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aea_hobbit's review against another edition
emotional
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
1madchild's review against another edition
3.0
A fun little romp.
Good for the car, a little bit juvenile but some nice realistic parts
Good for the car, a little bit juvenile but some nice realistic parts
xsleepyshadows's review
Got halfway, kinda disappointed since i liked whitney Gardner's last book so much. Does cover some interesting issues like incels and gatekeeping for girls...but really really really pushes IM A GIRL at you. The character for me is so hard to connect to
Just meh read for me
Just meh read for me
lost_reader's review
Just not what I thought it was going to be. Don't like the tone or style at all. And the front flap description is making me think 'nah'.
theangrystackrat's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I was 100% loving this book until the last 20ish percent. I am furious about the ending of this book. It was so stupid.
runehallow's review
2.0
cute enough, but it doesn't really address the gender/sexuality issues at play in a thoughtful or nuanced fashion. the D&D comic inserts were a nice little story-within-a-story, though i didn't really care for the art style.
cam crossdresses as a boy basically so she can access male privilege, and it works EXTREMELY well, but this strategy is never examined in any way other than 'whew how nice it is to be a man and in a man's world'. this book suffers from the same problem as most YA contemporaries that incorporate nerd stuff and gender stuff and all these other complicated concepts--they take'em and they boil'em down to a bland rom-com sandwich. 'boy' cam is just a vehicle for drama, a secret thrumming beneath the surface that will eventually burst forth and cause a permanent shift in cam's relationships. you might think a fluffy rom-com doesn't need to think too hard about ANYTHING it does, but it's very strange, to me, to populate a book with multiple gay boys + one straight girl PRETENDING to be a (also straight, actually) boy without any thought as to the actual politics of the situation.
the concerns here are comfort and fear; cam crossdresses because she wants to fit in, and because she feels safe as a man. but that safety is based only on how others treat her while in the disguise; she doesn't give any serious consideration to the transformation in and of itself. she passes so completely that a gay man gets a crush on her, which is offensively weird, because she remains definitively a cis straight woman throughout the whole thing. the cis straight guy gets a crush ALSO, while still ostensibly perceiving cam as a man? idk. it's just all this thorny stuff that's elided in favor of the typical rom-com denouement in which the deception is revealed and cam has to fix all of her friendships as her Real Lady Self. she shouldn't be punished for being a girl, but it's not a great look to fuck around with a gay guy's feelings, either (or to intimate, however unintentionally, that this gay guy is REALLY just/also attracted to women).
cyberbullying is also a big theme here, and trust me, i am ACQUAINTED with anon hate and its deleterious effect on the psyche, as well as how humiliating it is to even talk about. cam's desire to escape from this harassment and her belief that just BECOMING a dude will make it stop is interesting and understandable, but even though fan entitlement and toxic masculinity and so on are the roots of her troubles, that's not really gotten into at all. instead, the most asshole dude is eventually humanized (despite him being a stereotype for 90 pct of the book), the gender politics are blithely ignored, and nothing significant is interrogated in even the most shallow way.
but, i mean. D&D is cool.
cam crossdresses as a boy basically so she can access male privilege, and it works EXTREMELY well, but this strategy is never examined in any way other than 'whew how nice it is to be a man and in a man's world'. this book suffers from the same problem as most YA contemporaries that incorporate nerd stuff and gender stuff and all these other complicated concepts--they take'em and they boil'em down to a bland rom-com sandwich. 'boy' cam is just a vehicle for drama, a secret thrumming beneath the surface that will eventually burst forth and cause a permanent shift in cam's relationships. you might think a fluffy rom-com doesn't need to think too hard about ANYTHING it does, but it's very strange, to me, to populate a book with multiple gay boys + one straight girl PRETENDING to be a (also straight, actually) boy without any thought as to the actual politics of the situation.
the concerns here are comfort and fear; cam crossdresses because she wants to fit in, and because she feels safe as a man. but that safety is based only on how others treat her while in the disguise; she doesn't give any serious consideration to the transformation in and of itself. she passes so completely that a gay man gets a crush on her, which is offensively weird, because she remains definitively a cis straight woman throughout the whole thing. the cis straight guy gets a crush ALSO, while still ostensibly perceiving cam as a man? idk. it's just all this thorny stuff that's elided in favor of the typical rom-com denouement in which the deception is revealed and cam has to fix all of her friendships as her Real Lady Self. she shouldn't be punished for being a girl, but it's not a great look to fuck around with a gay guy's feelings, either (or to intimate, however unintentionally, that this gay guy is REALLY just/also attracted to women).
