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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
A fab YA that brought me right back to my high school days and had me rooting like mad for Tilly.
A fun book and quick read. I look forward to the sequel.
The boyfriend is a jerk, and she's no better herself. Come to think of it, they make a nice pairing.
No idea when or why I downloaded this book, but I ended up reading it a few weeks back. It starts off ghastly, the main character is irritating in a sort of 'worst aspects of YA' way, but it actually turns out to be quite a sweet little story, and the author manages to drag the main character back from 'not as dryly funny as she/the author thinks she is' to 'genuinely pretty amusing' around a third of the way through the book. I can't imagine I'll ever read it again, but it was fun enough. (Re stars, I have literally no consistency in starring things which is why I rarely bother, I tend to star things based on 'did I like this?' more so than 'is this as good/better than [other book I've starred]?' This book gets 3 because it was crap at first but quite endearing later on, for an average of 'yeah, it's fine'.)
This was a good YA book that I got for free from amazon. I think that it is good for young women with bad self images and mixed families.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Sexism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
I decided to read this book because I like reading stories based on Cinderella. While the main character, Mattie, does think of herself as the ugly stepsister to her stepsister Ella (who does clean, etc), the storyline itself is not reminiscent of Cinderella.
Although I am not a teen, I really enjoyed this book because the main character was easy to relate too and the writing witty. I also enjoyed the references to Jane Austen and John Hughes that the author added. All in all a very enjoyable read that was hard to put down.
I decided to read this book because I like reading stories based on Cinderella. While the main character, Mattie, does think of herself as the ugly stepsister to her stepsister Ella (who does clean, etc), the storyline itself is not reminiscent of Cinderella.
Although I am not a teen, I really enjoyed this book because the main character was easy to relate too and the writing witty. I also enjoyed the references to Jane Austen and John Hughes that the author added. All in all a very enjoyable read that was hard to put down.
It had some good moments, but the main character’s racism towards her mom was a major no. i finished it, but didn’t really feel too much for it.
1.4
I was hoping this would be a unique twist on the original (especially because I was reading [b:Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West|37442|Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1)|Gregory Maguire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437733293s/37442.jpg|1479280]), but it was none of that. Set in modern times, it was basically another version of the story done 1,000,000,000 and then some, mostly by WattPad authors and teen movie script writers. I knew how this story would start, and knew the middle, and knew the ending too. I seldom registered surprise, shock, awe, etc.
Honestly, unless you're a 13 year old girl who will never be tired of being fed all the same cliches, again and again, don't waste your time with this book. (I feel very cruel for saying this, but I'm not sure how to be gentler). It's not poorly written or anything, but the author seems to have no original ideas of her own. TUGSSB is a cute book and the author left a little note asking for support, so I do feel a tad guilty for giving it a one-star, but I've given better books two stars, so...
So let's get to the highly unique plotline. There's the mean girl, who's jealous of the main girl, and tries to sabotage her at every turn (because she's a one-dimensional bully, don't you understand?). Then there's Mattie, the protagonist; she's super "quirky," and has all the same interests as her crush (wow, what a coincidence). The Cinderella character is just an add-on, with a completely predictable side story of her own, of course. The main guy is basically perfect, and of course Mattie gets him by the conclusion. Oh, and let's not forget the school dance at the end where the hero has to convince the heroine that he is completely in love with her. Never seen that happen, how visionary!
I'm not listing this review as a spoiler because it's literally the same story everyone has heard a zillion times already.
I was hoping this would be a unique twist on the original (especially because I was reading [b:Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West|37442|Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1)|Gregory Maguire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437733293s/37442.jpg|1479280]), but it was none of that. Set in modern times, it was basically another version of the story done 1,000,000,000 and then some, mostly by WattPad authors and teen movie script writers. I knew how this story would start, and knew the middle, and knew the ending too. I seldom registered surprise, shock, awe, etc.
Honestly, unless you're a 13 year old girl who will never be tired of being fed all the same cliches, again and again, don't waste your time with this book. (I feel very cruel for saying this, but I'm not sure how to be gentler). It's not poorly written or anything, but the author seems to have no original ideas of her own. TUGSSB is a cute book and the author left a little note asking for support, so I do feel a tad guilty for giving it a one-star, but I've given better books two stars, so...
So let's get to the highly unique plotline. There's the mean girl, who's jealous of the main girl, and tries to sabotage her at every turn (because she's a one-dimensional bully, don't you understand?). Then there's Mattie, the protagonist; she's super "quirky," and has all the same interests as her crush (wow, what a coincidence). The Cinderella character is just an add-on, with a completely predictable side story of her own, of course. The main guy is basically perfect, and of course Mattie gets him by the conclusion. Oh, and let's not forget the school dance at the end where the hero has to convince the heroine that he is completely in love with her. Never seen that happen, how visionary!
I'm not listing this review as a spoiler because it's literally the same story everyone has heard a zillion times already.
I toyed with the 3.5 stars but I'm going with 4 stars just because of the John Hughes references.
Apparently I read this book back in September 2013, but I requested an ARC on NetGalley and reread it in November 2017 not realising until I came to write a review.
The blurb What happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?
Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.
Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.
Mattie is a tall, athletic-looking, one-quarter-Japanese girl. Her famous artist father has been married (and divorced) six times and she has one step-sister, the unbelievably perfect-in-every-way, Ella. Mattie rebels against her Japanese mother by rejecting her Asian heritage (she even eats sushi with a fork) although she secretly draws Manga.
NA/YA authors please take note this is how to do it well. With more than just intertextual references to John Hughes' body of work and The Princess Bride (inconceivable) this book had me from the word go. OK, the villain kids were a bit too evil to live but then sometimes kids are mean just because they can be!
I loved Mattie, and Ella, and their Dad, I even loved Mattie's evil Japanese mother.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Apparently I read this book back in September 2013, but I requested an ARC on NetGalley and reread it in November 2017 not realising until I came to write a review.
The blurb What happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?
Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.
Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.
Mattie is a tall, athletic-looking, one-quarter-Japanese girl. Her famous artist father has been married (and divorced) six times and she has one step-sister, the unbelievably perfect-in-every-way, Ella. Mattie rebels against her Japanese mother by rejecting her Asian heritage (she even eats sushi with a fork) although she secretly draws Manga.
NA/YA authors please take note this is how to do it well. With more than just intertextual references to John Hughes' body of work and The Princess Bride (inconceivable) this book had me from the word go. OK, the villain kids were a bit too evil to live but then sometimes kids are mean just because they can be!
I loved Mattie, and Ella, and their Dad, I even loved Mattie's evil Japanese mother.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.