I am so happy this book exists. I wish it was something I had when I was younger. This is a great book for preteens, teens, and adults. It isI am so happy this book exists. I wish it was something I had when I was younger. This is a great book for preteens, teens, and adults. It is educational and entertaining.
There is a diverse group of friends in this book that everyone can find something to relate to. They are such a wonderful example of female friendships. It's healthy and understanding. They go through trials. There is such a great example of communication and forgiveness, I just want to force it into everyone's hands. It's how we all should be treating each other, especially our friends.
Additionally, this open and understanding conversation about periods. It should be talked about more. I didn't have an open conversation with someone other than my mom or sister about periods until I was in college. We can eliminate so much stigma and ingrained discrimination by having this conversation at early ages. I am so happy that I have read two graphic novels (GO WITH THE FLOW and GUTS) for young teens having conversations between girls about natural bodily functions that happens to every female.
Thank goodness for these authors, artists, and publishers for putting these books out in the work.
What a delicious candy book! This book definitely grew on me. I struggled in the beginning with the obnoxious, overused book references. Also, IWhat a delicious candy book! This book definitely grew on me. I struggled in the beginning with the obnoxious, overused book references. Also, I thought Toff was an asshole at the start. I am not one for the surfer boys but he grew on me.
Eventually, I fell into this word and enjoyed the slow, slow burn of this romance. It was sweet and I liked the more subtle references to the books. Amy was cute and girly and enjoyable. I also liked the completely positive take on romance novels and how there was no shame in it.
Overall, this was a great read. Fun for a teenage romance novel. It is probably for an older teen but still great. I was invested enough to keep going and see how this romance played out. So push through the awkward in the beginning and enjoy the ride.
I found this book oddly fascinating. I have always been a fan of the type of stories that play with structure. This one wove stories together aroundI found this book oddly fascinating. I have always been a fan of the type of stories that play with structure. This one wove stories together around one declining athlete. It was a little like Tartuffe, go with me on this. Everyone talked about Jason Goodyear in this book but we never really got to meet him until the end. Same with Tartuffe. Everyone talk about Tartuffe but we don't meet him until Act III. I enjoy that kind of storytelling.
Normally, I am not a fan of short stories or essays. I struggle with liking all of them. But when they intertwine like this, it's cool to see how the author brings it all together. She made me want to follow the lives of these characters, giving me just enough without overwhelming me with information.
Weirdly, it was a slice of life book and usually, I'm not a fan of those either. All of this was kind of an ordinary story, if not somewhat predictable. Still, I liked it. I liked the baseball (which I'm already a fan of), I liked the interpersonal relationships and I liked watching the decline of a supposed superstar. It's a singular familiar story told from different angles which was well written. Each of the characters had great voices and memorable stories.
I am looking forward to what more this author has to offer and I hope people enjoy this book when it comes out in February 2020.
I LOVE THE ADVENTURE ZONE. I will also be biased towards these books. I don't even care. It's a brilliant adaptation. And yes, it's an adaptation ofI LOVE THE ADVENTURE ZONE. I will also be biased towards these books. I don't even care. It's a brilliant adaptation. And yes, it's an adaptation of the podcast. There are some significant changes in this one. We don't get the centipede fight, or the monster Bureau initiation fight. There is also a different ending to this one but the spirit, and the humor is still the same at the podcast.
I am obsessed with Griffin's character and the metafictional aspect of this graphic novel. I also love how it still makes me laugh out loud. You instantly remember moments from the podcast that make it into the story -- even the smallest details like the Kenny Chesney tattoo. It's so great.
Also, this art is incredible! Casey does a fantastic job and I can't image the work she puts into these projects. I seriously hope they continue the whole series. I will wait each year for these until I'm 40 if needed.
This is not my kind of book. Before you read any further, I did not like this book because it is not my type of book. And this review is going to tellThis is not my kind of book. Before you read any further, I did not like this book because it is not my type of book. And this review is going to tell you why. I'm not discouraging you from reading it because you may think it is awesome but I didn't and that's okay. So, just know that going into this, I acknowledge this might be a really cool book for some people but I am not one of those people.
Okay, disclaimer over. Holy crap I didn't like this book. I would have DNFed it fifty pages in if I didn't have to finish it for an panel talk. Seriously though, I just didn't care. I have a problem with robot books. I do. I liked CINDER but that was because CINDER was human before she had parts of her replaced by machine. Ana is all machine. She's not real. And I get that that is the whole point of the story and it tries to get really deep about define love and life and realness but no, just no. I wasn't buying it. And it caused me not to care.