cyberbullying is also a big theme here, and trust me, i am ACQUAINTED with anon hate and its deleterious effect on the psyche, as well as how humiliating it is to even talk about. cam's desire to escape from this harassment and her belief that just BECOMING a dude will make it stop is interesting and understandable, but even though fan entitlement and toxic masculinity and so on are the roots of her troubles, that's not really gotten into at all. instead, the most asshole dude is eventually humanized (despite him being a stereotype for 90 pct of the book), the gender politics are blithely ignored, and nothing significant is interrogated in even the most shallow way.
but, i mean. D&D is cool.
jaydoesitup's review
5.0
This book was everything I could have ever wanted. This is the kind of book I wish high school me could have read after coming home from the comic book store d&d games upset because non of the guys took me seriously. I LOVED this book. It was sweet, geeky, lgbt inclusive, and the main character made costumes! I borrowed this book from the library, and you can guarantee I will be buying a copy for my own shelves so I can re-read it when I need a pick me up.
caitlin_lore's review
4.0
š @kidlitexchange #partner review š
āall opinions of this book are my own
ā¢
Oh my readersāthis March 2018 release by is a must have for your Spring #tbrpile
ā¢
Cameron has one goal: use her artistic cosplay talents to get into CalTech. Last summer, her cosplay finally garnered some attention but not all of it was what she hoped for as it set off a firestorm of angry comments from male fans.
When her family moves the summer before senior year, she hopes she can complete her portfolio in peace. That is until she realizes the only comic store in townāher source of inspirationāis dominated by a male owner who challenges every woman who walks into the shop.
Disguised as boy Cameron (from the suggestion of her twin brother) she finds herself pulled into a world of acceptance, D&D, and everything sheās fighting for.
Exceptā itās getting harder and harder to reveal her secret, especially when she starts falling for the Dungeon Master.
ā¢
I had no idea what to expect when I picked up CHAOTIC GOOD, but Iām so glad I finished it right before the New Year. It was a feel-good novel that left me encouraged and feeling great for 2018. Iām a sucker for contemporaries with quirky romances, and this one did not disappoint. Cameronās journey is emotional, heart wrenching, and joyous all at once. I found myself crying with her and rooting for her with every turn on the page.
ā¢
Even though Iām a self proclaimed nerd, Iāve never *gasp* played Dungeons and Dragons. Oddly enough, Iāve found myself curious about the game so finding out it was a big plot point really excited me. D&D is woven throughout the story and adds so much depth and fun, especially when the charactersā storylines come alive in surprise comic pages that are interspersed throughout several chapters.
ā¢
Overall, CHAOTIC GOOD is a story about a girl finding herself in a manās worldāso ultimately, isnāt it the story of us all?
For that, I highly recommend this book for anyone whoās struggled with finding their place. Itās a read for the artists, the nerds, the D&D fans, and anyone else who wants a light-hearted comedy about the importance of being yourself and fighting off the haters.
ā¢
āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø
ā¢
šAges 15+
šcoming of age & LGBTQ š³ļøāš
šDungeons and Dragons flair, some language
āall opinions of this book are my own
ā¢
Oh my readersāthis March 2018 release by is a must have for your Spring #tbrpile
ā¢
Cameron has one goal: use her artistic cosplay talents to get into CalTech. Last summer, her cosplay finally garnered some attention but not all of it was what she hoped for as it set off a firestorm of angry comments from male fans.
When her family moves the summer before senior year, she hopes she can complete her portfolio in peace. That is until she realizes the only comic store in townāher source of inspirationāis dominated by a male owner who challenges every woman who walks into the shop.
Disguised as boy Cameron (from the suggestion of her twin brother) she finds herself pulled into a world of acceptance, D&D, and everything sheās fighting for.
Exceptā itās getting harder and harder to reveal her secret, especially when she starts falling for the Dungeon Master.
ā¢
I had no idea what to expect when I picked up CHAOTIC GOOD, but Iām so glad I finished it right before the New Year. It was a feel-good novel that left me encouraged and feeling great for 2018. Iām a sucker for contemporaries with quirky romances, and this one did not disappoint. Cameronās journey is emotional, heart wrenching, and joyous all at once. I found myself crying with her and rooting for her with every turn on the page.
