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marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big fan of Dahlia Adler's writing. I really enjoy all of her stories that I've read so far and this is no exception
melannrosenthal's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lbeaslie's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting story. It started sort of silly then got a lot more serious as it went on. A 4 star read dropped to 3 stars for fatphobic remarks by the FMCs a few times.
kaylareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Let me start by saying, that these characters are ones that I have fallen completely in love with. I wish I was friends with these girls, they are fiercely loyal and so driven.
Reagan and Victoria go on a college road trip and while visiting their first college, Reagan meets a guy. And Reagan’s not one to fall for guys easily, she’s one of the people who kinda refuses to even acknowledge that cute boys exist. You know what I mean? We all have friends like that, at least I have one friend like that.
When they return home, Reagan is still thinking about this boy but she knows she’s never going to see him again. Somehow the two end up communicating, and find each other again.
Victoria on the other hand, is the boy crazy one. (Like myself.) And all she wants is to meet a cute guy and join a sorority. (Boy, do I know how she feels. I wish my school had Greek Life, all I want is to be in a sorority. All my friends are in sororities. Sorry, this is a little bit of a tangent.)
Together the two of them balance each other out very well. The friendship they have is one that is very real, making you feel like you’re in there with with them.
I would definitely add this to your TBR list.
Reagan and Victoria go on a college road trip and while visiting their first college, Reagan meets a guy. And Reagan’s not one to fall for guys easily, she’s one of the people who kinda refuses to even acknowledge that cute boys exist. You know what I mean? We all have friends like that, at least I have one friend like that.
When they return home, Reagan is still thinking about this boy but she knows she’s never going to see him again. Somehow the two end up communicating, and find each other again.
Victoria on the other hand, is the boy crazy one. (Like myself.) And all she wants is to meet a cute guy and join a sorority. (Boy, do I know how she feels. I wish my school had Greek Life, all I want is to be in a sorority. All my friends are in sororities. Sorry, this is a little bit of a tangent.)
Together the two of them balance each other out very well. The friendship they have is one that is very real, making you feel like you’re in there with with them.
I would definitely add this to your TBR list.
aimeesbookishlife's review
2.0
This book wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that good either. I like character-driven books so I'm not usually phased by a lack of plot, but this book was lacking in both plot and unique characters. It was hard to tell which character was 'speaking' because both narrative voices were really similar. The slow reveal of each character's backstory left me confused and having to flip back through several chapters to remind myself what the previous piece of the puzzle was - for instance Victoria casually mentions Ashley in a later chapter and I had no clue who Ashley was.
It could have been a really sweet coming-of-age story about two friends, but I just didn't feel invested in the characters and their friendship was confusing. One minute they seemed like BFFs for life, with a real deep love for each other, but they kept so many secrets from each other that their apparent close friendship was completely undermined. Also, I don't understand how they managed to keep those secrets over the years that they had known each other. They met in 10th grade and are now High School juniors (which some basic googling tells me is the same as 12th grade) so it's hard to believe that, in two years of friendship, Reagan never bothered to ask why Victoria left her old school, or that Victoria never overheard people gossiping about Reagan's past - especially as it was apparently the talk of the town.
The book did have some good points though, such as an honest depiction of female sexuality and a very frank discussion of contraception. Also, unusually for most YAs, Victoria's parents, particularly her mum, was very present in the book and was actually involved in her daughter's life, but without being a helicopter parent. I also thought it was refreshing to have two female MCs and lots of boy drama without having a love triangle - there is a subtle hint of one () but it quickly emerges that it's a misunderstanding.
But unfortunately the good points weren't quite enough for me. In addition, the story ends abruptly with an epilogue that ties up about a dozen loose ends at the same time in a way that didn't feel very satisfactory.
It could have been a really sweet coming-of-age story about two friends, but I just didn't feel invested in the characters and their friendship was confusing. One minute they seemed like BFFs for life, with a real deep love for each other, but they kept so many secrets from each other that their apparent close friendship was completely undermined. Also, I don't understand how they managed to keep those secrets over the years that they had known each other. They met in 10th grade and are now High School juniors (which some basic googling tells me is the same as 12th grade) so it's hard to believe that, in two years of friendship, Reagan never bothered to ask why Victoria left her old school, or that Victoria never overheard people gossiping about Reagan's past - especially as it was apparently the talk of the town.
The book did have some good points though, such as an honest depiction of female sexuality and a very frank discussion of contraception. Also, unusually for most YAs, Victoria's parents, particularly her mum, was very present in the book and was actually involved in her daughter's life, but without being a helicopter parent. I also thought it was refreshing to have two female MCs and lots of boy drama without having a love triangle - there is a subtle hint of one (
Spoiler
Freckles likes Victoria but she thinks he likes ReaganBut unfortunately the good points weren't quite enough for me. In addition, the story ends abruptly with an epilogue that ties up about a dozen loose ends at the same time in a way that didn't feel very satisfactory.
rachelwrites007's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like this is the book that Dahlia wrote for me even though she did not. But it is a Rachel book. Lady friendship! Road trip! Colleges! Possibly Cute Boys (???)!
ETA: I was just informed there are cute boys. No possibility. There ARE.
ETA: I was just informed there are cute boys. No possibility. There ARE.
shanipatel's review against another edition
3.0
cute YA with a nice range of representation, it just didn’t really grab me! ~6/10
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
"When you're headed where you're supposed to be, you just know."
This was a wonderful story about that tough time of Senior Year. Juggling relationships and applications, jobs and college tours. I really liked Vic and Reagan for different reasons. I liked Reagan's fiery personality, even if it was too fiery at times. I also liked Vic's determination, her "to do" lists, her ability to plan but also her carefree spirit.
And I think this book does a great job of showing the slight madness that is senior year - submitting applications and doing tours, juggling saying goodbye to some friends and letting your childhood life go a little. Realizing that the decisions you make now really are big and life changing.
I think the only thing that kept this from a higher rating was Reagan's issue
This was a wonderful story about that tough time of Senior Year. Juggling relationships and applications, jobs and college tours. I really liked Vic and Reagan for different reasons. I liked Reagan's fiery personality, even if it was too fiery at times. I also liked Vic's determination, her "to do" lists, her ability to plan but also her carefree spirit.
And I think this book does a great job of showing the slight madness that is senior year - submitting applications and doing tours, juggling saying goodbye to some friends and letting your childhood life go a little. Realizing that the decisions you make now really are big and life changing.
I think the only thing that kept this from a higher rating was Reagan's issue
Spoiler
I found it hard to believe she would still be holding so tightly onto Fitz. I thought there were about a million other things she could be worrying about but him coming home - and her being a reason for him to - just didn't seem like the onebooksandladders's review against another edition
2.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
DNF @ 26%
I think there are some Dahlia Adler books that just aren't for me and that's okay. This is one of them.
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DNF @ 26%
I think there are some Dahlia Adler books that just aren't for me and that's okay. This is one of them.
Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!