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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
A nice, sweet, fluffy read that was good because it was all through texts messages but could have been better if the end hadn’t been entirely told through texts.
I've read mixed media before and I've read epistolary novels before, but I hadn't read a book that was entirely texts. It turns out that there is something about texting that does not feel as substantial as letters. I think Johnson did the best that could be done with this form, but an all-texting book just didn't quite work for me.
This is a fluffy contemporary YA, with a unique concept, that is worth a try.
This is a fluffy contemporary YA, with a unique concept, that is worth a try.
It was cute little quick read. I liked that it was written in a different way than I am used to (via text messages).
But yeah this being YA and genre I don't normally read made it hard for me to like the story super much. I think if some younger girl read this it would have a bigger effect but not for me I am sorry heh
But yeah this being YA and genre I don't normally read made it hard for me to like the story super much. I think if some younger girl read this it would have a bigger effect but not for me I am sorry heh
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
DNF because I could not get into the book. Felt like nothing was happening.
Spoiler
Me reading Haley talk about liking people only after knowing their personalities: I diagnose you with demisexual
Technically, You Started It is a cute YA romance that is told through text messages and has some pretty good queer rep. Helen, the protagonist, is demisexual and her love interest, Martin, is bisexual. I loved that their identies were mentioned by name and the characters talked about their experiences openly. The book is marketed as ownvoices, thought I'm not sure whether it's ownvoices for the demi or bi rep, or maybe for both?
I'd say that Martin lying about his identity weirded me out a bit. I enjoyed the text message format, but I'd loved to see more digital media incorporated (like transcripts of Hellen's favourite podcasts, blog posts, memes, etc). Overall the book was good enough for me to give it 3 stars, and I would recommend it if you're looking for a sweet queer YA that reads quickly, but i can't call it a favourite.
I'd say that Martin lying about his identity weirded me out a bit. I enjoyed the text message format, but I'd loved to see more digital media incorporated (like transcripts of Hellen's favourite podcasts, blog posts, memes, etc). Overall the book was good enough for me to give it 3 stars, and I would recommend it if you're looking for a sweet queer YA that reads quickly, but i can't call it a favourite.
I am very much not the audience of this book, so be aware of that; I am probably the age of their parents.
Randomly picked this up as I was grabbing random things from the library out of boredom; it reminds me of the movie "Before Sunrise" but set in some American high school and conducted entirely by iMessage / SMS.
Just like "Before Sunrise", I'm sure nobody actually converses the way these two do, but there is some underlying truth about how we perceive or desire connection and romance and exploring our selves that the book does focus on, and at least for me, someone who values shows about interpersonal relationships, I thought this book does a good job.
As someone who also enjoys the mechanics of interpersonal relationships, it was also interesting to me to get a data point of what someone claims the modern youth think about:
* They manage to maintain that kind of flirtatious antagonism while also being more considerate than the normative fiction I would have grown up with
* They dislike David Lynch as existential and pretentious. As a fan of David Lynch, I am glad he is still ruining the zeitgeist. But maybe this reveals something about who the author is and who the author is ultimately winding up writing this book for? I am not sure.
* Teen cruelty amongst friends still exists, but is done more softly as compared to the straight up trolling I remember. This seems like both a positive and a negative of recent social discourse, people have to work harder to commit and detect it.
Overall, while it is yet one more teen romance, I thought it executed it well within the projection/wish fulfillment that teen romance is. It is inherently a bit confusing because a lot of out-of-chat events are referred to after the fact, but with a little effort and mapping nothing stretches too far given the basic premise.
Randomly picked this up as I was grabbing random things from the library out of boredom; it reminds me of the movie "Before Sunrise" but set in some American high school and conducted entirely by iMessage / SMS.
Just like "Before Sunrise", I'm sure nobody actually converses the way these two do, but there is some underlying truth about how we perceive or desire connection and romance and exploring our selves that the book does focus on, and at least for me, someone who values shows about interpersonal relationships, I thought this book does a good job.
As someone who also enjoys the mechanics of interpersonal relationships, it was also interesting to me to get a data point of what someone claims the modern youth think about:
* They manage to maintain that kind of flirtatious antagonism while also being more considerate than the normative fiction I would have grown up with
* They dislike David Lynch as existential and pretentious. As a fan of David Lynch, I am glad he is still ruining the zeitgeist. But maybe this reveals something about who the author is and who the author is ultimately winding up writing this book for? I am not sure.
* Teen cruelty amongst friends still exists, but is done more softly as compared to the straight up trolling I remember. This seems like both a positive and a negative of recent social discourse, people have to work harder to commit and detect it.
Overall, while it is yet one more teen romance, I thought it executed it well within the projection/wish fulfillment that teen romance is. It is inherently a bit confusing because a lot of out-of-chat events are referred to after the fact, but with a little effort and mapping nothing stretches too far given the basic premise.
Here's the thing: through some magical alchemy, Lana Wood Johnson is able to fully create an entire world and two fully-formed characters involved in a HEARTBREAKINGLY SWEET romcom situation, entirely through text messages. How??? is that even possible???
It's one of those books where I was powering through the end like, WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY GET TOGETHER, and again: magic, because this tension was created entirely through TEXT. MESSAGES.
I loved the bi/pansexual and demisexual/ace discussions and rep here, too. Somehow reading peoples' texts makes you feel even closer to them and their thoughts than conventional narrative, and showing how Haley and Martin live their everyday lives helped really explain what their orientations were and what that meant for them personally.
SUPER RECOMMEND!!!!
It's one of those books where I was powering through the end like, WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY GET TOGETHER, and again: magic, because this tension was created entirely through TEXT. MESSAGES.
I loved the bi/pansexual and demisexual/ace discussions and rep here, too. Somehow reading peoples' texts makes you feel even closer to them and their thoughts than conventional narrative, and showing how Haley and Martin live their everyday lives helped really explain what their orientations were and what that meant for them personally.
SUPER RECOMMEND!!!!