Scan barcode
bookdevouringmisfit's review
4.0
Full-on riot and laugh out loud. I didn't mind the lack of romance at all. I was way too busy pissing my pants off to notice the lack of swoon-factor. Liz Czukas makes the funniest stories and characters ever!
mehsi's review
5.0
I never tried Liz Czukas' books before this one, but I can say I am a fan now and will be checking out her other books in the hopes that that one will be as awesome as this one!
What do you get if you stuff 6 teenagers in one supermarket on Christmas eve due to them being under suspicion of stealing a lot of money from the donation box? Hilarious and interesting situations, friendships and romances blooming and secrets revealed. I thought it might get boring, but thankfully it was all interesting and I had so much fun reading about the characters.
Our main character, ah I loved her, she was interesting, fun and I loved her lists. I spend a lot of time laughing at all her lists and how she was trying to cut on making the lists (which pretty much failed since she kept making lists in her head). She has a big crush on a boy and tries all kinds of stuff to make sure he knows. Which of course, all pretty much fail.
She is also diabetic, and I found that an interesting thing to have added. Especially since she doesn't want people to know, but I think she should have told them. Everyone was spilling their guts and telling stuff and she kept such an important thing for herself. And readers know what happened because she didn't want to tell/bother people with it.
But besides that little thing I really liked her. And I didn't mind her attitude towards her mom that much. I can imagine that a teenager doesn't want her mom to be fussing over her constantly because of her diabetes.
All the other characters were wonderful. I don't think I have a favourite out of them. At first I didn't like them. Zainia was cold, Sammi was just bleh and Gabe was just annoying and frustrating. But then we started learning about their things and we find out why they act like they acted. And then you start to really like them and cheer for them all. Hoping that really none of them had to do with the whole money stealing thing.
The only characters I didn't like were the owner and Kris. Kris was mostly due to events happening in the book, and the owner was just shitty from the beginning. And I am not sure, but isn't it kind of illegal to lock kids up in a room because of accusations? Maybe if the police could have gotten there immediately it wouldn't have been that big of a problem, however they have been stuck for hours.
I loved the ending. From fluffy/mystery/comedy to action and sensation. It was a wonderful way to end a book. Though that was not all, certain events at the last few pages just had me cheering.
All in all this is one book I would really recommend to all! You will laugh out loud, swoon, fangirl and cheer!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
What do you get if you stuff 6 teenagers in one supermarket on Christmas eve due to them being under suspicion of stealing a lot of money from the donation box? Hilarious and interesting situations, friendships and romances blooming and secrets revealed. I thought it might get boring, but thankfully it was all interesting and I had so much fun reading about the characters.
Our main character, ah I loved her, she was interesting, fun and I loved her lists. I spend a lot of time laughing at all her lists and how she was trying to cut on making the lists (which pretty much failed since she kept making lists in her head). She has a big crush on a boy and tries all kinds of stuff to make sure he knows. Which of course, all pretty much fail.
She is also diabetic, and I found that an interesting thing to have added. Especially since she doesn't want people to know, but I think she should have told them. Everyone was spilling their guts and telling stuff and she kept such an important thing for herself. And readers know what happened because she didn't want to tell/bother people with it.
But besides that little thing I really liked her. And I didn't mind her attitude towards her mom that much. I can imagine that a teenager doesn't want her mom to be fussing over her constantly because of her diabetes.
All the other characters were wonderful. I don't think I have a favourite out of them. At first I didn't like them. Zainia was cold, Sammi was just bleh and Gabe was just annoying and frustrating. But then we started learning about their things and we find out why they act like they acted. And then you start to really like them and cheer for them all. Hoping that really none of them had to do with the whole money stealing thing.
The only characters I didn't like were the owner and Kris. Kris was mostly due to events happening in the book, and the owner was just shitty from the beginning. And I am not sure, but isn't it kind of illegal to lock kids up in a room because of accusations? Maybe if the police could have gotten there immediately it wouldn't have been that big of a problem, however they have been stuck for hours.