I also find robot love stories to be really creepy. Movies like HER or I, ROBOT or even LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (although that one gets a pass because he at least recognizes the fact that she's not real and starts to heal) creep me out. It might be very narrowminded of me but robots are not people and cannot love and falling in love with a robot is falling in love with a fantasy and I'm not buying it.
So the whole relationship between Owen and Ana was stupid and annoying and in my opinion was forced. Also I knew he wasn't dead the moment they started talking about murder. It was lame and predictable and once again, I didn't care.
I tried to finish this book as fast as possible because the whole world was lame (and actually really hard to understand, but that might have been because I had an ARC and there was no map and no pictures where there were supposed to be pictures). The characters had no depth for me, I had no sympathy for the robot animals too (which was another weird and hard to follow aspect). I'm trying to finish writing this review and all I want to say is that I wish I didn't have to read this book. I would have much rather spent my time on something I actually knew I would enjoy.
Conclusion: You may like it but I certainly didn't...more
This book began weak and continued to diminish. I wanted to DNF it but I didn't due to work reasons but man, I was unimpressed with this work. WhichThis book began weak and continued to diminish. I wanted to DNF it but I didn't due to work reasons but man, I was unimpressed with this work. Which makes me sad. Because I liked that dance aspect. I thought Chloe's love of dance was the best part of the whole thing.
The entire premise is ridiculous. It's like it was trying too hard to be a rom com. And maybe it's the place I'm at in my life, but I didn't want to read about a young girl lying to her mother to make a dance audition and somehow gets tricked into taking a boy she hates (who you know she's going to fall in love with) and a dog. Because...we had to have some sort of plot I guess.
Chloe was annoying. And whiney. Shut up about your over protective mother already. I get it -- really, I have one -- but you need to realize her perspective. That it's out of love and how blessed are you to have a mother that cares so deeply about you. Shut up already. Or just tell her and talk to her about how you feel. This whole thing wouldn't have happened if Chloe had just trusted her mom and trusted that relationship. And the "everything happens for a reason" moral they were trying to pull off was just lame and unnecessary.
Eric is a dick. There, I said it. Again, it was like the book was trying too hard to make him a bad boy but then he had no redeemable qualities except that he was an artist and said he was sorry about a thing that was not entirely his fault.
I get it, this book is YA. It's about teenagers. But I have read lots of book about teenagers that aren't this lame, boring, unbelievable and utterly stupid. This book was weak all around, with weak voice, characters, plot and writing. Moving on, next book please.
What a cute book! It just gives you lots of happy feels, drops some hard truths and gives great character growth.
I couldn't stop thinking of ROMANWhat a cute book! It just gives you lots of happy feels, drops some hard truths and gives great character growth.
I couldn't stop thinking of ROMAN HOLIDAY when I was reading this book. I love that movie and the sort of magic that happens to Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn over the course of that day. It's an once-in-a-lifetime adventure that happens to both of them and that is perfectly replicated in this book. There is this effect that happens to both characters that forever changes them. It also has a bit of THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR feel to it as well but lighter. The subjects aren't as heavy but it feels like the stakes are just as high.
I learned so much about Hong Kong and Korean culture. It was informative and entertaining and fascinating. The food! Oh my gosh, you need snackage while reading this book because there is so much food, you are going to get hungry I promise.
I thought the characters complimented each other well and did their own growing which was definitely needed. The biggest problem I had with this book was the beginning when Lucky was "high". I don't really know what to call it because she was coherent (ish) but she mixed her sleeping pills and her anxiety meds. I spent the whole first third of the book just worried about her. I knew that Jack was going take of her (because that's how romance novels work) but honestly, I just kept thinking about how much danger she was in and that feeling, my own anxiety toward it, made it impossible for me to enjoy the first part of the book. I almost DNFed it. I didn't and I'm glad I didn't but it was rough going there.
Overall, this is another great addition to Maurene Goo's collection. I am happy these books exist and I think a lot of people will enjoy them.
On the one hand, it was riveting. Spell-binding. Captivating and I didn't want to stop listening. It wasI have such mixed feelings about this book.
On the one hand, it was riveting. Spell-binding. Captivating and I didn't want to stop listening. It was such an intriguing story and crime and the way Marzano-Lesnevich was weaving was well done.
On the other hand, especially toward the end, I was bored. I wanted to skip chapters and sections and skim over parts.
It, honestly, came in waves. There were sections I was invested in and eager for more. And others where I begged her to stop talking and I had to stop the audiobook. Hence the three starts. I'm unsure I would purchase this book but I would recommend it to the right type of person.
I will say, one of the more fascinating parts, was the idea of "a body" and her continued examination of what that word meant in different contexts. The answers a body revealed, when a person became a body, and what bodies could reveal about the past. That entire concept stuck with me.
