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illusie's review against another edition
4.0
The main character Mim is crazy, but I like her anyway. She is witty, intelligent and adventurous. What I don't like is that she lies so much, but I forgive her. She goes on a journey where she finds herself. This book was a nice fast read and very fun.
committing_sins's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mimimilaa's review
1.0
Honestly, I wasn't particularly enjoying this book the entire time that I was reading it. Nothing captivated me; I was not invested in the characters or the plot. Because of this, I was basically forcing myself to finish this book because I hate not finishing books. There were occasionally some things that the main character did/said that I had some problems with. This began with "Poncho Man" and just continued on throughout the story.
However, once I got to page 256, I absolutely could not finish. Continue reading at your own risk, because I am about to explain my issues with a specific scene in the book.
When Walt (who I believe has Down Syndrome. It's not explicitly stated, but Mim relates him to a boy she knew named Ricky that had Down Sydrome.) has a bad reaction to MSG from the Chinese restaurant, I do not think it is realistic at all for all of the emergency rooms/hospitals/clinics to be closed for labor day weekend. Even in a small town; I am from a small town and that is not something that happens. Therefore, they take Walt to an veterinary clinic. This, I was a bit apprehensive about, but I kept reading, hoping that things would look up and get better.
BUT THEN, after they are back in the car and Walt is sleeping, Beck and Mim have a conversation that I have a HUGE problem with. Directly quoting:
Beck smiles down at him(Walt). "We totally just took Walt to the vet."
"Yeaaaah, to be fair, he is kind of our pet, though."
I'm sorry, NO. In my opinion, this is so harmful and not okay at all. After reading that, I couldn't force myself to continue anymore. Since I read 256 pages in this book, I am counting it as read and giving it a one star. Not only because of that conversation between Beck and Mim, but I also just didn't care at all about the story. I expected more and this just overall let me down.
However, once I got to page 256, I absolutely could not finish. Continue reading at your own risk, because I am about to explain my issues with a specific scene in the book.
When Walt (who I believe has Down Syndrome. It's not explicitly stated, but Mim relates him to a boy she knew named Ricky that had Down Sydrome.) has a bad reaction to MSG from the Chinese restaurant, I do not think it is realistic at all for all of the emergency rooms/hospitals/clinics to be closed for labor day weekend. Even in a small town; I am from a small town and that is not something that happens. Therefore, they take Walt to an veterinary clinic. This, I was a bit apprehensive about, but I kept reading, hoping that things would look up and get better.
BUT THEN, after they are back in the car and Walt is sleeping, Beck and Mim have a conversation that I have a HUGE problem with. Directly quoting:
Beck smiles down at him(Walt). "We totally just took Walt to the vet."
"Yeaaaah, to be fair, he is kind of our pet, though."
I'm sorry, NO. In my opinion, this is so harmful and not okay at all. After reading that, I couldn't force myself to continue anymore. Since I read 256 pages in this book, I am counting it as read and giving it a one star. Not only because of that conversation between Beck and Mim, but I also just didn't care at all about the story. I expected more and this just overall let me down.
hey_hail's review against another edition
3.0
While not bad, this book is not memorable. I only read it a few months ago and I couldn’t tell you much about the plot points aside from the one about the Mom you could see coming from a mile away.
endymarch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dilchh's review against another edition
4.0
Now this definitely vindicate my horrible experience with The Glittering World as my first book in 2016, I should have read this one instead, but then again on my defence I technically read The Glittering World in 2015, it’s just that I finished it in 2016, but whatever I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the amazing book that is Mosquitoland. Honestly, I didn’t expect this book to be this much fun, but it did and that’s why I am beyond excited to share this at right about now.
Mim’s adventure going to Cleveland is definitely the fruit of my nightmare; every single thing that had happened to her (safe for the awesome adventure that Mim had with her newfound family) is nothing if not crazy (and not the good kind of crazy), but it definitely make for a great story, some is definitely interesting but some is definitely just too crazy, even for me. The highlight of the story is definitely our main character, Mim. It really helps that she’s a sarcastic and a smartypants, and that’s just my kind of girl.
If I have to be completely honest, the premise of the story is a common one; an angsty teenage girl runaway from home to come to his/her mum/dad because they don’t like living with the other set of the parents. The road trip that he/she took will be nothing if not wrong and full of problems, only for her/him to form an awesome friendship along the way. Then when she/he reached her/his destination, they’re just going to be disappointed by what they found, be it that their other set of parents that are not interested in them or for other reasons. So, now you know why I didn’t expect to like this book, right? Thankfully, the fast paced and the witty voice of our heroine made the story felt incredibly fresh and enjoyable. I could totally be friends with Mim in real life, but I get the feeling she wouldn’t want to be my friend though.