I loved the ending. From fluffy/mystery/comedy to action and sensation. It was a wonderful way to end a book. Though that was not all, certain events at the last few pages just had me cheering.
All in all this is one book I would really recommend to all! You will laugh out loud, swoon, fangirl and cheer!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
janewhitehurst's review
3.0
I didn't love/hate this book. It had a very Breakfast Club feel to it, but never made it to that level. The premise is that a group of teens (all very different and not friends) are questioned at the grocery store where they work after money comes up missing from the store. Obviously, personal growth and friendship follows. I think it would be good for young teens. They wouldn't get the BC reference and would most likely find it fun.
nicolemhewitt's review
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This book was very cute, and it had a distinctly Breakfast Club sort of feel (purposely - the movie was actually mentioned once or twice). I loved Chloe's obsession with lists and the interesting menagerie of characters who worked in the store with her. The mystery of who stole the money that went missing wasn't too much of a surprise, but it was kind of fun to see them get to the truth. Toward the middle of the book, I started to feel like it was too close to the John Hughes film, though - and I didn't feel like it necessarily translated as well to a book. Madcap teenage adventures that are fun to watch for some reason didn't feel as fun to read about - not that I didn't like the book, I just got a bit bored midway through. Things picked up again at the end, though!
Overall, I wasn't as in love with this book as I am with Czukas's NA books (which she publishes under the name Ellie Cahill) for some reason - I can't quite figure out why, since her NA books have the same light, fluffy feel to them and they make me smile from ear to ear. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for fluff when I read this one? I give it 3/5 Stars!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher at RT 2015 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book was very cute, and it had a distinctly Breakfast Club sort of feel (purposely - the movie was actually mentioned once or twice). I loved Chloe's obsession with lists and the interesting menagerie of characters who worked in the store with her. The mystery of who stole the money that went missing wasn't too much of a surprise, but it was kind of fun to see them get to the truth. Toward the middle of the book, I started to feel like it was too close to the John Hughes film, though - and I didn't feel like it necessarily translated as well to a book. Madcap teenage adventures that are fun to watch for some reason didn't feel as fun to read about - not that I didn't like the book, I just got a bit bored midway through. Things picked up again at the end, though!
Overall, I wasn't as in love with this book as I am with Czukas's NA books (which she publishes under the name Ellie Cahill) for some reason - I can't quite figure out why, since her NA books have the same light, fluffy feel to them and they make me smile from ear to ear. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for fluff when I read this one? I give it 3/5 Stars!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher at RT 2015 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
neveroutofbooks's review
4.0
It was nice to read something like this after the previous books I've read. This book takes place over one Christmas Eve shift at a grocery store. Six teens are accused of stealing charity money and while they wait for the police, a lot happens. Great book!
inkstndfngrs's review
3.0
So...basically, if you ever wanted a read-a-like to The Breakfast Club, that takes place in a large grocery store...this is it. It brought back some terrible memories of working in WalMart for 6.5 years for me, and the initial introduction of Sammi made me feel like the author had stalked me (but there were plenty of differences after that).
Otherwise, a decent, quick read to fill the time. A nice quasi-Holiday book (sorta like Die Hard being a Christmas movie...though Die Hard, this book is not! ...although there are cops).
Otherwise, a decent, quick read to fill the time. A nice quasi-Holiday book (sorta like Die Hard being a Christmas movie...though Die Hard, this book is not! ...although there are cops).
brandypainter's review
5.0
4.5 stars really, but so much fun!
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
I read Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas earlier this year and found it to be quite fun. However, I LOVE her new book Top Ten Clues You're Clueless. It's basically The Breakfast Club with Christmas thrown in. Because instead of serving Saturday detention, this group of unlikely teen companions are all working the same Christmas Eve grocery store shift.
