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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I have to say, this book is just okay, which makes sense considering it was written back in 2013 (if I’m not mistaken). Honestly, I probably would have loved it when I was a 14-year-old girl who spent all her free time devouring Wattpad stories.
I didn’t go into it expecting something amazing, especially knowing when it was written, but I did have high hopes for the main character—Summer Leondale. She’s supposed to be this cool, badass girl, and while she certainly had the potential to be that, I feel like it wasn’t fully realized. At times, I could relate to her, but more often than not, she was just so frustrating. I really wanted to see the ‘cool’ girl everyone keeps talking about, but instead, she came off as more cringe-worthy than anything else.
And then there’s Tyler. I seriously can’t stand it when authors give a character a traumatic backstory, make them suffer emotionally throughout the entire book, only to kill them off in the end. It feels like unnecessary emotional manipulation, and it’s a personal pet peeve of mine.
Many of the characters in this book are pretty insensitive, but I understand that this might be a reflection of the time it was written. While I didn’t love the book, I didn’t hate it either. It’s just not my cup of tea.
That said, I’m still planning to read the next book, so here’s hoping it’s better!
I didn’t go into it expecting something amazing, especially knowing when it was written, but I did have high hopes for the main character—Summer Leondale. She’s supposed to be this cool, badass girl, and while she certainly had the potential to be that, I feel like it wasn’t fully realized. At times, I could relate to her, but more often than not, she was just so frustrating. I really wanted to see the ‘cool’ girl everyone keeps talking about, but instead, she came off as more cringe-worthy than anything else.
And then there’s Tyler. I seriously can’t stand it when authors give a character a traumatic backstory, make them suffer emotionally throughout the entire book, only to kill them off in the end. It feels like unnecessary emotional manipulation, and it’s a personal pet peeve of mine.
Many of the characters in this book are pretty insensitive, but I understand that this might be a reflection of the time it was written. While I didn’t love the book, I didn’t hate it either. It’s just not my cup of tea.
That said, I’m still planning to read the next book, so here’s hoping it’s better!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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 ⭐️
MHSG will always have a soft spot in my heart—ultimately one of the best things Wattpad has offered. Fell in love with it in 2012 and still in love with it more than a decade after. That said, I have read this book far too many times already and subjectively, I would give it 5 ⭐️ due to the mere fact that it was released at the time when Wattpad was mostly dominated by subpar series that has managed to gain popularity. Not only that, it was one of my safe space when I was young. I hold this story—this book, close to my heart.
Objectively, I give it 3.5 ⭐️ now that I am older.
Pop Fiction, knowing that this monstrosity of a story appeals to the reader as it is, didn't cut any parts. For its first printing in 2014, the version was not even properly proofread with multiple grammatical errors and typos which is, I'm sure, a product of ate Shiela doing it on her own without a copyreader's help. The one published was similar to what's in Wattpad, word for word. For the second printing in 2023, the grammatical error and typos were fewer yet none of the unnecessary scenes (scenes that doesn't affect the main plot) were removed. This caused the book to be too long and dragging. Not an issue for a fan like me but this could be less appealing to new readers. For a book that is now traditionally published, this is a bit questionable on the editor's part. My unbiased judgment is that, the book is too long and it could be improved by removing some words or rephrasing some sentence/paragraphs.
Additionally, one of the reasons why it is long is due to Summer, the main protagonist's, very detailed and repetitive description about her encounter with the other characters, her surroundings, and her feelings. Many times, Summer would make her feelings already clear and then repeat these sentiments over and over. Not only that, Summer always make it a point to describe the physical appearance of the characters she's interacting with, especially with her love interest, Van Freniere. I lost count the number of times Summer has commented how handsome and hot Van is.
The beginning of Summer's "connection" with other characters were also not built up. The interest they gave her in the beginning of the story is a bit abrupt. Example being: Jin's instant crush, Tyler's instant admiration on their first meeting, and Van's instant possessiveness just after seeing/learning (about) THE baddass Summer.
Other than that, the characters who grew on me when I was young, grew on me once more by the latter part of the first half of the book. They are all nuanced and serve their purpose to the story while also adding to the book's appeal. My favorites (in order from most fave): Sebastian, Ethan, Tyler/Van, Summer, and Henrietta remains the loveliest part of the book for me. They are as complex, as unhinged, and as compelling as I remember.
This is highly recommended for millenials/zillenials who feel nostalgic about Wattpad's 2010s era; for fans of anime, manga, and manhwa; and for readers who liked the niche high school mafia genre.
MHSG will always have a soft spot in my heart—ultimately one of the best things Wattpad has offered. Fell in love with it in 2012 and still in love with it more than a decade after. That said, I have read this book far too many times already and subjectively, I would give it 5 ⭐️ due to the mere fact that it was released at the time when Wattpad was mostly dominated by subpar series that has managed to gain popularity. Not only that, it was one of my safe space when I was young. I hold this story—this book, close to my heart.
Objectively, I give it 3.5 ⭐️ now that I am older.
Pop Fiction, knowing that this monstrosity of a story appeals to the reader as it is, didn't cut any parts. For its first printing in 2014, the version was not even properly proofread with multiple grammatical errors and typos which is, I'm sure, a product of ate Shiela doing it on her own without a copyreader's help. The one published was similar to what's in Wattpad, word for word. For the second printing in 2023, the grammatical error and typos were fewer yet none of the unnecessary scenes (scenes that doesn't affect the main plot) were removed. This caused the book to be too long and dragging. Not an issue for a fan like me but this could be less appealing to new readers. For a book that is now traditionally published, this is a bit questionable on the editor's part. My unbiased judgment is that, the book is too long and it could be improved by removing some words or rephrasing some sentence/paragraphs.
Additionally, one of the reasons why it is long is due to Summer, the main protagonist's, very detailed and repetitive description about her encounter with the other characters, her surroundings, and her feelings. Many times, Summer would make her feelings already clear and then repeat these sentiments over and over. Not only that, Summer always make it a point to describe the physical appearance of the characters she's interacting with, especially with her love interest, Van Freniere. I lost count the number of times Summer has commented how handsome and hot Van is.
The beginning of Summer's "connection" with other characters were also not built up. The interest they gave her in the beginning of the story is a bit abrupt. Example being: Jin's instant crush, Tyler's instant admiration on their first meeting, and Van's instant possessiveness just after seeing/learning (about) THE baddass Summer.
Other than that, the characters who grew on me when I was young, grew on me once more by the latter part of the first half of the book. They are all nuanced and serve their purpose to the story while also adding to the book's appeal. My favorites (in order from most fave): Sebastian, Ethan, Tyler/Van, Summer, and Henrietta remains the loveliest part of the book for me. They are as complex, as unhinged, and as compelling as I remember.
This is highly recommended for millenials/zillenials who feel nostalgic about Wattpad's 2010s era; for fans of anime, manga, and manhwa; and for readers who liked the niche high school mafia genre.
This book is almost really closed to perfection. The writing and everything is great. It's one of the reasons why we Filipinos should be proud of our FIlipino authors. It's so full of angst and definitely not cliche.