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melaniereadsbooks's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press Audio for an alc of this book.
Alison is recruited to produce her school's play of Midsummer Night's Dream, and hopes that it will help her win her ultimate goal of becoming valedictorian. Along the way, basically everything that could go wrong does, and Alison will have to learn not to be so much of a perfectionist if she wants to keep her friends and her sanity.
This book was pretty cute and fairly interesting. There were definitely some funny parts that had me laughing, and I loved that the setting was a high school play. I didn't really like the main character because I felt like she was just...too much. What I mean by that is there wasn't a lot of subtlety in her personality and she basically was an overactive caricature of a straight-A student. This was also a problem I had with some of the other characters, who all kind of just felt like one thing, or a stereotype, and didn't really have fully-fledged personalities.
I definitely would have liked this more if it had more character development, but I liked the diversity and thought that some good lessons were learned!
Alison is recruited to produce her school's play of Midsummer Night's Dream, and hopes that it will help her win her ultimate goal of becoming valedictorian. Along the way, basically everything that could go wrong does, and Alison will have to learn not to be so much of a perfectionist if she wants to keep her friends and her sanity.
This book was pretty cute and fairly interesting. There were definitely some funny parts that had me laughing, and I loved that the setting was a high school play. I didn't really like the main character because I felt like she was just...too much. What I mean by that is there wasn't a lot of subtlety in her personality and she basically was an overactive caricature of a straight-A student. This was also a problem I had with some of the other characters, who all kind of just felt like one thing, or a stereotype, and didn't really have fully-fledged personalities.
I definitely would have liked this more if it had more character development, but I liked the diversity and thought that some good lessons were learned!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Homophobia
katt's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is a young adult (YA) novel set in a high school as the primary protagonist, Allison, is suddenly burdened with being the producer for the school play. The novel follows the course of the play through the school year. Allison is a lesbian who is out to a select few people at the start of the play.
I felt like Allison, a very scholastically driven teenager, had a lot of internalized homophobia that she was trying to address but I actually didn’t feel like it ever was addressed. At one point, when discussing how awesome her parents are, Allison says they told her they’ll love her no matter what. In my opinion, this is not true acceptance because they are saying that there is something that makes them hesitate, there is a big negative “what”, but they love her despite this terrible “what”. This is just one small example. I also think there was oversimplification in the coming out of another character. Additionally, the pressure throughout the book being placed on everyone to come 100% out to everyone feels borderline unsafe. There are situations where someone can’t come out, especially in high school, due to unsafe home situations.
Additionally, I felt the characters fell a little bit flat. I felt like Allison came off as a very self absorbed person who wasn’t all that kind to her friends. Maybe it was just the overplayed drama of the whole thing.
Thanks so much to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Misogyny
catarpillarrr's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If I had to describe this book in three words, they would be: lighthearted, soft, and cute. This is the perfect book to read in summer sitting in the lawn enjoying the sun (or that might be me dying for the weather to get warmer, southern hemisphere here!) I literally read it in a single afternoon, so it is also good if you want to read something quick.
This book is, is above all, a coming of age story, where Alison learns to face disappointment and things not working out and learns that well, that's life. Her main issue is that she is a perfectionist, and as a fellow perfectionist, I could really see teenage me in Alison.
The book is also about friendship and romance, and how to balance those two, an issue I believe lots of teenagers (and some adults even) struggle with. It's easy to forget about the world when one is in love, and this book shows how one must learn to balance your love life and your friendships.
And speaking about love, the romance in this book is the sweetest, cutest, most heart-melting thing in the world. I loved the relationship between Alison and Charlotte, it felt very real. Also, Charlotte is pansexual! It's always nice seeing representation of other types of sexual orientations
However, I have to mention that there is something a bit problematic with this book, and that is that it is somewhat implied that being a closeted queer means that you feel ashamed about your sexual orientation. In reality, there are many queers who cannot be openly queer in public, because this might threaten their safety, their housing, and even their life. Being in the closet or not open about who you like doesn't make queers less queer!
Overall, this is a fun book to read in an afternoon where you may want to pick up something light.
If I had to describe this book in three words, they would be: lighthearted, soft, and cute. This is the perfect book to read in summer sitting in the lawn enjoying the sun (or that might be me dying for the weather to get warmer, southern hemisphere here!) I literally read it in a single afternoon, so it is also good if you want to read something quick.
This book is, is above all, a coming of age story, where Alison learns to face disappointment and things not working out and learns that well, that's life. Her main issue is that she is a perfectionist, and as a fellow perfectionist, I could really see teenage me in Alison.
The book is also about friendship and romance, and how to balance those two, an issue I believe lots of teenagers (and some adults even) struggle with. It's easy to forget about the world when one is in love, and this book shows how one must learn to balance your love life and your friendships.
And speaking about love, the romance in this book is the sweetest, cutest, most heart-melting thing in the world. I loved the relationship between Alison and Charlotte, it felt very real. Also, Charlotte is pansexual! It's always nice seeing representation of other types of sexual orientations
However, I have to mention that there is something a bit problematic with this book, and that is that it is somewhat implied that being a closeted queer means that you feel ashamed about your sexual orientation. In reality, there are many queers who cannot be openly queer in public, because this might threaten their safety, their housing, and even their life. Being in the closet or not open about who you like doesn't make queers less queer!
Overall, this is a fun book to read in an afternoon where you may want to pick up something light.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
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