Chloe is a list maker. She starts every day with a list and makes several more as she goes about her day. She has many running lists to which she continually adds. In addition to being a list maker she is a reader of mysteries, a red head, a girl with a massive crush on a co-worker, and a diabetic. On Christmas Eve she is required to work her regular job as a cashier at the grocery store. Many people are working including all of the young high school employees. All six of them. When there is a lot less money in the holiday donation box than is expected, all six of the teens are accused of working alone or together to steal the money and are held at work until the police can arrive to question them. In the interim they have to decide whether or not to trust each other and band together. In the process they begin to bond and get to know each other better than they ever thought possible.
This book is all about the characters.
Zaina: the perfect, beautiful, Muslim, Lebanese immigrant who just wants the chance to figure out who she is outside of others expectations of her
Sammi: the tough skater girl with an attitude and an interesting rapport with Gabe
Gabe: basketball player, charmer, flirt, and golden rich boy who seems to understand Sammi better than she understands herself
Micah: a sweet, nerdy, homeschool boy who loves science and is curious about the world and everyone in it
Tyson: charming, fun, polite, and always willing to help out, he is just trying to save as much money as he can for college and is the object of Chloe's affections
Their story is narrated by Chloe and while she is ostensibly the focus, the reader comes to know all of them well as the narrative unfolds. The cast of characters here is diverse and yet there isn't a reliance on stereotypes or cliche's to mold them. Instead Czukas allows dialog and interactions to reveal each person's character and uses the other character's assumptions-assumptions most readers would have too-to challenge and bring out hidden details. All of these characters are so endearing. I loved every single one of them. I do think Chloe is the best vehicle through which to tell their collective story, but I find myself really wanting to have stories from all of the rest of them too, particularly Sammi and Zaina. I also enjoyed the wider observations of the world at large that came from seeing a grocery store through the eyes of the people who work there. Chloe's voice is genuine, a combination of cluelessness and wisdom that teens just starting to figure out the world often have.
The mystery isn't all that hard to figure out, but I completely bought how all of it came together. I could see the decisions that led to a bunch of mostly minors being held for hours at their job on Christmas Eve actually happening. I could also see why they all decided to cooperate and not give their parents the details of why they were staying late. The set-up is perfect in every way, and the conversations about life that came out of it were equally perfect.
There is a touch of romance, but it is not the focus of the book. It really is just the briefest of touches. And I love that this also turned out to be a Christmas story. It is one I will buy and enjoy every year now.
I read an e-galley provided by the publisher, Harper Teen, via Edelweiss. Top Ten Clues Your Clueless is available for sale on December 9th.
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
I read Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas earlier this year and found it to be quite fun. However, I LOVE her new book Top Ten Clues You're Clueless. It's basically The Breakfast Club with Christmas thrown in. Because instead of serving Saturday detention, this group of unlikely teen companions are all working the same Christmas Eve grocery store shift.
Chloe is a list maker. She starts every day with a list and makes several more as she goes about her day. She has many running lists to which she continually adds. In addition to being a list maker she is a reader of mysteries, a red head, a girl with a massive crush on a co-worker, and a diabetic. On Christmas Eve she is required to work her regular job as a cashier at the grocery store. Many people are working including all of the young high school employees. All six of them. When there is a lot less money in the holiday donation box than is expected, all six of the teens are accused of working alone or together to steal the money and are held at work until the police can arrive to question them. In the interim they have to decide whether or not to trust each other and band together. In the process they begin to bond and get to know each other better than they ever thought possible.
This book is all about the characters.
