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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
There were quite a few things I enjoyed in this book. Evie and X were cute together. The conceit of the plot was fresh, and it seemed like it would be a decent YA book.
However, there were a couple of things I took issue with...
1. The ending.
2. The defense of cheating. There are a lot of books I like that deal with the topic of cheating, but they don't flat out condone it like this one does. Light spoilers ahead:
I think ultimately a couple of lines were crossed with this book, and not in a great way.
However, there were a couple of things I took issue with...
1. The ending.
Spoiler
To be honest, I'm trying to decide whether it was meant to be an ending with an okay message or if it was just there for shock value. Even if it was the former, I still don't think it was a good choice.2. The defense of cheating. There are a lot of books I like that deal with the topic of cheating, but they don't flat out condone it like this one does. Light spoilers ahead:
Spoiler
It makes it seem like Evie is crazy for being angry at her dad and not wanting to go to his wedding. I was very surprised to see the book make it seem like it wasn't a big deal, and worst of all, to see the bridal shower making it seem like a romantic twist of fate that was unfortunately necessary.I think ultimately a couple of lines were crossed with this book, and not in a great way.
I think I am giving this book 3 stars just because I’m not a big ya romance kinda gal but I thought this book was cheesy at first and then i was literally bawling my eyes out at the end I have such mixed emotions about this one. Side note: why are romances meant for teenagers always so damn sad aren’t teenagers dealing with enough as it is???
This wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't for me.
I'm not a very optimistic person myself, but the amount of intense and aggressive (although sometimes passive) pessimism the almost-18 year old FMC Yvette was exuding, was really too gloomy for me to handle.
From the synopsis I already know that she's someone who no longer believes in love. And that's okay. But I really didn't appreciate the way she tried to generalize it for everyone, though I don't think she was old enough to realize what she was doing.
For a book with such a pretty cover, it was such a gloomy parade in here. There was more on how Yvette was heartbroken over her broken family, than about dancing. Her not believing in love and happy ending was the center of everything. It all always came back to it. Actually no— I wouldn't haven't minded if it always came back to that, instead it never left that. The whole book was very monotonous for me.
The author did capture the emotional struggles of a girl of about 17-18 whose parents are going through a divorce. The anger, the resentment, the bitternessz the confused-state-of-mind... everything was really well written. The author did include a few sweet moments here in there amidst all the heartbreak and gloom, and I think I can appreciate that. Yvette had a friend group, and I think they were cool. Each friend brought something new to the hook— Cassidy with her fun persona, Sophie with her calm persona, and Martin with his sensitive but stable presence. I absolutely loved the dance instructor— Fifi (Fiona). That woman had all the personality and essence and I was looking forward to more of her page time.
The book, in overall wasn't very fun for me though, and I found it boring. Again, this is a very very personal opinion and just because I don't like it doesn't mean you won't. I appreciate what the author's done here, but it really really really wasn't for me. More often than not, I was reading just to get to the end of the story so I can cross it off my list. The story could've been a lot more colourful, and Yvette could've had more to her than just her cautious, pessimistic self. Xavier was cool, he really complemented Yvette, but he's your typical carefree, charming MMC with his own backstory and that's just it.
I'm not a very optimistic person myself, but the amount of intense and aggressive (although sometimes passive) pessimism the almost-18 year old FMC Yvette was exuding, was really too gloomy for me to handle.
From the synopsis I already know that she's someone who no longer believes in love. And that's okay. But I really didn't appreciate the way she tried to generalize it for everyone, though I don't think she was old enough to realize what she was doing.
For a book with such a pretty cover, it was such a gloomy parade in here. There was more on how Yvette was heartbroken over her broken family, than about dancing. Her not believing in love and happy ending was the center of everything. It all always came back to it. Actually no— I wouldn't haven't minded if it always came back to that, instead it never left that. The whole book was very monotonous for me.
The author did capture the emotional struggles of a girl of about 17-18 whose parents are going through a divorce. The anger, the resentment, the bitternessz the confused-state-of-mind... everything was really well written. The author did include a few sweet moments here in there amidst all the heartbreak and gloom, and I think I can appreciate that. Yvette had a friend group, and I think they were cool. Each friend brought something new to the hook— Cassidy with her fun persona, Sophie with her calm persona, and Martin with his sensitive but stable presence. I absolutely loved the dance instructor— Fifi (Fiona). That woman had all the personality and essence and I was looking forward to more of her page time.
