realistic. However, for two-thirds of the novel I couldn't stand either main character. Daphne is a spoiled brat who desperately needed a reality check and Gabby was so narrow-minded and critical of everything she was just downright unlikeable. I could understand where each girl is coming from, but they were both so extreme that they were annoying. In the last hundred pages both girls received a bit of a slap in the face which thankfully brought them around to some resemblance of sanity.
Aside from some unbearable main characters, the book wasn't horrible. You could relate to the character even if you couldn't stand them and the book makes you believe change and happily ever afters are possible.
August 30, 2016
WOW! What a great read!
Sass and Serendipity will make you want to read the original book, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. (I'm so curious about Sense and Sensibility.)
Sass and Serendipity is a hilarious and crazy book. Sass and Serendipity will attract the attentions of younger readers, usually around twelve to fifteen. It's cute, but not realistic or believable. Despite that, I love Sass and Serendipity.
The plot... Written and created brilliantly by Jennifer Ziegler. Every twist and turn was so incredible that this book is almost on my recommended list.
The writing... AMAZING! Beautiful. This is an author who can really piece sentences together. Descriptions of the girls were so deep and realistic.
The sister relationship: Gabby and Daphne are sisters. They are not so close. One favors her father. The other favors their mother. One daughter-parent relationship will be shattered and reformed. Another one will heal again.
Sass and Serendipity is not exactly a "Surprise! Haha! You didn't see before I hit your!" Everything was obvious, but how Jennifer Ziegler wrote the 'how' they go there was amazing. It was clever and ingenious.
The sisters:
Gabby: The clever one. She is intelligent yet cold towards the people around her. She once wasn't like that until an horrible accident took her beloved away.
Daphne: The ignorant one. She doesn't really know anything. She is confused and lost in the world. All she had was her father and her fairy tales to guide her. The character growth of Daphne was outrageous in a good way.
Rating: Four out of Five.
-Alice of Wonderlandt
February 18, 2012
I guess you could say that Sass & Serendipity was like a modern day-high school version of Sense & Sensibility (which is my 2nd favorite Jane Austen novel). Ziegler didn't follow the book to the letter, which is fine that she did her version of it, I just found it hard to pick out who the characters were supposed to be.
Gabby and Daphne are very very different in their personalities, of course and as they should be. They are like polar opposites, Daphne is a free spirit, daydreaming all the time. She just got a little carried away with her feelings (or a lot carried away) for Luke, I think they were getting in the way and clouding her judgment, but I do have to say that at least she knew what she wanted when it came to sex and wasn't going to give in to the peer pressure she was surrounded with at school, from the boys she dated to the girls willing to do anything with the boys they were seeing at the time without a care for their moral compass.
Gabby was just angry and cynical and too young to be as jaded as she was. She is a strong character but he didn't want to depend on anyone except maybe Mule her best friend and only then she wanted to complain about her life. In both girls there was some growth so I was glad to that. And I thought that she was really hard on Daphne quite a lot. I did tear up a little when Gabby confronted her dad about his issues but I was glad to see in the end that the mom and dad did some growing up of their own.
I was happy with the ending, it all turned out alright, and then writing was good, I liked Ziegler's descriptions of Daphne and Gabby feelings and Prentiss' too. I did think that Prentiss seemed more like Mr. Darcy than Edward Farris though. It was a cute book and some parts were really funny, I love retellings in a modern setting especially Jane Austen novels, so yeah I liked Sass & Serendipity.
Gabby and Daphne are very very different in their personalities, of course and as they should be. They are like polar opposites, Daphne is a free spirit, daydreaming all the time. She just got a little carried away with her feelings (or a lot carried away) for Luke, I think they were getting in the way and clouding her judgment, but I do have to say that at least she knew what she wanted when it came to sex and wasn't going to give in to the peer pressure she was surrounded with at school, from the boys she dated to the girls willing to do anything with the boys they were seeing at the time without a care for their moral compass.
Gabby was just angry and cynical and too young to be as jaded as she was. She is a strong character but he didn't want to depend on anyone except maybe Mule her best friend and only then she wanted to complain about her life. In both girls there was some growth so I was glad to that. And I thought that she was really hard on Daphne quite a lot. I did tear up a little when Gabby confronted her dad about his issues but I was glad to see in the end that the mom and dad did some growing up of their own.
I was happy with the ending, it all turned out alright, and then writing was good, I liked Ziegler's descriptions of Daphne and Gabby feelings and Prentiss' too. I did think that Prentiss seemed more like Mr. Darcy than Edward Farris though. It was a cute book and some parts were really funny, I love retellings in a modern setting especially Jane Austen novels, so yeah I liked Sass & Serendipity.
January 6, 2013
Is Jane Austen's book Sense and Sensibility your favourite pick ? Do you love the story of the Dashwood Sisters ? For me personally, I have always held a torch to the different renditions of the Austen tales more so than probably the originals though that is not to say I haven't read them all as they sit nicely on my bookshelf in the new Twilight Inspired covers.