I liked this book but it wasn't extraordinary. It was expected and followed YA tropes, and plotlines to a tee. That's not bad...but just ordinary.I liked this book but it wasn't extraordinary. It was expected and followed YA tropes, and plotlines to a tee. That's not bad...but just ordinary. It's another good YA fantasy.
You've got your main heroine who is down on her luck and motivated by family. She has something a little extra special about her that she doesn't know all that much about. Then through some lucky circumstances, she meets the love of her life but it takes forever for them to really love one another because they are on opposite sides of something. There is someone after her for her special abilities. She also finds a rise in circumstance and status and forgets what she was fighting for in the first place. Then when her family is threatened, she does everything she can and eventually stands up for her love, and ultimately herself to defeat the bad guy. Then she gets everything she wants and all is well.
Ta-da! There's your story. What was good about this one was the world. I liked the elitism and the historical elements. The small steampunk elements were cool too -- with the inventions and hot air balloons. And I liked the whole concept of freedom. There was some good diversity and privilege conversations in there too.
My favorite element though was her dress. I won't give too much away, in that there is a magical dress that kind of has a mind of its own. I liked the fact that there was this magical object that was feminine and strong and beautiful and devious all at the same time. It was complex and interesting to me. A little Audrey II for my taste, but still cool.
In the end, I liked it. Am I going to buy it? Probably not. But am I going to recommend it? Sure -- I definitely think there is an audience for this; it's a predictably YA fantasy afterall. But it just doesn't bring anything unique to the genre.
Oh my gosh it's over, thank goodness! I only read this book out of necessity and I feel like it could have been, should have been a novella.
BasicallyOh my gosh it's over, thank goodness! I only read this book out of necessity and I feel like it could have been, should have been a novella.
Basically you could read the last fifty pages or so and have exactly what you need going into KINGDOM OF ASH. I don't really know why this book exists. I never cared about Chaol or Nesryn and it feels like a cop out. Like she wasn't ready to finish the story with Aelin and needed something to occupy her time.
Also, weirdly, this book made me hate Aelin more. I already am not her biggest fan...sometimes so much that I wonder why I am reading this series still but whatever. It was like a book that was just there to help Chaol get over his break up with Aelin and deal with his shit. And then some other stuff happened and we figured out the secret weapon to defeat the Vlag. Ta dah! Book done.
But no, we got 660 pages more than we needed. Filled with clishe things like hope is the answer and having to push through your shit and baggage in order to deal with it. And then the binding of two souls to save one, were one lover is on the verge of death and it takes a big ask to save them...which is a huge SJM trope. It's basically the ending of ever COURT book.
So yeah, that was a thing. I guess you have to read it. Or find someone to read it and then tell you what happens so you can go into KINGDOM OF ASH fully caught up. Now I plan to tackle that beast in December. Wish me luck.
Conclusion: Keep, if only so I can have a complete set...more
I honestly can't remember why I originally gave this three stars. I think I didn't understand it at first. What really hit me this time around was theI honestly can't remember why I originally gave this three stars. I think I didn't understand it at first. What really hit me this time around was the depiction of mental health and the well-rounded nature of this book. Yes, there is a main storyline about romance. However, there is a storyline with Cath's dad, sister, estranged mother, and roommate. Finally, her ability to stand up to Nick at the end and not wanting him to take credit for her work was a great redeeming moment.
I do have a bit of an issue that everything seemed to fix itself when Cath got a boyfriend. But I still liked that everything got resolved. I appreciate that all of the storylines were tied up and at least became a "happy for now" situation.
The fanfiction stuff was cool again. It does bother me that Simon Snow and Harry Potter apparently exist in the same universe. It's hard to believe that ANYTHING surpassed Harry Potter so quickly, like Simon Snow could have. Especially when they're basically the same f'ing thing. Also, I don't like how self-depricating they were about fanfiction. It's like, make up your mind. It's either valid or it's lame. Be a supporter of it or condemn it. Even characters that were supposed to be so in favor, Cath herself, would use derogatory language about it. Just make up your mind, please.
I also wanted to see more of Cath's growth as a writer. I hate that we go so much fanfiction but only got slivers of her final project. Also, I kind of hate that she put it off until the last two weeks and still somehow wrote an award-winning 10k short story. Did she not edit it? Did she get anyone to beta-read it? I understand that she's talented but she's not a prodedgy. She's still human. She can't produce perfection in two weeks. I refuse to believe it.
All in all, I was addicted to this book. I wanted to keep listening to it, instead of my podcasts or music. That says something about how much you fall in love the characters and the story and the concept. It's a good book and I understand why everyone likes it. Sometimes it's still problematic and unnecessarily long, still good and hits a soft spot of YA readers everywhere.
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