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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
A little silly. I like these kind of series but this hasn't been my favorite of them.
Not a bad book, though I didn't dig the song lyrics at the beginning of each title. But not a bad little mystery and has made me realize how great it is when the bad guy peppers the climax with bad jokes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was one of those mindless reads where you didn't have to think about the novel as you read it. Good none the less...
Mysteries just really aren't my thing because I can usually figure them out well before the end of the book. Heather Wells, former pop star, is a Resident Assistant at a prestigious college in NYC. After a series of killings of students, she sets out to discover who is committing the mysterious murders. This book was okay but I don't believe I'll be reading the rest of the Heather Wells series.
This is my first Meg Cabot book, not that it really matters except to say I have been heretofore inexperienced with her writing style. And I have to say... I like it... to a point. Heather Wells has a nice voice, not a great one, but a nice one. She's quirky and a touch neurotic (though who isn't these days) and a lot of charm to keep me turning the pages. Though I have to admit that I rolled my eyes a lot as it neared the end. Like, I get it, you like food, you like Cooper. I get it. While on one hand this seemed a perfectly legit voice for her background, of a woman still straddling the line between teenagerhood and adult life, it got old after a while.
Still, it is what it is. I'll probably read on to the other books in the series to see how and if the character develops. I can't say I'm spectacularly attached to any sort of ship with her, but I'm not unattached either. I do hope she finds someone more interesting for her than the person she wants, but we'll see.
But there are two major gripes I had.
1) A lot of the side characters, especially the antagonists, were pretty flat. Though I did end up enjoying one of them by the end.
2) I get that the whole thing is about Heather struggling to accept her weight. I get that she thinks she's fat and that's sort of the point. But my problems with it come down to two things, one which can be helped I suppose and the other which is just a personal thing.
The first is, there's a lot of fat v. skinny here. And not even that but like women v. women. Sure Heather has a friend but if you're thin and attractive there's a lot of passive-aggressiveness being thrown around. Like one of the female characters having a song named "Slut". Like, really? Really?
The second is, well being fat myself (and not anywhere near the size twelve range sadly) this was just not my experience with it... And it annoyed the hell out of me that she was always always thinking of food. Like, you can be fat and not think of food that much, I promise. You can also be fat and not even eat that much.
From reading the little diary segment at the end, I get this idea came from more of Meg Cabot's experience so it is what it is. But I can't help but feel a little bleh about it.
So, tl;dr: Cute and quirky, engaging enough to turn the pages and read on-- though some of it grinds my gears. All in all an okay read.
Still, it is what it is. I'll probably read on to the other books in the series to see how and if the character develops. I can't say I'm spectacularly attached to any sort of ship with her, but I'm not unattached either. I do hope she finds someone more interesting for her than the person she wants, but we'll see.
But there are two major gripes I had.
1) A lot of the side characters, especially the antagonists, were pretty flat. Though I did end up enjoying one of them by the end.
2) I get that the whole thing is about Heather struggling to accept her weight. I get that she thinks she's fat and that's sort of the point. But my problems with it come down to two things, one which can be helped I suppose and the other which is just a personal thing.
The first is, there's a lot of fat v. skinny here. And not even that but like women v. women. Sure Heather has a friend but if you're thin and attractive there's a lot of passive-aggressiveness being thrown around. Like one of the female characters having a song named "Slut". Like, really? Really?
The second is, well being fat myself (and not anywhere near the size twelve range sadly) this was just not my experience with it... And it annoyed the hell out of me that she was always always thinking of food. Like, you can be fat and not think of food that much, I promise. You can also be fat and not even eat that much.
From reading the little diary segment at the end, I get this idea came from more of Meg Cabot's experience so it is what it is. But I can't help but feel a little bleh about it.
So, tl;dr: Cute and quirky, engaging enough to turn the pages and read on-- though some of it grinds my gears. All in all an okay read.
I'd been wanting to read this for a long time, and finally got the OverDrive audiobook. It came out in 2005, which was the beginning of my Sophomore of college, and when I became a Resident Assistant. So, I totally connected with some aspects of this book, other than the NY setting, elevators, and having a residence hall over four stories [the highest up I ever lived was 3rd floor and none of the buildings had elevators]. There were some funny parts, and while I actually had no idea this was going to be a murder-mystery series, I quite liked it and will read more!
great beginning to Meg's planned trilogy. Already loving the character Cooper!