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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Old childhood favourite. I forgot how much I love this book/series. I can't wait to continue onwards, and get to reacquaint myself with these characters and the story.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a classic YA book that I read quite a few times growing up after the movie came out. The book has a lot of differences from the movie, most of which improve the story, setting up a more in-depth development of the characters over the course of the series.
I love a good epistolary series and this is the quintessential epistolary story for most millennials like myself. It's a style that Meg Cabot excels in, between this and her more adult-themed Boy series.
I love a good epistolary series and this is the quintessential epistolary story for most millennials like myself. It's a style that Meg Cabot excels in, between this and her more adult-themed Boy series.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I enjoyed that book Mia showed integrity in being unswayed by her princess makeover and continuing to believe that her appearance is not what makes her "Mia," and I liked the addition of the Algebra notes, as they help paint the picture of Mia journaling rather than taking notes in class. However I have to say I liked the movie much more. Anne Hathaway makes movie Mia a character one can connect with, whereas book Mia is a tad too whiny. Movie Lilly is a quirky likeable best friend, but book Lilly is largely irritating.
A fun read, but if you are a true to the movie you may not like the book. Yes the movie was Disneyfied, a lot.
This was surprisingly funny... it was REALLY different from the movie which was hard to get over at first, but when I did I realized that I think I like this version better. :) Can´t wait for the next one!
This book (and series) was a big favorite of mine in middle school. I honestly don't know how many times I've read and reread it but I haven't picked it up since before high school. I happened to catch the movie of the book a few weeks ago and decided to reread the series. I hadn't realized there were so many (11! with a spin-off series!). I'd only ever read the first three.
Upon reread I realized that I had never before seen Mia as who she really is, a sweet but slightly annoying and ignorant high school kid. When I read the books in middle school, I looked up to Mia. I thought she was so cool and interesting and grown up. Of course, I also thought the same of the Babysitter's Club when I was in elementary school. Anyway, I can't claim to be able to relate to high school kids any more, it's been more than 10 years since I was imprisoned behind the cinder block walls of my high school. But I can definitely say I never thought the way Mia does. She spends half of the book measuring the chest, complaining that the world is out to get her (she's constantly self-centered), and being pretentious about being vegetarian.
Of course, all of Mia's foibles made her a realistic character. She's been raised in Greenwich Village by a flaky artist, always feeling out of place in school and life, and crushing hopelessly on boys. There's a lot she needs to learn about race and gender politics, since she continuously uses her friend Tina's full name, Tina Hakim Baba. Why? I can only imagine to make sure to always identify her as Middle Eastern and "other." She also always refers to her neighbor Ronnie as "our neighbor Ronnie who used to be a man." Why is that important to keep bringing up? I doubt Ronnie likes being identified solely by the fact that she's trans. Unfortunate moments like this are why I decided to change my rating from 4 to 3 stars. While I will always love this book for the role it played in the development of my personality (Lilly's feminist ideas started me off on my own exploration of feminism, though I really didn't like her boycott of Ho's Deli because they were "racist"), I can now recognize the flaws in the writing and characterization.
I listened to this audiobook as read by Anne Hathaway and she mostly did a good job, but I really hate her pronunciation of some of the French words like "grand-mère," it sounded like she was gargling while speaking.
Upon reread I realized that I had never before seen Mia as who she really is, a sweet but slightly annoying and ignorant high school kid. When I read the books in middle school, I looked up to Mia. I thought she was so cool and interesting and grown up. Of course, I also thought the same of the Babysitter's Club when I was in elementary school. Anyway, I can't claim to be able to relate to high school kids any more, it's been more than 10 years since I was imprisoned behind the cinder block walls of my high school. But I can definitely say I never thought the way Mia does. She spends half of the book measuring the chest, complaining that the world is out to get her (she's constantly self-centered), and being pretentious about being vegetarian.
Of course, all of Mia's foibles made her a realistic character. She's been raised in Greenwich Village by a flaky artist, always feeling out of place in school and life, and crushing hopelessly on boys. There's a lot she needs to learn about race and gender politics, since she continuously uses her friend Tina's full name, Tina Hakim Baba. Why? I can only imagine to make sure to always identify her as Middle Eastern and "other." She also always refers to her neighbor Ronnie as "our neighbor Ronnie who used to be a man." Why is that important to keep bringing up? I doubt Ronnie likes being identified solely by the fact that she's trans. Unfortunate moments like this are why I decided to change my rating from 4 to 3 stars. While I will always love this book for the role it played in the development of my personality (Lilly's feminist ideas started me off on my own exploration of feminism, though I really didn't like her boycott of Ho's Deli because they were "racist"), I can now recognize the flaws in the writing and characterization.
I listened to this audiobook as read by Anne Hathaway and she mostly did a good job, but I really hate her pronunciation of some of the French words like "grand-mère," it sounded like she was gargling while speaking.