Zaina: the perfect, beautiful, Muslim, Lebanese immigrant who just wants the chance to figure out who she is outside of others expectations of her
Sammi: the tough skater girl with an attitude and an interesting rapport with Gabe
Gabe: basketball player, charmer, flirt, and golden rich boy who seems to understand Sammi better than she understands herself
Micah: a sweet, nerdy, homeschool boy who loves science and is curious about the world and everyone in it
Tyson: charming, fun, polite, and always willing to help out, he is just trying to save as much money as he can for college and is the object of Chloe's affections
Their story is narrated by Chloe and while she is ostensibly the focus, the reader comes to know all of them well as the narrative unfolds. The cast of characters here is diverse and yet there isn't a reliance on stereotypes or cliche's to mold them. Instead Czukas allows dialog and interactions to reveal each person's character and uses the other character's assumptions-assumptions most readers would have too-to challenge and bring out hidden details. All of these characters are so endearing. I loved every single one of them. I do think Chloe is the best vehicle through which to tell their collective story, but I find myself really wanting to have stories from all of the rest of them too, particularly Sammi and Zaina. I also enjoyed the wider observations of the world at large that came from seeing a grocery store through the eyes of the people who work there. Chloe's voice is genuine, a combination of cluelessness and wisdom that teens just starting to figure out the world often have.
The mystery isn't all that hard to figure out, but I completely bought how all of it came together. I could see the decisions that led to a bunch of mostly minors being held for hours at their job on Christmas Eve actually happening. I could also see why they all decided to cooperate and not give their parents the details of why they were staying late. The set-up is perfect in every way, and the conversations about life that came out of it were equally perfect.
There is a touch of romance, but it is not the focus of the book. It really is just the briefest of touches. And I love that this also turned out to be a Christmas story. It is one I will buy and enjoy every year now.
I read an e-galley provided by the publisher, Harper Teen, via Edelweiss. Top Ten Clues Your Clueless is available for sale on December 9th.
nagam's review
4.0
Super, super fun. Love that it takes place in one day. In a grocery store. On Christmas Eve! Just so much to love here. 4.5 stars, probably.
girlinthepages's review
3.0
5 Things About This Book:
1) It’s deceptively Chistmas-y. Until Lauren brought it to my attention, I had no idea this was a holiday book. It actually takes place on Christmas Eve, and rather than being a “holiday” book, it’s more like a book that just so happens to take place on a holiday.
2) It has a Breakfast Club vibe. Chloe and her fellow teen coworkers are all detained after their Christmas Eve shift under suspicion of theft. As they wait for the police to arrive in the snowstorm, shenannigans ensue as they have the run of the store to themselves.
3) The protagonist has diabetes. I thought this was a really interesting aspect of the book, to see how Chloe’s condition impacted her day to day life and how she managed it.
4) It’s very YA. The setting, the circumstances, the group of teens that seem to come from every walk of life…it’s all very YA, fluffy in the right ways but also lightly grazing some more serious topics. While it was a fun read and pretty much what I expected, I wish the author had given a bit more weight to some of the issues that were brought up.
5) It’s a little predictable. Maybe I read too many mysteries, or maybe it just wasn’t that hard to figure out, by I figured out the “culprit” pretty early on. I still enjoyed Chloe’s love of mysteries and her encouraging everyone to try to solve it with her, though! This book is just plain cute.
1) It’s deceptively Chistmas-y. Until Lauren brought it to my attention, I had no idea this was a holiday book. It actually takes place on Christmas Eve, and rather than being a “holiday” book, it’s more like a book that just so happens to take place on a holiday.
2) It has a Breakfast Club vibe. Chloe and her fellow teen coworkers are all detained after their Christmas Eve shift under suspicion of theft. As they wait for the police to arrive in the snowstorm, shenannigans ensue as they have the run of the store to themselves.
3) The protagonist has diabetes. I thought this was a really interesting aspect of the book, to see how Chloe’s condition impacted her day to day life and how she managed it.
4) It’s very YA. The setting, the circumstances, the group of teens that seem to come from every walk of life…it’s all very YA, fluffy in the right ways but also lightly grazing some more serious topics. While it was a fun read and pretty much what I expected, I wish the author had given a bit more weight to some of the issues that were brought up.
5) It’s a little predictable. Maybe I read too many mysteries, or maybe it just wasn’t that hard to figure out, by I figured out the “culprit” pretty early on. I still enjoyed Chloe’s love of mysteries and her encouraging everyone to try to solve it with her, though! This book is just plain cute.