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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
4.5 STARS
I am a big fan of Holly Bourne. Although I am 29, I have read all of her YA books so I was keen to read her debut adult novel. It didn’t disappoint.
As someone who reads a lot of ‘self help’ books, the premise grabbed me from the start. I really liked Tori, the main character. I also really liked the way this book examined the gaping chasm between how we present ourselves on social media versus the reality of life. One thing that bothered me was how long it took to reach the conclusion. Tori became a bit of a whiner as this dragged out - this is why I have dropped half a star.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who like contemporary fiction.
UPDATE:- I’ve added half a star extra to my rating as I can’t stop thinking about the important message about social media this book contains. It reminds us that life online is very much about being perfect and reaching all those life milestones then showing off about them - when, actually, people have messy lives and often wouldn’t want to shout out to the world about the reality of daily life.
This is a netgalley review.
I am a big fan of Holly Bourne. Although I am 29, I have read all of her YA books so I was keen to read her debut adult novel. It didn’t disappoint.
As someone who reads a lot of ‘self help’ books, the premise grabbed me from the start. I really liked Tori, the main character. I also really liked the way this book examined the gaping chasm between how we present ourselves on social media versus the reality of life. One thing that bothered me was how long it took to reach the conclusion. Tori became a bit of a whiner as this dragged out - this is why I have dropped half a star.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who like contemporary fiction.
UPDATE:- I’ve added half a star extra to my rating as I can’t stop thinking about the important message about social media this book contains. It reminds us that life online is very much about being perfect and reaching all those life milestones then showing off about them - when, actually, people have messy lives and often wouldn’t want to shout out to the world about the reality of daily life.
This is a netgalley review.
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
I struggled with this one. Holly Bourne can clearly write well, How Do You Like Me Now? is a fast and mostly entertaining read. But Tori was so deeply judgy of every single person she met - even her best friend - that I found it hard to empathise with her. I understand she's a flawed character and we're not always supposed to like her, but there was hardly any character development on this front. The novel ended just as she finally managed to leave her intensely dysfunctional relationship - something the reader has known must happen from pretty much page 1. I wish this had happened halfway through the book and we could have seen her grow from there.
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The opening is pretty interesting. The premise is quite unusual. There's a lot of depth and thinking here, about life, relationships, true-self, etc. I quite like this!
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
reflective
Sped through this and loved it! Just an excellent book, topical, relatable, enjoyable
Refreshingly honest feeling, this book looks at the mixture of disturbing things that social media has made normal and traditional social pressures. As a single 40 something I found that I identified with this a lot more than I expected. I think that pretty much every person that has ever taken a selfies (or 30, before picking the right one) will find some truth here, wrapped up in a delicious, sharp humour. The fact that I really wasn't sure if I liked Tori and yet was rooting for her the whole way is a testament to the writing skills of the author.
I really enjoyed this book. Tori was written in a very realistic way and I was so happy when she finally left Tom. Lots of her characteristics: looking to social media for validation, idolising celebrities, overthinking lots of things were pretty damn relatable for people nowadays.
Social media and our relationships with our phones obviously features heavily in the book. This is one of the first books I've read where social media and phones are blended into the story seamlessly, rather than it feeling clunky or a bit fuddy duddy.
Tom was such an horrible boyfriend- but he was also completely realistic. Gaslighting Tori into thinking she's being unreasonable and hysterical when she just wants to talk about future things in a calm and rational way. The forced blowjob was absolutely disgusting, as well as his awful attempt at reciprocating. Being so two-faced when alone with Tori and then with other people. These are totally things that I've had happen or know of happening to close friends.
Social media and our relationships with our phones obviously features heavily in the book. This is one of the first books I've read where social media and phones are blended into the story seamlessly, rather than it feeling clunky or a bit fuddy duddy.
Tom was such an horrible boyfriend- but he was also completely realistic. Gaslighting Tori into thinking she's being unreasonable and hysterical when she just wants to talk about future things in a calm and rational way. The forced blowjob was absolutely disgusting, as well as his awful attempt at reciprocating. Being so two-faced when alone with Tori and then with other people. These are totally things that I've had happen or know of happening to close friends.