Oh one thing that nags me, Beckett van Buren? That does not sound like a real name at all. But, it’s not important, because he seems to be a cool person so I’ll give it a pass. And at the end of the day, I wished for a good ending for Walt. And, yes please, do give this book a try even if coming of age stories is not your thing; you can at least give this book a go for its misadventures and the impeccable Mim Malone that she is. Seriously, Mim Malone is the highlight of this book; her voice and her personality gave this book life and I would like to applaud the author for making that happen.
Mim’s adventure going to Cleveland is definitely the fruit of my nightmare; every single thing that had happened to her (safe for the awesome adventure that Mim had with her newfound family) is nothing if not crazy (and not the good kind of crazy), but it definitely make for a great story, some is definitely interesting but some is definitely just too crazy, even for me. The highlight of the story is definitely our main character, Mim. It really helps that she’s a sarcastic and a smartypants, and that’s just my kind of girl.
If I have to be completely honest, the premise of the story is a common one; an angsty teenage girl runaway from home to come to his/her mum/dad because they don’t like living with the other set of the parents. The road trip that he/she took will be nothing if not wrong and full of problems, only for her/him to form an awesome friendship along the way. Then when she/he reached her/his destination, they’re just going to be disappointed by what they found, be it that their other set of parents that are not interested in them or for other reasons. So, now you know why I didn’t expect to like this book, right? Thankfully, the fast paced and the witty voice of our heroine made the story felt incredibly fresh and enjoyable. I could totally be friends with Mim in real life, but I get the feeling she wouldn’t want to be my friend though.
Oh one thing that nags me, Beckett van Buren? That does not sound like a real name at all. But, it’s not important, because he seems to be a cool person so I’ll give it a pass. And at the end of the day, I wished for a good ending for Walt. And, yes please, do give this book a try even if coming of age stories is not your thing; you can at least give this book a go for its misadventures and the impeccable Mim Malone that she is. Seriously, Mim Malone is the highlight of this book; her voice and her personality gave this book life and I would like to applaud the author for making that happen.
zsarge's review against another edition
2.0
"I AM MARY Iris Malone, and I am not okay."
- First sentence of the book.
However you feel about that sentence will determine how you feel about this book.
- First sentence of the book.
However you feel about that sentence will determine how you feel about this book.
rockymthorrorshow's review against another edition
5.0
No it's fine, not like I'm crying or anything
Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. Amazingly funny and human, well worth your time. This is definitely going in the re-read pile.
Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. Amazingly funny and human, well worth your time. This is definitely going in the re-read pile.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
Ik ben absoluut geen fan van roadtrips. Over het algemeen vind ik het nodeloze omwegen die nergens heen gaan. En hoewel dit boek overduidelijk wel wat diepgang mist om dat volledig te ontkrachten, moet ik het boek toch vier sterren geven omdat het me aan het huilen heeft gekregen.
Wat opvalt aan het boek is de prachtige schrijfstijl waarin het geschreven is. Aan de ene kant past de schrijfstijl perfect bij het personage, aan de andere kant zitten er prachtige zinnen in met woordspelingen die ik zelf nooit zou kunnen bedenken. Mijn complimenten ook voor de vertaler van Blossom Books. Het is ongetwijfeld geen makkelijke klus geweest, maar de boodschap komt prima over.
Daarnaast weet Arnold in de weinige pagina's die dit verhaal telt toch levendige karakters te creëren. We weten niet alles van ze. We weten eigenlijk heel weinig van ze, maar door hun aparte karaktertrekken, hun eigenheid en het feit dat ze gewoon zijn wie ze zijn, zijn ze wel heel realistisch, echt en uniek.
Het is misschien niet het meest spectaculaire verhaal dat ik ooit gelezen heb, maar het was wel lief en aandoenlijk en bij vlagen doordrenkt met hele nuttige wijze raad. En al met al, heb ik er toch wel van genoten.
Wat opvalt aan het boek is de prachtige schrijfstijl waarin het geschreven is. Aan de ene kant past de schrijfstijl perfect bij het personage, aan de andere kant zitten er prachtige zinnen in met woordspelingen die ik zelf nooit zou kunnen bedenken. Mijn complimenten ook voor de vertaler van Blossom Books. Het is ongetwijfeld geen makkelijke klus geweest, maar de boodschap komt prima over.
Daarnaast weet Arnold in de weinige pagina's die dit verhaal telt toch levendige karakters te creëren. We weten niet alles van ze. We weten eigenlijk heel weinig van ze, maar door hun aparte karaktertrekken, hun eigenheid en het feit dat ze gewoon zijn wie ze zijn, zijn ze wel heel realistisch, echt en uniek.
Het is misschien niet het meest spectaculaire verhaal dat ik ooit gelezen heb, maar het was wel lief en aandoenlijk en bij vlagen doordrenkt met hele nuttige wijze raad. En al met al, heb ik er toch wel van genoten.
thecurseofchris's review against another edition
4.0
A nice coming-of-age road trip story, and the ending is not what you expect. The characters you meet along the way are all very likable, and the story is very fun. Audiobook was narrated perfectly.