Sass and Serendipity goes into the world of the Rivera family , where Mum - Liz has just seperated from her husband and works long hours , Oldest daughter Gabby who just wants to graduate and go to a great college and get the hell out of their smalltown and youngest Daphne who is all about fairy-tales and true love and all the gooey irresponsible things that come with it. With tight finances, Gabby has been working long hours at her job at the Cinemas and helping her mum out financially whilst Daphne who is supposed to be getting a job is flouncing around trying to get Luke - the new school hottie to date her. When troubles strike and their financial situation starts to go down the toilet so to speak, it looks like they might have to move and sell what they can. In a chance meeting though, it seems that their saviours might come in the form of the Applewhites . For Liz and Daphne this is the solution to all their problems but for Gabby, this is a disaster as a few years ago she fell head over heels for a guy who then died in a car accident , in the car and who survived was none other than Preston Applewhite. Can Gabby get a second chance at love and will her family start to be back on top again or is living at the Applewhites a waiting for disaster to strike moment ?
A great rendition of Sense and Sensibility and for those who are movie types , why not check out Material Girls , From Prada to Nada and Scents and Sensibilities which are all renditions of the Jane Austen tale
Sass and Serendipity goes into the world of the Rivera family , where Mum - Liz has just seperated from her husband and works long hours , Oldest daughter Gabby who just wants to graduate and go to a great college and get the hell out of their smalltown and youngest Daphne who is all about fairy-tales and true love and all the gooey irresponsible things that come with it. With tight finances, Gabby has been working long hours at her job at the Cinemas and helping her mum out financially whilst Daphne who is supposed to be getting a job is flouncing around trying to get Luke - the new school hottie to date her. When troubles strike and their financial situation starts to go down the toilet so to speak, it looks like they might have to move and sell what they can. In a chance meeting though, it seems that their saviours might come in the form of the Applewhites . For Liz and Daphne this is the solution to all their problems but for Gabby, this is a disaster as a few years ago she fell head over heels for a guy who then died in a car accident , in the car and who survived was none other than Preston Applewhite. Can Gabby get a second chance at love and will her family start to be back on top again or is living at the Applewhites a waiting for disaster to strike moment ?
A great rendition of Sense and Sensibility and for those who are movie types , why not check out Material Girls , From Prada to Nada and Scents and Sensibilities which are all renditions of the Jane Austen tale
July 29, 2013
Actual rating 2.5
Overall: I think I`m being nice because when I saw the reviews they weren`t good, but I decided to give it a shot. So after reading then I understood why.
Characters:
Gaby: okay my feelings about her I liked Gaby better then Daphne but she was so frustrating. She constantly bitches about everything and I mean everything. I get sometimes the world suck but look at a good side. Plus she wasn’t even a good friend to mule.
Daphne: She really acts likes a child. She acts not at even close to the age 15 .Like 10 with fairytales. And her romance was the most actually it wasn`t even romance it was all in head I think. I can`t even say any more.
Mule: I think he`s the actual decent character in the book
Story: I actually think it was good. Divorced parents are a topic I think many face with and that was possibly what then me going as a text to self-connection I could related .For the most part I found the book funny but I get why some people think it`s awful because it could have been better. There were parts were I was wow didn`t see that. But my favorite part was the humiliation!!
HUMILIATIONHUMILIATIONHUMILITION!!!!
I actually usually don`t like to because I don`t know when the main character is humiliated ughh, but for still I couldn`t stop it wasn`t to die for but for me it was
Spoilers!!!
The guy Daphne likes [serious he never give a hint but she thinks they are meant for each other like seriously it wasn`t even realistic She even thought of their marriage!!!!!!] so he didn`t ask her for prom and she thought he was being shy She goes to a party and tells her the cheesy well kind stupid speech thing and find Out he just slept with the queen bitch and Ms. popular And not only was that everyone listening.ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
So personally it`s not worth a shot
Overall: I think I`m being nice because when I saw the reviews they weren`t good, but I decided to give it a shot. So after reading then I understood why.
Characters:
Gaby: okay my feelings about her I liked Gaby better then Daphne but she was so frustrating. She constantly bitches about everything and I mean everything. I get sometimes the world suck but look at a good side. Plus she wasn’t even a good friend to mule.
Daphne: She really acts likes a child. She acts not at even close to the age 15 .Like 10 with fairytales. And her romance was the most actually it wasn`t even romance it was all in head I think. I can`t even say any more.
Mule: I think he`s the actual decent character in the book
Story: I actually think it was good. Divorced parents are a topic I think many face with and that was possibly what then me going as a text to self-connection I could related .For the most part I found the book funny but I get why some people think it`s awful because it could have been better. There were parts were I was wow didn`t see that. But my favorite part was the humiliation!!
HUMILIATIONHUMILIATIONHUMILITION!!!!
I actually usually don`t like to because I don`t know when the main character is humiliated ughh, but for still I couldn`t stop it wasn`t to die for but for me it was
Spoilers!!!
The guy Daphne likes [serious he never give a hint but she thinks they are meant for each other like seriously it wasn`t even realistic She even thought of their marriage!!!!!!] so he didn`t ask her for prom and she thought he was being shy She goes to a party and tells her the cheesy well kind stupid speech thing and find Out he just slept with the queen bitch and Ms. popular And not only was that everyone listening.ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
So personally it`s not worth a shot
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