ā¢
Even though Iām a self proclaimed nerd, Iāve never *gasp* played Dungeons and Dragons. Oddly enough, Iāve found myself curious about the game so finding out it was a big plot point really excited me. D&D is woven throughout the story and adds so much depth and fun, especially when the charactersā storylines come alive in surprise comic pages that are interspersed throughout several chapters.
ā¢
Overall, CHAOTIC GOOD is a story about a girl finding herself in a manās worldāso ultimately, isnāt it the story of us all?
For that, I highly recommend this book for anyone whoās struggled with finding their place. Itās a read for the artists, the nerds, the D&D fans, and anyone else who wants a light-hearted comedy about the importance of being yourself and fighting off the haters.
ā¢
āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø
ā¢
šAges 15+
šcoming of age & LGBTQ š³ļøāš
šDungeons and Dragons flair, some language
mckinlay's review
4.0
*I received a DRC from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
I thought this was a fun, fast read that kind of explores what it's like to be a female in the nerd/geek community. I've been in the community for many years and have never really had my "cred" called into question. I'm pretty sure it's because i'm not what you'd call, attractive? But i've seen girls get torn down time and time again for being "fake geeks" and it's honestly the most ridiculous thing ever. There's one character in this book who declares himself a "nice guy" while spending most of the book insulting every woman he comes in contact with and i seriously loved when she finally told him off.
This review isn't even a review at this point. Let me try again...
What I liked:
-the relationship between Cameron and Cooper.
-Why and Lincoln are so precious.
-asking for consent before touching a woman
-all the D&D talk
-the comic strips
-Cameron growing into herself and sticking up for herself
-the exploration of gender, and how men are simply allowed to take up more space than women... just because they're men
What I didn't like:
-Cameron not being honest with like, anyone
If you're a geek girl, i think you should add this to your TBR. Also if you liked the gender exploration in [b:Noteworthy|31447601|Noteworthy|Riley Redgate|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1473596922s/31447601.jpg|51817660], this has similar vibes.
I thought this was a fun, fast read that kind of explores what it's like to be a female in the nerd/geek community. I've been in the community for many years and have never really had my "cred" called into question. I'm pretty sure it's because i'm not what you'd call, attractive? But i've seen girls get torn down time and time again for being "fake geeks" and it's honestly the most ridiculous thing ever. There's one character in this book who declares himself a "nice guy" while spending most of the book insulting every woman he comes in contact with and i seriously loved when she finally told him off.
This review isn't even a review at this point. Let me try again...
What I liked:
-the relationship between Cameron and Cooper.
-Why and Lincoln are so precious.
-asking for consent before touching a woman
-all the D&D talk
-the comic strips
-Cameron growing into herself and sticking up for herself
-the exploration of gender, and how men are simply allowed to take up more space than women... just because they're men
What I didn't like:
-Cameron not being honest with like, anyone
If you're a geek girl, i think you should add this to your TBR. Also if you liked the gender exploration in [b:Noteworthy|31447601|Noteworthy|Riley Redgate|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1473596922s/31447601.jpg|51817660], this has similar vibes.
actualbookstoregoblin's review
5.0
In the aftermath of Gamergate and the havoc wrecked on geek girls on the internet comes a young adult contemporary about a female cosplayer finding herself the target of online hate. Cameron is an aspiring costume designer who wants nothing more than to make the fantastical costumes for all things nerdy. When a slip of the tongue throws her into a debate on āfake geek girlsā and judgment from the local comic shop manager Cameron and her twin brother come up with classic Twelfth Night scheme of dressing Cameron as a boy so she can buy comics in peace. Her convincing portrayal gets her roped into a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with the comic shop employees and a comedy of errors ensues. Chaotic Good is a delightful story about the side effects of being a girl in a nerdy world and characterized by roleplay games, cosplay, and the epitome of a geeky love interest. To say I enjoyed this book is a major understatement. I devoured this book with a huge smile on my face due to all of the wonderful nerd cred and honest discussion about the persistent difficulty of being a geek girl. I canāt recommend this book enough and will probably be preaching itās perfection til the day I die. I fucking loved every minute of it.