The book, in overall wasn't very fun for me though, and I found it boring. Again, this is a very very personal opinion and just because I don't like it doesn't mean you won't. I appreciate what the author's done here, but it really really really wasn't for me. More often than not, I was reading just to get to the end of the story so I can cross it off my list. The story could've been a lot more colourful, and Yvette could've had more to her than just her cautious, pessimistic self. Xavier was cool, he really complemented Yvette, but he's your typical carefree, charming MMC with his own backstory and that's just it.
ok so im editing this review since im slightly less emo now. *mildly spoilery review ahead*
so yea this book definitely solidified a new rule for me and that is i am not reading anymore books with black teen death. every. single. time. i am on the trigger scale of deeply distressed to traumatized. but anyways to the review:
i had a hard time getting into this and i was honestly considering dnfing it. i think a big writing flaw of nicola yoon is that her characters always seem to lack personality. which is really really bad since she writes romance and characters r obviously a super major thing. i can never really connect with them and they all seem to b made of the same formula. like their all carbon copies of each other but not bc their stories r so different. i don’t think she does a good job at writing teenagers period. reading this i never believed that x and evie were falling in love. their “chemistry” and “banter” was flat and lacking. and then there was this weird thing where the book was acting like cheating was ok and forgivable which really confused me. but all in all this book made me reflect a lot on what the author was trying for us readers to understand and the plot twist @ the end hit me out of no where and i think ill b reeling for quite some time
so yea this book definitely solidified a new rule for me and that is i am not reading anymore books with black teen death. every. single. time. i am on the trigger scale of deeply distressed to traumatized. but anyways to the review:
i had a hard time getting into this and i was honestly considering dnfing it. i think a big writing flaw of nicola yoon is that her characters always seem to lack personality. which is really really bad since she writes romance and characters r obviously a super major thing. i can never really connect with them and they all seem to b made of the same formula. like their all carbon copies of each other but not bc their stories r so different. i don’t think she does a good job at writing teenagers period. reading this i never believed that x and evie were falling in love. their “chemistry” and “banter” was flat and lacking. and then there was this weird thing where the book was acting like cheating was ok and forgivable which really confused me. but all in all this book made me reflect a lot on what the author was trying for us readers to understand and the plot twist @ the end hit me out of no where and i think ill b reeling for quite some time
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-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:
Yes
What a beautiful book. This will stay with me for awhile. Just like her other books have. <3
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
I don't want to spoil it, but there's a bit of sadness in it that may sour the narrative a bit. I know this is Yoon's first (that I know of) with two black leads, which is what makes it bittersweet. I just felt I had to mention that.
Very readable but unoriginal love story (falling for someone via learning to dance together), superficial character development for most characters, and kind of preachy live in the moment message. There was some fun banter and some contrived banter. The frustrating circumstances caused by Evie's father's behavior was the more engaging subplot for me (no pun intended). Overall this was moderately enjoyable.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
NO TENGO PALABRAS, ME DESTRUYÓ.
la construcción de los personajes, tanto evie como x y como el de los personajes secundarios es perfecta, ahonda en cada uno de ellos y te hace conectar y conocer sus historias.
el desarrollo de la relación de evie con x y de todo lo que ella va aprendiendo a lo largo del libro, como logra aprender sobre el amor y lo que significa es simplemente perfecto.
conecté un montón con esta historia y me dejó rota cuando la terminé pero fue asombrosa y valió la pena.
la construcción de los personajes, tanto evie como x y como el de los personajes secundarios es perfecta, ahonda en cada uno de ellos y te hace conectar y conocer sus historias.
el desarrollo de la relación de evie con x y de todo lo que ella va aprendiendo a lo largo del libro, como logra aprender sobre el amor y lo que significa es simplemente perfecto.
conecté un montón con esta historia y me dejó rota cuando la terminé pero fue asombrosa y valió la pena.